The Student Union, Ojai Valley News, April 28, 2023

The Student Union

April 28, 2023

Editor’s Note: Huzzah! Spring has come. As National College Commitment Day on May 1 approaches, you start to notice more and more proud high school seniors sporting their college “swag.” It is time to celebrate the warm weather and new beginnings. This edition is geared to applaud the accomplishments of our hardworking youth.

Cheers from your faithful editor, Hannah Little

Learning in an Artificial World

By Emanuel Zagata-Jacobson

The use of AI-powered writing tools like ChatGPT is becoming increasingly prevalent in high school classrooms, with students turning to the technology as a way to cheat on assignments and exams. While these students see the technology as a convenient way to get ahead, teachers are worried it will lead to an increase in plagiarism and a decrease in the quality of student writing.

One student, who asked to remain anonymous, said they had been using ChatGPT to complete assignments for several months. “It’s so easy,” they said. “I just type in a prompt and ChatGPT gives me a whole essay. It saves me so much time, and I can get a good grade without even trying.”

When asked about the potential for plagiarism, the student shrugged. “I don’t really think about it,” they said. “I mean, it’s not like I’m copying and pasting someone else’s work. ChatGPT is just generating text for me, so it’s not really plagiarism, right?”

But teachers are not so sure. “These tools are making it easier for students to pass o someone else’s work as their own,” said Brittany Whipple, Ojai Valley School 10th grade Honors English teacher. “And it’s not just about plagiarism. These tools are also taking away from the learning experience. Students are no longer developing their own writing skills, and they’re not learning how to think critically or creatively.”

Ms. Whipple also mentioned that the use of these AI-powered writing tools is making it harder to detect plagiarism. “In the past, we could easily detect plagiarism by checking student work against online sources,” she said. “But now, with so many AI-generated texts out there, it’s becoming much harder to tell whether a student has cheated or not.”

Teachers and school administrators are now looking at ways to address this issue, including implementing stricter plagiarism policies and educating students about the dangers of using AIpowered writing tools.

Thus far, you have been reading a journalism story completely curated by ChatGPT.

“I was aware it was happening in the weeks that it was invented,” said Ms. Whipple about the faculty presentation. “I did some research, and came back to the school with a whole presentation for the admin team.”

Late last year, the research company, OpenAI, released a Chatbot known as ChatGPT, which can generate high schooland college-level essays in less than a minute. If this sounds a little “2001: A Space Odyssey” to you, you’re not alone.

The program uses a database of thousands of academic papers, information on the web, and literature to generate paragraph-length responses to nearly any question.

In the weeks after the presentation, the faculty and administration worked to rewrite the plagiarism and academic

The program’s ability to generate its own “ideas” is what separates it from a standard search engine or even an academic journal or article. It is powerful enough to do both the research and the writing. Typically, a student would spend hours collecting information and sources, a task that ChatGPT can perform in just minutes.

Senior Eiki Fukuyama also thinks ChatGPT is a useful tool rather than a site used for cheating.

“I honestly think it’s really helpful,” he said. “It helps me on assignments when I am struggling, and it gives me suggestions. I use it as an outline that I build o of.”

The new technology could force a shift in how many teachers have taught classes, as they now must include more in-class writing and assessments that require complex or obscure literature.

dishonesty section of the student handbook, and began discussing the topic with students in English and Social Science classes. All students were required to sign an updated “academic integrity” pledge, which included information about use of AI tools to complete assignments.

“I’m going to be doing more in-class writing just so I have a really good sample of what a student is able to write,” Ms. Whipple said. “If there ever is a question, it becomes pretty obvious, like what you write in class versus going home and coming back with a beautiful, perfect essay.”

While changes in the OVS community and classroom remain subtle, this is a rapidly growing industry, and decisions regarding how to deal with AI in school will continue to be in the spotlight in the coming months and years.

“I think that down the road, in future discussions, we’ll be thinking about how we teach,” Mrs. Colborn said enthusiastically. “I thought it was cool, it does some really cool things. I think it’s important to remember to not be afraid of the new technology … it’s better to learn how to instruct with it, as opposed to banning it completely.”

While a lot of good journalism work went into reporting and writing this story, it’s scary to think that it took ChatGPT less than 30 seconds to write a story, and to have that story end the same way this OVS journalist would have ended it.

Here’s how ChatGPT ended its journalism story:

Several weeks ago, the real Ojai Valley School English teacher Brittany Whipple presented information about a new chatbot to the faculty, which was news to many. She started the conversation on ChatGPT’s workings by demonstrating how it could respond to writing prompts — including one out of Humanities class on the Percy Bysshe Shelley poem “Ozymandias” — at the click of a button.

The chatbot flawlessly pumped out expert essays and short answers.

The presentation left many teachers astonished. And anxious.

“The English department overviewed the policy and worked as a committee to update that policy,” said Laurel Colborn, the assistant head of school for Academics. “Then the English teachers went back and worked with all their students to go over the updates.”

In the OVS community and across the country, school administrators are having discussions about how ChatGPT can be used to benefit the learning environment and not be seen as the enemy.

“I see it as a tool,” Ms. Whipple said. “I see potential in people who might struggle with executive functioning. … I see classroom abilities for this, in English, as well as other disciplines.”

OVS was ahead of the curve on many of the national discussions regarding ChatGPT.

While many colleges and high schools around the country have flat out banned it, OVS wants to take a more future-minded approach to the ever-evolving and incredibly powerful technology.

“What we’re doing is asking students not to use the generators to do 100% of an assignment,” Mrs. Colborn said. “They (the students) have to be respectful if a teacher doesn’t want them to use it at all, but some will let them use it; they just have to cite it.”

Students have di ering opinions on how they will use ChatGPT, and where to draw the line between using AI as a positive tool and using it to plagiarize.

“I think (using AI) becomes cheating when it is generating ideas or opinions about the text,” said OVS junior Ben Manning. “If you were to ask the AI to summarize a book or give a description, that would be fine.”

“We need to make sure that students understand that cheating is not only wrong, but it’s also counterproductive,” said Ms. Whipple. “They need to know that the only way to truly succeed is by putting in the hard work and developing their own skills.”

Overall, the use of ChatGPT in high school classrooms is becoming a concern for teachers and administrators as it makes it easier for students to cheat and harder to detect plagiarism. It also takes away the opportunity for students to develop their own writing skills and think critically. It’s important for educators to address this issue and educate students about the importance of academic integrity and the dangers of cheating.

for their coursework.

Powered by students, sponsored by Ojai Valley News

Student-created graphic, depicting the Open Source AI logo

What is a College Essay?

The seniors we asked gave these top three answers:

1. An essay about something that is impactful in my life

2. A look into my deeper self

3. Stressful and tiring

This page includes real college essays from seniors in schools throughout the Ojai Valley.

Throughout my academic career, I have always felt a love for English. Every year, it is the only class I look forward to as summer comes to an end. My love for the subject began with my love for reading, specifically the fantasy genre. I plowed through “The Land Of Stories” and tore through “The School For Good and Evil.” I always felt like a book had so much more to say than any movie, video game, or TV show. The emotions, personas, and depth of literature always astounded me and kept me turning pages for hours on end. Relatives always knew they could give me a book as a gift for Christmas or birthdays and it would actually be read. The satisfaction of adding a completed book to my bookshelf was better than any A+ in math or history.

Reading helped increase my vocabulary from a young age. I found it easier to pull ahead in writing classes and anything involving spelling. I even won my elementary school spelling bee in sixth grade with my above-average vocabulary levels. I savored assignments centered on poems and short stories as they provided my favorite creative outlet. Honors English classes led to AP classes, and I eagerly accepted the new knowledge with an open mind. My sister and I log all of our reading in an app called Goodreads where we rate our favorite books and write reviews for other readers. We also create lists of books we hope to read, and I even own a book embosser to mark all of my favorite books with “Maggie’s Library.” In college, I hope to pursue my love for English in a book club or story-writing class as a possible minor for my undergraduate path. Books will always remain close to my heart and their characters have become my acquaintances as I relate their lessons to my own life. The world inside of books has guided my love for English from Day One, and I will always be in love with the vivid world of literature.

The Captain’s heartbeat was calm and steady, even though the soft tendrils of fear had begun to creep up his throat. He knew somewhere, somehow, he had left Earth behind and was now traveling through the Beyond. Its innate loneliness licked at his feet, kept at bay by the allure of the unknown. Taking a deep breath, the Captain relit his lantern and crouched over the helm, scanning the flat stretch in front of him. How exciting, the Captain thought, and it was as if someone had heard his thoughts, for suddenly an even more bewildering phenomenon occurred. His motion ceased, and the Captain felt a strange, weightless sensation. He was floating now, and he squinted, overwhelmed by the light. This land had dimension, and it curved all around him into a dizzyingly gigantic sphere. Gaping holes and rips dotted the curved expanse, and dazzling white light shone through the openings. So this was the truth behind those starlit skies he had seen every night on Earth, the truth behind those glittering stars in the darkness above. He knew what he had to do. Filled with an eerie tranquility, the Captain began to haul in his sails and tighten his ropes. He adjusted his cap, patted his ship’s weathered helm lovingly, and turned o his lanterns. With his fishing knife in one hand and the helm in the other, he jerked his ship toward the blinding lights and braced himself for impact.

Cartoon Credit: Cartoonstalk

I was born into a paternalistic Northern Vietnamese family, which strongly emphasizes the importance of having a son.

Besides the primary reason for continuing the family lineage, I was taught about the strict expectations placed upon me as I learn to become the head of the family. However, there are also numerous things that are forbidden as a result of this familial pressure. For example, I am not allowed to prepare any food within my family home.

That said, I have always fantasized about being a top chef, and when leaving Vietnam for boarding school in the U.S., there was a kitchen that was not olimits to me. As I recognized this unique opportunity to expand my culinary knowledge and explore without restraint, I decided to cook for myself. I spent the weekends practicing my skills from a traditional Vietnamese cookbook. Through numerous blunders, I learned the basics. Eventually, I sought opportunities to learn from others in my community. I approached a fellow student known for his culinary prowess and asked him to take me on as an apprentice. We made a dynamic duo and were even o ered an opportunity to attend a food festival and represent the Vietnamese community on campus. When my partner graduated, I continued to explore my culinary capabilities, which had become my passion. I wanted to test whether or not I could diversify Vietnamese dishes with international cuisine. For example, I have fused traditional dishes with soul food and flavors of Cajun cooking. I have elevated classic American dishes with spices from India, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Most importantly, my twists on cuisine have garnered praise and excitement from my friends. I have learned how to use food as a means to connect with other individuals in my life. Cooking has allowed me to experiment, try new things, and connect with others in ways that I could not back in Vietnam, and I plan to continue surprising others with my creations and fostering this talent even further.

As I became further distanced from the self-confidence and passion of my youth, my mom made the bold move of signing me up for the local youth choir. On the first day, I was slow to exit the car. As I slunk into the music room, I kept my head down and pulled my bill cap over my eyes, thus, ironically, attracting even more attention. I was flushed, and my shirt felt sticky against my skin. As the other kids encroached to introduce themselves, I tentatively o ered my name. When it was my turn to sing a solo to determine my natural key, I shakily followed the conductor down the bell-like tones of the piano, praying my voice wouldn’t crack. Yet, as I descended down the scale, I felt relief wash over me. The feeling of fear that had churned in my stomach fell away, and I stood there bathed in something new.

Soon, my evenings were consumed by my passion for singing. I worked with a singing coach, and dove into the world of musicals, landing several leads. Through these activities, I woke to the realization that putting myself in strong, exposed positions brought me closer to the outgoing, confident boy I’d once been. Those who heard me sing recognized my internal strengths rather than my outward appearance, and it was so empowering. Whatever worries I had dissolved on stage. And while my social anxiety still loomed over me throughout high school, singing helped me cope. Although so much of my love for singing was about my own personal growth, I realized I wanted to be part of something larger than myself.

Now, if 8-year-old me met current me, I think he’d recognize himself. I’ve learned that the only way to transcend di culties is to walk toward them, with no expectation of the outcome. Singing taught me that I’m not defined by my fears, that the measure of one’s character lies in their advocacy for others.

operated by the City of

e Trolley provides daily xed-route transportation to approximately 9,000 riders per month throughout Ojai, Meiners Oaks and Mira Monte.

e Trolley

a well-known feature in the Ojai Valley, and in addition to the daily xed-route services, participates in many local community events, fund raising activities, community service, and educational functions.

Has life ever thrown a curveball at you before you knew how much it would a ect your future? Well, for me, that happened 17 years ago. At the age of 30, my father was in a terrible car accident, which caused him to lose all ability to walk. My mother became his fulltime caregiver and a stay-at-home mom. Me, you ask? I was 2 months old. I spent the first months of my life in and out of the hospital as my family spent time with my dad as he navigated his recovery.

Throughout my lifetime, my father’s accident has impacted me the most emotionally. Most kids get the chance to have their father drop o or pick them up from school, take them fishing, play tag, or wrestle. Not me. I never got to experience my father chasing me and picking me up. But I am beyond grateful to still have my father here with me today. I may not have gotten those experiences, but I got a lot of di erent opportunities. Although I haven’t experienced those moments, my father and I enjoy building things together. During the COVID pandemic, when we were on lockdown, my father helped me build a two-story chicken coop. When he and I build anything, I am his hands. We have adapted to work together as he explains while I attempt to follow his instructions.

My father’s accident has shaped me into the person I am today because he has taught me never to give up. Growing up and watching my dad relearn day-to-day things that most people take for granted provided me with a full view of what it really means to fight for what you want. Before my father was in his accident, he was always a hardworking man. This has never changed. My dad’s hard work now goes into successfully teaching his nieces and nephews how to drive the tractor, feed the cattle, and everything in between. All of my friends who come over are taught how to drive a tractor, pull a trailer with a truck and the maintenance required to keep everything working properly. As I’ve grown up and witnessed how hard my family works to always give me and my brother the best opportunities, my father has bestowed upon me the best gift a parent can: the attitude of “work hard, play harder.” This simple yet e ective quote is something that I strive to live by. This has made me the hard worker that I am today.

During my first semester of ninth grade, I struggled to find my community. This was until I joined the Asian-American Club where the members had similar experiences to mine and were a refreshing sight on a campus that is not known for its diversity. I thoroughly enjoyed my time participating in club events, such as traditional holiday celebrations and cultural education fairs across campus. However, the future of the club soon became murky when the board members began resigning as they graduated, and it was soon announced that the club would be disbanding.

I decided that I could not be a bystander and watch the community that had enriched my life fade. I created a proposal to elect new board members immediately in order to keep the Asian-American Club running. I was elected vice president and began reconfiguring the organization.

After elections, the club turned its focus to first-year students who are lost or seeking community during their first semester. To increase our club’s presence across campus, I researched and created weekly cultural showcases that presented unique foods, cultural traditions, music, and language to the entire campus. I also bolstered our club’s email and campus-event outreach in order to increase the organization’s student body.

Finally, I set up measures, such as board member elections every semester, to prevent the same risk of closure that the club had faced when I joined.

As people became increasingly interested, the number of events and members continued to grow. Over the span of 10 months, we quintupled our club’s student population while also maintaining our reputation as a highly inclusive organization. Anyone who identifies as Asian or AsianAmerican is welcome to join and share their cultural perspectives, which continues to enrich our organization and drive its mission. The success of the Asian-American Club proved to me that others find deep connection through our community, and it is still important to me that the club continues with that same goal in mind. Everyone in our community should feel at home, just like how I felt when I first became a member.

Fostering student voices

The Game, consisting of performing various tasks in addition to answering challenging questions, occurred every other week in International Baccalaureate U.S. History class and provided students with opportunities to earn sought-after extra credit. I won the most, which was no easy feat, as each time the teams randomly changed. I had to strategize the di erent strengths of di erent sets of my classmates to bolster chances of winning each Game. I advised my classmates what to do, posing questions to help them formulate an answer to the given task. I was not the one who always answered the questions. I merely aided in the process of my classmates doing so, even when they went on to compete in other teams.

Throughout the year and outside of the Game, I also aided classmates with upcoming history quizzes and essays. My help included particular ways to study, pointing out certain questions to be aware of, and sharing writing techniques. Every week, there were multiple painstaking quizzes we all had to take. The quizzes included several questions, yet they covered a vast number of pages, adding to the rigorous reputation of the class. Essays were no exception to the demanding pace of the class. We were required to write essays regarding the historical material of that week within 45 minutes. I began to assist struggling classmates with writing practice essays and advice on how to improve their essays in terms of structure, analysis, and style.

I am more than willing to aid fellow students, as this not only benefits them but myself. Understanding the perspectives of others provides additional insights, allowing for better comprehension. Near the end of the school year, my history teacher noted how the grades of the students I had most worked with improved significantly. It felt rewarding to not just help with my peers’ academics but to ease the stress many were experiencing. Through this leadership experience, I learned that I am a person who is invested not just in my own success but that of the entire group. By working together, everyone can achieve success.

My greatest weakness has become my greatest strength. I have 20/1000 vision. When I sit at the back of the class, the whiteboard is essentially over three football fields away, and when I soak in the bathtub, I can’t see my toes. Not even science can explain how I survived before my parents realized I was nearly blind. But my durable child body took enough running into walls and trips and falls that my parents eventually had my vision checked. When I was diagnosed with microphthalmia, my mother panicked, afraid I’d missed the first four years of my life, but the doctor assured her I’d simply experienced the world di erently.

My lousy vision couldn’t be surgically improved, so an assortment of glasses with Coke-bottle lenses became my lifeline. My bug-like eyes became the occasion for endless questions: How many fingers am I holding up? Are you blind? All people could see were my glasses — what they didn’t notice was that I could see things others couldn’t.

My unique experience of the world gave me the preternatural ability to see what was missing in the connections between people. At school, I saw new students struggling to integrate into the community, so I engineered the Student Mentorship Program to welcome and involve them. On the soccer field, I assumed the role of center-mid because of my ability to engage each player and read the entire field (the irony isn’t lost on me). In my town, I recognized that community members who help make others’ lives easier weren’t always appreciated the way they deserved to be, so I looked for ways to acknowledge them and give back.

Ultimately, I surrendered to vanity and traded in my glasses for contacts. And, while my near-blindness is less evident now, what I’ve gained from it I carry with me every day. Most people would consider themselves unlucky to be in the 0.001% of those with microphthalmia, but that’s not me. My near-blindness has given me the gift to see the things that can bring people together, and for that, I’m more than lucky.

First things first, how are we going to decorate our room? I’m thinking Polaroids and photobooth photos with friends — old and new — clipped to fairy lights along our walls. My posters of nebulae and black holes, vinyls of your favorite songs or jerseys from your favorite teams, and a flu y rug to do snow-angels on during all-nighters.

If anyone ever comes by looking for me, point to the ceramic pieces on every surface in our room and suggest checking the studio. Early in the morning, I’ll likely be out on a run — don’t worry, I won’t wake you. On the weekends, I might go stargazing in Yosemite or check out craft fairs in Santa Cruz. On slower afternoons, I could be skateboarding around campus or at the Cantor Arts Center getting inspired to paint a portrait or try out glass-blowing. Together, let’s join a fantasy football league. Host an NBA watch party. (Go Warriors!) Plan a picnic on Meyer Green — I’ll make spaghetti carbonara. Volunteer at Meals on Wheels. Share our favorite books and encourage each other to finish — I’ve been on page 318 of “Guns, Germs, and Steel” for far too long.

Want to try skydiving? Learn Japanese? Train for a marathon? I’m open to just about anything new. So as we start this first year of college life, new and exciting, know that you can find me any time to vent about hard classes or share your joys as we start and end our days together.

The heart is a muscle, yet we ascribe much greater significance to what it really entails — e ort, sadness, courage, or how much we love something. The heart is like an empty vault, hollow to begin with, until a person fills it with something meaningful to him; perhaps treasure fills the emptiness. Often, people say, “follow your heart,” but what if it leads you in a direction you never anticipated?

All my life, basketball was my treasure. It helped me gain confidence when I struggled as a seventh-grader navigating a new life in an unfamiliar country. While succeeding in basketball, however, my cardiomyopathy caused many episodes of chest pain and shortness of breath. I tried to keep it to myself, but during a game, my heart was beating so hard it was almost out of my chest. Not only was I out of breath, my legs felt numb; it was a feeling I’d yet to experience before. Despite that, I made the league’s first-team, and more importantly, I captained our basketball team to the school’s first playo berth in 60 years.

A few coaches from local colleges attended my games, and I received inquiries from out-of-state schools from my highlight video. This meant that playing Division 3 became a possibility, which was meaningful to me because fewer than 20 players from Taiwan have played in the NCAA. I aspired to become one of those few, proudly representing my country. Yet, shortly after our loss to the eventual state champion, my condition had, unfortunately, worsened, and my dream of playing in college was over. The love for basketball was all I had known — I felt defeated. My heart felt empty.

I pondered for a while about what a defective heart really meant. Eventually, I saw an opportunity in this “heart problem.”

In 2022, I started a nonprofit organization called TPE ELITE, to not only teach basketball skills, but also to advocate a healthy lifestyle for underprivileged teenagers. We then partnered with the Taipei Orphan Foundation, which serves teens who have lost both parents. For a completely di erent reason from mine, they are kids whose hearts have been broken by the loss of their loved ones.

what grateful passion a

If not for my defective heart, I never would have imagined, let alone actually created, an impactful nonprofit. It still pains me to think about what could have been, but I am grateful for the new opportunities to share my story and passion with others. The heart might be merely a muscle, but it has given my life a new purpose.

Fashion and Friendship

By Surya Pulipati

When visiting the Oak Grove campus, see how many mushroom-printed clothing items you can spot. Guaranteed, they were a product of Oak Grove Senior Ben Herring’s clothing line.

“I was just walking around when I saw some freshly sprouted mushrooms which became the inspiration for my mushroom design,” said Ben. “I find myself pulling inspiration from things that might be passed by.” Ben started his clothing brand, Herring Werkstätte, in 2019. It has now bloomed into a profitable business and an outlet for creativity.

Herring Werkstätte has grown to be an integral part of many Oak Grove students’ wardrobes and an enriching endeavor for Ben and the people who work with him.

A school project prompted Ben to start making art and designing clothing. He was tasked with forming and executing an idea based on his personal interests.

His designs are inspired by a variety of aspects. Nature plays a large part in his ideas. This goes back to his nine years at Oak Grove School, which values and preaches to the natural world from a young age.

He also implements his other interests into his brand. For example, his love for videography emerges as a film-strip design, where each strip of the film tells a di erent story. These appear on sweaters, hoodies, shorts, pants, and much more.

“Nothing I sell is exactly the same”, Ben explains as he rattles o a list of other art forms he has incorporated into his business.

Ben’s best known for his screen-printed designs that he does at home. Through this process, each piece develops character and comes o the press physically di erent from the last, with a story behind it, making it that much more meaningful to the person who buys it.

The process of screen-printing consists of creating a design, finalizing it, preparing a screen, and brightening emulsion to create a stencil; a separate screen must be used for each separate layer of ink. Then, a printing press is used to place the screen onto the garment of clothing, and after that, the ink is pressed through the screen and onto the cloth. This process also consists of obtaining blanks, or plain clothing, and spending the time to make sure a design looks good. Each piece is made like this, each piece is unique.

As an artist who is starting out in a tornado of fast fashion, he is very aware of the e ect the fashion industry has on the environment. “I make an e ort to only use organic cotton or reuse blanks to print on”.

Per year, the fashion industry contributes about 1.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of the world’s carbon emissions annually. You can be sure that when you buy clothing from Herring Werkstätte, it is printed on cloth that is environmentally friendly or is being reused and not wasted.

Makel modeling IMGP

“I started just selling to friends, then the first market I sold at was the school’s winter market,” said Ben.

Through Oak Grove’s winter market, Ben started on his journey of selling clothing to the public. To this day, many orders stem from custom requests, but a bulk happens from local pop-ups. He and his longtime preschool friend, Makel Aglietti, owner of his own clothing brand, Lavori Aglietti, hold pop-ups at Valley of the Moon, where community members can come and buy their products.

“I taught Makel how to print in August 2021. He gives me feedback, and I give him feedback,” said Ben. “We have ideas and inspiration together and we print stu together.”

Ben and Makel’s longtime friendship is only emulsified by their shared love for making clothing. Their businesses enable them to help each other, challenge each other, and allow for them to deepen their friendship.

They both sell at the Valley of the Moon, a clothing store in Ojai. Ben has been selling there for three years and has formed a close relationship with John Dennis, the owner. Ben describes him as a mentor who has helped them through their journey of selling and designing.

Mr. Dennis said: “More than anything, I just am really stoked about what they’re doing, I’m just kind of like in the back of the bleachers cheering them on. It gives my heart a lot of joy to see artists, young artists, like these guys find their audience, and communicate in that way.”

Along with selling to the larger community, the sta and student community support the business. A large percentage of the students own clothing from either Lavori Aglietti or Herring Werkstätte. Even beyond their home campus, students around the valley can be seen wearing their designs.

Having a local business run by students creates a sense of community only achieved by this shared ownership of student art. “I love supporting my friends and their clothes are super comfy!” said junior Vaughn Ullerich, owner of a blue Lavori Aglietti sweatshirt.

“They also use really comfortable fabric and have a bunch of di erent sizing options, which is extremely helpful,” chimed Lucia Sagol, another Oak Grove student who owns a Herring Werkstätte hoodie. “They have so much variety; I even have a Herring Werkstätte pair of cargo shorts!”

The advertisement through social media and word of mouth helped to spread the brands’ names, Ben and Makel’s love for photography and videography intertwine with their clothing brands, resulting in the amazing photo and video shoots.

“I like to get my stu out there, share my ideas, and seeing people wear the stu I make is really cool,” said Ben. They are able to build a community, make money, express themselves, and prepare for the competitive fashion world ahead, all whilst doing what they love.

Each shirt, sweatshirt, beanie, pant, hoodie, and short is unique and has a complex character, just like these two promising artists. The community can only expect bigger and better things from both Herring Werkstätte and Lavori Aglietti.

Best put by Ben, “I’m not planning on stopping anytime soon.”

Combining Forces

The four young artists sitting down for a post-photo-shoot break at Jim and Rob’s.

India modeling

Lavori Aglietti

Ben and Makel have been working and supporting each other throughout their entire business endeavors. But there has also been a huge amount of overlap between all four of these highlighted artists. India, Ben and Makel all sell at Valley of the Moon and have greatly bonded over their common interests: doing photo shoots, marketing and running social-media content past each other.

While Vlada does not make clothes, she started a project where she shot professional photos of local student artists, free of charge, in hopes to further connect herself with a like community. This project included Ben, Makel and India’s brands.

Their collaboration stretches across artistic disciplines, across schools and across the valley.

The

Ben Herring (left) and Makel Aglietti (right)

A flyer for their pop-up at Valley Of The Moon

two regularly use their love for graphic design and creative collages when advertising their brands.

Cameras and Classes

By Elizabeth Ramsay

Armed with knitting needles, high school senior India GettyPruss can be found in between classes, tucked away in a comfy chair during study hall, stitching away at her balaclavas. Once completed, India will carefully examine her work, sew in her “IMGP” tag, and add it to the completed pile.

In hopes to hold a balance between school and her clothing business, IMGP the brand, India spends her free time working on pieces for her most recent lines of clothing. Beyond balaclavas, India is selling a new line of boxers, along with screenprinted shirts, sweatshirts and bags with her personal designs.

“Whenever I get the chance, I’m working on something (for my brand),” said India.

The passionate young artists, India and junior Vladislava “Vlada” Antipaka, have been able to take their craft outside of the high school classroom and branch out into a larger community to share their art, make a few bucks and experience the professional world of business.

India had always enjoyed art and design. As a kid, she was surrounded by artists in her family, and learned to sew at the early age of 6. She has also taken an art class all four years at OVS, this year being AP 3-D Art and Design.

Currently, IMGP sells an array of handcrafted shirts, sweatshirts, balaclavas, and a line of boxers. Her clothes feature creative and fresh designs on comfortable and quality material. She has experimented with a lot to make these patterns: screen-printing at home, knitting, sewing and even concrete.

Sustainability is an important feature of the brand. Almost all the shirts are thrifted and the boxers are made from organic cotton. “I pay a lot of attention to detail and sustainability — making the value in the details, and the quality,” India said. “I work a lot on the process of things, instead of just the end product.”

To India, the most important feature of her brand is not just its focus on sustainability and details, but customer satisfaction as well. “Obviously I like my clothes — that’s why I’m making them,” India said, “but it doesn’t mean anything to me if other people don’t like or feel comfortable wearing my clothes.”

Unlike India, who stewed in an artistic childhood and then broke o into her own venture, Vlada sought to better her photography skills by reaching out to professional photographer Mila Zvereva, who would mentor her and show her the basics of photography.

“Learning from the professional is the shortcut,” Vlada said. “I started working with her (Mila) and shooting for two months.”

In those two months, Vlada took pictures every day of anything she could see — her friends, the trees outside, and LA. “At first, It was di cult to find my style: fashion, street, food photography,” Vlada said, “but I never stopped enjoying taking pictures.”

Vlada took to full-fashion photography, taking stunning pictures of her models in the studio. To her, lighting is key — vibrant, and striking lighting that gives her photos a unique and dramatic style. She was greatly inspired by American fashion and portrait photographer Richard Avedon’s impressive “structure and lighting.”

Through Mila, Vlada had the opportunity in February to be the primary photographer of several artists being highlighted in the prestigious magazine The Wall Group, which advertises and photographs the hottest upcoming artists. Vlada was in charge of location prep, lighting, and backdrop, and coordinated both a full team of hair and makeup specialists. She was hired directly by The Wall Group and got paid directly by The Wall Group.

A Story Behind Every Shot

This picture was taken at a Ukrainian war relief event. Though the event was being held as a result of the “ugly” and unfortunate tragedy of war, there is beauty in this moment, for so many di erent people gathered together out of love and kindness in support of helping others. Though the subject in the portrait may not conform to the ideal standards of what is considered beautiful, she exudes beauty in her own way, for her beauty is manifested through her emotion, calmness, and wisdom. The guiding mantra of my art is: Find the beauty around you. I hope that through my art, I will also inspire others to do the same in viewing and appreciating life, no matter how hard it may seem.

Vlada

“Everyone was freaking out that I was 16,” said Vlada. “They weren’t sure if I could pull it o . But when we started working, they were impressed that I was 16.”

Above all, what Vlada loves most is the connection she makes with the people she works with. “When you are shooting someone, you can really see what they’re all about,” she said. “You really understand them throughout the shoot and how they express themselves.”

Despite the challenge, there is no doubt Vlada has found her passion. She loves the freedom and the lifestyle she gets out of this artistic profession.

Both of the young artists have had to navigate the tedious details of being a functioning artist. Beyond having to be talented, the two work diligently at marketing, business connections and professionalism.

Last summer, India started IMGP, making an Instagram account in June, and creating clothes in August. “I wanted to share my art with people, and wanted people to associate it with me.”

The clothes are sold through an online store, and in person at Valley of the Moon, which sells thrift clothes and supports local young artists.

Vlada worked to develop a name for herself and a reputation. She began advertising herself in the photography world under the alias “Vlada Nata.” But trying to juggle school and navigate the expansive and intricate world of business is no easy task.

Running a business while in high school isn’t easy. “It is di cult especially because I have other things to do,” India said. “Like get into college.”

Looking to the future, these artistic gems will shine wherever their creative path takes them.

“IMGP is a start and practice for what I want to do for the rest of my life,” India said, “I’m going to college for fashion and design where I hope to expand and grow.”

For this photo, Vlada and India put together their two art forms.

While displaying India’s work, Vlada was able to flex her artistic muscle with lighting, angles and poses.

India modeling her clothes (above)

Photo credit: Vlada Antipaka An array of India’s designs (below)

Applying the App

By Grace Zhong

Thacher School juniors Gage Grimes and Zander Schatzberg worked on an app-building independent project during winter trimester, experimenting with new coding languages and techniques.

Q: What are you building and how would you describe this project?

Gage: This app is essentially a cross between Instagram and Evite. The goal is to be able to invite people to real-life events and filter their feeds based on location so that we can promote community and activity in the real world.

Zander: With the pandemic, we saw a giant decrease in the amount of socialization that young people were getting and there was a huge gap in the market for an app like this that would really allow people to engage socially with a community without facing rejection.

Gage: For me, this independent project entails learning the basics of Swiftui, Apple’s user interface language, because we’re really starting from scratch here and then building up our skills so then we can make a finalized product over the summer with some hard work.

Zander: For me, I have a little bit of experience with both the stu of this genre so I just put together an express server, which is a framework on the JavaScript language to serve requests for the app.

Q: How would you describe the process of building an app?

Gage: As to the specifics of coding a user interface, which is my part of the independent project, it’s about making multiple files that each stack di erent pieces that you see on the screen, such as colors, and arrange them into a way that is somewhat aesthetically pleasing.

Zander: For me, this process is largely just like putting together di erent routes that a computer can make requests to on the server. When you have your URL and you type that into Google or like “apple.com,” there’s something called the server’s IP address in your route. And your router talks to that IP address on some files back to your computer through something we know as the internet. There are di erent places on that server that you can make requests to and what I have done is opened up a single port on the server which allows you to include di erent information in the request that you are making.

Q: How do you envision the app being used on the Thacher campus?

Gage: On the Thacher campus, our app has many interesting applications. So the post function is when you post di erent events and it can be used for all kinds of events, and clubs. Indoor Committee (a group that plans school events) would probably have a huge impact on campus and so would smaller clubs that can also use it to advertise their event and make their event look more interesting. It would be used instead of the mass emails that are sent because we know that our inboxes are way too flooded already.

Q: Where do you see this going in the future?

Zander: Facebook.

Gage: Purchased by Meta for $5.6 billion. Nah. Ideally, it would be ready by the spring of our senior year, but we don’t know what roadblocks we will run into and how much time we will have in the college process. Hopefully, we can do a soft launch on the app store, then a big launch that will hopefully bring the app to college campuses. Then the students can naturally transition into them, continuing using the app to get to know people in their area when traveling for work. All of this is speculation and we are still a long way o .

Q: Any last messages?

Gage: Building an app is hard. Don’t take it lightly and it’s going to take up a lot of time. It’s also fun and grows my mind in ways I’ve never imagined. I highly recommend it if you are willing to put in the time. It has made me a lot smarter and more capable than I was before.

Empowering Entrepreneurs Through Art

By Irelynn McCormick

People of all ages start businesses, whether it be kids selling lemonade on the sidewalk or Steve Jobs starting Apple in his garage. It’s a possibility for anyone and everyone out there.

Even in our little Ojai Valley, there are many teenagers and adults alike starting their own businesses.

Nakaya Mendoza, a senior at Nordho High School, started her business at her kitchen table, sewing beads with her mom. For her, starting a business was a way for her to connect more deeply with her culture and share a small glimpse into her experience as an Indigenous woman.

“Being able to create and sell these things like earrings and bracelets means we are able to expand our culture,” said Nakaya.

Along with Nakaya, many Nordho students have discovered a passion for selling their art. Using Nordho facilities, they’ve expanded their abilities to work on their businesses, through past clubs such as the Business and Finance Club and through art programs.

The art and ceramic classes at Nordho have opened doors for many students to work on their creative skills and find true passions in them.

Nordho senior Adeline Evans started an art business her sophomore year. Due to the struggles of COVID-19, she was stuck at home and found drawing helped her pass the time. Once schools opened back up, she was able to take art classes at Nordho .

“I’ve definitely had a boost in my art class,” said Adeline.

She now sells cards and creates private commissions in the community. For her, selling her work was an escape into a di erent world that allowed her to work on her art and make money doing it.

Senior Rosemary Henson also was able to deep dive into her artistic passions at school and use Nordho resources to further her entrepreneurial endeavors.

Rosemary, like Adeline, first found her passion for ceramics on her own during COVID. While school doors were locked and art classes halted by the computer screen, Rosemary was able to connect with ceramics teacher Gray Duncan, who taught at Nordho for many years.

“Mr. Duncan inspired me because I took his classes outside of school before I came to Nordho ,” said Rosemary. “I would do ceramics in his garage.”

She first came to Nordho freshman year and has carried on taking Mr. Duncan’s and fellow ceramics teacher Ms. Westergard’s ceramic classes at school.

Rosemary has continued doing ceramics every year of high school, which has given her the opportunity to sell her ceramics in the community at Art in the Park and Ojai Day.

Although the determination comes solely from the young adults embarking on self-made business, Adeline and Rosemary personify how important and beneficial it is for schools and faculty to support artistic endeavors, and how impactful it is on students.

Being an artist, for all who participate, is less of a choice and more of a calling. But the ability to appreciate and be rewarded by your community for doing and sharing your art is a privilege.

“I think one of our teachings, at least in my circle, is you don’t do it for fame, you don’t do it for a higher place in heaven, you don’t do it for money, you do it for giving to the people,” said Nakaya.

Nakaya’s viewpoint on her business allowed her to expand her art and her life passions. She shows the dedication necessary to start and run a business.

“I really bring all that I can to my art, give it my best shot, and really put it all out there.”

Cards and private commission paintings at @adeline_elise_artanddesign

Can purchase pieces listed on Instagram: @sunshineceramics.rh

Can purchase jewelry listed on Instagram: @nj_1713

Gage (front) and Zander (back)

Creative Submissions

Ticking in Time

Time is a fascinating concept

Time is an endless river

What is time but a construct of progress?

The world spins, the sun sinks, the tides roll all without ceasing

Their continuous path to nothing

Time used to not occupy much space in my mind

Time is there, but not thought of — this I knew

Time is there in the ticking of clocks, of watches:

In the rhythm of gears and winding springs

In the ornate casing and delicate hands

Time made space in me, and I see it everywhere

Clocks are fascinating

Built to make Time tangible

And audible with its ticks and chimes

Watches are fragile, worn in the safety of a vest

Held on a chain in the palm of a hand

Built to make Time beautiful

I had a pocket watch; its ticking slow and deep Reverberating and rippling

The perfect song for sleep

And for calm, and to will Time to wait

But Time waits for no one, and my watch is now dead

So I gained another

To better embody Time with its rapid, shallow ticks

And dragon-carved case, with its swift blue hands around the silver face

A lesson I learnt when my last watch drew its last breath,

Fallen to the might of Time:

Time may end, and I cannot know when, but I know where it is.

— Chelsea Fogle Inspiration Insight

VILLANOVA MIDDLE SCHOOL OPENING AUGUST 2023

By Samantha Garcia

High school can be a big transition for most students coming in, and it can take years to find your footing in the community. However, freshman Alexander Washburn did not have such troubles.

He pondered what he felt the school needed and acted when he saw the opportunity. In this case, Alex wanted to honor his country and school with the installation of a flagpole on the baseball field.

Villanova Preparatory School encourages community service and leadership, so when Alex presented the idea, he was met with rallying support. “I had heavy encouragement and support to do a service project and this was a great opportunity,” Alex said.

It is clear that service is contagious because, when asked what inspired him to start this project, Alex said it was Patrick Thurston, 2018 Villanova alumnus, and his own installation of a flagpole on the football field.

Alex wanted something impressionable, saying it would be an honor to “have something in the

school that would be able to be used often and will last a long time.”

Alex first took the initiative of finding creative ways to fundraise for the project. He organized a Pajama Day at school, where students donated $5 each to wear their comfiest clothes to classes in place of the normal uniform. He also put up sponsorship banners on the baseball field. In total, he was able to raise $1,354.

“It honestly went better than I thought it would,” said Alex when asked about the fundraising.

This was no small feat, either.

Over the course of two days, Alex dug the foundation for the pole, installed it, and redid the home dugout, with the help of about 10 other volunteers. “I felt happy and proud that I put the plans together and came through; it was a great accomplishment,” he said.

Sizzle Sizzle, crack, crunch, pop

These days thoughts taste like crackers and Cheetos Pu s.

Stale and crunchy as the last cycle of uncomfortable, chilling days.

Noise speaks like scratches on uneven surfaces.

My body bubbles from the inside out, burning beer on fresh skewed on stitches. Oxygen smells deranged, emits like static in decompressed soup.

My stomach is still empty with morning breakfast.

My eyes are drained of blood, screwed into the thick bones of my skull.

Stress hovers on my eyebrows, tempting my drenched soul.

I’m so incomplete and so full at the same time that I feel unreal.

One of these days my body will decompose to the ticks of time and crinkle to the ground like the mildewy grass of unkempt backyards

— Sydney Rubine

Sizzle Sizzle, crack, crunch, pop!

Poetry Plug: The Ojai Poetry Series is looking to increase youth participation! A meeting of local poets is held on the third Tuesday of each month in the Ojai Library Community Room. It starts o with a featured reader and is followed by an open reading. If interested, email ojaipoetryseries@gmail.com.

VILLANOVA Middle School

Villanova Preparatory School is a Catholic boarding and day school founded in the Augustinian Tradition in 1924. After a century of educating students to be critical and conceptual thinkers, effective communicators, and self-directed lifelong learners, Villanova Prep is excited to be adding Villanova Middle School to our beautiful 130-acre campus for the 2023-24 school year!

Villanova Middle School will provide academic rigor with a small school feel, including many extracurricular opportunities in the arts, athletics, community service, and leadership.

SPACES AVAILABLE FOR GRADES 7TH AND 8TH FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. APPLY TODAY!

OUR PROGRAM

Safe, supportive school community with dedicated teachers and staff.

Student-centered approach with small class sizes of approximately 20 students.

A well-rounded, challenging curriculum that educates the mind, heart, and body.

Access to science labs, art center, theater, gymnasium, pool, makerspace, and computer labs.

Do you have a child who would be eligible to attend Villanova Middle School in August 2023?

Contact us today!

Any questions?

admissions@villanovaprep.org

Contact us at: 805.646.1464

Photo taken of pajama-wearing students on the fundraising day.