oak park high school
TALON
volume v • december 2014 • 899 north kanan road, oak park california 91377
Surveillance on campus
District deploys new security measures to protect against crime by Ashwarya Srinivas, layout editor The school district has implemented new security measures, including a modern video surveillance system, to prevent crime within the district. This security camera system, created by Avigilon, contains built-in night vision as well as high-definition filming. To test these cameras, the district equipped the District Office and Oak View High School with the cameras near the beginning of the year. Pleased with the efficiency of the cameras and the high quality footage taken, the district chose to install a security camera system spanning the district – a project referred to as “Project 14-17R.” In addition, the new technology integrates the usage of mobile devices and
tablets. Contrary to the belief that all campus supervisors, principals and security officers have access to the video feeds placed within the school, only particular members of the staff can access the video feeds from the security cameras. “Only the administrators – myself, Mr. Meskis, and Mr. Martin – can access the security footage,” explained Mr. Buchanan. He further elaborated that currently, not even the school board has access to the surveillance videos. However, he revealed that the administration are considering giving the local police department access as well, for security precautions. Each administrator is given access to the video feeds and also has the ability to monitor the campus through their cellular devices. The district took these additional safety
Avigilon cameras, such as this one found outside room H-14, are dotted across campus and provide remote surveillance (Carly Albert/Talon). measures as a precaution against and detection for any intolerable behavior. Although the security cameras are intended to prevent violent and disruptive activities, they raise
“Moby Dick” by the sea Students experience Melville’s novel at Venice Beach
by Lauren Perlmutter, staff writer Over half of Oak Park High School juniors taking AP and Honors English
III headed toward Venice Beach to attend a weekend-long reading of “Moby Dick.” Senior Sam Gunn came across this event, which took place on November 22 and 23, and presented
the idea to Advanced Placement English III teacher Kathy Schultheis. “Sam should get all the credit for discovering the program, calling it to my attention, and then dedicating two full days during his busy senior year to attend and participate so thoughtfully,” Schultheis explained. Schultheis motivated her students to attend this event by offering 150 points of extra credit. “The chance to hear live words performed without any bells and whistles, no commercial breaks, no continued on page 3
conerns among the students and staff members. What may seem like a good and beneficial decision to the school board and staff, may appear as an invasion
UC REGENTS APPROVE TUITION INCREASE by Varsha Sarveshwar, content editor University of California regents have tentatively approved a plan to increase tuition until the 2019-2020 school year, angering students across UC campuses. The proposal, which regents considered on November 19 and 20, would increase UC tuition by five percent each year until the 2019-2020 school year. UC tuition, which currently
of privacy for students. The violation of the privacy of students is one of the largest concerns regarding security cameras. continued on page 4 stands at $12,804, would be brought to $15,564. The debate over tuition has created a faceoff between UC President Janet Napolitano, who has pushed for the hikes, and California Governor Jerry Brown, who is fiercely opposed to them. In an interview with Here and Now on NPR Radio, Napolitano blamed a lack of state funding for the tuition increases. “California, like virtually every other state, drastically cut funding for public higher education in the great recession, but, in point of fact, in California for many years the state had been reducing the amount it was putting into the University of California even while we were incontinued on page 7
INSIDE • on campus 2 • beyond oak park 7 • gender equality 8 • campus life 10 • entertainment 12 • sports 14