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The Cougar Press Friday, January 26, 2018

What is Bitcoin?

“It’s during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light,” -Aristotle

Patagonia’s pursuit for protection

Summer Yovanno According to Oxford Dictionary, Bitcoin is “a type of digital currency in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating independently of a central bank.”

Tyree Cruz, a history teacher at Ventura High School, said, “Bitcoin was splitting and it was causing people to question its validity… when that happened I was the contrarian and I moved into their competitors because I thought Bitcoin’s struggles would lead their competitors to be more viable so I bought Ethereum and a coin called Litecoin.”

Cruz added, “I solely accumulated about $1,500 dollars worth over the course of four months, and sat on it and as the currency started to go up in value.

This was challenging for me to do, because my wife was telling me to convert it back to US dollars, and my dad kept putting articles on the table about how [Bitcoin] was like a bubble and it was going to burst!”

Brooke Newman President Donald Trump announced his plan to reduce two national monuments located in Utah on Monday, December 4, 2017. The two federally protected landmarks, Bears Ears and Grand StaircaseEscalante, were subject to Trump’s land reductions.

According to NBC News, Bears Ears was designated by former president Barack Obama and Grand Staircase-Escalante by former president Bill Clinton. Bears Ears will decrease in size from 1.3 million acres to approximately 222,000 acres, which is an 85 percent size decrease, while Grand Staircase Escalante will decrease from 1.9 million acres to approximately 1 million acres, which

is almost half its original size.

The changes to these federally protected lands were recommended by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, which Trump then made official through two presidential proclamations.

When Trump announced his proclamations to shrink the national monuments at the Utah State Capitol, 10 groups including conservationists, environmentalists, Native Americans, and even a more local company, Patagonia, sued the Trump administration for their decisions.

Patagonia posted a message on their website saying, “The President stole your land.”

When visiting their website, www.patagonia.com, one can

take action by clicking one of the buttons and following the directions. Patagonia also states that “this is the largest elimination of protected land in American history.”

It is reported by Patagonia that over 2.7 million public comments have “poured in during the Department of Interior’s 60 day comment period,” which is a record breaking response. In addition, more than 98 percent of the comments expressed support for maintaining or expanding national monuments.

Patagonia explains that they’re fighting to protect public lands, and that the company has been doing so for almost 30 years. continued on... thecougarpress.org Photo by: Samantha Franks

Volume 70 Edition 07

What’s inside?

Boys basketball Page 8

Photo by: Ryan King Read about the basketball games vs BHS inside!

All-State band

Page 7

Photo by: Julienne Cormier Read about the students who made All-State and County band inside!

Senior Ball

Page 2

Photo by: Samantha Franks

continued on... thecougarpress.org Make sure to tag The Cougar Press in your Senior Ball photos! Our social media is on page 11.

Spikeball gets spiked down

Girls water polo

Read about the boys wrestling match vs BHS inside and open HP Reveal and scan your phone over this photo for an exclusive video from the match!

C

an ce lL ed

Page 7 Photo by: Lola Bobrow

Photo by: Gage Gregorchuk

Gage Gregorchuk The next upcoming intramural sport for second quarter that ASB has planned is spikeball.

When asked how and why spikeball was chosen as the intramural sport for this quarter, Junior ASB member Marea Gordon said, “We wanted to try something new for this intramural because our last one was dodgeball and we do the same ones almost every year, so as the new committee this year we wanted to try a new sport that maybe kids would be more interested in.”

However, according to ASB as of Monday, January 22, spikeball has been postponed until spring for undisclosed reasons. continued on... thecougarpress.org

The invisible killer: our air quality Ryan King Why are some people still wearing face masks? The Thomas fire has been contained, after all.

According to AIRNow. gov, the smoke produced by fires is made up of a mixture of gases and fine particles. The microscopic particles are the reason the air quality is so dangerous during and after a fire, because these particles can penetrate deep into your lungs which can cause a range of health problems.

According to the article “In Cities, It’s the Smoke, Not

the Fire, That Will Get You,” by WIRED, these fine particles are so small that when they are inhaled, they are are able to go into the deepest recesses of the lungs and into the alveolar sacs, where they bypass the human body’s filtration systems and slip directly into the bloodstream.

Paper masks, surgical masks, scarves, and bandanas will not protect one’s lungs from the fine particles. Masks known as N-95 and P-100 respirators are known to help protect against the smoke’s particles.

People with any heart or lung diseases like asthma,

emphysema and angina, are more susceptible to fine particle penetration in their lungs. In addition to this risk, children and teenagers with no existing heart or lung diseases have an increased risk of being affected by these fine particles because their respiratory systems are still developing.

In a recent Twitter poll conducted by The Cougar Press, 58 percent of voters said they were “somewhat affected” by the air quality as a result of the Thomas Fire, while 21 percent of voters said they were “very affected.”

VHS’s girls water polo team played BHS on January 18, did they win? Read about their match inside.

Açaí bowls

Page 2

Photo by: Brooke Newman What’s with all of the açaí bowl hype lately? Turn to page 10 to read all about açaí.

Brockhampton review

Page 8

Photo from: DJ Booth

Do you listen to Brockhampton? Read about the band inside.

News

The Cougar Press Page Two

Senior Ball: Squash the frosh!

Gage Gregorchuk Samantha Franks

This year, freshmen aren’t allowed to attend Senior Ball as they have in the previous years.

This change was decided upon

by ASB. However, many students are curious as to why this rule was implemented.

When asked how and who was involved in deciding against having freshmen at Senior Ball this year, senior ASB member Caden Beeh said, “While taste testing the menu, Mrs. Scovell brought up whether or not it would be appropriate for freshmen to attend, and after voting on it the senior class decided no.”

Beeh added, “It’s a formal dance so we don’t want everyone

going and getting their friends in, because nobody likes it when it’s sweaty.” He also said, “Honestly, freshmen just aren’t generally as mature as seniors. This dance isn’t really for them.”

According to junior ASB member Sydney Votruba, “Seniors wanted a chance to have their own ‘freedom’ and time to have a formal get together without the younger kids. Most seniors enjoy just going to senior ball and hanging out with their groups.”

When asked if there was any particular reason for implementing the rule this year as opposed to previous years Votruba stated, “It’s always been a thought.

But this year, since Homecoming was so bad, we decided to put our foot down and see if this makes a difference.”

Photo by: Brooke Newman

VHS is back, here’s the recap!

Christian Caudillo Sarah Clench

Between the start of the Thomas Fire, December 4, through December 12, VUSD had already met several times with the principals from all the schools, discussing safety issues, lesson plans, and resources making sure their students had all the social and emotional support needed. Even though VUSD wanted to restart school on December 13, the district declared school was cancelled until January 8, 2018 due to air quality and other factors.

VUSD had conducted safety checks on the schools involving filtration of the polluted air in the classrooms. Along with air quality, there were 24 variables minimum that must be considered safe to reopen the school, include running water and transportation.

When principal Carlos Cohen was asked what was done to clear the polluted air in the classrooms, Cohen said, “Rooms had to be sampled for air quality, pretty much each classroom had one air purifier, some had two….

The gyms, the fields, the pool, all that takes extra time.”

Cohen explained that Ventura High School immediately took action the first few days of

Photo by: Ryan King

Nowadays, it’s common for students to take their teachers for granted without necessarily even realizing that they’re doing so.

For some students, they look forward to visiting old teachers of theirs once they’re home from college.

However, what most students don’t consider is the fact that Ventura Unified School District teachers are being paid thousands of dollars less each year in comparison to neighboring district teachers like Oxnard Union School District.

So students might be asking themselves, “How does my teacher’s salary affect me?”

Well theoretically, students could come back to Ventura High School to visit their favorite teacher and find out that they’ve transferred to another school district only 10 miles away and are earning thousands of dollars more a year on average.

The week of January 8, all Ventura Unified Education Association members were given the opportunity to vote on a tentative agreement, giving VUSD teachers 1.25 percent salary raise that would take effect starting second semester.

The reason this controversy went to a vote in the first place is because VUEA and VESPA’s two percent raise request was not accepted by the VUSD board, ultimately putting the controversy over

A Ventura home wrecked by the Thomas Fire , located above Kalorama Street.

the fire, creating and sending out a survey the on first weekend. Shortly after, the district sent another survey out that was more inclusive, containing more questions.

Counselor Sonja Frias commented, “The district had done this huge technology survey, but not everybody has access to technology.

VHS has like 2,200 students, we only had 609 families fill out the paperwork.

According to Frias, the school tried to call in every student that had been displaced, checking if they needed new school supplies like textbooks or a backpack. continued on. . . thecougarpress.org

After the largest wildfire in California history, which burned over 281,000 acres in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties from early December to early January, southern California was hit with a rain storm on January 8 that continued through January 9.

Over the course of the storm, according to CNN over “two inches” of rain fell in Southern California, causing major mudslides around the Santa Barbara county. CNN also reported that the floods and mudslides damaged over 462 houses in Santa Barbara County and destroyed a total of 65 houses.

According to CNN, there

Staff

Editor-in-Chiefs

Photo by: Ryan King VUEA members could leave VUSD and receive more payment per year at another district, however, many teachers have said that they don’t want to leave because of their love for their students in VUSD.

teachers’ contracts into a period called impasse.

After long negotiations, other roadblocks, and eventually a mediator, VUSD and the teacher union came to a tentative agreement they voted upon.

VUEA and VESPA

Photo by: Christian Caudillo

A bridge in Carpinteria devastated by the mudslides.

have been 20 deaths reported as of January 15, and an additional 28 people were injured.

According to NBC News, as of January 16, there are currently three people missing while over 500 first responders and 10 search

The Cougar Press is a studentr un public for um of the VHS community. We strive to present all sides of the issue fairly and without bias. From time to time, we make an error. When this happens, we try to correct it as soon as possible.

Students and community members are encouraged to write letters to The Cougar Press. We welcome all letters, but may edit them for clarity and brevity.

This public for um is only as good as the community support it receives. Any letter submitted also may be published on our website www.thecougar press.or g. Send letters to: Editor, The Cougar Press, 2 N. Catalina Ventura, CA 93001. The Cougar Press supports student free speech.

Brooke Newman & Avenlea Russian

Mudslide mayhem Christian Caudillo

News.....................................2 Arts and Entertainment.....3 On Campus.......................4-5 Features..............................6-7 Sports....................................8 Challenge School Rules......9 Açaí Bowls.........................10 Distractions.........................11 VHS On..............................12

The Cougar Press

A 1.25 percent compromise Ryan King

Index

dogs continue to search, for missing people. Over 300 people who were trapped by the debris were rescued by first responder helicopters.

Due to the floods and mudslides, a boil water notice is in place for certain areas in

both voted to accept the TA. A total of 86 percent of VUEA members turned out for the vote, according to VUEA president, Dan Nelson, who said he was “thrilled to see those numbers of support.” continued on. . . thecougarpress.org

Santa Barbara like Montecito and Summerland. According to ABC news, “the 101 Freeway in Montecito reopened Sunday January 21, following a two-week closure prompted by deadly mudslides.”

According to KTLA News, “Island Packers in Ventura and Truth Aquatics in Santa Barbara are offering a ferry service, carrying around 400 people a day through an average of four daily trips with about 100 people on each,” said Island Packers owner Cherryl Connaly; they charge $35 per ticket. The Amtrak train is also accommodating travellers to and from Santa Barbara that wish to not travel by boat. continued on. . . thecougarpress.org

Managing Editor Micah Wilcox

Layout Editor Clayton Currie Lola Bobrow Ryan Brocklehurst Tobin Berger-Cahn Nathan Canchola Paris Carmody Christian Caudillo Sarah Clench Hailey Cox Emily Distefano Alicja Fowler Samantha Franks Harley Gagnon Gage Gregorchuk Acacia Harrell Sailor Hawes Hector Heredia Ryan King Liliana Lara Hannah Lee Billy Maxwell Ian McWeeney Bailey Peck Diego Roberto Kai Torres Andrew Welsh Summer Yovanno

Arts & Entertainment Review: A fantasy, romance, and drama Emily Distefano

“The Shape of Water” is an emotional movie that focuses on a mute cleaning lady by the name of Eliza who works in a 1960’s government laboratory. Watching a two hour movie where the main character does not say a word may not sound very appealing but the fact that she does not speak makes the movie that much better.

Throughout the movie, it’s clear that Eliza grows and becomes more fearless.

When cleaning the laboratory, Photo from: Wikepedia

she discovers a strange water creature that’s being held in captivity. This creature doesn’t have a name, yet it has feelings and emotions. Eliza has two main companions throughout the movie; her gay roommate named Giles and her co-worker named Zelda.

Eliza and the water creature’s relationship begins to grow when Eliza is alone in the laboratory, and she pulls out a hard boiled egg to give to the creature during her lunch. I think the connection is so strong between the two because they both feel alone and different than everyone else.

Overall, this movie has an amazing storyline along with an amazing cast. It has won multiple awards for the Critics’ Choice Awards, including best film and best director.

This movie is heartwarming yet sad at the same time. It’s easy to fall in love with the characters and the relationship that forms between and Eliza and the water creature.

I would recommend bringing tissues to the theater because the ending is very emotional.

Review: Bridge takes listeners to the past Acacia Harrell

Our generation has a dynamic spectrum of music genres to offer. Rap and pop are genres of music that are often the topic of discussion, but modern soul music is a genre that isn’t discussed as often.

Leon Bridges’ album “Coming Home” is a soul record that came out in June of 2015.

Some of his most popular songs on the album are titled “River,” “Coming Home,” and “Better Man.” His album was also a top 10 most viral track on Spotify.

However, many who are asked if they know who Leon Bridges is respond with, “Sounds familiar.”

Personally, I love his music. The lyrics combined with the doo-wop vibe makes listening to any of his songs a blast from the past, even if you never lived during that time.

The emotion and soul he puts into his music proves to be heart wrenching and relatable.

He speaks of classic love, loyalty, mistakes and growth. I find this a refreshing change from lyrics of fame, money, womanizing and drugs.

Don’t get me wrong, Rap songs can be hype, but after a while they all start to lose their meaning. It’s nice to have someone take us back in time for a minute and a half.

Photo from: iTunes

The Cougar Press Page Three

Review: America’s favorite boy band Hannah Lee

Photo by: Hannah Lee

Over the past couple of years, an underground boy band has emerged by the name of Brockhampton.

The band is becoming more successful in recent years, playing at Camp Flog Gnaw in 2017 and upcoming festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo in 2018.

The group is led by Kevin Abstract and consists of the following members: Matt Champion, Ameer Vann, Merlyn Wood, Dom McLennon, Jabari Manwa, Ashlan Grey, HK, Bearface, Robert Ontinient, Romil Hemnani, JOBA and Kiko Merley.

“I really dig Brockhampton.

They create a lot of bangers.”

- Maria Palomino

With their music, Brockhampton is redefining what a boy band really is.

They connect to an audience of people who want to listen to good music that actually means something to them.

They have toured all across the country and are now going on their “Love Your Parents” tour.

The band released their

Photo by:

first mixtape, All-American Trash, in 2016. They released their first album, Saturation, on June 9, 2017. Then, they released their second album, Saturation II, on August 25, 2017 and released Saturation III on December 15, 2017. They also released a documentary and a short film entitled “Billy Star.”

Senior Maria Palomino commented, “I really dig Brockhampton. They create a lot of bangers. They put a lot of effort into what they do and releasing three albums in one year is so amazing. It’s different.”

The group is unlike any other music group in the world right now, drawing fans to them.

They’re a large group of very talented friends who are working together to form rap’s first boy band. They have been compared to groups such as Odd Future, yet they’re on a path to pave out their own future.

From Abstract writing about personal experiences of being gay in a hometown where it isn’t accepted, or Champion writing about rape culture, Brockhampton is a boy band that is open and honest in their lyrics.

These men are on their way to the top, and by the looks of it, there is nothing stopping them. You can find their music on Spotify, Apple Music and Youtube.

Review: How Perfect was Pitch Perfect 3?

Bailey Peck

Pitch Perfect is an iconic film, I mean the Cup Song and hilarious commentary were a huge success. Pitch Perfect 2 was alright, but by no means bad. But Pitch Perfect 3? I’d say it was a huge fail.

There was no clear plot line or character development and it just left me with my mouth open.

It was really quite confusing and I kept being shocked at what ridiculousness I was watching. If you’re still dying to see this movie, I strongly recommend you get a lot of popcorn and candy, or wait to go on a cheap day.

Better yet, just wait to see it in the cheap theater.

I’ll admit that some parts really had me laughing. There were the usual Fat Amy jokes that really were hilarious. The movie was certainly entertaining and I wasn’t ever bored or on the verge of a good nap, but if you’re going into this thinking it’s going to be a well produced and overall a good movie, I predict you’ll be disappointed.

Junior Serena Ropersmith expressed a similar opinion: “I thought it had some funny parts but the first and second were still better.”

The movie was full of shocking conclusions and plot twists, but in my opinion it didn’t seem like a singing comedy. It was more like an action and adventure comedy with some singing. For example, Fat Amy’s dad was basically the spotlight of the movie. I mean how random is that?

To be perfectly honest, it’s possible that some iconic songs were just ruined by the eccentric bands and acapella versions covering them in the film.

Though Pitch Perfect 3 may have not been the icing on top of the cake, it sure was something on the cake.

Photo from: Event Cinemas

On Campus

The Cougar Press Page Four

Out with the old, in with the new

Punches during lunches?

Lola Bobrow

Acacia Harrell

Oh no! It’s break, and you completely forgot to print out that paper for your fourth period class. So what do you do? Run to the library, already dreading the painfully slow process of ctrl + alt + delete, and spend five or so minutes sitting in a chair waiting or the screen to load.

But wait! There waiting for you is a sparkling, sleek, new piece of hardware attached to the back of the monitor, nothing like the clunky old box you expected to be there.

You print out your paper with time to spare and leisurely walk to class. Is this an alternate universe?

Now the scenario seems almost too good to be true, but it’s the new reality for students at Ventura High School. About a week before Thanksgiving break, the CPU towers in the library -the black boxes you press to power on- were replaced with small boxes about the size of a CD.

Raging hormones, coming of age and puberty relate to teenagers all around the world.

Putting 2,000 teenagers in a school for six hours could potentially lead to tense moments, however, most schools try to prevent fights from happening.

Fights are not a rare sight on the campus of a public high school. According to cdc. gov, an estimated 18 physical fighting incidents occurred per 100 students each month.

According to Assistant Principal Charles Cornwell, at least one physical fight occurs on campus a week here at VHS. Seven out of eight VHS students interviewed have witnessed a fight on campus.

Other students mentioned that fights occur in “waves,” being more frequent during one period,

There waiting for you is a sparkling, sleek, new piece of hardware attached to the back of the monitor.

Photo by: Lola Bobrow

Open the app HP Reveal and hold your phone over this photo for an exclusive vvideo!

So what does this mean the brand new hardware -the for VHS students? replacements for the CPU towers VHS librarian, Suzan each cost about $550.00. There Adamich, said that the more are 41 computers in the library compact hardware allows for that will be updated, making the increased table space to place total cost of the supplies about books and work. In addition, $22,550. the new hardware is much faster.

However, the funds She pointed out small antennas will not come out of the school attached to the side of the budget. The new technology monitor -also new- explaining is part of a VUSD initiative to that they would eventually be update some of the hardware used to replace the internet on school campus’ around the cables that run through the tables district, therefore the district and on the floor with wifi. covers the cost of the new

The computers have computers.

And although also been updated to Windows Bauleke said he did not know the 10, not Windows 7, giving the exact number, he said that “at computers an entirely new look. least every school will get some.”

The person who Adamich added that she spearheaded the installation of didn’t even know VHS would be the new hardware was Kevin getting them until the day they Bauleke, a self described “computer guy,” who you may arrived. recognize from his time around campus. According to Bauleke,

The lenses are watching Acacia Harrell Hannah Lee

Ever noticed the security cameras around campus that appear to watch your every move?

From every conversation, to every awkward moment, could they all have been caught on camera?

One may ask, “Who watches these scenes everyday?” and, “What are they watching?”

The significant amount of cameras that watch student life on a daily basis were installed to keep students safe while on campus. However, some students feel a little uneasy about these tiny lenses watching their everyday life.

However, these cameras are generally used in times of dire need.

When fights happen on campus and administration needs proof in order to know what really happened and who was involved, cameras provide the necessary evidence.

Senior Charli Meyer commented on her confusion with the cameras, “I am not really aware

continued on... thecougarpress.org

Students are split on whether they believe these cameras on campus are useful at all. of the security cameras on campus.

I almost feel like they aren’t even used.”

After several interviews, it appears that many students are completely unaware of the security cameras here on campus. Like Meyer, many aren’t aware that the cameras are actually on.

Assistant Principal Charles Cornwell is in charge of all the video cameras and the hours of footage that go along with them.

Senior Addison Burke commented on the cameras stating, “I think that they use them to try and help us and keep us safe.”

Overall, these cameras are on, and they are watching student life, and theoretically, administration has access to the footage at any given time though Cornwell could not be reached to comment on the cameras around the entire campus.

continued on... thecougarpress.org Photo by: Acacia Harrell

Open the app HP Reveal and hold your phone over this photo for an exclusive video!

Cheer looking to qualify for Title IX Micah Wilcox

Photo by: Acacia Harrell

and less frequent during another.

When asked what he believes the cause of these fights to be, Cornwell responded, “Rumors... and with such a big crowd there’s that peer pressure and it turns into a fight.”

Cornwell explained that he often goes back about five stages in these rumors, asking students “Where did you hear that?” in order to prove that the fight was not something worth fighting over.

According to Cornwell, the best way to prevent these fights is to work out these rumors before they turn into an altercation.

“If you can come to me before a fight starts, we’ll work things out here, no punishment.

But as soon as you put your hands on somebody, you’re going to get suspended,” Cornwell stated.

The cheer squad, alongside dance and hip hop teams, performs at VHS football games, rallies and other events.

Because they don’t compete against other schools, however, they do not qualify for Title IX, a federal law preventing discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding on the basis of race or sex, said VHS Athletic Director David Hess.

“For an activity to be considered a sport that counts for Title IX consideration, theactivity needs to compete against other schools programsin some sort of league that has a regular schedule,” Hess said.

“Unfortunately, even though they are very athletic activities, Dance Team (and also the current VHS Cheer Squad) do not fall into that category.”

Lack of qualification for Title IX is interpreted by some members of these teams, like cheer captain Paulina Tadeo, as an insult, an insinuation that these teams do not represent “true” sports.

“We’ve competed before and they still don’t consider us a

sport or anything,” said senior Paulina Tadeo, adding that Cheer is preparing to field a stunt team for competition .

Failure to comply with Title IX can result in loss of federal funding for a school. Hess said that part of the reason Dance and Hip Hop do not compete is the lack of a league to compete in, noting that Dance and Hip Hop are classes where students receive PE credit for participation.

However, Cheer, unlike Dance and Hip Hop, has already competed, raising the question of why they have not received Title IX consideration for competing.

“Cheer is now recognized as a CIF sport,” Hess explained. “However for CIF it’s ‘stunt’ cheer. What

we have at VHS is considered “sideline” cheer. Although we definitely have some people who would do very well in Stunt cheer, we don’t have enough for a stunt cheer team (at least that’s what I was told last year). And even if we did, there still are not that many schools in our area that do have stunt cheer so it would be difficult to form a league.”

“This is the first year we’ve actually been interested in [a] stunt team,” Tadeo said. “We have done competitions in the past, and we won first place in our division, but this year we are going to step it up and actually do a stunt competition.” continued on... thecougarpress.org Photo from: Leona Russian

VHS cheer competed in the Sharp Competition, a private cheer competition circuit, in 2015, where they received first place in their division.

On Campus

The Cougar Press Page Five

Security cameras, or webbed cameras?

Bailey Peck

49 cameras. Ventura high school has 49 cameras installed in its campus in order to keep the students that attend it safe and secure. Where are these records stored?

Recently, senior Clayton Currie’s golf cart -which he drives to school and parks in the parking lotwas moved by an unknown student to a different parking space. To investigate who did it, his mother, Tracie Currie, met with assistant principal, Charles Cornwell, to view what had happened on the security cameras. However when they looked, the cameras were not clearly showing the student parking lot but instead, a clear view of spider webs.

In a recent interview with Cornwell, he stated, “The good news is, recently we had our district come in and clean them, but there are still issues with some other cameras- they are about 10 years old.”

So no, if your car gets moved or your phone gets stolen and the cameras are dirty, it is not VHS’s fault. Some students

Collage by: Bailey Peck

Academic ineligibility hinders sports teams

Photo by: Acacia Harrell

Sophomore Carson Willis was recruited from JV to be the starting quarterback on the varsity football team.

would be really tough.”

They cannot always depict a face, but they can help students who may have lost their phone or other items, as well as help administration with serious issues, like getting to the bottom of fights on campus or investigating theft.

“It doesn’t deal with just discipline, which many students may believe is what the sole purpose of the security cameras are,” Cornwell said.

Photo by: Acacia Harrell

Students can still participate in sports and extra curricular activities while on academic probation. immediately become academically ineligible.

A 2.0 GPA or above is required in order to play a sport or participate in any extracurricular activities available at VHS.

Recently, the VHS football team ran into this very problem, with several players becoming academically ineligible.

They had over 10 kids suspended from the team for having below a 2.0 GPA. Consequently, the team had to recruit many players from the JV team to fill their spots.

However, the academic ineligibility policy changes if a team makes it to CIF playoffs. continued on... thecougarpress.org

Of all the individuals that make up Ventura High School, from teachers, counselors, administrators, students, and the custodial staff, did you know VHS has two school psychologists?

Their names are Sarah Muska, who is located in the office, and Katie Beley, who is located in the cafeteria.

Sarah Muska has been a school psychologist for three years. Katie Beley has been in the psychology field for 12 years, though is new to VHS’s staff this year.

Muska explained that she had been interested in psychology since she was an undergraduate student, and first became

interested in school psychology when she worked with a team that was assessing children with developmental delays.

“Making sure that the young children and their families had the tools they needed to be successful was really rewarding, and eventually lead me to find out about school psychology,” stated Muska.

When asked what a psychologist’s role is on campus, Muska shared, “We work with all kinds of kids, different students, teachers, staff, families. Basically our goal is to support students to be successful academically, emotionally, [and] behaviorally.”

Depending on the needs of the individual, they come up with different plans and support. continued on... thecougarpress.org

Photo by: Sarah Clench

Beley (left) and Muska (right) state, “If [our] door is open then a student is welcome.”

If the light’s green, the water’s clean Brooke Newman

Acacia Harrell Ian McWeeney

Academic ineligibility is one of the most common problems for student athletes at Ventura High School.

When it comes to VHS, about 300 students become ineligible each school year.

Becoming academically ineligible is quite a process. First, the student is placed on academic probation; each student can only be placed on academic probation once in their entire four years of high school. If the student’s grades drop again, then they

Sarah Clench Sailor Hawes

Cornwell, as well as principal Carlos Cohen and assistant principal Susan Eberhart, are the only administrators with access to the cameras. However, it is not their job to keep up with security camera maintenance. may think that he cameras are useless if they are too dirty to even see out of, but one of the main concerns is that they are outdated.

Recently, the district has reached out to Cornwell with the intentions to look into replacing the cameras, as it is not under VHS’s control.

But nonetheless, these 10 year old cameras can come in handy. Cornwell says, “If it wasn’t for the cameras my life

Psyched about school psychologists

If you’re a student at Ventura High School, chances are you’ve used one of the hydration stations at VHS, or you know of someone who has.

Now most students are aware that there are two hydrations stations on campus; one located in the cafeteria and another located up at the stadium. However, how much do students actually know about the hydration stations?

The question may appear comical, however, upon my trip to the cafeteria’s hydration station, I was concerned to see a glaring red light on the machine I was about to drink from. What this light signals, is the filter status on the hydration station. The three colors, green, yellow and red, indicate the filter’s

Photo by: Brooke Newman

The cafeteria’s hydration station had its filter replaced recently when Morales saw a district plumber and asked him to fix it. life status.

According to VHS’s head custodian, Ray Morales, “The water is still fine to drink from if the light is red.”

How long does the light remain red though, and how does the filter get replaced?

The light remains red for about “two weeks on average,” according to Morales, and the district facilities team -specifically the plumbers- are responsible for routine maintenance and replacing Photo by: Brooke Newman

Eberhart said, “We love that students are using the hydration stations and we want more.”

the filters.

According to Assistant Principal Susan Eberhart, “[Only] the district has the filter replacements.”

So although replacing the filter could be an easy fix in theory, only the district facilities team has the filter replacements, as the hydration stations were first installed due to “a grant received from the district,” Eberhart added.

According to ELKAY product manager, Nick Nanos, the function of the hydration station filter is to “remove unpleasant taste and odor, as well as lead.”

Why the filters take about two weeks to change is explained by Morales: “There are only three plumbers for the 29 sites, and one of them is currently injured, so they’re very backed up.” continued on... thecougarpress.org

Features

The Cougar Press Page Six Photo by: Hannah Lee

Photo by: Hailey Cox

Who’s Andrew Ramirez? You may know him as the sophomore who plays on two different varsity teams. You can read about him in the article, “He’s a sophomore,” on thecougarpress.org.

Are you intersted in law? Did you know that VHS has a mock trial program? Read all about it in the article, “ The courtroom in the classroom,” on thecougarpress.org.

Chaos on Capitol Hill Hannah Lee

Recently there’s been a lot of talk circulating the government and its likelihood of passing the annual budget bill. As of January 20, it was predicted that the government could shut down at approximately 12 am., which hasn’t happened since 2013. So what takes place when a government shutdown occurs, and what’s currently happening?

To simply put it, every year in October, the House of Representatives comes together to pass a budget bill, which outlines all of the spending that the government is going to need for the year and the funding the government will receive. Then, once the House votes and passes it,

it goes to the Senate, and the Senate must have 60 people approve the legislation to avoid a filibuster, and then finally it moves to the President of the United States, Donald Trump. If Trump chooses to veto the bill, then a government shutdown will occur.

So what does a government shutdown mean?

Basically any “non-essential” federally funded programs, such as some national parks, zoos or museums, will be closed. The shutdown would also affect the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Basically, these workers aren’t getting paid by the government so they don’t show up to work, which couldn’t potentially cost the economy millions of dollars, as it did it 2013.

Essential programs

include the military, postal service, and the president, who would still come to work (the military would not get paid, however).

The government has not been able to pass nor agree on a budget bill since October, so they have been prolonging the process.

However, Trump has been very vocal that he will not pass the bill unless there is enough money for him to build his border wall.

On Saturday, January 20 the Senate could not come to a budget bill agreement and the federal government shut down.

Congress has been scrambling since, and by the looks of it, neither the Democrats nor the Republicans seem willing to budge.

Senior Savannah Ryan stated, “I actually didn’t think that the government would shut

down especially since Mr. Weber described it as both party’s last resort. I honestly don’t know how long the government will be shut down but I feel that we may be here for a while.”

The government’s main argument is over a bitter spending war on both sides and is largely

focused on immigration. As for the government shutdown, this is the first time in history that the government has shut down under one-party rule.

As of January 22, the government was up and running again, after another short-term budget bill was passed.

Infographic by: Hannah Lee

Think all teachers are boring? PSYCH Guest Write Sarah Florez

To most students, it may be surprising to discover that your favorite teacher on campus

has hopped a nine foot fence, was a truant kindergartener, and sympathizes with a six year old delinquent. If this teacher doesn’t sound familiar, you may know her better as Alica

Photo by: Sarah Florez

When asked about embarrassing work moments, Mrs. Verdades immediately opened up and shared, “On my way to school, I jumped over a nine foot fence. You’re on top of a fence, what are you gonna do?”

Verdades.

One optimistic saying from Mrs. Verdades is, “Life is crazy and stressful, and you think it’s the end of the world, but then it’s okay, your friends help you and everything is alright. You think it’s the end of the world, but keep going.

Never give up, never surrender.”

As Ventura High School’s resident psychology teacher and student confidant, Verdades inspires her students, niece, and all those near her, to persevere through hardships and nurture relationships with others and themselves.

When asked what

wisdom she would pass onto her students, she said, “Life has ups, life has downs, what matters is the people you’re with. Reach out to others, be with others, experience things with others, spend more time nurturing your relationships than your property, we reverse that, but it’s not what you’ll remember at the end of your life.”

VHS senior Cody Beeson says, “She’s very relatable, connecting everything to her own life.”

Senior AP psychology student, Karina Inda, says, “She radiates compassion and is

ultimately the representation of a humble human being.”

Verdades is wellknown for sharing wild stories and personal experiences with her students, making it easy for them to connect with her.

When asked how she establishes these personal connections with her students, she ponders and explains, “I’m genuine. I’m not putting on a front, what I share is true and real. Humans respond to that.”

Surprisingly, Verdades does have a more secretive area of her life. continued on... thecougarpress.org

Photo by: Ryan King

Photo from: Tigerlily Bogart Do you know Tigerlily Bogart? Read the article, “A model emerges from VHS,” on thecougarpress.org to learn more about her.

The Thomas Fire is contained, but what’s next? Read, “The fire is contained, but is the blame?” on thecougarpress.org.

Features

The Cougar Press Page Seven

Photo by: Sarah Clench

Photo by: Ryan Brocklehurst

What’s Greener World Action Team club up to currently? Check out the article “GWAT: Keeping the campus clean and green,” on thecougarpress.org to here from club president, Peyton Reynolds.

What’s your school lunch routine? Read, “Who brings, who buys, and who starves on thecougarpress.org to see where students get their food from.

Ring ring, it’s the fashion police skate shoes and Dickies. I like

Samantha Franks Bailey Peck

being stylish.”

Have you ever noticed

that high schoolers in movies and television shows dress so different from the real high schooler’s sense of style. Say, “Mean Girls,” “Clueless,” “Gossip Girl?”

Side by side, the fashion

on TV versus real life would probably look pretty ridiculous.

Let’s see what high schoolers are wearing now and… would they ever wear what’s in the movies?

Junior

Luke

Pfeifer

explained his style: “I’m wearing a Green Bay hat, a red windbreaker,

Side by side, the fashion on TV versus real life would probably look pretty ridiculous.

Junior Rhianne Martinez described her style saying, “This shirt I’m wearing is probably from a thrift store or from a retail store.

There’s a red long sleeve that was my mom’s and I cut the sleeves

because I thought it was too long.

And then I got some pants for work but I wore them to school.”

Junior Haley Elson talked about what she was wearing, “I’m wearing Levi’s jeans right now and then I’m wearing this black tank top that’s really low in the back. It’s got a cool crossed back.”

Elson added, “I’m wearing some scrunchies from Urban Outfitters and some necklaces and rings from Betty Belts.”

Ventura High School students have a much more normal sense of style than high school kids on TV when it comes down to a side-by-side comparison.

Photo by: Bailey Peck Martinez and Elson pictured showing off their outfits. Martinez found most of her outfit at the thrift store and second-hand shops. Elson takes part in the Levi’s and bralette trend.

Encore for All-State Sailor Hawes

After going through challenging auditions and competitions, seven of Ventura High Schools students made the three different bands and orchestras.

These auditions are held every school year and any student who takes a music class at VHS can audition. This year 12 students auditioned, but only seven made it in.

The students had the option of auditioning for two different band levels: All-State and County. VHS music director Paul Hunt explained the difference between the two,: “Both require auditioning, but All-State is open

to students from the entire state of California whereas County Honor Band is just [open to students from] Ventura. The All-State/ County Band uses instruments similar to our wind ensembles, and the Symphony Orchestra includes string [instruments] as well as band instrumentation.”

The auditions were held in the VHS auditorium and the Newbury Park High School auditorium.

Junior Jonathan Van Hyning shared, “The auditions for All-State were recorded in the auditorium here and [sent] to the judges around the state- and the conference is in San Jose in February.”

Van Hyning also shared the audition process for the County

bands: “For [the] County [bands], the auditions were at Newbury Park High School.”

Van Hyning and senior Samila Aquino made the All-State Honor Band.

Senior Cameryn BoggioShean made the All-State Honor Symphony Orchestra with her cello.

Juniors Lizzy TePaske, Mackenzie Jones, and Van Hyning made the Ventura County Honor Band along with seniors Aquino, and Evan Tindall. Sophomore Noah Laber made it as well.

There will be a concert in February at VHS for the Ventura County Honor Band.

TePaske shared how she prepared for her audition: “I prepared by listening to a

professional recording of the piece and then I tried to play it as close to the recording as I could.” When asked how she felt about making

it into the Ventura County Honor Band, TePaske said, “ When I found out [that] I got in, I was really excited and happy!”

Photo by: Julienne Cormier

(From left to right) Seniors Aquino and Boggio-Shean and junior Van Hyning, all made the All-State Band/Symphony.

Photo by: Emily Distefano

Photo by: Billy Maxwell How much do you actually know about Mr. Maxey? Read, “Maxey: The teenage cougar,” on thecougarpress.org.

Do you know Jonathon Duke? You can read about him in the article, “Kook or Duke” on thecougarpress.org.

Sports

The Cougar Press Page Eight

Bulldogs cross the town for a basketball showdown Photo by: Ryan King

Acacia Harrell Billy Maxwell Ian McWeeney

Students, parents, and teachers, all packed into the Tuttle Gym to witness the game between Ventura’s cross-town rivals. The bleachers were overflowing with eager students. The constant roar of voices was deafening and the rising tensions could be felt in the air.

On Thursday, January 11 the Ventura High School girls basketball team faced Buena High School girls basketball team in a home match. Then on Friday, January 12 the boys’ team’s played against each other. These were the first of two games for the cougars against their cross-town rivals thus far.

The lady cougars beat the bulldogs with a score of 4637 and secured a record of 11-4, with the bulldogs record dropping to 8-6. Senior Kenya Henderson

Cougars make a splash with their first league game of the season Ian McWeeney

Senior Cory Whitcomb (number 21) firing a jump shot from behind the arc.

The lady cougars beat the bulldogs with a score of 4637 and secured a record of 11-4, led VHS with 15 points and 10 rebounds, as well as a 44 percent shooting average.

Junior Alexis Brady stated, “We played very Photo by: Ryan King

unselfish[ly] which helped us score, and we played as a team.

We had each other’s backs when we needed it and I see a bright future for our team. I’m hoping we can work hard enough to win Channel League.”

On Friday night, the Bulldogs came out victorious over the Cougars with a final score of 70-58, securing a record of 13-2. With that loss, the VHS boys varsity record falls to 5-8.

Senior Josh Edwards carried the bulldogs with 25 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds, not to mention maintaining a 67 percent shooting average.

On Thursday, January 18 Ventura High School’s girls water polo had a league match against Buena High School. This was their second match up of the year against BHS, but was their first league match against the bulldogs.

The Cougars won with a final score of 12-3, with sophomore Megan Findlay leading the team with six goals.

The lady cougars improved, securing an 8-6 record so far this year and a 1-0 record in league, as their other league matches vs. Santa Barbara schools have been postponed due to the mudslides.

The Bulldogs record dropped to 1-6 and their league record became 0-2.

Junior Paige White thinks the team played, “good but [we] have done better and definitely could have done better.”

Junior Paige White thinks the team played, “good but [we] have done better and definitely could have done better.”

The factor of competition in the Buena rivalry games hasn’t been much in the past few years for girls water polo, with VHS normally beating BHS by a large margin. However, White thinks it’s still “intense and like all other sports we all really want to win.”

As for the season, White said that “[We] have placed better in tournaments than the previous years, but could be doing better as a team.” She also wants the team “to be considered for CIF and to win the majority of our league games.”

Photo by: Lola Bobrow

“We played very unselfish[ly] which helped us score, and we played as a team.”

Freshman Tenaya Romero shooting the ball over number seven.

The Cougars line up for the National Anthem before the game

Pin it to win it Samantha Franks Bailey Peck

Ventura High School’s varsity wrestling team competed in a rivalry tournament against Buena High School on Thursday, January 18. The tournament took place at Buena and VHS emerged triumphant, 60-15.

The tournament took place at Buena and VHS emerged triumphant, 60-15.

There were 14 matches, each match was three periods unless a wrestler got pinned by his opponent. If he was pinned down, he automatically lost. Out of the 14 matches, VHS won 11 and lost three. In total, seven VHS

varsity wrestlers won by pin.

When asked how the tournament went in comparison to previous tournaments, senior Ashton Matheny said, “The team was very confident going into the duel, and very motivated after losing a close duel to them last year.”

Matheny added, “I think our team was better prepared than their team was. I wouldn’t say they were easy but they were definitely not the hardest team that we have wrestled.”

When asked how he felt going into his match, senior Gabriel Cline responded, “Confident, I’ve been waiting a whole year to go against him again and I’ve been working hard the past year.”

On his win, Cline said, “I had a feeling I was but I didn’t expect an easy win.”

Varsity wrestling has their next tournament on Tuesday, January 23 against Santa Barbara.

Photo by: Samantha Franks

Juan Uribe broke a BHS wrestler down with a two on one.

Boys and girls soccer face crosstown rivals Girls Soccer -Hector Heredia The Ventura High School girls varsity soccer team played an away game against cross-town rival, Buena High School, on Saturday, January 13 at 5 p.m.

VHS scored their first goal towards the end of the first half of the game. Junior Alyssa Moore (number two) was inside the goalie box during the first half and made the first goal of the game. Her teammates then celebrated by high-fiving one another.

After their goal, VHS’ defense held strong and was led by senior Samantha Zanini (number nine) who was instructing her defenders until half-time.

The first half of the game ended with VHS leading 1-0. The second half kicked off with VHS having the most possession of the ball.

Consistently whenever BHS had the ball they would attempt to score, but VHS’ goalie, sophomore Kambria Haughton (number zero,) was a strong defender against BHS’ shots.

Towards the middle of the second half of the game, BHS scored a goal, tying the game 1-1. The game ended in a 1-1 tie for the two cross-town rivals.

Photo by: Hector Heredia VHS girls celebrate the first goal of the game- scored by Moore.

Boys Soccer -Summer Yovanno On Saturday, January 13, the Ventura High School boys varsity soccer team played their cross-town rivals, Buena High School.

The first half of the game ended with a tie, 0-0.

However, during the second half of the game both teams made a goal, but neither of them counted.

BHS made the first goal, but the player had been offsides when scoring, thus making the goal not count. VHS had made the second goal, but the player was offsides as well, leaving the score tied, 0-0.

Then junior Carlos Arriola (number eight) had received the ball and kicked it in towards junior Marcus De

Los Santos (number 12). De Los Santos shot the ball into the goal, scoring the winning goal for VHS.

During the game there was some obvious tension between the two teams resulting in pushing and shoving in the middle of the field. Both other team members and referees had to step in and intervene. For example, De Los Santos had his jersey pulled and consequently ripped by a BHS player.

After the game, junior Jason Lowell (number one) shared that “Our team worked hard, we played as a unit. Everybody trusted everybody and in the end, we came out with the W.” Sophomore David Kelley (number 10) also said, “The game could’ve gone better, but I mean we ended up beating Buena so that’s honestly all that matters right now.”

Challenge to School Rules Challenge to: Eating food during class Guest Writer Wendi Montejano

¨No food allowed in class! Throw it away or leave it on the desk by the door,” is what some Ventura High School teachers say when I bring food or drinks into their classroom.

However, I believe that students should be able to eat and drink during class. When teachers tell students they can’t eat in class, many respond with things like, ¨I’m running late, and didn’t get time to eat,” or “I was up studying all night,¨which reflects what students go through on a daily basis.

For me, when I don’t eat before class all I can do is think about food. As a matter of fact, I’ve noticed that when I don’t eat, I can’t concentrate and I get distracted very easily.

According to Dr. Julie Schwartzbard, a board-certified neurologist and graduate from The University of Pennsylvania, ¨Many studies have shown the negative effects that hunger has on school-aged children and young adults. Hunger is tied

directly to low blood sugar, which quickly leads to fatigue and low energy levels.”

Although teachers might argue that eating in class is distracting, students can always eat in silence to prevent in-class disruptions.

I personally believe that if students had something small to snack on during class, that they could improve academically.

In addition, a lot of my teachers tell me to think outside the box, especially my Spanish teacher. During my Spanish class though, I always think about food instead of the context or meaning of what Photo by: Ryan King

Sophomore Wendi Montejano

Challenge to: Electronic devices Photo by: Ryan King

The rule against using electronics at Ventura High School states that “All electronic devices are not to be used or displayed during instructional time anywhere on campus,” but the rule is so outdated that even teachers break it everyday.

Seriously, why have a rule that no one follows?

First off, this regulation doesn’t make any sense because students use technology everyday with their teachers during class. I personally believe that this ban on technology contradicts the fact that teachers

use technology everyday in order to convey information in a more interesting and engaging way.

In my second and sixth period classes, students use chromebooks almost everyday and my third period teacher even allows students to use their smartphones. I personally have used an electronic device to replace encyclopedias, calculators, cameras, books, camcorders, and many other tools available on a smartphone. For example, “Technology is the main thing that I use when researching for a paper. I also use electronics if I need a calculator, camera, or other necessities that I have in my life,” junior Andrea Garcia said. continued on... thecougarpress.org

Page Nine

Challenge to: Off campus passes Photo by: Diego Roberto

Senior Gabe LeVasseur (pictured right) said, “I think students should wait until Sophomore year.”

Diego Roberto

Does anyone else ever wonder why students have to be a junior to apply for an off campus pass? I get that junior year is when most students start to drive, but why can’t sophomores and freshmen get an off campus pass?

Especially for someone like me; I live a block away yet have to wait three years before I can walk home at lunch! That makes zero sense to me.

Many are under the impression that off campus passes are given to upperclassmen because they are more “responsible” than underclassmen, but that isn’t true for everyone.

In my opinion, the option to go off campus at lunch should be available for every grade level --however-- freshmen and sophomore students could be

asked to meet higher requirements in order to apply for the pass, like a higher GPA or less absences and tardies.

After asking several students from different grades for their opinions, I received mixed responses.

Freshman Robert Velasquez responded, “I believe freshmen should get an off campus pass because a lot of people want to be able to go off campus and get food too.

You shouldn’t have to be a junior or senior to do that! A lot of freshmen go off campus anyways.”

The end of Velasquez’s response is interesting since a campus supervisor now sits at the corner of Seaward and Poli, an area where most students could get off campus without being checked for a pass. continued on... thecougarpress.org

Challenge to: The grading system Guest Writer Gavin Cross

Sophomore Micaela Plascencia

Guest Writer Micaela Plascencia

we had just read. This is all because I didn’t have time to eat in the morning, so I’m hungry during class. Jennifer Brozak, a graduate fromThe University of Pittsburgh, states that “Giving students a break to allow them to eat a healthy snack or food can help them concentrate and feel re-energized. In addition [to this,] food or snacks can help students perform better on standardized tests.” This proves that students can improve the qualities that teachers require them to have during class such as remembering, problem solving, etc.

The Cougar Press

I among many other students believe that our current system of grading is unnecessary and is not good for the mental health of students. Grades lead to stress and stress leads to problems.

This system also takes away from actually learning the curriculum.

Students begin to put more of their effort into keeping their grades up, rather than paying attention in class and learning the subject. Although teachers may say grades measure a students level of intelligence, they don’t. To support my claim, I conducted a survey of students across multiple grades at Buena, Ventura, and Foothill Technology High School. The survey consisted of two choices: “Do you, as a student, focus more on keeping your grades up?” or “ Do you, as a student, focus more on actually paying attention and learning?” After surveying 20 students from each school, the results were what I expected.

At VHS, the students were 17 to 3, for keeping their grades up. BHS and FTHS were both 19 to 1.

Though teachers and staff may think that having better

grades will put you in a better position for getting into college, I disagree. I mean if colleges really care about a students intelligence and well roundedness, they would look past grades and pay attention to more important factors.

Some to most students who have good grades are more focused on keeping up their grades up rather than learning.

Because of this, they’re likely to get the answers to the homework from their friends, or look up the information on google. This is not something all students do, but you would be surprised at the amount of students who are not actually invested in learning, but instead, keeping their grades up.

As previously mentioned, Photo by: Ryan King

Sophomore Gavin Cross

grades only cause stress among students. Many students I know personally or even barely, are constantly talking about how stressed they are over a bad grade in Math, History, English, or any other subject.

Professors at Stanford University said that “Pressure to keep [up] good grades only leads to stress and stress can lead to plagiarism, cheating, and many other problems.” These professors conducted an experiment where they shadowed high school students through their daily high school lives and found this reasoning to be true. continued on... thecougarpress.org

Acai Bowl

The Cougar Press Page Ten

Review: Where to get Açaí?

Photo by: Bailey Peck

Blenders -Billy Maxwell If you’re in the mood for a delicious snack or meal, you should make your way over to Blenders in the Grass. In one serving of a Blenders açaí bowl, there are 506 calories, so it’s great tasting and great for you.

It could also make for a good post-workout snack. With five grams of protein, it will help you build muscle mass and it tastes way better than all the other gross protein products out there.

Their açaí bowls are also high in sodium, containing 64 grams per serving. Sodium is good for the body because it maintains the balance of fluids in a person’s body.

Without the proper balance of fluids in your body, cells may swell and medical issues could come relatively soon after that.

Sodium also has a great deal to do with how the nerves and muscles in your body react, so the amount of sodium in this product is a big plus.

Photo by: Brooke Newman I like to call Sandbox a hudden gem, as it’s not as popular as Stokey, but more delicious!

Secret Garden -Sarah Clench-

The mere twenty minute drive from Ventura to Carpinteria is worth it for good bowls, coffee, and vibes.

It is a short five to 10 minute drive from Ventura High School, so students can support a local business and their body at the same time.

Lucky Llama -Bailey Peck-

Looking for a healthy, filling smoothie bowl? Luckily, Lucky Llama Coffee House (pictured above) in Carpinteria offers that, plus more.

They offer five different types of bowls, one of them being an avocado bowl. Some bowls have peanut butter on top or mixed in and all are topped with your choice of either honey or agave.

Junior Alexander Hernandez stated, “The açaí bowls were delicious and fresh… [the] detail that [it] has is great from the latte’s to the decor in the coffee shop and even the outside eating area.”

With indoor and outdoor seating available, I’ve seen people get their bowls and coffee to-go and set up a hammock on the trees.

After trying the Jupiter, Moon, and Mango bowls, my favorite was the Jupiter Bowl.

One thing I can’t stand about some açaí bowls is frozen unblended açaí at the bottom! I have never gotten one of those annoying, inedible chunks in my Lucky Llama bowl.

Sandbox -Brooke Newman Located at 204 East Thompson Blvd., one can find Sandbox Coffee House and Harvest Brazil açaí bowls (pictured left), all in one stop.

What makes Harvest Brazil’s açaí bowls so delicious, and in my opinion superior, is their organic, pure, non-gmo and nonartificially flavored guarana acai blend that comes straight from the north region of Brazil.

Something else that’s unique to Harvest Brazil’s acai bowls is the fact they’re named after local Ventura surf spots like the Rincon, Mondos, Emmawood and C. Street.

All of these açaí bowls have a variety of delicious toppings including; strawberries, raspberries, granola, almonds, kiwi, peanut butter, blueberries, blackberries, bananas, chia seeds, coconut shavings, and

Opinion: Açaí is all I see and I’m not happy Acacia Harrell Ian McWeeney

If you have social media,

chances are you have seen a billion pictures of a little fruit bowls called an “açaí bowl.”

In my opinion, they’re

an overpriced, overhyped, messy, plastic cup of fruit. There is no one saying they taste horrible, but what’s with all the hype over something you could easily make at home for free.

I can’t comprehend why

you would waste eight to 12 dollars on a açaí bowl when you could

get a smoothie for less money.

Smoothies last longer, taste way better, and most importantly, can be consumed with one handconvenient!

Not to mention its difficult to replicate the same recipe of a delicious smoothie so

In my opinion, they’re an overpriced, overhyped, messy, plastic cup of fruit.

Photo by: Acacia Harrell

“Is this worth it?” asked junior Ian Mcweeney.

more. You can even add various fruits to the blend of your açaí bowl.

If interested in trying an acai bowl from Sandbox Coffee House, they serve them every day of the week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

it actually make sense to buy one.

How hard is it to just make an açaí bowl at home, all you do is cut up some fruit.

So what’s the real reason some students obsess over the fruit cup? Do they like them because everyone else likes them, or because they actually like the way they taste. Junior Fatima Gallardo thinks both. When asked where she buys her açaí bowls she responded, “The best ones are from [Stokey,]” a coffee shop in downtown Ventura.

When asked if she thinks the bowl is worth the price she commented “It’s a good way to spend time with your friends.”

This seems to be a common theory among teens, but since when do friends need a nine dollar excuse to hang out?

All I’m saying is eat your açaí bowls if you actually love them. Don’t just eat them because everyone else does. If this is you, get yourself a smoothie once in awhile and most of all, please stop posting pictures of açaí bowls on your snapchat story, thanks.

A Secret Garden Florist Cafe, located on 981 E. Main Street in Ventura, CA, varies from specialized floral arrangements to coffee, tea, bagels, and açaí bowls.

“I went there when they first started selling açaí bowls, and I knew it [would] be a hit,” said junior Iman Hibbler.

They started making Açaí bowls about a year and half ago, as explained by an employee. The customer can choose from three different types of açaí bowls: The 100 percent Natural Açaí Berries, the Brazilian Agave Guarana Açaí, or the Pitaya Dragon-fruit.

One can choose to eat their $6.95 açaí bowl inside or outside, both areas giving the customer a slightly different feel.

The inside area is more of a coffeeshop arrangement and the outside area has a tea room feel.

The Brazilian Agave Guarana Açaí bowl is said, by an employee, to be a customer favorite. It is topped with granola, coconut, and fresh fruits, bananas, strawberries, and blackberries.

“Stoked,” is located in downtown Ventura. Although at the very end of the El Jardin Courtyard, their coffee, tea, variety of toasts, and smoothie bowls have people’s attention.

The açaí bowls are a blend of organic açaí, strawberries and bananas, with local organic granola, honey, strawberries, bananas, seasonal fruit and chia seeds on top. They also include options for peanut or almond butter in their “Butter Bowl.”

Their seasonal fruits have been kiwi, peaches, and blueberries and is currently blackberries. All Stokey’s syrups are made in house and all produce is preferred to be local and always fresh.

Stokey is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays.

“I believe that [Stokey] has become a great addition to Downtown Ventura’s many food joints. Sure...some say the bowls are a little pricey, but you really get what you pay for,” stated senior Connor Lemaire.

Photo by: Avenlea Russian

Stokey -Avenlea Russian Stokey Coffee Co. & Açaí Bowls, previously known as

If you are not a fan of acai, they have the “Grom Bowl” with a dragon fruit base or a “Breakfast Bowl” with oats or yogurt as the base.

Açaí Bowls? Sound familiar?

Hailey Cox Summer Yovanno

Recently, açaí bowls have become very popular at Ventura High School. More than five different places sell them daily in Ventura and many VHS students know about or have been to these places.

What even is açaí? Açaí is a South-American palm tree that produces small edible blackishpurple berries. Those berries are then blended together, typically with a fruit base or milk, and served in a bowl.

According to FindaTopDoc, açaí became very popular after studies showed it has some weight loss and antiaging effects. The pulp of the fruit is rich in antioxidants and research shows that it surpasses the amounts seen in cranberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and other berries.

It’s considered a superfood and is typically eaten for health benefits.

Junior Tate Billings said, “[I first tried an acai bowl] a few

Photo by: Summer Yovanno

Open the app HP Reveal and scan your phone over this photo to watch an excluisve video about VHS students opinions, like junior Tate Billings, on acai bowls.

months ago. My favorite part is just taking a bite of everything at the same time, it’s just really good.”

Usually these açaí bowls are topped with granola, honey, bananas and other types of fruit.

Others can also contain peanut butter or almond butter.

Senior Sammy Zanini said, “I first tried an açaí bowl at Stoked a few months ago when everyone first started talking about it. I like Stoked because it kinda has bigger portions but...

Sanbox is like I can’t explain it’s just so delicious. I go there all the time!”

Distractions

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Softball Swim

Cheer

mazemaze to pass 20 by 80 A orthogonal

Track and field

finals

Finals schedule:

Golf

streets in search of shelter With bright eyes no longer idle The traffic lights were blinking red Resembled the firelight blinking as flames bled Into one mass of sickening switched sunrise The waves crashed on the harbor rocks While the fire crashed in waves over the hilltops Flicker, flicker, pop!

Whispers of “be safe” littered our lips on loop As loved ones broke down in tears While their houses broke down and leering Chimneys lay arrayed in rows where homes once stood The smoke was thick, filled our lungs and eyes with black cries Of disguised hope The fire would jump

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Basketball

Wrestling

Feb. 6 - period 7

Boys volleyball

Pd. 1 - 7:36 a.m. - 8:22 a.m.

Dive

Pd. 2 - 8:28 a.m. - 9:14 a.m.

Baseball

Pd. 3 - 9:20 a.m. - 10:06 a.m.

Pd. 4 - 10:28 a.m. - 11:14 a.m.

basketball wrestling cheer boysvolleyball trackandfield diveLeaving some homes alone Downtown dystopia golf Where headlights roamed baseball the Relieving those who had gone

Ventura is Burning We see the news from other states In similar states of panic We watched with idle eyes and thoughts of “That could never happen to us” Caught by surprise by A doorstep business man selling Packages of flames and fear Labeled Fragile: this side up While our world turned upside down And our homes burned, and Ash littered the ground.

It started with a blackout Flicker, flicker, pop!

Left in the dark in all aspects Information and illumination scarce And scared of what’s to come Ash rained down in darkness on Main Street

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Poem: Ventura is burning

Ren Tallent

@TheCougarPressVHS

Pd. 5 - 11:20 a.m. - 12:06 p.m.

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in search of safety And many men stayed on the front lines To fight the marching orange-clad soldiers They left most of it in smolders And saved most of our hometown We stand on their shoulders And thank them The night was long Left us all exhausted And extinguishing the flames was costly in our losses And may take more than a day to eradicate But perseverance will medicate our fears And the earth will turn over and green will appear The nights will be long But as they say We will rise from the ashes Ventura strong

Pd. 7 - 1:34 p.m. - 3:34 p.m.

Feb. 7 - period 3 & 6 Pd. 3 - 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Pd. 6 - 10:26 a.m. - 12:26 p.m.

Feb. 8 - period 1 & 4 Pd. 1 - 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Pd. 4 - 10:26 a.m. - 12:26 p.m.

Feb. 9 - period 2 & 5 Pd. 2 - 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Pd. 5 - 10:26 a.m. - 12:26 p.m.

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Cougar Catnips This isn’t GTA people!

Breakfast twice!?

VHS or The Hunger Games?

VHS: home of the trash

I LOVE slow drivers!

Clayton Currie

Ryan Brocklehurst

Acacia Harrell

Hannah Lee

Avenlea Russian Photo by: Avenlea Photo Russian by: Avenlea Russian

Photo by: Sarah Clench

Photo by: Tracie Currie

Have you ever had someone move your car? No? Then don’t move mine. Imagine this, I park in the front of the parking lot because I get to school early, but at the end of the day my car has magically driven itself to the back of the parking lot. What the H E double hockey sticks do you gain from literally pushing my car around? Aside from breaking the law, if you get into the vehicle and move it, it’s car theft ya dingwads. Don’t do it, be a decent human being for once. I know it’s hard to do, but I believe in you!

Photo by: Nathan Canchola

If you arrive at school before first period, you probably know that the cafeteria serves “breakfast.” However, the cafeteria also serves “breakfast” during nutrition and “lunch” during lunch, duh. But did you know that if you get breakfast before first and get food again during nutrition, that you are charged for the second meal? I get that the school needs to earn money, but for the people who don’t get breakfast at home and arrive before first period, they are going three to four hours before getting their first meal.

Photo by: Brooke Newman

I feel like my day at school is a humongous obstacle course. I’m faced with pieces of gum on the floor that I must dodge or I’ll have that weird sticky feeling on the bottom of my foot for the rest of the day. I have to have cat-like reflexes to avoid nice, big, white blobs of bird poop that are flying from the sky. Not to mention, make my way through teachers who are stressed, staff who’s busy, and students who lowkey hate me. Wooh!!

I am so tired of seeing all of the trash on the senior lawn.

Like come on guys, we aren’t five years old. We can pick up our trash. We just got back from a long break of dealing with sorrow and now we have to come back to campus and see a bunch of trash on the ground. With the amount of trash cans we have around campus there should be no reason to not just simply put your trash in the trash can. Please do your part to keep the campus looking somewhat decent and pick up your trash so the seagulls don’t overrun our school.

HAH, kidding! I take Foothill road every morning to get to school, and every time, I pray that the people driving in front of me are going at least 45 miles per hour. At the very least! For real, I don’t want no foo foo driving where you are going 35 miles per hour, this happens all too often. It’s not like I’m going to be late because of this, but it makes me want to rip my hair out. Maybe I drive a little too fast, or maybe I drive completely fine and you’re just a scaredy cat! Regardless, go faster on Foothill!!

VHS On... Senior Ball

The Cougar Press Page Twelve Photos by: Paris Carmody, Emily Distefano and Summer Yovanno

Junior Gavin Blanks said, “I’m looking forward to eating the food that I hear is really good.”

Senior Lauren Carpenter said, “I’m really excited to have fun with all my friends, since it’s our last year together.”

“I’m excited to be going as a sophomore because most don’t get the chance to go,” said sophomore Natalia Lopez.

“I’m ready for it to be just upperclassman,” said senior Alex Rangel.

Senior Javi Zamora Martines said, “I’m looking forward to just having a good time with the boys.”

Junior Molly Malinovsky said, “I’m looking forward to dancing and going to dinner.”

Senior Alyvia Salvatierra said, “Im excited and I’m most looking forward to the food.”

Senior Isack Lopez said, “I hope there’s good music this time and not the same playlist.”

Senior Sean Schneiderbauer said, “It should be the best dance of the year because not that many people get to go.”

Junior Janelle Chavira shared, “I’m going to announce Senior Bests, which I’m pretty excited about.”