VHS Journalism
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September 28th, 2018
Volume 71 Edition 02
“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” -Lyndon B. Johnson Photo by: Avenlea Russian
Photo by: Liliana Lara
Photo by: Sailor Hawes
Who made the cast of the fall play? Find out on page 3.
Is the College Board looking out for you? Check out Sailor What’s your favorite class? See what other students think Hawes’ opinion on page 6. on page 5.
Candidates vie to replace retiring school board member As the November elections draw closer, Jerry Dannenberg, Deborah Meyer-Morris, and Madhu Bajaj are locked in a heated race to replace retiring trustee, John Walker on the Ventura Unified School District School Board. Sam Coats (An earlier version of this article left out some endorsements of Deborah Meyer-Morris by local political groups. The Cougar Press apologizes for this omission.) As the November elections draw closer, Jerry Dannenberg, Deborah MeyerMorris, and Madhu Bajaj are locked in a heated race to replace retiring trustee, John Walker on the Ventura Unified School District School Board. This will be the first Board election ever to utilize the district system, which was implemented earlier this year. While in past years voters from the entire district would be able to vote for all trustees, this was changed to a system in which each of five districts elects a trustee. The new system was implemented under threat of lawsuit, in order to
ensure that lower-income voters and Latinos on the East and West sides of town are not drowned out by the white majority and higher-income neighborhoods in between. District (or “Area”) 4 --Walker’s seat-- covers a wide swath of the East End, taking in most of Saticoy and the areas around Juanamaria and Poinsettia schools. The School Board is a body of five elected trustees that works in coordination with the superintendent to set direction and policy for all the public K-12 schools in Ventura. It is charged with overseeing the District’s budget, handling some disciplinary matters and setting curriculum for schools to teach. The campaign has focused on issues of communication between all parties in the education system -- parents, teachers and district officials alike. After the
retirement of longtime Superintendent Trudy Arriaga, her successor Michael Babb was forced out over concerns about the district’s responsiveness to parent complaints. Other issues in the campaign include the district’s response
to racist bullying incidents at VUSD schools, and the contentious fight with the Ventura Unified Education Association teachers’ union over scheduled increases in take-home pay for educators.
Infographic by: Sam Coats
Dannenberg, endorsed by trustee Walker, is focusing on his extensive experience in the education system as he vies for the seat. “In the way of background, I’ve got 41 years’ experience in public education, as a teacher and a school administrator,” said Dannenberg. “When I came to Ventura, I came as Principal of Juanamaria School. I worked in the District Office for a number of years as Superintendent of Curriculum Instruction… That gives me a knowledge of the history of the District, and where the district’s been… I think I can be of help to the new Administration, in the sense that I have some history that I can share with them, and make them understand how the District got to where it’s at now.” continued on... thecougarpress.org
Taking a stand for the Pledge of Allegiance We’re over a week into the start of school and Ventura High School students are yet to do The Pledge of Allegiance at the start of second period after The Call to the Colors, as it has been routinely done for the passed several years. Jezel Mercado The Pledge’s absence has been felt on campus by returning students, as they are habitually ready to say the Pledge after the short song, and have been wondering why we no longer say it. When asked about it, Principal Carlos Cohen explained, “Since we got a new bell schedule, I don’t have the number of minutes that I had assigned before.” However, I brought to his attention the fact that the Pledge of Allegiance takes approximately ten seconds. To this, his response was, “I would love to do what the students want me to do, especially with [this]. I would much rather do both… We’re 38 seconds in, what’s
another ten.” I went around and asked students on campus if they would be willing to take the extra ten seconds to say the Pledge. That way, even if they chose not to participate, other students could still have the option to stand up and say the Pledge if they wanted to. When asked, junior Sage Kirkpatrick’s response was, “Yeah, I would want to do it… because I support America.” Regardless of how patriotic or not-patriotic, VHS students seem to come to the consensus that even if they personally don’t care for The Pledge of Allegiance, it should still be said so that students who care about it have the opportunity to pledge to the Flag.
Senior Max Cohen said, “I would love to give other students the opportunity to do [the Pledge of Allegiance].” Photo by: Jezel Mercado
Freshmen Joseph Lombardo (left) and Noah Koontz (right) stated that they’re fine with doing the Pledge of Allegiance in class. Photo by: Jezel Mercado Photos by: Jezel Mercado
“Yeah, I’d be okay with that,” said junior Aidan Garza of doing the Pledge. Photo by: Jezel Mercado
Principal Cohen explains why we no longer do the Pledge of Allegiance. Photo by: Jezel Mercado
Sports
The Cougar Press Page 2
Ventura water polo swims to a victory over Rio Mesa Ventura High School varsity boys water polo plays Rio Mesa this Tuesday. Ian McWeeney On Tuesday Sept. 25, the Ventura High School Cougars played a league match against the Rio Mesa Spartans, VHS’s third league match of the season. Previously, they beat Buena and Channel Islands and had a 2-0 record entering the match. The Cougars came out on top with a final score of 7-4. They improved their league record to 3-0. In the first quarter, the Cougars struck first with 1:18 left in the quarter when junior Micah Amico (number 15) scored. The Spartans responded quickly, scoring two goals in under a minute by Rio Mesa players Brandyn Robles (number two) and Zach Menes (number eight). At the end of the first quarter, the Spartans led 2-1. In the second quarter, the Cougars took control of the match with three goals coming from junior Evan Moore (number eight), one from senior Omar Al-Bawab (number three), and a backhand goal from senior Christian Guillaume (number ten). Senior and goalie Jackson Ellis (number one) also had multiple tough blocks that kept the Spartans at two points. Going into halftime, the Cougars led 6-2. The third quarter went quietly, as neither teams scored. In the fourth quarter,
The Cougars take the lead in the second set after a rough start. Photo by: Hailey Rosales
Varsity volleyball sweeps Buena in 3
Ventura took the win against Buena High School 25-15 on Thursday Sept. 20, when the Ventura girls volleyball team had a matchup with their cross town rival.
Rio Mesa goalie blocks an attempted shot by Ventura. Photo by: Greysen Sjoquist
John Studebaker Malik Hibbler
Senior Tyler Sehon (number two) shooting over a Rio Mesa defender. Photo by: Greysen Sjoquist
the Cougars added on one more point scored by sophomore Dylan Nicodemus (number 16), as the Spartans added on two more points, including a last
Senior goalie Jackson Ellis (number one) preparing to block a shot. Photo by: Greysen Sjoquist
second goal as the time ran out. Even with this late run by Rio Mesa, the Cougars came out victorious with a final score of 7-4. Guillaume spoke about the match after it was over, “I think we played pretty well. Rio Mesa did a good job of double teaming me… This allowed some of my teammates to step up and shoot from the perimeter, specifically Evan Moore, who had some great shots.” He also added that his team played “outstanding defense” and “Rio Mesa is the toughest team that [they] will face in [the] league this year and [they] had a solid win.” He predicts they will beat the Spartans by more points next game as well.
Going into the match, the Cougars had a record of 12-5 and the Bulldogs had a record of 15-8. In the first set, team captain Tatum Teel (number five) scored, holding the lead for the Cougars at 12-8 and also had a block with senior Olivia Monarres (number 12) assisting her, stopping a long Bulldog rally. Monarres had the serve during the match point, and aced it for the Cougars to take the first set 25-15. In the second set, the
VHS girls varsity volleyball poses for a team photo after their big win against Buena. Photo by: Hailey Rosales
Editorial Staff
Editors-in-Chief Ryan King Avenlea Russian
Video Editor Summer Yovanno
Managing Editors Sarah Clench Bailey Peck
Broadcast Editor Acacia Harrell
Staff
Print Editor Sailor Hawes
Social Media Editor Jezel Mercado
Cougars were down by three, but the momentum swung toward the team once junior Gabby Sheldon had a nice kill after a Bulldog rally. Teel kept the Cougars in the lead with multiple kills, and Cougars took the second set 25-11. At the end of the second set, sophomore Nevada Knowles (number 14) had a block to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead over the Bulldogs in the match. With the Cougars leading the game through two sets, Ventura continued to defeat Buena in the third set by holding them down.
Podcast Editor Miles Bennett
Assistant EIC Lola Bobrow
Online Editor Micah Wilcox
Our Mission Statement The Cougar Press is a completely student-run public forum of the Ventura High School community. We strive to present all sides of an issue fairly and without bias while being as resourceful to our readers as possible. 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 for the The Cougar Press. We welcome all submissions, but may edit them for clarity and brevity. This public forum is only as good as the community support it receives. You can email us at thecougarpressvhs@gmail.com.
Janelle Chavira
Tatum Luoma
Samuel Coats
Caroline Marsden
Gavin Cross
Nathan Marshall
Julia Davies
William Maxwell
Saida Delgadillo
Ian McWeeney
Kai Eigenhuis
Sally Niebergall
Hector Heredia Julian
Diego Roberto
Archer Herring
Brooklyn Ross
Malik Hibbler
Douglas Sanford
Samuel Hicks
John Studebaker
Garrett Jaffe
Trinity Taylor
Jessica Johnson
Kailey Thompson
Liliana Lara
Tanya Turchyn
Arts & Entertainment VHS fall play: it’s time to watch Night Watch The fall play put on by the Drama Department this year at Ventura High School is Night Watch, a mystery, based in a Manhattan townhouse, and the cast list is out. Sarah Clench About 49 people auditioned and the cast had to be narrowed down to a list of nine. These closed auditions were held at VHS on Sept. 12 in the Little Theatre and callbacks were Sept. 13, followed by the release of the final cast list on the morning of Sept. 14. Stefoni Rossiter, the drama teacher and director of Night Watch, stated that, “Having a small group is tricky because we have so much talent at this school that it was a real challenge to get through the audition process, but the cast is very strong.” These nine characters are being played by junior Talia Walsh as Elaine Wheeler, senior Louis Santia as John Wheeler, junior Ashlynn Vaglica as Blanche Cooke, freshman Henry Oaks as Appleby, senior Bridget Boland as Helga, junior Sophie Rocha as Doctor Lake, senior Max Quintal as Lieutenant Walker, senior
“...it’s such a mysterious show and I [didn’t] even know the true ending.” - Vaglica
Santia and Rocha have also both been in productions for VHS previously. Photo by: Sarah Clench
Omar Al-Bawab as Vanelli and sophomore Truman Soden as Hoak. Al-Bawab said, “I’ve never been in a play besides the elementary and middle school performances that most people do so I’m super stoked on getting the opportunity to do something so novel!” Quintal also commented, “Being a senior this year makes this play sort of special, and also the role I have is the biggest I’ve had over the time I’ve done these.” In regards to Walsh’s character, she stated, “She’s going to be in a lot of scenes which is going to be a challenge because that’s a lot of lines but I’m really going to be focusing on this.” Cast as the German housekeeper, Boland said that, “If I can manage to get my accent to fall somewhere between Heidi Klum and Arnold Schwarzenegger, I’ll be satisfied. The accent is what I’m most nervous for. I’m terrified that my high school legacy will be ‘Bridget Boland: Record Holder for
Who’s lame and who’s flame?
Senior Cole Stender is featured above. Photo by Tanya Turchyn
Ventura High School currently exhibits a diverse music scene, as students listen to diverse genres like hip-hop, rap and indie. Artists like Shoreline Mafia and Brockhampton are especially popular in Ventura and some of their recent shows at the Ventura Theater have rapidly sold out. Some students, such as senior Joey Stutes, complain of how quickly the shows have sold out in the past. After failing to buy a ticket in time, Stutes commented that he “went to social media to look for a ticket, and it was very challenging to find one.” After finding a ticket at the last minute, Stutes attended the sold out concert on Wednesday, Sept. 12, after which he added that “there was a large Ventura High crowd at the concert.” Other artists that have gotten buzz on campus include Travis Scott, Drake, Tyler the Creator and Post Malone. Despite the trends in these
Not only “What?” but “Who?”: The 2018-19 Improv Troupe Ventura High School’s “What?” Improv Troupe tryouts were held Thursday, Sept. 20 and Friday, Sept. 21 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Avenlea Russian
Music trending at VHS
Tanya Turchyn
The Cougar Press Page 3
sold-out shows, when The Cougar Press asked a diverse group of about 50 students around campus to pick a favorite artist, a majority of the student respondents chose Rex Orange County, an indie artist perhaps best known from his recent hit song “Loving is Easy.” Senior Cole Stender, after seeing the results above, was surprised to see Rex Orange County so far ahead of the rest of the artists, said “[he’d] probably say Drake” would win if he had to predict the poll winner. On the contrary, sophomore Taylor Garcia --who herself voted for the winner-commented that a lot of people enjoy Rex’s music because “it’s very laid back, but it’s also not super sad music.” “I can listen to it at any time, and it has a lot of variety in taste,” she added. If our poll results are to be believed, many VHS students agree.
Sophomore Taylor Garcia is featured above. Photo by Tanya Turchyn
World’s Worst German Accent.’” Rocha commented on her character, “I think that one of the biggest challenges is seeing where my character fits into this big complicated puzzle. It’s going to be interesting getting into the mindset of Doctor Lake and see how she thinks.” According to Rossiter, the last times the theatre department had done a play with a mysterious storyline was “Witness for the Prosecution” in 2012 and the “Curse of Frankenstein” three years before that. As Night Watch is both a play and a movie, with slightly different endings, Vaglica said, “I’m really excited because it’s such a mysterious show and I don’t even know the true ending. I’ve only seen the movie so I’m really just excited to work with it, and it’s such a small cast so Ms. Rossiter is really gonna have time to go deep with every single person…” continued on... thecougarpress.org
Tallent commented, “I’m excited to see what kind of dynamic comes from this troupe. There’s a huge variety of humor in the people that got on; it should be really fun.” Photo by: Avenlea Russian
The tryouts were open and held in Stefoni Rossiter’s classroom (room 314), meaning that anyone could stop by to watch.
There were about 60 students trying out, and according to Rossiter, the troupe is typically 16-22 students. There were about 60 students trying out, and according to Rossiter, the troupe is typically 16-22 students. She commented that if everyone sitting in her classroom would try out, it would be highly competitive. Because of this, she commented she is looking for more than funny, but a team player and someone committed to the games. When asked about the process, senior Ren Tallent stated,
“It was incredibly nerve-wracking having to think on my feet the whole time, but knowing that everyone wanted the same thing I did and that we were all rooting for each other, made it easier.” Rossiter previously stated that the decision would come out Saturday, Sept. 22, before noon, but the list of the troupe members came out early— on Friday, Sept. 21, a few hours after the tryouts. At the tryouts, on the first day, they played Revolving Monologue and ABC, and on the second day, Three Peat and Freeze — all typical improv games played in drama class. The troupe captains are seniors Acacia Harrell and Louis Santia. Tallent continued, “It was a cool experience to have a room so full of laughter, and it made everyone who tried out more confident.” The fall Backstage Cafes are on Oct. 12 and 13, and the spring shows are on March 8 and 9.
Senior Luke Pfeifer said, “I’m looking forward to making new friends.” Photo by: Avenlea Russian
AP art history travels to King Tut exhibit The AP Art History class at Ventura High School travelled to the California Science Center on Wednesday, Sept. 19 to see the King Tut Egyption Exhibit, which was celebrating its 100-year anniversary. Micah Wilcox Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh whose tomb was discovered in 1922, according to National Geographic.
This is Minadeo’s second year teaching AP art history at VHS. The class, which meets fifth period, is studying Egyptian art as part of its curriculum. “The art history curriculum studies different art from different cultures from all over the world in different time periods, and one of the… units is on Ancient Egypt,” said teacher Lauren Minadeo. “So we were right in the middle of studying Ancient Egypt right now and this exhibit is there and I knew that it was kind of a once-in-a-lifetime chance for us to see these real artifacts that came out of King Tut’s tomb.”
This is Minadeo’s second year teaching AP art history at VHS. “It’s a relatively new class for us, but I’ve always been passionate about art history,” she commented. Minadeo studied art history in school and taught it to seventh graders when she taught at a middle school. Senior Shira Zaid attended the trip. “We got to watch this really cool [IMAX] short film… about King Tut and… why his tomb is so famous,” she said. “We did get to see pieces that were in the United States for the very first time and are only going to be here for this exhibit.” Zaid also added that those pieces would
Artifact from the King Tut Egyptian Exhibit. Photo by: Lauren Minadeo
be returned to Egypt after the exhibit. “It was really cool to see some of the motifs that we’ve studied in Egyptian art,” she added.
Artifact from the King Tut Egyptian Exhibit. Photo by: Lauren Minadeo
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Features
Colleges coming to the College and Career Center at VHS Not sure what’s going on at Ventura High School’s College and Career Center? Archer Herring Ryan King For seniors, it’s college application season, which means colleges all over the country want to make sure students know that their college is out there. At VHS, the College and Career Center has been and will be throughout the school year, holding sessions during school for different colleges across the country whose representatives come so students can learn about higher education possibilities. College and Career Counselor Joshua Francis said, “What’s really cool about having the college and career presenters here is that anytime that there is a college presenter, those are the same people that read your essays.” These sessions, along with finding out if the college may be a good “fit,” gives students an opportunity to make an impression with one of the college’s admissions officers. Students are able to sign up to ensure a seat in one of the college sessions by going into the College and Career Center, finding the orange binder right outside Francis’s office, and writing down your name, nine-digit student identification number, and high school grade on the sheet for the desired college visit session. Students can sign up for any of the college visit sessions at any time as long as it is not filled up. Sign ups are on a first come, first serve basis, but if the session
is not filled up on the day of, talk to Francis and your teacher in that period to see if attending the session is an option. Students receive an excused absence for attending any college visit session, but Francis recommends talking to the teacher of the period they will be missing, and letting them know they are going to listen to a college representative speak at the College and Career Center. However, attending these sessions does not excuse students from any work. After signing up for the desired visit, Francis will send out a call slip the period before the session. Students should be at the College and Career Center at the start of the period to sign off that they showed up, which will then allow Francis to excuse everyone from that period. According to Francis, new colleges are frequently being
added, so for the most up-to-date college visit sessions, check out the orange binder in the College and Career Center. As for Naviance, an online college and career readiness tool, students can login to access their accounts by entering in their nine-digit student identification number as the username and the their password for their student Google account as the password. The College and Career Center does have access to all student passwords and they have the ability to change them. According to Francis, Naviance’s most popular tool is one that allows students to find what colleges are a good “fit” for them by giving students options of college preferences to choose from. It also allows students to enter in their GPA and SAT/ACT scores to see what schools often accept from applicants.
Infographic by: Archer Herring
All classrooms on campus are equipped with a ‘Safety Wall’ and emergency supplies. Photo By: Acacia Harrell
Do you know the VHS lockdown procedure? A non-credible, but still alarming threat made in Ventura County has left some students worried about their safety on campus. One way to gain some peace of mind is making sure that as a student, you are familiar with the VHS safety procedure for a lockdown. Acacia Harrell Police officer Tony Gomez went through the procedure that both students and teachers should follow in the event of a lockdown. After a 30 second to a minute long succession of bells, there will be an announcement over the intercom that the school is in a lockdown. Immediately, any students on campus must go to the nearest classroom, after which the teacher will close and lock the door. “That door does not open anymore, until further instructions,” stated Gomez. Gomez goes on to further explain that within the classroom, “blinds [go] down,
lights [turn] off, cell phones should be off, no teaching… and law-enforcement recommends all students stay away from windows and doors and stay against the walls until further instructions from the teachers.” He explains that a lockdown doesn’t necessarily mean that someone has come on campus with means of hurting students or staff-- it can also mean that someone near campus has committed a crime and has not yet been contained by police. Once the dangerous individual or individuals have been contained by police, there will be an announcement that the lockdown is officially over and school can continue on normally.
Breaking the glass ceiling with power tools Female students find a place in Auto Shop. Micah Wilcox
The new Cougar Courtyard located outside rooms 80-82. Photo by: Doug Sandford
Cougar country gets a courtyard One of the new additions to the Ventura High School layout is a fence around the classrooms 80 through 82. Doug Sandford Now you must be wondering why this new fence has been added and how it will help the Special Ed Department, which occupies those classrooms. Principal of the Special Education department at VHS, Karla Curry, said the fence’s purpose is “to support the rec recareational leisures of our students to give an indoor, outdoor environment.” This lets the students easily go inside and outside, providing them with a versatile learning area. Robin Fenstermacher, a teacher at Ventura says that this new fence “is permanent and will soon be beautified with murals,
umbrellas, awning and a garden.” Over time, these additions will be used to make the Cougar Courtyard stand out and give the students a nice place to learn and interact. Overall, this new fence that has appeared for the 20182019 school year is here to stay and provides a better resource for our students to be within and outside of their classroom. Fenstermacher also asked for any students looking for a period to be a teacher’s assistant for this class. Doing this, you will interact with students and be a part of this new Cougar Courtyard. Come to rooms 80-82 to find out more about these positions available.
“Growing up, my dad would always take me to car shows and they were a really big part of my childhood,” said senior Cassandra Gonzalez. “[I am taking] auto because I want to know what to do if my car ever breaks down and save on repairs that I could probably fix myself.” Gonzalez is one of nine female students in Auto 1 and 13 in the Auto department. According to Catalyst, a nonprofit focusing on creating “workplaces that work for women,” women make up 26.7 percent of jobs in the
I would like… for people to see… how women can succeed and lead in the field,” Mercado added. United States’ 2017 automotive workforce even though “women are almost one-half of the US labor force.” “I want to [encourage] females to join automotive,” said
senior Isabel Mercado. Mercado is the only girl in Advanced Auto, although another girl is a TA for the class. Mercado also noted the opportunity for women in engineering to receive scholarships. “I have been a lead in the automotive department for four years and I would like… for people to see… how women can succeed and lead in the field,” Mercado added. Scott Hays, who teaches Auto in room 237, said that girls have “every opportunity to do as good or better a job [in the class] as the guys do.. A lot of it is fear, initially, of being in a
male-dominated classroom,” said Hays on why there are few female students in auto. “Once they get over that, often I’ve found that the females do [a] better job than the guys do ‘cause... [they have] more attention to detail.” Hays elaborated on Gonzalez’s argument for auto: “It’s a life skill. These are opportunities if you can learn basics,” comparing basic repairs to changing a light bulb “as opposed to paying somebody 45 to 90 bucks an hour to fix your car.” He described such self sufficiency in the context of a “sense of pride.” continued on... thecougarpress.org
(From right to left) Seniors Isabel Mercado, Nahum Gaspar, Kyle Mesch are replacing front brake pads on a 1991 Toyota Camry that belongs to Peter Castaneda. Photo by: Micah Wilcox
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Features VHS hosts Club Week extravaganza
Take a look into the different clubs we have here on campus. Janelle Chavira Tanya Turchyn From newly-formed clubs such as the “Emo-Wu” Club and TOAST Club, to long-established organizations like Key Club and National Honors Society, Sept. 12-14, students explored a variety of diverse clubs during Ventura High School’s Club Week. Among many new clubs this year is the Ventura Rock Climbing Club, a “club that aims to get together a bunch of like-minded people, so we could all go climb and have a good time,” said senior Ben Maidman, president of the new club. Another new club that aims to unite students around a common interest, is the EmoWu Club. Senior Levi PayanFoy said that it focuses on “appreciation and broadening of horizons for the emo genre, post-punk and how it started, where it came from, and how it evolved.” He also added that the club would be casual and that most of the time, students would simply get together to enjoy emo music. A few clubs designed to better their communities and environment such as Heal the Beach Club and G.W.A.T. didn’t hesitate to promote their eco-friendly plans for the year as well. The presidents of these philanthropic clubs told students about their
upcoming projects in our very own community, such as Heal the Beach Club’s “annual paddleboard race” and G.W.A.T.’s recently-established “Ocean-Friendly Garden,” a project already standing in front of VHS’s statue. The Cougar Press also caught up with freshmen Olivia Willhite and Izzy Eulenhoefer to ask them how their Club Week experience was going so far. Willhite commented, “I joined TOAST and I’m really excited about it because I heard we learn about current events and that seems fun.” Eulenhoefer shared, “I joined Young and Brave and [it] seems really fun to help others and get connected and raise money [for a better cause].” When asked if they felt Club Week was a useful tool for students, Willhite said, “I think so, I’ve never really
been in a club before.” Club week had another successful year with clubs getting a significant amount of students eager to join. If you haven’t joined a club and are still interested, check out the ASB room during fifth period to see what clubs you can join.
“[We are a] club that aims to get together a bunch of like-minded people...” - Maidman
(From left to right) G.W.A.T. club members sophomore Charlie Richards, junior Olivia Jacobson and sophomore Nevada Knowles supervising the G.W.A.T. booth. Photo by: Tanya Turchyn
“Surfing [allows] you to see really cool things that not everyone gets to see,” said Simon. Photo from: Instagram @salty_turtlz
John Simon: surfer extraordinaire “[Surfing] gives me an adrenaline rush, and it makes me happy. It makes me feel like I’m flying,” said John Simon, senior at Ventura High school. Sally Neibergall Simon has created a business for himself at the young age of 17, allowing him to sell and market his hand-made surfboards, setting him “ahead of the game” compared to many high school students. “The starting price for a board under 5’11” is $550 dollars, and $1,050 for a board that is 11’ and up,” Simon said. Simon wishes to create a reliable career from selling his surfboards and wants to spend his life traveling and surfing. “I hope that I can build boards for a living, and that I can have enough money to travel the world all year round, and surf,” Simon stated. Simon has been surfing
for approximately five years and has been making surfboards for two and a half years. When asked what got him into shaping surfboards, Simon responded with, “Me and my friends really wanted to make surfboards we didn’t already have, so we just started making them.” Simon has shaped approximately 68 surfboards and is most proud of the asymmetrical surfboards he has created. Although money and his growing business plays a big part in Simon’s life, it’s not the only thing on his mind. Surfing is his priority. “A perfect day of surfing is four to five foot waves at Rincon on a Friday evening with all my buddies on the beach,” Simon explained. “Surfing makes me happy.”
What is your favorite thing about VHS? Sophomore Breanna Burke said, “AP Euro because I love learning about history.” “Growing up, my dad would always take me to car shows and they were a really big part of my childhood,” said senior Cassandra Gonzalez. “[I am taking] auto because I want to know what to do if my car ever Freshmen Ivriedown Noriega breaks and and saveJeda on Tubbs repairs said, that I could probably fix myself.” “P.E. because we like to exercise with our friends.”
Freshman Jaliya Morales Crawford said, “Honors Math because I like a challenge.”
Gonzalez is one of nine female students in Auto 1 and 13 in the Auto department. AccordingJunior to Jocelyn Catalyst, a nonprofit focusing on Caestaneda creating “workplaces that work for women,” women make said, up “Office 26.7 percent of jobs in the United TA because
that way I can get to communicate with people more and get to know more.”
Senior Lily Henley said, “AP Psychology because I took regular psychology last year and I’m just excited to get more into all the different topics and learn about how the brain works.”
Senior Raul Rodriguez said, “The class I’m most excited for is Marriage and Family because I like learning about divorces and families.” Photos by: Liliana Lara
The Cougar Press Page 6
Opinion
Do you trust the College Board? In June of 2018, many students from Ventura High School took the SAT.
same SAT test in August as they did in October of 2017 in Asia. Now, you would think that the College Board would know if they re-used a test, but I guess not. After taking the SAT in both June and August, I didn’t have good experiences. Maybe it was just a fluke that the College Board “messed up” two SAT tests in a row, but I believe it is incredibly unfair to students. After these two mishaps, I find it hard to trust the College Board. Senior Connor Greene shares his thoughts on the College Board, “The College Board is money hungry and does not care about students in the slightest.” When asked what his thinks about taking the SAT, Greene said, “Take the ACT [instead].”
Political message or just another ad? On September 6, during the NFL opener, Nike aired their newest ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick. Sam Hicks Tatum Luoma The release of this ad led to nationwide controversy. Kaepernick’s decision to protest police brutality by kneeling during the National Anthem led to him being labeled “unAmerican” by NFL executives. As a result, Kaepernick is not currently signed with any professional American football team. We believe that Nike has made an acceptable decision in choosing to sign Kaepernick for this ad campaign. Kaepernick stands up for justice and equality within our police force and our nation. Even at the risk of his career, Kaepernick has continued to stand up for what he believes is right. The fact that Nike, a private company, is choosing to support Kaepernick is not something that deserves hatred. Everyone, even companies in America, deserve and have a right to their own opinions and freedom of speech. Although this is our personal opinion, some students at VHS think otherwise. A recent poll asking VHS students showed that the majority of students agreed with the ad campaign, but junior Max Friedman disagrees. When asked what he thought about Nike’s
Have you been dress coded? Julia Davies
Sailor Hawes
When the scores came out more than a month later, students who took the SAT, myself included, got a shock. The College Board notified the test-takers that the math portions of the test had been drastically curved because too many students had gotten the answers to the questions correct. This “little” curve that the College Board made to the SAT lowered students scores significantly by a number of points. Students all over the country were so enraged by the drop in scores that an online petition had been created on thepetitionsite.com to get the College Board to rescore the SAT without a curve. Sadly, the petition never got put into action. In a Twitter poll conducted by The Cougar Press, students were asked if they noticed a decrease in their score after taking the SAT in June. Of the eighteen students who voted, fifty eight percent of them said “yes,” while forty two percent said “no.” When I signed up for the August SAT, I thought that there was absolutely no way that the College Board could “mess up” the SAT a second time, but I was wrong. This time, once students had taken the test, it was made known that the August SAT answers had been previously leaked online. This was because the College Board had used the
VHS dress code discourages individuality
“The College Board is money hungry and does not care about students in the slightest.” -Greene Senior Marea Gordon also commented her opinion on the College Board. Gordon said, “I think that the College Board sometimes abuses the fact that it has so much control over our futures. It is strange that the collegebound teens of our generation need to be afraid of such a thing. I often feel like we are trying to be tricked instead of being helped, like we should be in such an important stage of our lives.”
collaboration with Kaepernick, Friedman said, “Well [Nike] is trying to appeal to the youth or people who believe in [Kaepernick kneeling]. I also think it would be unpatriotic of them to do that because he … doesn’t stand for the flag.” On the other side of the spectrum, senior Seth Quinn strongly supports the campaign and most of all Kaepernick himself. “It’s… awesome. He [Kaepernick] has sacrificed being a star in the game he loved in order to stand up to the wrongs he saw being commited. He used his platform for what he saw as the right thing… Nike is fantastic for recognizing this and doing this campaign, elevating awareness for the issues.”
“Bra straps don’t offend or distract me.” -Lowry Sophomore Joes Lowry stated, “Bra straps don’t offend or distract me.” Based on observation, tube tops seem to be the real problem for the female students at Ventura High School. Junior Natalia Lopez says that “tube tops are cute, in right now and perfect for the hot weather.” Again, rules are important but I feel that valuable lessons on campus should focused on promoting self-respect and respect for each other. Students should be able to wear what defines their individuality as long as said body parts are covered.
Freshman Remi Young said “bra straps are not a big deal!” Photo: Julia Davies
Safe driving? More like chaos in the lot First, I would like to address the hypocrisy of this article as I am not a driving student at Ventura High School, but I will not hesitate to comment on the reckless behavior that goes on in the parking lot. Janelle Chavira
Sophomores Peyton Redmond, Benet Bouchard and Ava Hall continue to wear Nike products after the Kaepernick campaign. Photo by: Tatum Luoma
I understand that students should be wearing appropriate clothing as it is a learning environment, but we also are growing and changing and want to express who we are. How different are the staff and the students definition of “appropriate”? Girls have been dress coded for many things such as tube tops, backless dress/shirts, tights and ripped jeans. This is all fashionable clothing. Although it may conflict with the dress code instated, as long as you are not showing any inappropriate parts of your body it should be fair game. Many students have expressed that the way one dresses defines their individuality. While students understand that they need some sort of guidelines, they also need the freedom to express themselves.
The reason I even address this issue is because, in the past month of school, I’ve almost been hit five times: twice by sitting in a friend’s car while a student is backing out of a spot without turning around to look behind them, and three times while walking to class because kids running late and mindlessly rushing into the parking lot. Of course the circumstances of each occasion vary, and I don’t fully blame the driver. I concede the fact that certain “jokester” students like to jump in front of the car to stop traffic as a laugh, or pull on the drivers door handles to scare them. Those students should be reprimanded as well -- their actions could cause them to get hurt, or even create an accident. The fact of the matter, though, is that all students should treat the student parking lot with the same respect and safety regulations of any other public parking lot during all hours. I’m sure in a Target parking lot people check behind them while they’re backing out, just like I’m almost positive they don’t go around pulling the door handles on passing cars. It’s disrespectful and reckless. When asked her
opinion on the quality of driving in the parking lot, senior Christine Martin said, “I think people drive fast to show off and it’s really unsafe and stupid.”
“I think people drive fast to show off and it’s really unsafe and stupid.” -Martin
Honestly, the students of VHS have a lot of leeway when it comes to parking lot regulations. We’re only asked to have parking per mits, and to be safe and mindful of the other students. Doing donuts in the empty part of the upper lot or speeding around the speed bumps may seem fun, but it‘s reckless and needlessly creates chaos. Don’t be dumb, be safe -after all, it shows on your insurance bill.
When asked her opinion on the quality of driving in the parking lot, senior Christine Martin said, “I think people drive fast to show off and it’s really unsafe and stupid.” Photo by: Janelle Chavira
Distractions
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Student Art A rendition of a Modigliani painting by junior Max Bolle for the fall play, Nightwatch.
Distraction by: Julia Davies
Autumn Cougars Patagonia Thanksgiving Candles Fall Leaves Pumpkin Trick-or-treat
Can you unscramble these clubs?
Distraction by: Hector Heredia
Are you REALLY dead?! Summer Yovanno
Photo by: Ryan King
When I’m scrolling through social media and I see a semi-funny video THAT IS NOT EVEN LAUGH-OUT-LOUD WORTHY and see a caption with it saying “I’M CRYING” or “I’M DEAD” I just keep on scrolling because if you think about it, are you realllllly F*#@%$* crying? Are you realllly deceased on the floor?! What is with people being so overly dramatic just for a F*#@$% retweet? I doubt those kinds of people have even experienced A REAL crylaugh experience because majority of the time, THE VIDEOS ARE JUST STUPID- so stupid I question why I’m even scrolling through it. *Cringy crylaugh emoji*
Stop making fun of Conservative Club
Candy Halloween September November Uggs Coffee October Spooky VHS
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Sam Coats
Infographic by: Sam Coats
We’ve all noticed how nasty the national political discourse is lately. Most of us dislike it, or even avoid the news because of it. So why are we advancing political nastiness on our own campus? During Club Week, instead of questioning the Conservative Club’s leaders about their beliefs in person, criticism of the club was confined to snide jokes, “ironically” signing up and mocking glances across the quad. Speaking as a liberal, the more we do snotty stuff like this, the more license the other side has to respond in kind. If you don’t like what conservatives stand for, talk, don’t mock.
Doc Martins suck
Y’all are cute… and I’m mad about it
Pledge of Alliegence
Doug Sandford
Acacia Harrell
Garrett Jaffe
Photo by: Doug Sanford
Doc Martens are a shoe created by Klaus Martens in 1945 while serving in the German army during WW2. While it took a little time to catch on, they eventually moved to England. They became a culture phenomenon worn by punks, skinheads, goths, motorcycle riders and grunge fans. Now they are worn by trendy kids, who got them used off of Depop and think they are the new hip shoes. I am tired of kids, fake punks, who do not associate in these groups or appreciate the culture by wearing Doc Martens because they think they’re stylish. Please stop washing out the culture
Photo by: Sarah Clench
We have a problem… maybe less of a problem and more of an INJUSTICE. Funny that I use the word Justice because that’s the name of the brand I wore for all of elementary school. Then, in middle school I got my clothes from literally the boy’s section of Target. Then, at the beginning of high school, I was STILL lookin’ bummy and spending so much money on ugly Hollister skinny jeans. BUT now… NOW… these girls come out the womb wearing mom jeans, silver hoops and lipgloss like WHAT THE BLEEP? They entirely skipped the ugly phase. And it’s not fair.
Photo by: Garrett Jaffe
The pledge of allegiance is a grouping of nationalistic assertions that “the Republic for which it stands” encourages its children to recite every morning in schools to exploit the next generation’s credulity to facts and ideology, by encouraging them everyday to pledge their unbrittled allengeice to an ever changing state of legislation and leadership. We are not “one nation under God” but supposedly numerous and many of our founders were skeptics and deists, and if you wish to say there is “liberty and justice for all,” I would encourage you to research our history and our percentage of incarceration and the commonly conflated and lacking social stratification.
VHS on...
Freshman Kalaiyh Brown (left) said,“Fall sports are doing good right now! Love them!” Freshman Kayla Poole (right) said, “[The fall sports are] doing well, but could do better!”
Fall sports
“The fall sports, in my opinion, are doing quite well,” said senior Ryan Nussman. “Obviously there [are] some hiccups, but everything seems all good.”
Freshman Melina Benitez said, "[The] varsity volleyball [team] is doing really good, and has [most definitely] earn[ed] their wins!"
Sophomore Jonathon Flemming said, "The fall sports are great. I'm on the [boys] water polo team."
“Volleyball has been creaming Buena and kicking butt!” said freshman Ashley Payne (left). “The football games are a great place to go and have a fun Friday night!” said freshman Vicki Ramirez (right). Senior Emilio Pinto (left) said, “I feel our volleyball team is doing great! Unlike our football team[s].” Sophomore Darios Curiel (right) said, “Football is fun to watch and support our school!”
Freshman Naomi Velazquez said, "I like [the fall sports]. They're super fun to watch!"
Senior Marcus De Los Santos said, “I think the fall sports are great! Go Cougars!”
(From right to left) Senior Juselin Duarte said, “Varsity football isn’t doing very good, could be doing better.” Senior Alondra Robles said, “[The fall sports are] doing good! Keep it up!” Senior Lupe Munguray said, “I love going to [football] games!”