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The Cougar Press Friday, October 20, 2017
Senior Night Acacia Harrell Senior Night is an event that is held before the Buena vs Ventura football game where all seniors who are members of either football, cheer, Dance team, or Hip-Hop team are commemorated for their years at Ventura High school. Students walk with flowers and family members as an announcer introduces them. Their parents or guardians then escort them out to the field where they have their photo taken.
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” -Martin Luther King Jr.
We need an aveNEW bus Liliana Lara Too full, cramped, overcrowded: the Ventura High School Avenue bus, according to its students. Due to this issue, students are not able to get on the bus because of the limited seating available. Campus guard Linda Lorenzana said, “Yes, a lot of kids were getting left behind.” When asked why another bus is not brought in, Lorenzana responded, “[Administration] has
been calling for dispatch, [but] sometimes the bus drivers call [for dispatch] themselves, and another [bus] is already on its way,” thus creating confusion. VHS custodian, Daniel Sandoval, brought up another flaw in the school bus system besides space. “What happens is a lot of the time we have bus drivers that come and they’re picking up two routes, because one of the routes isn’t showing up, but the bad thing is they don’t announce it to the kids, so a lot of kids get left behind because they don’t know that they’re supposed to
get on that bus,” Sandoval said. Sandoval says that another problem with the bus system is that when something occurs and a bus cannot pick up their designated route, then a different bus must come in to assist. However, the problem with this is that the drivers don’t change the route number of their bus, and also don’t announce that they are filling in for a different route to the students, therefore causing students to miss their bus. continued on... thecougarpress.org
Volume 70 Edition 05
What’s inside? Page 4
Photo by: Hannah Lee
Charlotte’s Web Page 6
Whose house?
Photos by: Acacia Harrell
Photo by: Hannah Lee
Young & Brave
Dance
Seniors and Dance team captains, Natali Vazquez and Brooke Newman, were given flowers by their coach Samantha Hazan.
PAGE 4
Photo by: Clayton Currie
Homecoming
Football
This year, Ventura High School has a huge group of football players graduating.
Photo by: Ryan King Turn to page 5 to read an article about the winning football game vs Buena .
PAGE 5
Diving into the facts, not the pool Bailey Peck
Hip-Hop
Senior Veronica Solis is one of the four captains of the Hip-Hop team.
Cheer “I think it’s cool that the seniors get recognized... you get to see everyone and be like ‘I didn’t even know you were a senior’” said senior Malena Cosio.
Several rumors have been spread this year that the Ventura High School dive team is going to be cancelled. This has led the divers to believe that they no longer will be diving this season, simply because there is no team. Some students have heard that there is no coach, some have heard there is no team, and some have heard there are no diving boards. It is not often that a school sport is completely cancelled without confirmation from a coach, director, or administrator, as rumors alleged. VHS dive coach, Lisa Simmons cleared up this rumor by saying, “Dive is not ending. I told them last year that I might be moving for school, but I ended up
staying here. So I’ll be coaching dive again this year.” This will be Simmons fourth year coaching dive, and her tenth year coaching gymnastics. Tryouts are expected to be in January or early February. Simmons suggests that “Ideal divers would be people who are willing to try anything. Fear is a big thing divers need to overcome.” Junior Paige White was on the VHS dive team for two years and dove during the summer for fun. White was not officially informed of whether or not dive would be happening this year. When asked what she thought the reason for the cancellation of dive team was, she said that “last I heard it wasn’t officially over.” White also said that “almost all of the kids either quit, graduated, or left the school so
there aren’t that many people left [for dive team].” When asked about her reaction to the rumors, White said, “I was kind of sad because it was a fun team and practice that I always looked forward to, but it also was relief because since I did swim team [and] I had back to back practices [which] was hard to do with my homework.” Though the cause of the rumors are still unknown, several VHS dive athletes were convinced that there was not going to be a dive team this school year. Other divers have been lead to believe that the current diving boards were not approved for diving in regards to safety. continued on... thecougarpress.org
Photo by: Paris Carmody
Boys waterpolo PAGE 5
Photo by: Brooke Newman
Girls volleyball
News
The Cougar Press Page Two
No consent for the 2%
Ryan King Summer Yovanno In the previous article, “The power was in the numbers: VUSD teachers appeal for 2 percent pay increase,” The Cougar Press stated that in Santa Barbara, Oxnard Union, and Pleasant Valley school districts, teachers receive thousands more dollars per year than VUSD teachers. VUSD’s teacher unionthe VUEA and the VESPA- met again with the VUSD board at San Buenaventura City Hall on Tuesday, October 10 to continue demanding the two percent pay raise, to show their determination regarding the matter. At this meeting, 25 VUSD staff members with different roles and experience working for the district decided to speak in front of the board.
Photo by: Ryan King VUEA member Rachel Donovan said in her speech, “We carried VUSD forward. We kept VUSD as a solid unit. We supported [the VUSD board]... We love our district. We love kids. We love our families. We are out here right now because we supported you.
Each speaker was given a total of three minutes to share why they believed that the money VUSD staff members are earning now is not enough for them to have a comfortable living style. Most teachers who spoke argued that the lack of money negatively affects their families. They also
reaffirmed their belief that they are hard working individuals who deserve the two percent pay raise. To understand the conflict between VUSD and the teacher union better, VUEA president Dan Nelson explained the situation from VUEA’s perspective: “Currently, VUSD
Index
and VUEA and VESPA are at impasse. Impasse happens when negotiations break down because neither side can come to an agreement. It’s a legal term, used by the Public Employee Relations Board. We have to file the paperwork with the board to be formally certified for impasse. Once we are impasse, then the district and VUEA meet together with a mediator who will try to get both sides together for a tentative agreement.” VUSD Superintendent, David Creswell, was part of the board at the Tuesday meeting. When he was later asked to explain the reasons for the VUSD board not agreeing with the teacher union’s demands, he responded: “Unfortunately, we don’t have the money to pay for it.” continued on... thecougarpress.org
Who let the Cougars out? Lola Bobrow
On Friday, October 6 Ventura High School held its first pep rally in the Tuttle g ym to show their Cougar pride and welcome this year’s freshmen to the new school year. Bass-boosted music could be heard throughout the g ym, with the new Cougars calling out to their friends in the bleachers. The rally, held during fifth period, started with a speech given to den mentors by principal Carlos Cohen. The rally continued with handing out of free “V-House” shirts to all attendees and ended with an infor mational speech of upcoming events by Cohen. Den mentors are juniors or seniors who have
shown outstanding citizenship or excellence in some area. They are meant to guide new students into their first few months at VHS and familiarize them with campus life. Den leaders are teachers who agree to host den meetings in their classrooms.
“I really like the school spirit and the football games” -Rory Bruton Senior and den mentor, Caroline Newell, describes the den program as, “a good way for [freshmen] to have an older connection [in high school].” Newell said about the den program, “It’s
The Cougar Press is a student-run 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.thecougar press.org. Send letters to: Editor, The Cougar Press, 2 N. Catalina Ventura, CA 93001. The Cougar Press supports student free speech.
Photo by: Lola Bobrow Bruton said the highlight of his year so far has been “the football games for sure.”
pretty exciting. I really like helping out the new freshmen especially because when I was a freshman I kind of wish I had some help around the school.” The freshmen den program is in its second year of existence.“It’s definitely a lot more organized [this year],” Cohen said when he was asked what he thought some of the
Billy Maxwell Ian McWeeney
Photo by: Billy Maxwell Admire these gas prices now before they increase in November.
damaged highways and roads. In an article titled “Gov. Brown signs bill raising gas tax and vehicle fees by $5.2 billion annually for road and bridge repairs,” published by The LA Times, Brown stated, “Safe and smooth roads make
The Cougar Press
Staff
changes were between this year and last. “We’re more focused on getting the kids more connected [and] scheduling more activities for the rest of the year,” he elaborated. Freshman Rory Bruton said, “I think now with the den program, [orientation] will be more affecting the kids… I’ve met a lot of people through my den.”
Does the gas tax fee affect me? With already fewer and fewer kids driving in this generation, there’s a new change that drivers are beginning to face, which may force them to dig a little deeper into their wallets. Gas prices are supposed to rise about 20 cents in November. Drivers will also have to pay more money to register a car as of January 1, 2018. The registration fee will be between $35 and $175, based upon the value of the car. Governor Jerry Brown decided to make these changes in order to raise about $5 billion per year to fix our
News........................................2 Hot Topics...............................3 Arts & Entertainment............4 Sports.......................................5 Features...................................6 Distractions............................7 VHS On..................................8
California a better place to live and strengthen our economy.” Road work is projected to start in the summer of 2018, beginning with state highways. Smaller local projects are supposed to kick off substantially sooner,
considering they typically tend cost less money. When asked if he was aware of the incoming inflation, senior Jake Hansen said, “[Yes,] I am. I went to the station the other day. We’re at $3.59. I was like ‘this is the highest I’ve seen in awhile.’ I mean if it gets any higher I don’t know if I’m going to be able to have a car anymore.” Hansen shared that he has been driving since his sophomore year, and doesn’t believe that the inflation is necessary: “Well I don’t know, but if the government’s running it, it’s probably going to be something pretty useless. I’m not a big fan of the government taking our money and using it on stuff that doesn’t really help anything.”
Editor-in-Chiefs Brooke Newman & Avenlea Russian
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 Keanu Marquez Billy Maxwell Ian McWeeney Bailey Peck Diego Roberto Kai Torres Andrew Welsh Summer Yovanno
Hot Topics
The Cougar Press Page Three
What’s the deal with the kneel
Is Buena Rivalry back for the better?
Ryan King Acacia Harrell
Photos by: Ryan King
Kyle Gerardi
Gavin Blanks “We don’t talk about it at all. Every national anthem we stand up, take off our helmets, put them under our arm, and stand in silence respecting our flag. Personally, I could care less about what all these NFL players are doing with the flag. They [want to] disrespect, then so be [it,] it just makes them look bad. [I’m going to] do me, they can do them.”
“I think that the situation in the NFL with the players kneeling during the anthem is just the players showing they don’t think that this country is truly free and I don’t feel it is disrespectful because that’s their opinion and everyone is entitled to one. And to answer your second question no. No coach or player has talked about the players kneeling.”
Noah Conboy
Kyle Holguin “I think that taking a knee is not right to do in the NFL, but I do think that standing and crossing arms shows players standing together as one. And [nobody] in VHS football has brought it up.”
“I think [the] NFL shouldn’t have to worry about what others think of them in respect to them kneeling or standing. People are getting frustrated with players kneeling but veterans have come out and said that the reason that they served is for people to have the right to take these matters into their own hands using whatever platform that they can get, so if veterans aren’t getting too upset, I don’t think that we should be either.”
“Buena Rivalry Day,” previously known as “Buena Nerd Day,” has become many VHS students’ favorite spirit day, according to them. However, an uproar of complaints and opposition were expressed by students when the spirit day themes were announced and “Buena Nerd Day” was not included. Rumors immediately arose amongst students, some saying that Foothill Tech was to blame because a staffer of the Dragon Press had written an article last year about the spirit day entitled “Dear Buena and Ventura, cut it out with ‘Nerd Day.” The opinion article emphasized the offensive nature of dressing up as a “nerd,” and went on to say that “Days like this are wrong and pointless.” It was later discovered that the change was decided on by all VUSD principals at a meeting, in efforts to minimize hatred between schools.
“Buena Nerd Day” was back on, but with a new name,“Buena Rivalry Day.” Nonetheless, students were still upset about the ending of the tradition and many began to vow they would still dress up as a “Buena Nerd,” despite the actual
What to call a killer Acacia Harrell From the words “shooter” to “terrorist” etc, the “title” of Stephen Paddock, the man who killed 58 people and injured 515 at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas on October 1, is being disputed over different media platforms. Some people globally believe that what the media labels a killer as directly correlates with their race. However, the varying beliefs amongst people worldwide has sparked quite the discussion, even on national news. While some articles argue that the lack of a known motive classifies Paddock as a “shooter,” others make the point that this event- the deadliest mass shooting in modern US historyis enough to call this massacre a terrorist attack and Paddock a terrorist. The definition of a terrorist according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “an advocate or practitioner of terrorism as a means of coercion,” which generally refers to a person who uses violence, or a threat of violence, to coerce people or countries into taking a certain action. According to the definition, in order to truly
Illustration by: Harley Gagnon and Kai Torres
Stephen Paddock categorize someone as a terrorist, one must know the killer’s motive. The motive would then reveal whether the person committed the crime because they wanted to coerce a group of people, whether it be for revenge, personal satisfaction, etc. In the case of the Las Vegas massacre, the public does not know the motive of the attacker because he committed suicide shortly after his attack. Without a definite motive or an agreed-upon label nationally, the classification of the attacker is interpreted by one’s own opinion. “I definitely do think it should be considered a terrorist
attack,” responded junior Bella Westrich. She went on to explain that the amount of people hurt, for her, is reason enough to believe Paddock was a terrorist. In contrast, senior Pohai Reed responded, “[He’s] not [a] terrorist because he was already in the US and [was] not coming from the outside.” With so many contrasting ideas, one may come to the conclusion that “titles” are left to one’s own opinion. However, one idea that the country agrees upon when it comes to this attack is that whether Paddock is called a “terrorist” or a “shooter,” it doesn’t change the heinous nature of his crime.
Photo by: Liliana Lara ASB members and sophomores Maddison Huot and Samantha Fay show their school spirit alongside Cougie, who dressed up in a Buena shirt and walked around campus at lunch.
spirit day theme being “Character Day.” Students were using social media platforms to encourage other students to dress up as “Buena Nerds” as well. With this new attitude towards the spirit day, “Will there be consequences for going against the set theme?” was frequently asked by students. Shortly after all of the fuss, posters could be seen that “Buena Nerd Day,” was back on, but with a new name: “Buena Rivalry Day.”
VHS principal, Carlos Cohen, sent out an email to many VHS staff members describing the decision to end Buena/Ventura Nerd day, the change in tradition, and the new circumstances. In the end, both VHS and BHS held “Rivalry days” on Thursday, October 12 where students participated in mocking their rival school by wearing each other’s colors and dressing up in a “silly” manner.
Swimming Fireflies Summer Yovanno What? Glowing water? In late September and early October, citizens of Ventura, including students from VHS, noticed a glow in the water along the coast. This glow occurred when there was any movement among the water and was mostly visible while it was still dark outside. The “glow” that people were seeing is bioluminescent plankton. According to “leisurepro,” plankton can produce light through chemical reactions taking place within their bodies, known as bioluminescence. Since any movement of the water created a visible glow due to the plankton’s chemical reactions, fish were visible underwater, the waves were luminous when crashing, and anything that touched or was thrown into the water emitted a glow. Junior Jake Grajeda
shared his experience with the bioluminescent plankton: “One night [the water] was super bright neon, just glowing down the beach and the first thing that came to my mind was ‘there is nothing stopping [me] from going into the water’. I went into the water… [I’ve] never [felt] so relieved of everything and so happy… [I] felt like a five yearold kid playing and splashing in the bioluminescent water.” Junior Claire Ortiz shared her experience as well: “Jenna Peterson, Ava Hall, and I went swimming in [the ocean] … we were all so happy and had an amazing experience and were very fascinated by [the bioluminescent plankton]!” However, plankton aren’t the only organisms that can produce light energy within their body. Fireflies, jellyfish, squid, and many more organisms have the same ability. continued on... thecougarpress.org
Bioluminescent plankton along the beach of Dusit Thani, Maldives.
Photo By: Wei Hung He
Arts & Entertainment A spooktacular homecoming Photos by: Clayton Currie Seniors Emily Hickey (left), Lyndsey Hawkins (middle) and
Freshman Alysia Troutman (left) and Sophomore Talia Walsh (right) said, “The music [kinda of] sucked but it was fun to hangout with my friends.” Sophmores Arianna Nelson (middle), Ethan Woodcock (right) and freshman Ronnie Holbert (left) make an appearance by the art wall that was created by this year’s Art club and art class members.
Beatrice Bellisime (right). Bellisime said, “It was fun and I was glad to spend my last homecoming with my friends.”
Juniors Harry Behrens and Fatima Gallardo. Behrens said that this was his second homecoming dance and that “[the dance was] awesome, and the people made it even more fun.”
Photo by: Hannah Lee The goose, who is played by junior Kaitlyn Hildebrand, waits for Wilbur, who is played by junior Ren Tallent, to return.
Senior Ivan Riveria MC’s the first rally of the year.
Senior Natali Vazquez, one of the dance teams captains, leading her team.
Emily Distefano
“We lie best when we lie to ourselves,” -Stephen King in his movie IT.
super duper well! For an opening night [it] was a great show!” Senior Courtney Caldwell said, “[On opening night] we had a little bit of technical issues but we pulled through and we did as best as we could and it all went really well!” continued on... thecougarpress.org
Riled up for the rivalry Photos by: Paris Carmody & Acacia Harrell
Was “IT” actually scary? characters had funny dialogue, and that the producers did a great job casting all of the actors for the film. Rotten tomatoes gave it an 85 percent, and IMDB gave it a 7.8 out of 10, which is pretty good.
Photo by: Brooke Newman
Hailey Cox Samantha Franks Hannah Lee
to 13 at 7 p.m, as well as showings on October 8 and October 14 at 2 p.m. The play consisted of a variety of students, from freshmen to seniors, who according to the cast, have all been working hard to prepare. When asked how opening night went, junior Ren Tallent, who played Wilbur, said, “It went
Page Four
“It wasn’t that scary, I’d give it a one out of ten,” -De Los Santos.
The web was spun on the first weekend of shows
Each year, Ventura High School’s Drama department puts on one play and one musical. This year’s play was based off of the children’s book and movie “Charlotte’s Web.” On Thursday, October 5, Charlotte’s Web opened its doors for its first performance. The play runs for about an hour with a 15 minute intermission. VHS students have had about a month and half to get ready for their performance. This performance is the first time Drama department director, Stefoni Rossiter, has put together a play so quickly after the beginning of school. The play ran from October 5 to 7 and October 12
The Cougar Press
Photos by: Paris Carmody & Acacia Harrell
Flyers on the varsity cheer team grab ahold of each other during their pyramid.
Members of the varsity football team play a game of tug-o-war.
The remake of “IT” was released on Friday, September 8. This movie is the second remake of Stephen King’s novel, IT, which was published in 1986. Once the trailer was released it was shared and reposted all over social media. Ventura High School students have been discussing whether or not the movie has lived up to the “hype.” Personally, I love scary movies, especially around Halloween time, and when I first saw the trailer on twitter, I thought it was scary and disturbing, yet thrilling. However, after seeing the movie, I felt that it lacked the scare factor I was expecting to see. Overall though, I believe it was a good movie. I thought the
When a poll was conducted by the Cougar Press on Twitter asking whether or not students have seen the movie “IT,” 70 voters responded. 47% of the voters said they had seen the movie, yet 53% of the voters said they hadn’t. Junior Marcus De Los Santos commented, “It wasn’t that scary, I’d give it a one out of ten, I do not recommend seeing this movie.” However, freshman Juan Vazquez said, “I thought it was both scary and funny at the same, my favorite part was when the kids actually killed the clown.” If students are looking for a movie to really scare them, this is not the movie for them. With this in mind, I still recommend that students see this film, because it has a great plot and storyline.
We all scream for ice cream Acacia Harrell The Ice Cream Museum is a pop-up museum currently operating in San Francisco and Los Angeles until October 2017, and was also a huge hit in New York. The museum is definitely not traditional. It is very unique and that uniqueness is what has made it such a huge attraction in every location that it has ‘poppedup’ in. It’s so popular that tickets often immediately sell out, making it very difficult to obtain tickets. Not to mention that the ticketing process is more strict than most museums. Attendees must purchase the tickets from the official website, absolutely no secondhand website ticket sales are permitted. Tickets must also be
purchased for a specific date and time, and at least one person from the group must present an ID at the door that matches a name on the tickets. However after seeing the museum in person, it makes sense why it is so popular and difficult to get into. The entire building is painted a light pink color– even the workers wear all pink– and there is a line out the door. I’d say that the best part of the museum was taking pictures in the exhibits. So those who aren’t really into the whole interactive concept, may be turned off by the Ice Cream Museum. But if they like interactive and modern art and enjoy taking pictures, then it will definitely be worth the $35. continued on... thecougarpress.org
Photo by: Acacia Harrell A work of art consisting of smashed black ice cream lining the walls by artist Abel Bentin.
Sports
The Cougar Press Page Five
Almost a decade with the trophy
These Cougars are VHS Cross Country faster than Bulldogs takes on the lake Lola Bobrow
Photo by: Brooke Newman After scoring against Buena, the girls on the court huddle together to celebrate their point received.
Ventura High School girls varsity volleyball played their 23rd game of the season against Buena High School on Tuesday, October 10, winning 3-1. This puts their league win percentage at 0.833%. In the first set VHS won 25-22, in the second set BHS won 25-23, in the third set VHS won 2517, and VHS took the fourth and final set of the game, 25-16. Stakes and emotions ran high, according to observers. Both schools brought cheer teams, with Buena cheerleaders performing flips after the second set and VHS cheerleaders calling out above the crowd and clapping in sync. Both high schools brought loud and energized spirit sections, singing along to the music during timeouts.
Photo by: Brooke Newman Mary Sinclair, number two, sets the ball while Tatum Teel, number five, assists her in sending the ball over the net.
Alia Knight, assistant varsity coach, said that “We were really nervous because we felt like Buena was really going to come back and be ready for some revenge on our home court, so it was important that we finished out strong.” Knight named some of the highlights of the game: “We worked on some quick plays, so we got those done. Our serving was not great but I think that we executed our offense really well and that’s what we were trying to do and [we] really worked on moving the ball around.” As this was one of the final games of the season, VHS will be moving on to CIF. Knight said that she hopes to finish up the season really strong, and that “[we can be] Channel League winners, and hopefully [win] a home [game] for our first round of CIF.”
Hannah Lee Ventura High School’s Cross Country team competed in a meet on Wednesday, October 4 at Lake Casitas. Both the boys and girls teams, JV and Varsity, raced a 1.85 mile course. Girls took first place in their meet and the boys took second. Senior Cody Beeson, who came in second place at Lake Casitas, finished with a time of nine minutes and 45 seconds. Right behind him in third place was senior Alejandro Herrera, with a finishing time of nine minutes and 46 seconds. As for other members of the boys team, junior Charlie Hammel came in 10th place with a time of 10 minutes and nine seconds, and junior Cole Stender came in 14th place with a time of 10 minutes and 18 seconds.
Diego Roberto On Friday, October 13 the cross town rivalry football game between Ventura High School and Buena High School took place. On the 54th annual rivalry game, VHS took home the trophy for the ninth year in a row. The game was very close with the final score being 23-21, compared to last years 35-9 blow out. The Cougars were down 14-10 going into halftime, but in the locker room, they devised a comeback and went on a 13-7 run to take the lead back. This victory was important for VHS, since they will be heading into league after losing three games in a row. The Cougars only have two games left of their regular
season. On Friday, October 20 they play Santa Barbara High School in the VHS Homecoming game, and on Friday, October 27 they play San Marcos High School. The Channel League
Champion could be anyone, so from this point on the games willl be competitive for all teams. continued on... thecougarpress.org
Photo by: Ryan King VHS spirit section celebrates their win over Buena and their possession of Suzanne Brown, the trophy.
VHS basketball dribbles their way into the season Christian Caudillo Gage Gregorchuk
Photo by: Aislin Calderon Girls cross country getting ready for their next race.
For the girls team, senior Sofia Ramos came in first place with a time of 11 minutes and 21 seconds, and behind her in second place was sophomore Madeline Locher at 11 minutes and 24 seconds. Freshman Rita SorianoFlores finished with a time of 12 minutes and two seconds, securing fifth place in the meet, with junior Alisann Tolosa right behind her in sixth place with a time of 12 minutes and 12 seconds. Sophomore Julianna Garcia secured eighth place with an overall time of 12 minutes and 20 seconds. When asked about the season so far Hammel commented, “As a team our season has been somewhat inconsistent due to kids with important roles on our team getting sick. We have a ways to go before we are a championship team, but we have the potential.” Hammel concluded, “I’m looking forward for the opportunity to compete for a league title with my team.”
Photo by: Aislin Calderon Cross Country boys are in the middle of their race, running strong.
Ventura High School’s girls basketball team is getting ready to continue their success from last season. During the 201617 season, the girls basketball team finished with a 25-8 record. They defended their home court last season with a 9-1 record, and continued their victory streak when playing on the road with a 6-2 record for away games. The girls also added a 10-5 record when playing at neutral sites. VHS’s girls basketball team finished last season ranking number 22 in the state of California and number 84 in the nation. The team’s next game is on November 28 at 7:00 p.m, and
Photo by: Gage Gregorchuk Junior shooting guard, Eddie Pacula, shares that he’s ready for the last CIF league season.
is a non-conference home game against Pacifica. Ventura High School’s boys basketball team is preparing to kick off their final season as part of Channel League. Last season, the team finished 1-7 in Channel league and 10-16 overall. During the 2016-17 season, the team went 5-9 at
home, 2-5 at away games and 3-2 at neutral sites. In the upcoming 2017-18 season, VHS’s varsity team will open up their first game of the season with an away scrimmage against Oxnard High School. continued on... thecougarpress.org
Boys water polo swims towards Channel League Ian McWeeney Ventura High School boys water polo played against Buena High School at the VHS pool on Thursday, October 5. This match marked the team’s second and final game against Buena this season and their fifth league game. The Cougars won with a final score of 14-2. This season they have an overall record of 14-4 and a league record of 4-1, with three league matches left. Junior Omar Al Bawab responded to how he thoughtthey performed: “We played pretty well. Buena isn’t a very strong team compared to us so it was an easy win.” This was the team’s second victory over Buena this year, after they defeated them earlier this season. VHS water
polo has had success beating Buena the past few years, as well as beating them again this year for the third year straight. These prior victories gave Bawab and the rest of the team confidence going into the match against Buena. Overall, he believed that they have had a successful season so far: “We had a really strong start. We had a little bit of a dip in the middle of the
season at a tournament, but I think we’re heading back up to the top.” They lost three games in that tournament, which is what he indicated as the “dip” of their season. Their sole loss in league was against Dos Pueblos High School. After making it to CIF last year, Bawab and the rest of water polo would like to repeat that success.
Photo by: Paris Carmody From left to right, juniors Drew Worthy, Alex Hecox, and senior Finn Anderson are all very happy after beating Buena.
Features
The Cougar Press Page Six
Got questions? The Career Center has the answers Infographic by: Brooke Newman
Sailor Hawes Ventura High School’s Career Center gives students access to college and career planning, and provides them with information and opportunities that can assist students in planning their futures. Patricia Roberts is a counselor for students and a college and career counselor at VHS. Roberts said, “This is my second year in the Career Center, so I have been a counselor at Ventura High School [for thirteen] years. Last year I switched into the Career Center, I am still a counselor but my focus is more on college and career types of things.” In the Career Center, students can attend college
presentations, where different speakers from colleges come to VHS to talk about the programs and courses available, as well as give an overview of their college. Roberts shared, “This year we’ve had more [colleges]
than ever before. All sorts of schools from all over the nation have come to talk about their programs.” continued on... thecougarpress.org
Abstract students expressing their individuality Acacia Harrell What makes up a high school? Cliques or friend groups are a common answer for many students. In popular culture, there are labels put on “groups” in high school. Some students are considered as the “popular” group, or even the “smart” kids, while others may be considered “the losers” by their peers sometimes. However, if one were to ask a member of one of these groups about these ‘labels,’ they may find that the name was put on the group due to a misunderstanding of them. There is one group of friends in particular on campus that receive a lot of attention due to their unique style. They are often seen around school in long coats,
sometimes accompanied by belts and other accessories. When asked what beliefs his friends and himself uphold through their fashion, junior Gabe Lipcombs replied: “Everything you see around in this life… is controlled. Humanity, in this life, can never live a natural, free, life, because everything we do is controlled. If we break these laws
we get, not taught a lesson, but punished.” Lipcombs and his friends said they receive nicknames like the “Trenchcoat Mafia” or “School Shooters,” which they do not appreciate. “It’s just, not cool,” he said.
The Young and Brave is a non-profit organization aimed to help today’s youth beat cancer. The foundation helps children and their families overcome the challenges
Sarah Clench Culinary at Ventura High School is taught periods two through five, and the culinary ROP class, or the Regional Occupational Program, is periods six and seven in room 83 with Chef Kayla Hernandez. Senior Kyle Francis in the ROP class said, “We mainly make whatever Chef tells us to, but [sometimes] Chef assigns us a free day where we just cook whatever we want.” Recently, Culinary students have been learning to make breakfast foods, and they will gradually move on to making lunch dishes and pastries. Normally, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are prep days, when Hernandez demonstrates what they will be making later in the week. Thursday and Friday are lab days, in which the students get to cook the dish demonstrated at the start of
the week. The recipe, along with the ingredients, are given to the students for them to prepare. They must put their belongings away from the area where they will be cooking, wash their hands, put up their hair and put on their aprons. Senior Damian Martinez added, “You can eat what you make, you just can’t take it outside [the room].” After the dish is made, the students must clean and sanitize their area, and wash and put away the used supplies and dishes. In the ROP culinary class, the students get to use what they have learned outside the classroom. Francis said, “What I think is really cool is [that] next semester we actually go out and intern at restaurants. I don’t know which restaurant I’m going to go intern at, but I’m hoping it’s going to be a good one.” continued on... thecougarpress.org
continued on... thecougarpress.org Senior Violet Vargas cooking up a storm.
Photo by: Sarah Clench
The art of arguing Acacia Harrell Photo by: Acacia Harrell “It’s just like everybody else’s clothes” is how Lipcombs described his attire.
A local foundation makes its mark at VHS Hannah Lee
Cookin’ up the facts with Culinary
and hardships brought upon by cancer. Built on the foundation of helping people, Young and Brave exists to inspire, encourage, and inform, as well as to invest directly into treatment and recovery for individuals. The
Photo By: Hannah Lee Seniors Berger-Cahn and Coulter hold up a sign to bring awareness to their club.
organization puts together golf tournaments, charity events, and they also receive a tremendous amount of donations. When asked what she was looking forward to with the club, president Grace Coulter replied, “I’m looking forward to raising awareness on campus and to raise money and being apart of the Young and Brave community that’s nationwide. Coulter added some of her personal goals for the club: “I definitely want to raise a significant amount of money and to really get students excited about it and understand cancer because I feel like in some ways it’s one of these things that people don’t really know about.” continued on... thecougarpress.org
A not so new but ‘revived’ club this year, as some may say, is Ventura High School’s Debate club. This year, junior Jezel Mercado is taking over as President. She explained that she was a member of the club last year, but didn’t feel that it was reaching its full potential. This is one of the factors that motivated her to run for Debate club president. Mercado said, “I’ve always loved debat[ing]. I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer, even in middle school. I was in Ms. Morningstar’s Speech and Debate class, so when we did Nuclear Debates in Reynosa I was like, this needs to be a club.” Mercado also spoke about her goals for the club. She wants to create an opportunity for students to express their opinion on
controversial topics in today’s society, and also wants to give students who are nervous or unconfident when it comes to debating a chance to work on arguing their points and building their confidence. Mercado listed some of the topics that Debate club plans on covering, including testing on animals, abortion, gun control and the death penalty. Mercado explained that these topics are not usually discussed in class, but students may still feel strongly about them. “I want Debate Club to be a place where [students] can openly discuss their opinion on [topics, and] they don’t have to be shut down by teachers because it’s too controversial,” said Mercado. continued on... thecougarpress.org
Photo By: Acacia Harrell “This year is the year that students who are passionate about [debating] can join me,” stated Mercado.
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How well do you know your VHS history? Across 3. Basketball player for UCLA, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers 4. Rapper of “ISPY” 8. Year VHS was founded (spelled out in words) 9. Current teacher; he was a teenage cougar Down 1. Double gold medalist in 1964 Tokyo Olympics; stadium is named after him 2. Current teacher; was honored as a California Teacher of the Year 2012 5. Former coach; gym is named after him 6. State Champion wrestler; professional Mixed Martial Artist for UFC 7. Defensive back for NFL & number 39; Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders; football field is named after him
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Why is it that people just do not know how to walk? It’s as if after fifth period everyone has completely forgotten how to put one leg in front of the other, and the new sidewalk is the back of my shoes. A polite “excuse me” is significantly better than a huge stomp on the back of my heel. I especially love it when not only my shoe comes off, but my sock as well. But for real, what is the point of walking so ridiculously close behind me. The agony is real when I have to completely halt and pull my sock up, then put my foot back in and regather myself. Thanks, but I’d rather keep my shoes on today. Please take your stupid flat tire-ing habits elsewhere.
Ever since I started wearing a trench coat to school, I’ve been getting nothing but weird looks from the students and even administration. I even got pulled to the side one time because I was wearing belt pouches. People always ask me, “When are you gonna shoot up the school?” “Are you the next Columbine?” and “Are you a school shooter?” as if it’s a career. It’s a comfortable coat, it looks cool and it expresses who I am. So instead of insisting on being ignorant, how about politely asking about it like a respectful human being.
Why do we have so many bleeping palm trees in California? Why does everyone think that palm trees are so great? Did you know that they are more closely related to grass than actual bleeping trees? I’m allergic to palm trees for bleeps sake. Not to mention they are actually dangerous. A palm tree almost killed my brother, no kidding! One of their peachy little seed sacks landed with the force of a bleeping elephant next to him. Also did you know that rats like to live in those seed pods? Guess what happens when it gets windy, rat rain.
What the bleep is wrong with our grass in the Senior lawn. How is it that it is ALWAYS overwatered, but still looks dead? I mean how hard can it be to keep grass alive and looking halfway decent? It’s always so muddy, and if that isn’t bad enough for your shoes that you’re trying to keep clean, you have to literally tip toe so that you don’t slip in front of everyone and look like a mud covered idiot for the rest of the day. The amount of times I’ve almost slipped and saw my life flash before my eyes… too many.
Overall, Homecoming is wack. I don’t want to dress up or go to dinner to be disappointed by a sweaty mosh pit supervised by teachers. The deadlines for contracts and tickets were rushed. Did you know the deadline was October 11? Neither did anyone, but then they added an extra day. Miss me with that unorganized %#@. And Homecoming ends at 10 p.m. this year. It’s not even semi-fun until the third hour, but wait...we don’t have a third hour! Lastly, the Homecoming game isn’t even the same week of Homecoming. All in all, not worth it, but I was still there.
VHS On... Halloween Freshman Josilus Bowers commented, “I like going trick-ortreating, last year I got five pounds of candy.”
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“I really like that everything is spooky and everyone participates,” shared senior Jason Tran.
Junior Paris Gaston said, “My favorite part about Halloween is taking my little brother around our neighbor hood and going trick-ortreating.”
Seniors Abby Coker (left) and Windy Land (right) commented, “We’re dressing up as a firefighter and a police officer.” Sophomores Evelyn Carranza (right) and Serena Rangel (left) shared, “We’re looking forward to eating candy and watching scary movies like Insidious. I don’t think we’re dressing up this year though.”
“My family, during Halloween, sets up a little haunted house. In order to get more candy, the trick-ortreaters have to go through the haunted house. I get to dress up and scare the children, it’s pretty fun,” commented junior Aidan White.
“[I’m excited] to hangout with all of my friends and dress up in ridiculous costumes,” said sophomore Audrey Doolittle.
Freshman Dylan Nicodemus said, “My favorite Halloween movie is ‘Halloween Town’ and my favorite candy is Kit-Kats.”
Photos by: Emily Distefano