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The Cougar Press Friday, March 9, 2017
What’s the deal with athletic signing day? Lola Bobrow
Photo from: Nicole Andell In reference to herself and Collins, Zanini said, “I get [that] we don’t have a lot of [students] that are signing... [But] it would still be nice to do it.”
National Signing Day is the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent and is typically the first Wednesday of February. Usually seniors that commit to a college or university to play a sport participate in an athletic “signing day,” where they are recognized for their athletic involvement and commitment. According to Principal Carlos Cohen, athletic signing day is not something that occured at Ventura High School until last year, in the spring of 2017. This year, two students committing to college for athletics are seniors Samantha Zanini for girls soccer and Peyton Collins for boys water polo. Recently, students have expressed their concerns with VHS not having an athletic signing day event this year. In response to students’ concerns, Cohen said, “We are going to do something,” but explained that it would not take place during school hours. Cohen elaborated saying, “VHS has never [had an athletic signing day.] It has never been a thing until last year.” Zanini recently committed to California State University San Marcos saying, “[Signing is] really quick [and] simple. It just shows some kind of acknowledgement [of our work].” In addition to Zanini, Collins recently committed to the University of Southern California for his sport. Zanini also mentioned that while she would be disappointed if there were no signing day this year, she understands the reason why it could be hard to schedule. “I do understand that with the fire, things have been pushed back, but I feel like if it was football, it would’ve been done by now,” Zanini added.
Volume 70 Edition 09
“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” -Mahatma Gandhi
Discovery Day: A well-oiled machine Photo by: Paris Carmody
Paris Carmody Emily Distefano Discovery Day is a themed event that Ventura High School puts on every year, organized by chemistry teachers Karen Reynosa and Woody Maxwell. Annually, Discovery Day is held for two days in the Main Street gym, as well as in rooms 63 and 64, the dance room and on the softball field. This year’s theme was “All About the Robots,” and was held on Wednesday, February 28 and Thursday, March 1. According to Reynosa, 13 elementary schools attended Discovery Day this year, with 1,200 students in total. Every year, two high school seniors help organize
What’s inside? Senior scholarships Page 2
Are you a senior and do you like free money? Apply for scholarships to earn cash for college!
Panic buttons
Page 2
Seniors (left to right) De La Cruz , Stella Vizzo and Carolina Kirkpatrick all enjoyed being teachers for this years Discovery Day.
and coordinate Discovery Day. This year, Ingrid Navarro and Paulina Tadeo were in charge of planning Discovery Day and they held meetings, picked the theme,
worked with tour guides and teachers, and made decorations. continued on... thecougarpress.org
Should schools have panic buttons on campus? Would you feel safer if one were at VHS?
Guns allowed on campus?
Congratulations to girls soccer! Go cougars.
Page 3
Photo by: Billy Maxwell Would you feel safe if teachers carried fire arms?
No more magazines in the library? Page 5 Photo by: Liliana Lara
Photo by: Alyssa Cornwell Read the article about how girls soccer broke records this year at VHS on thecougarpress.org
“What?” Improv Troupe performs at Backstage Cafe
The library offers a wide variety of magazines ,however it may not stay that way.
“No more” bullying
Miles Bennett
Page 6
On Friday, March 2 and Saturday, March 3, the Ventura High School “What?” Improv Troupe performed at their semi-annual Backstage Cafe, having another successful set of shows according to the howling and roaring audience members that filled the VHS auditorium. The show kicked off with the troupe’s two captains, seniors Courtney Caldwell and Cassidy Craig, who went over the performances schedule and was followed by a game of Park Bench. Park Bench is a game involving two troupe members; one troupe member acts as a normal bystander sitting on a park bench, while the other member must make the person leave the park bench without touching them. This is usually
Illustration by: Ryan King Read an update on the VUSD public school board meeting about bullying and the actions they plan to take to stop bullying.
Opinion: Cyberbullying
Page 6
Photo by: Liliana Lara Seniors Nathan Roberts and Riley Conrad, and juniors Aidan White and Acacia Harrell play a game called Helping Hands.
achieved through awkward flirting, sudden screaming and/or anything else that a “normal” person would find strange. Throughout the night, it seemed like the troupe didn’t go
30 seconds without at least a few chuckles amongst the cafe goers. continued on... thecougarpress.org
What are your opinions on cyberbullying? Who should combat it?
News
The Cougar Press Page Two
Diversity of interests, heritage for Asian American students Micah Wilcox At Ventura High School, musicians, athletes, artists and academics all intermingle. While students see this diversity of interests, what they may miss is students’ diversity of heritage. With Asian American students in particular, a stereotype exists that “all Asians are the same,” regardless of their cultural heritage. For reference, Asia is the world’s largest continent and consists of 48 countries. “I know a lot of people may think Koreans look like Chinese, Japanese, etc, and group us all together,” said senior Susanna Kim, “but I cannot imagine being anything other than Korean because my
culture is still very different from theirs.” Kim is a first generation American, and she moved to California from Alabama with her brothers, sophomores Peter and Paul, in 2014. Kim explained that much of the media and entertainment her family uses is Korean, as are her culinary traditions (“at least one Korean meal per day.”) “My family is definitely more Korean than American,” she added, despite living in America since she was four years old. Senior Terra Bransfeld has a different connection to her heritage: born in China, she has been raised since she was nearly four years old by her adopted white parents in California. “My
The choice is no longer yours Illustration by: Ryan King & Avenlea Russian
Ryan King For the 2018-2019 school year, the school of choice system, where students living in another school’s enrollment boundary can attend a different school of their choice within the district, will not apply to Ventura High School. This change means that VHS will only be enrolling students living within their boundary and no students outside of it. In the past, VHS has received applications from students living outside its boundary and is able to choose which students attend VHS by filling the allotted number of spots they’re granted each year; for the previous school year, this
The Cougar Press Infographic by: Micah Wilcox
parents tried to learn Chinese with me, [it] didn’t go too well,” Bransfeld shared. “My parents tried to keep my Chinese culture, but that also didn’t hold up. I think mostly [because] I never showed too much interest.” For Bransfeld, the only influence being Chinese has had on her campus experience
continued on... thecougarpress.org
has been checking the “Asian American” box on forms asking her ethnicity: “I don’t really identify with the whole “Asian student” group thing... Ethnicity hasn’t really ever played a role in who I hang out with.” continued on... thecougarpress.org
Phoenix Triathlon raises 2000 dollars for victims of the Thomas Fire Lola Bobrow
amount was 20 spots. For the fall enrollment of the 2018-2019 school year, this process will not happen at VHS. Foothill Technology High School will continue to be a school of choice high school and Buena High School will now be a viable option for incoming high school students within the Ventura Unified School District. The reason for this change is because VHS’s enrollment numbers are at their cap and BHS’s numbers are lower than their cap. Under the new system, VHS can only accept students from within their set boundary to keep the distribution of students in VUSD even with other schools.
On Sunday, March 4, Ventura High School students, staff members and parents participated and volunteered in the 11th annual Phoenix Triathlon. The triathlon took place at the Ventura Family YMCA at 7:45 a.m. and consisted of a 550-yard swim, an 8-mile bike ride and a 3-mile run. According to VHS English teacher and Phoenix Triathlon coordinator, Jay Locher, the triathlon started in 2007 because students at VHS wanted a way to put their curriculum into action: “It started when my students began studying mythology. They said, ‘We should do something to sort of follow the hero’s journey, to sort of put it into action,’” said Locher.
Studying the hero’s journey is a large part of 10th grade English and is largely taught by following philosopher Joseph Campbell’s theories. Every year, the proceeds from the triathlon go to a different charity. Past charities have included Habitat for Humanity, Heifer International and The Young and Brave Foundation. The first year of the triathlon, the proceeds went to victims of the 2007 Witch Fires in San Diego where 1,265 residential structures were burned. Similarly, this year’s proceeds will go to victims of the Thomas Fire. “About 2000 dollars between competitors and donations, [was raised],” according to Locher. continued on... thecougarpress.org
Photo by: Lola Bobrow
Now is the time where college is approaching for many high school seniors, but as the cost of a college education increases, their dreams of going to college may be a bit of a financial reach. There are many students who get into college with athletic scholarships, but for those who aren’t athletically inclined, meritbased scholarships exist as well. According to a Twitter poll conducted by The Cougar Press, 26 students voted whether or not they knew where to find information about college scholarships. Of those 26 students, 54 percent of them voted “yes,” while 46 percent voted “no.” College and Career counselor, Patricia Roberts,
mentioned where students can find information about scholarships: “It is usually in the Career Center. We have a scholarship bulletin that gets put together [and] updated every couple of weeks. Students can come and pick up the actual bulletin.” Students can also access a digital version of the bulletin underneath the “counseling tab” online at venturausd.org/ventura. “The scholarship is just for Ventura County students and it was a consortium of about 50 to 80 different scholarships, but they did one application for it. [From that one application] it would match [students] to ones that they met the criteria for,” Roberts said. Roberts mentioned other scholarships available to students: “There is going to continue to be local scholarships that our students will have great opportunities for,
The Cougar Press is a studentrun public forum 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 forum is only as good as the community support it receives. Any letter submitted also may be published on our website www.thecougarpress.org. Send letters to: Editor, The Cougar Press, 2 N. Catalina Ventura, CA 93001. The Cougar Press supports student free speech.
Editorial Staff
Editors-in-Chief Brooke Newman & Avenlea Russian
Managing Editor Micah Wilcox
Layout Editor Clayton Currie
Staffers Locher (middle) finishes the race and poses with his students, sophomores Chase Cormier (left) and Julien Lipscomb (right.)
Seniors searching for scholarships Sailor Hawes
Index
News..............................................2 Hot Topic: Guns..........................3 Features......................................4-5 Hot Topic: Bullying....................6 Distractions...................................7 VHS On........................................8
like the Ventura High School Parent Teacher Student Association. There is a [VHS] Alumni scholarship. [The scholarships] continue on all the way until June.” All scholarships have different requirements that must be met in order for students to obtain
them. “[The requirements] are all a little bit different. Many of them are really specific towards a certain major or if [students] are going to a 2 year school versus a 4 year school. For the most part, they are all looking at GPAs and [community] service,” shared Roberts.
Miles Bennett Lola Bobrow Ryan Brocklehurst Paris Carmody Christian Caudillo Sarah Clench Hailey Cox Emily Distefano Alicja Fowler Samantha Franks Gage Gregorchuk Acacia Harrell Sailor Hawes Hector Heredia Ryan King Liliana Lara Billy Maxwell Ian McWeeney Bailey Peck Mason Pena Diego Roberto Kai Torres Summer Yovanno
@the.cougar.press @thecougarpressvhs @thecougarpress Infographic by: Sailor Hawes
@thecougarpress
Hot Topic: Guns
The Cougar Press Page Three
Panic buttons or armed teachers, which would you feel safer with?
Opinion: should guns be allowed in schools ?
Infographic by: Ryan King
Ryan King How can teachers be better prepared in a situation where a threatening, possibly armed, figure comes onto Ventura High School’s campus? One option is implementing a panic button system district-wide to speed up, easing the process of alerting authorities of a possible attack by a threatening figure on a certain campus. According to Rave Mobile Safety, “Every campus needs innovative emergency technology and comprehensive safety protocols that support rapid response to all safety threats, from medical emergencies to active assailants.” Marion County Public Schools, located in Ocala, FL, set up a panic button system to further assist students and faculty in staying safe from active assailant incidents on their campus. According to an article from Governing: The States and Localities, “Latest Move in
school because in case of a
Billy Maxwell
School Safety? A Panic Button,” in Marietta, GA, teachers and administration from 14 private and public schools can now press a panic button that directly alerts the authorities. They have strategically been placed to where only teachers and administration can access them, to better ensure they are not accidently pressed. The installation of these panic buttons cost a total amount of $5,000. With all of this information, some on campus are asking the question, “Should
VUSD set up a panic button system to better assist with students and faculty feeling safer while on campus?” Tyree Cruz, said that “[A Panic Button] might be a [good] idea to have, like administration or teachers to have something like that, but I think that if you made [the panic buttons] accessible to the student population, then people would just be pressing it for the heck of it.” continued on... thecougarpress.org
I
believe
shooter, they would be able to teachers
protect the kids in their class.”
should be allowed to carry
Matt Cherrie said, “I
guns at school, but only after
personally do not want to carry
certain training and after they
a gun, however I believe that
are taught the proper safety
there is less likely to be a shooter
techniques of how to use a gun.
if they know the teachers have
This could be helpful due to
guns.”
the school shootings that have
happened in America.
added,
If a shooter were to
should not be allowed to carry
know that teachers have guns,
hand guns at school because
logically they would be less
they have as much capability
likely to attempt anything due
as anyone else that owns a gun
to the fact that there could
to open fire at any moment.
actually be return fire.
Yes not every teacher is like
Freshman Joe Lowry
that and it would be for safety
stated, “I think teachers should
reasons but that’s why we have
be allowed to have guns in
an officer on campus.”
Senior Gabe Levassuer “I
believe
teachers
When asked about guns, what do students say? Infographic by: Christian Caudillo & Gage Gregorchuk
When asked about guns, what do students say? percent of students said they
Ryan Brocklehurst
do not think teachers should be
In the wake of recent
carrying firearms on campus.
events, gun control appears to be
a prominent discussion in politics.
The Cougar Press asked students
With differing opinions on gun
how many people have a firearm
acquisition, gun control and gun
at home; 22 percent of the Twitter
usage, many people are offering
poll respondents said one of
different solutions.
their parents has one firearm and
One potential solution,
four percent of voters said that
offered
by
Donald
both parents own more than one
Trump, is to arm teachers with
firearm, while 74 percent said their
firearms, turning schools into
parents do not own any firearms.
“hardened targets.”
President
The
When asked how many
Press
students have gone shooting with
conducted a Twitter poll asking
a parent or guardian, 38 percent
how
replied that they had and 62
students
Cougar
In addition to this poll,
would
feel
if
teachers were armed, and 91
percent said they had not.
Graphic by: Kai Torres
Locking down and staying safe Sailor Hawes If an intruder, who intends to harm students or faculty, comes onto Ventura High School’s campus, VHS’s administrators’ main goal would be to keep students safe. Assistant Principal Susan Eberhart shared, “It’s all about having a safe mindset. One thing [to keep us safe] may not work all the time.” “We are trying to keep [students] protected in a place where hopefully the intruder can’t get to [them],” Assistant Principal Charles Cornwell said. “We don’t want to say that [lockdowns] are the only solution [however,]” Cornwell continued. Cornwell shared that the best way to remain safe is to figure out where the problem is coming from and to move
Infographic by: Sailor Hawes
away from it. If you are near a classroom, go into it. If you are near a bathroom, lock yourself in a stall. If you need to run, then run. When asked what students are supposed to do if an active shooter were to come onto campus during lunch, Cornwell stated, “For the most
part, teachers are at lunch and classrooms are closed. What I expect [students] to do is run away from the problem, whatever it takes. If we know where the problem is, go the opposite way.” continued on... thecougarpress.org
Features
The Cougar Press Page Four
Who will have your vote for Senior Class?
Lola Bobrow
Photos by: Lola Bobrow
Janelle Chivera Q: What encouraged you to run for Senior Class President? A: I’ve been in ASB since freshman year and throughout the years I have [been both sophomore and junior] class president, and it’s always just been a goal for me to be [senior] class president. Q: School spirit is a big part of ASB. What does school spirit mean to you? A: I just like being a part [of VHS]. A lot of these people that are going to be seniors are my really good friends. I’ve just prided myself on getting to know a lot of them and seeing how excited they get for stuff like Prom and football games makes me feel really good.
Marea Gordon Q: What would you like to change/add to how our school is run? A: I’d like to make sure the senior class stays on top of everything, stays a little more organized so that we don’t screw stuff up in our senior year and keep everything running nice and smoothly up to graduation. Q: How do you plan on involving and hearing out the student body in future plans for VHS? A: [I’d like to continue] how we do stuff like hand out votes for the playlists for the dances and stuff regarding senior ball. I want to also involve teachers more in the Blood Drive, because I know they get really frustrated when [we are] missing a ton of class.
What are VHS seniors up to right now? Ryan Brocklehurst Seniors have been preparing for graduation and college for several months now. From working on college and job applications to buying caps and gowns for the graduation ceremony, the preparations have been piling up. Now that first semester is over, many of their applications may finally be coming back. This means they have a lot to consider for the rest of the school year and over summer. In regards to college. So, where do a few seniors plan on going? Senior Joshua Tuttle says, “[I plan] on going to college for four to six years to fulfill the requirements to become a fireman.” Senior Ian Ruiz says he’s going to be joining the workforce and focusing on getting his
certification and apprenticeship to become an electrician. Getting a new job or continuing on to a higher education means new experiences for graduating seniors. So, what are the seniors looking forward to most? What are they looking forward to the least? Tuttle says that he is most looking forward to, “the new classes [and the] new environment [are] probably going to be good and learning how I’m going to be working with [the] different equipment.” “Waking up early,” is what Tuttle said he’s looking forward to the least. Ruiz stated, “[Electricians do] good work, get good experience and [do] challenging work.” continued on... thecougarpress.org Infographic by: Ryan Brocklehurst
Hayden Ijames Q: What encouraged you to run for senior class president? A: A few of my friends told me that it would be a good idea, and I wanted to get more involved in my school. Q: What is your favorite on campus event? A: My favorite on campus event is food faire because it gives on campus organizations a chance to raise money and [it] supplies the students with tasty foods. Q: How do you plan on involving and hearing out the student body in future plans for VHS? A: I plan to listen with open ears to everyone’s opinions and give a new perspective towards ASB because I have not been in ASB before.
Super safe superman supervises school Acacia Harrell Chances are, students have seen an officer on campus supervising and keeping the peace. But who is he and what is his job? What are his feelings on safety on campus, especially with so many violent events occuring on campuses around the world? Officer Tony Gomez has been the school’s resource officer at Ventura High School for the past three years. According to Gomez, his job entails keeping the school safe, including students and staff, and making sure that students stay focused on getting their education. With school shootings and other violent events being prevalent on the news, Gomez shared some words of advice on how students can keep themselves
safe: “ I just say be vigilant, look at your surroundings, if somethings not right report it.” He went on to say that
Gomez is also on campus to mentor, counsel and answer any questions students may have regarding law enforcement. if a student ever sees something that doesn’t look right on campus, they should tell an administrator or a resource officer immediately. “I think overall we are a very safe school and we are a tight knit community so I feel good,” said Gomez.
Photo by: Acacia Harrell Officer Gomez takes part in maintaining the safety of VHS and assisting students in any possible way during a time of frequent shootings.
VHS culinary classes cook for the community Sarah Clench In between the Thomas Fire and Montecito mudslides, Ventura High School culinary teacher, chef Kayla Hernandez, worked with chefs from all over the world including the founder of the World Central Kitchen, chef Jose Andres. Andres then asked Hernandez if her culinary students were interested in working with him to provide meals for first responders. “The experience was so profound and humbling that when WCK approached me about getting my students involved, it was a no brainer and I had to make it happen!” said Hernandez. Senior culinary students Dora Estrada, Nalley Gallegos, Kyle Francis, Troung Ly, Manny Lopez and Violet Vargas worked from Jan. 22 to Jan. 28 in the WCK with local chefs, creating meals for first responders. Ly said his favorite part was, “working with chefs from all over and gaining new kitchen knowledge.” “These students were amazing, working in such a fastpaced environment following the instructions from well known local chefs,” stated Hernandez.
Photo from: Hernandez
Seniors Dora Estrada and Nalley Gallegos preparing food at the Thomas Fire Benefit Festival.
According to Hernandez, Estrada, Gallegos, Francis, Lopez, Ly and Vargas were featured on Andres Instagram page, @ chefjoseandres, and the WCK Thomas Fire Facebook page,
“I loved seeing our community coming together and working together to help rebuild what our city lost...” -Estrada
where they received over 2,000 likes worldwide. In addition to this, Estrada, Gallegos, Francis and juniors Leti Gutierrez and Andrea Evangelista participated in the Thomas Fire Benefit Festival on Feb. 3, where they worked in the VIP tent serving food to thousands of people. Estrada participated in the Thomas Fire Benefit Festival and worked with the WCK providing meals for first responders and commented, “The efforts [shown] by restaurants and businesses was amazing to see.”
Features
The Cougar Press Page Five
Review: La Croix beverage takes VHS by storm
Photo by: Liliana Lara
Miles Bennett At Ventura High School, new food crazes seem to pop up and infatuate students regularly. From acai bowls, to using things to hold coffee that aren’t coffee cups, VHS students are always finding new things to eat and new ways to eat them. One example of this trend that has been sweeping campus is the beverage, La Croix. La Croix is a canned carbonated water that comes in many flavors such as orange, berry, pamplemousse and more. The name La Croix translates to “The Cross” in French and is pronounced “lakwah,” however the brand states that their name is pronounced “lacroy” to rhyme with “enjoy.” The pronunciation of the beverage name is often debated amongst both regular drinkers of La Croix, as well as first time drinkers. Most students tend to keep their consumption of the beverage occasional and subtle, like senior Terra Bransfield: “La Croix can be refreshing on a hot day, but they are gross when they are hot.”
Collage by: Brooke Newman “A coffee and a La Croix is how I start my day,” Hazan said
Then there are the students that are die hard La Croix fans, “I have a friend who loves La Croix so much they got ‘LC’ tattooed to represent it,” Bransfield added. On the other hand, there are some students who don’t see the appeal in the beverage, like senior Natali Vazquez who despises La Croix: “La Croix has no flavor whatsoever. I’ve tried a variety of them and they all taste disgusting. I’m sorry to anyone I might offend, like my dance coach [Samantha] Hazan, who drinks it quite often. I just don’t see the point in drinking
Powder-puff starts off second semester Infographic by: Gage Gregorchuk
Collage by: Brooke Newman “I am a loyal La Croix consumer,” AP Economics teacher Christian Gallo said.
fizzy liquid out of a can when I can have a refreshing sprite.” On the other hand, some students do not drink it for the taste, but as an alternative to soda. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, a 20 ounce bottle of soda averages at 250 calories and regular consumption of soda can result in detrimental health problems. In America, frequent soda drinking is common among citizens, as sugary products are highly addictive. La Croix is often used as a substitute to soda, since it has a similar taste and contains zero calories.
From March 5 to May 4, Ventura High School powderpuff intramural teams will practice on Mondays and Wednesdays after school on the senior lawn. Eventually, the VHS powder-puff teams will play against the Buena High School powder-puff teams at BHS on Friday, May 4. For those who do not know what powder-puff is, it is flag football played by girls. Normal football is played with pads and helmets, although flag football is played with no pads. Instead, flags are worn around the waist and when pulled off, it counts as a tackle. Tackling or hitting of any kind results in a penalty and will not be acceptable according to the
powder-puff rules. If any player is too aggressive, the referees can make her sit out for the rest of the game. This year, there are 25 players on the varsity team and 38 players on the JV team. ASB members senior Emma Larson and junior Marea Gordon are the organizers for powder-puff this year. For the JV team, the coaches are juniors Gage Gregorchuk, Billy Maxwell, Noah Conboy, Sam Lenninger and Matthew Padilla. Seniors Conner McDermott, Cruz Conboy, Kyle Holguin and Adrian Lugo are the Varsity coaches. “It is a way for them to get involved in the sport in a fun, safe and low-pressure environment,” stated Gordon.
Adamich shares about the magazines in the VHS library, including their policies on censorship.
Liliana Lara Ventura High School’s library offers many sources of information for students, one of which is magazines. While a student may not be able to read every magazine, there are a variety of choices in the library. They carry magazines ranging from People, to National Geographic. However, this variety could soon shrink: “We have fewer magazines than we had many years ago because a lot of magazines are going out of print and going online and it seems that fewer and fewer people are even looking at magazines. So, I think in the future we’re probably going to get fewer and fewer magazines and maybe just rely on the online versions,” explained librarian Susan Adamich. When asked if librarians review a magazine’s content before
putting it on the shelf, Adamich said, “We want to keep everything school appropriate and all of our magazines have some educational value because it’s a school library, so we want our magazines to be something that one, is interesting to our students and secondly, that go along with our classes...” In the newest edition of the Rolling Stones Magazine, there is a picture of the rap group, Migos, smoking marijuana on the front page. When asked why this was in the VHS library, Adamich replied, “We don’t censor. We don’t censor library books. Now, we don’t want anything that is promoting violence, or anything that has nudity, anything like that. That would not be appropriate for school but people’s lifestyles [are] not something we censor.” continued on... thecougarpress.org
Four natural phenomena in a year Ryan King The Yosemite Firefall, Total Solar Eclipse, Keyhole Arch “Light Show” and the Super Blue Blood Moon. These are the naturally occurring phenomena that could have been seen in the United States in the past year. In Yosemite Valley, California, on a clear afternoon in mid-February, it is possible for the thin strand of Horsetail Fall -pouring off the western side of El Capitan- to illuminate, becoming lava-like.
Sarah Clench
Censorship? Not at the VHS library
This illumination is from the vibrant February sunset rays and the perfect angle of the waterfall pouring off the high rock formation, turning the strand of water an orange-red color that looks very much like lava flowing. There were photographers and visitors that had been trying to see this magical phenomenon for quite a few years in the past and were unsuccessful due to weather conditions. However, in February of 2017, the Yosemite Firefall flowed a few times during the clear-sky sunsets. The most spectacular of all
the phenomena, the total solar eclipse, went right across the continental U.S. on August 21. This phenomenon occurs when the moon perfectly passes over the sun and completely covers it, creating a ring of vibrant white light exploding from a black circle, where the moon covers the sun. Once the moon completely covers the sun, the surrounding landscape and sky goes dark in mid-day for about two minutes depending on location. Then a 360 degree sunrise appears on the horizon. continued on... thecougarpress.org
Keyhole Arch “Light Show”
The Super Blue Blood Moon
The Yosemite Firefall
Photos by: Ryan King
Hot Topic: Bullying
The Cougar Press Page Six
Balboa incidents leave principal without a job Gage Gregorchuk Currently at Balboa Middle School, there has been a chain of multiple bullying incidents along with other issues on campus. After these issues and incidents, which included an arrest of a student who was later taken to Ventura County Juvenile Hall, former principal Wes Wade was put on a paid leave. After an administrative leave, Wade was let go from his position, which was announced at an after school parents meeting. When asked if her child ever encountered problems with bullying, parent Brandi Tillery stated, “Yes. She was bullied and also physically pushed against the lockers. Wade did nothing. My daughter spent three to four different periods in the office dealing with it in a week. Nobody ever contacted me. Not Wade, the Assistant Principal or her counselor that was present in each meeting. When I contacted Wade about it he brushed me off. The Assistant Principal told me they didn’t contact me because the girls said their parents already knew
“No more” says Cresswell Due to the recent altercations at Balboa Middle
At the meeting, the discussion focusesd on that there are bullying problems in other schools within VUSD and that the VUSD school board is
School, Superintendent David Cresswell spoke to the public about what he has in store to help Ventura Unified School District progress forward and make a positive impact on the reccuring issues of bullying. In a letter published by the Ventura County Star, “A vow to end bullying in Ventura,” Cresswell broke down his most recent actions in response to BMS’s bullying incidents. These actions included holding a meeting for all BMS parents to “tell them a little bit about what had been happening and what we were going to do to prevent it,” as well as listen to stories from the parents. The night after that meeting, Cresswell held a public school board meeting.
not doing enough to prevent bullying was brought up. In response to the issues regarding bullying, the VUSD board and entire VUSD team, including Cresswell, said, “No more.” A few of the changes that will be implemented include changing the principal at BMS, police investigations on every bullying incident and hiring more supervisors on VUSD campuses. Furthermore, police will be asked to monitor bus stops and walking routes that students frequently use, as well as communicate between VUSD administration and parents more frequently and hold meetings as often as they are needed to ensure the safety of all students within VUSD.
Ryan King
Photo from: VUSD
about it. Her grades had slipped due to the social problems and none of her teachers reached out to me either.” As of right now, the current interim principal of BMS is Peter Aguirre, and it has been announced that Carlos Covarrubias will take over as the new principal of BMS. Covarrubias is currently the principal at E.P. Foster.
Opinion: Fight VHS cyberbullying? Acacia Harrell
Miles Bennett
Bullying has existed since the beginning of public schooling. The combination of insecure and immature children being placed in the same vicinity five days a week consequently results in harrassment. However in recent times, a new forum for bullying has arose, cyberbullying. Now, these insecure and immature children write mean comments towards other kids behind the comfort of their phone screens. This has posed a huge issue for students, debunking the common phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Students have learned the hard way that words have the power to create emotional wounds which take significantly longer to heal than physical wounds. This is evident as the suicide rate has gone up and the suicide age has gone down. So, who is responding to this nationwide issue? Mothers and fathers are upset, but their arguments are often dismissed and labeled “invalid” because they are deemed “overly sensitive” when it comes to their children. This makes it necessary for someone with more jurisdiction and authority to tackle this issue. Schools need to take action against bullying. After all, most young people meet their bully at school rather than the bullying originating online. For most kids, it is simply a continuation of bullying online, in order for the bully to “taunt” their victim as often as possible.
I think that Ventura High School administration trying to combat cyberbullying is a waste of time and overall, a fruitless endeavor. First off, cyberbullying is a first world problem. It sucks that people can be mean on the internet, but unlike bullying on campus, it can be easily avoided! If someone is giving a student trouble, they can just get off the internet and do something productive. Bullying on campus is a much larger problem, since most of the time the victims can not avoid it. Since oncampus bullying is a more important issue, VHS faculty should not be spending time sifting through pages and pages of posts online. Some student is probably getting beat up while they are focusing on a problem that can be fixed by one turning off their phone. Also, is it really the faculty’s job to regulate our lives online? Even if someone is saying something super mean about someone else online, the staff cannot stop them. In conclusion, all types of bullying really suck, but VHS staff members should be focusing on the bullying that is happening on campus rather than bullying they can not control.
Covarrubias will officially take over at BMS on Thursday, March 5. According to the Ventura County Star, while Wade was principal, BMS was the leading school for the most suspensions and violent incidents that resulted in injuries, out of all Ventura Unified School District elementary, middle and high schools.
VHS: Dodging bullying Liliana Lara At Ventura High school, teachers wear shirts and hang black and gold striped posters and signs in their classrooms that say, “Hate Free Zone?” However, do students know what the “Hate Free Zone” movement means? The “Hate Free Zone” movement is a human kindness campaign on campus. It involves many anti-bullying methods to teach individuals to be okay with the ways people are different. This campaign is taking an alternate route to attempt to modify the way an individual thinks of others. “We don’t want to teach tolerance, we want to teach acceptance and celebration of people’s differences,” stated VHS Counselor Joan Dodge, the founder of the campaign. Dodge wishes that students will think, “Wherever I am there’s going to be a hate free zone around me and I’m going to demonstrate that by showing that I care in a direct way by engaging with people.” According to Dodge, she originally started the Hate Free Zone about 10 or 11 years ago and reintroduced the
Photo by: Liliana Lara “Recognize the divinity and the wonderfulness in your own self and seek out that same thing in the other person,” Dodge said.
program to VHS about five or six years ago. Originally the sign was in rainbow colors. However, some teachers were noncompliant about putting the signs up in their classroom due to the correlation of the rainbow with the LGBTQ+ community. Due to this, Dodge asked former VHS teacher Dan Nelson to change the sign to be Ventura High School’s colors, black and gold. Dodge had a thousand t-shirts made and sold them for $10 each. She also had posters, magnets and signs made.
One of the goals of the campaign is “When [students are] around us [administration,] wherever you are, there’s no hate here,” says Dodge. An example Dodge gave of how one could go about making everyone on campus feel valued, is to say hello to someone who is by themselves. The “Hate Free Zone” is part of a progression of humanizing kids and people in this very digitalized age and to bring the humanity back,” Dodge said.
Distractions
The Cougar Press Page Seven
Spring sports scramble 1. VIDE 2. NMSWGIIM 3. SBLLABEA 4. KCATR DAN DFIEL 5. YOBS FGLO 6. OBSY YLLOBLAELV 7. LOTLSFBA 8. YOBS TNINES
Crossing into spring
Distraction by: Bailey Peck
What? Where’s the Improv Troupe? Distraction by: Liliana Lara
Acacia Aidan Andy Aspen Clayton Courtney Daniel Devin Drue Essex Lauren Louis Nathan Ren Riley Talya Trevi
Distraction by: Christian Caudillo
Across 1.The season after winter 5.Month in spring 8. Spring 10. A day for moms 12. Collect your eggs in this 13. A small pool of water 14. April showers bring May
The maze to find a date to Sadies
Sadies contracts are due on March 9
START
Distraction by: Ian McWeeney
Down 2. Bug that turns into butterfly 3. Yellow spring flower 4. Game played with bat and ball 6.Will you go on an Easter egg...
Dance on March 16 Tickets will not be sold at the door. $7 for singles $12 for couples FINISH
Sushi sucks
PDA? not today
That’s offensive!
Too cold for comfort
I HATE Greek yogurt
Avenlea Russian
Emily Distefano
Samantha Franks
Bailey Peck
Brooke Newman
Photo by: Sarah Clench
Photo by: Samantha Franks
Photo by: Sarah Clench
Photo by: Bailey Peck
Photo by: Zak Reiff
I truly believe sushi is overhyped for many reasons. It doesn’t fill you up and if you say it does, you are lying and will be hungry in T minus 30 minutes. And seaweed is a disgrace, please stop eating it. Sushi is messy and also a mob to eat, why work that hard for a roll of disappointment? I’m not saying stop eating sushi, but can you not invite me to go ever again? All it is good for is the aesthetically pleasing snapchat before you “indulge.” Can’t we just get burritos or something?
Why are there couples everywhere?!?! Every turn I take, around every corner, in the field, on the benches, in the middle of the freaking quad, there is PDA. I’m sorry, but how inconsiderate does a person have to be to realize that no one wants to see them groping each other with their tongues down each others throats. School is bad enough, most of us dont want to be there in the first place. So excuse me for being upset when I’m constantly surrounded by this. Holding hands is one thing, or a peck before you separate from each other for a short 40 minutes. But do you really need to be making out for everyone to see. I personally dont want to see it, cut that sh*t out dudes.
If you use the words “no offense” on a regular basis, you are a monster and I have zero respect for you. It should be common sense. If you begin or end a statement with “no offense” it is bound to be offensive, yet I constantly hear these god-awful words scrape at my eardrums everyday. Would you be offended if I said, “no offense, but I think you’re annoying, and I hate you.” Of course you would! So if you can’t say something nice, either don’t say anything at all or be straight-up and direct about your opinions.
I get to school and it’s 37 degrees, and I can’t feel any of my body parts. Then I walk into my classroom and it’s 12 degrees, because APPARENTLY teachers don’t have access to air conditioning which I’d beg to differ. Or a teacher opens the door to let air in, like what? If you can’t tell it’s winter outside. I shouldn’t have to feel like I need to wear a parka in all my classes. I’d really appreciate an explanation as to why all my teachers are hot while their students are sitting there trembling in coldness.
Let’s get something straight, Greek yogurt is NOT healthy for you. I see people devouring their cup of curdled milk and bacteria, and I’m triggered! All you’re doing is giving a two billion dollar industry money to ruin the environment! So do me a solid, and don’t call yourself an environmentalist if you eat this disgusting cup of goo. Why bother picking up that nastiness at the supermarket unless you like being a societal issue? And don’t try @ing me because the Greek yogurt epidemic is real! Realer than the label on your cup that’s not FDA regulated and could theoretically be chunky corn starch!
Teachers On... Their high school experience “I didn’t want to be cool, so I was a nerd,” said Preston Biller.
“Always on time. Always done with my homework. Straight A’s no matter what. Excellent student. Excellent kid. Very respectful,” said Justin Weber.
“I was a jock so I played three sports. I played volleyball. I played basketball and softball. For Senior Best I got ‘Most Athletic’ at my school, and I took college prep classes so I wasn’t an AP student. It wasn’t as big of a deal,” stated Erin Jones.
The Cougar Press Page Eight
Photos by: Acacia Harrell & Liliana Lara
“I was the nerdy rock and roller,” stated Edward Pacula. “In High School I wasn’t as serious of a student as I was in college,” stated Karen Blackwell.
“I was boring... all I cared about was basketball,” stated Dan Larson. “I was enriched in tons of extracurricular activities,” stated Pierre Chamaa. “I studied, I did my homework, I got good grades, but I also was social,” said Mera Clobes.
“I was focused on athletics, not [on] school as much as I “[I was] very involved should have been,” stated Paul because it was a small Togneri. school... captain of the track team, and the gymnastics team [and] a cheerleader...over achieving. I had the idealistic high school career,” stated Linda Bergfeld.