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The Cougar Press @the.cougar.press
October 25, 2019
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A threat made on ASB Instagram page prompts Venture Police Dept. investigation
ensure the safety of VHS students. Officer Tony Gomez assured that “the Police Department has been working towards finding out who is behind [the threat].”
Illustration by: Charlotte D’Orsi
This situation brings up a serious issue regarding on campus safety and the severity of such threats being made. Oxnard High School recently experienced a very similar situation in which a shooting threat was posted to Snapchat in late Sept. Dr. Roger Rice, VUSD Superintendent, said, “Unfortunately [online threats like this] are getting way too common, I think people rely on the anonymity that social media brings and so they do things that they wouldn’t otherwise do.” It is no surprise that VUSD parents and students are concerned about the frequency of such sinister online posts. One parent commented on the VUSD Facebook post, “Is the person in custody who made these threats?
. . . My child is horrified to go to school.” while another parent said, “ As a parent I feel we have the right to know what the threat was. At this moment I don’t feel safe sending my 9th grader to school.” Principal Cohen assured that, “like all threats, [they] exhaust the daylight out of them until [they] get every little detail.” He also assured that immediately following the threat, “[we] worked with [the police department] until 1 o’clock in the morning and they were very confident with the information that they gathered.” ...continued on thecougarpress.org
Declining CAASSP test scores could have detrimental effects for VHS.
The CAASPP test -- all juniors in the state of California are required to take it. School officials even went around to classes, lecturing on the importance of the test. But what do the test scores we receive every year really mean? CAASPP stands for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress. Each year, juniors throughout the state of California participate in mandatory testing in Math, English and Science. These tests represent the level of proficiency in the subject areas tested. Scores from the CAASPP are totalled by school and ranked into five different color groups on the California School Dashboard: red, orange, yellow, green and blue, red being the lowest and blue being the highest. The areas that are ranked in this system are English Language Arts, Mathematics, College and Career, Graduation Rate and Suspension Rate. So, where does Ventura High School fall on this testing spectrum? According to the California School Dashboard, in 2018 VHS was 8.3 points below for English Language Arts (a 29.7 point
Say goodbye to seventh period?
What’s inside?
Doug Sandford
Ventura High state test scores show a shocking trend Sam Hicks Tatum Luoma
Volume 72 Edition 2
California lawmakers sign bill mandating a later start for public school
Charlotte D’Orsi
“Unfortunately, [onlines threats like this] are getting way too common.” -Superintendent Roger Rice
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“Never regret yesterday. Life is in you today, and you make your tomorrow.” -L. Ron Hubbard
Bomb threat causes explosion of chaos On the week of Oct. 7, all VHS-affiliated social media accounts were urged to change their passwords and disable comments as a result of a bomb threat being commented on the Associated Student Body Instagram page as well as someone hacking into The Cougar Press Instagram and posting a similar threat. The Ventura Police Department was made aware of the situation and have been working with the district and Principal Carlos Cohen in order to conduct an investigation into the legitimacy of the threat. Security presence on campus was heightened in order to
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decline from 2017) and 83.8 points below average for Mathematics (a 17.6 point decline from 2017). Not only this, but only 43.4 percent of VHS students were deemed prepared and ready for college. These scores place Ventura in the second to last color, orange. VHS is ranked lower in English Language Arts and math than both Buena High School and Foothill Technology High School. BHS is only 5.1 points below in English Language Arts and 78.1 points below in Mathematics; Foothill is 43.9 points above in English Language Arts and 21.6 points
below standard in Mathematics. Furthermore, the suspension rate here at VHS is higher than that of both BHS and Foothill, with 5.2 percent of students being suspended at VHS compared to 4.8 percent and 1.7 percent at BHS and Foothill respectively. Why is it that VHS has such a low math score? If students simply did not care about testing, then both math and English scores would be equally below standard.
...continued on thecougarpress.org
Infographic by: Sam Hicks
On Aug. 31st, California lawmakers voted to enact a new law in which middle and high schools will start at 8:30. On Oct. 13, California Governor Gavin Newsome signed the bill, which Gov. Jerry Brown previously vetoed. Newsome said, “The science shows that teenage students who start their day later increase their academic performance, attendance, and overall health.” The Center for Disease Control reports that 80 percent of the 3,386,956 million sixth through twelfth graders who attend public school in California start before 8:30, and only 20 percent receive an adequate 8 and a half to 9 and a half hours of sleep. Currently this bill is planned to be enacted in the 20222023 school year, and VEAU plans to vote on bell schedules and related matters by Dec. 1st in 2019. This law does not include regulation on zero period, which is still allowed to start before 8:30. Current student teacher Alec Gasca, who hopes to teach during the 2022-23 school year said, “My opinion is that students lives won’t change because parents still have lives, and have to get to work around 7:30.” Gasca also stated that, “In my knowledge, students will stay up late no matter what.” One important thing to take note of is that the main lobbyist for this bill has been parent associations, rather than teacher unions. Sebastian DeClerk, who is an active member in school planning said, “Since we already have a schedule that starts at 8:30, we probably will just go back to having a six period schedule, and voting on this will be held sometime in the end of November.” With a new pushed back schedule, many extracurricular activities will suffer in the schedule, as a result of a time crunch. To prevent total chaos, VHS is planning to test out different bell schedules in the next few years, but it is going to be difficult, especially for students who want to take more than the required amount of courses. To many of us, this law will not affect us drastically. But this year’s freshman will be seniors when the law is official. California was the first state to pass this law, and now Ohio also has a bill to push for this law.
...continued on thecougarpress.org
Photo by: Charlotte D’Orsi
Vandals! pg. 2
Illustration by: Yasmin Myers
Earth is dying pg. 2
Photo by: Juliana Jacobson
Company pg. 3
Photo from: Grant Lawler
Anderson for Coach of the Year pg. 3
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Features
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Keep your pens on your paper, not on the walls
Graffiti around Ventura High School is rampant, can it be solved? Charlotte D’Orsi Jack Schatzman Upon entering any high school bathroom, one is almost 100 percent guaranteed to find graffitti of all kinds, doodles, poems, profanities, offensive symbols etc. adorning the walls of the stalls. Ventura High School is no exception to this as many students take it upon themselves to let their creativity run free during bathroom breaks. While a good portion of the vandalism found in the bathroom stalls of VHS is all in good fun, it is not uncommon to find extremely offensive phrases and symbols as well. Many may wonder, why do students feel the urge to write such hateful things in public places? And should VHS staff and students be concerned about this? When asked about the issue of tagging at VHS, Principal Cohen commented that “[he] do[esn’t] think that vandalism is a serious issue at Ventura High School but unfortunately vandalism does occur.” Relating to this sentiment, Officer Tony Gomez said that, in recent years, tagging has been “not as bad as [he] thought it would be, it’s been worse before.” The school administrators and supervisors make sure that when grafitti does appear around campus, it is taken care of and removed in a timely manner. Principal Cohen explained that “whenever tagging occurs [the administrators and custodians] make it a point to immediately go and take a picture of it because [they] compare it with other [pictures].” The graffiti is then removed by either simply washing it off or in some cases, painting over it. Many students may recall an incident that occurred last year where inappropriate phrases and drawings were spray painted on the side of Tuttle Gym overnight. When asked if the perpetrators were caught, Officer Gomez said that “there was a police report filed but [the school] did not find out who it was.” Principal Cohen added that “VHS is an open campus so we have folks that come from all over . . . so it’s hard [to keep
track.]” This is true, while there are surveillance cameras outside there is no way of fully knowing if the culprit is a VHS student or simply a random person who decided to tag the school, this makes catching them very difficult and too lengthy of a process to deal with. Some students and staff members may have noticed that a very frequent acronym that appears around campus is “V.A.G.” which means “Ventura Avenue Gang” and could symbolize either actual VHS students who are gang-affiliated, or simply students who, as Officer Gomez put it, “just like to tag” and write, and according to Principal Cohen, “downright stupid” things. However, even if students are writing fairly innocuous things in bathrooms stalls, the markings are still required to be cleaned off by the school custodians which adds a generous amount of additional work to their daily tasks. Daniel
Sandoval, a VHS custodian, said that he and the other custodians find new graffiti “almost every day” and that “it sometimes takes up to an hour to remove it all” depending on how much there is. Officer Gomez also commented on the disrespect that is demonstrated through vandalism, “Kids shouldn’t be destroying property, that’s concerning to me.” School administrators utilize several methods in order to minimize the amount of vandalism on campus. Surveillance camera footage is checked frequently to keep track of who is coming and going around campus and if anything out of the ordinary is going on. Principal Cohen commented that “we just have to depend on our surveillance techniques, our supervision, and each each other.” ...continued on thecougarpress.org
This was found drawn on the wall of a VHS Bathroom. The, “VAG,” is an acronym that stands for “Ventura Avenue Gang.” Photo by: Charlotte D’Orsi
Custodian, Danial Sandoval, says that “Cleaning graffiti off of the walls is very inconvenient because it requires extra time” on top of his other daily tasks. Photo by: Charlotte D’Orsi
Print EICs Miles Bennett Lola Bobrow
Managing Editors Doug Sandford Bella Young
The future is looking smoggy
Teacher and students give insight on environmental law rollbacks Katie Medina Yasmin Myers It’s no question that global warming has been circulating for political and social debate lately. On Jan. 25, 2018, President Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency unveiled its plan to reverse environmental regulations, making it easier for companies and industrial plants to increase their emissions of pollutants like lead and other neurotoxins. Many of these environmental protections were implemented during the Obama Administration to minimize environmental pollution and global warming. Among these rollbacks is the ,“Clean Power Plan,” which intended to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electrical power generators by 32 percent by 2030, compared to the 2005 levels. Biology and AP Environmental Science teacher, Jared McEntyre, shares his thoughts on the presidential rollbacks as he states, “Doing away with Obama’s Clean Energy Plan will allow for a lot more air pollutants to go into our atmosphere, causing the global temperature to warm, acid rain to increase and anyone concerned with breathing to have trouble.” The Environmental Protection Agency estimated that the Clean Power Plan will reduce
the pollutants that contribute to smog and soot by 25 percent, and that the reduction will lead to net climate and health benefits of an estimated $25 billion to $45 billion per year in 2030. A 2018 analysis from The JAMA Forum reported that the Trump administration’s rollbacks and proposed reversals of environmental rules would, “likely cost the lives of over 80,000 US residents per decade and lead to respiratory problems for more than 1 million people.” Junior Ramsey Dillon also adds that, “A lot of plastic and pollutants are left on the streets and as a result are being drained into the ocean. The trash and the chemicals inside of [the pollutants] are a hazard to the environment and ultimately lead to the destruction of habitats and the decline of species diversity on Earth.” Junior Riley Meagher stated that, “the best thing we can do is be conscious of where the products we are using come from, where they go when we are done with them, and what we are supporting by paying for these products.” For students who wish to get more involved in improving Ventura High’s carbon footprint, Meagher highly recommends joining the Greener World Action Team, a club here at VHS.
Staffers
Editorial Staff
Editors-in-Chief Sam Hicks Tatum Luoma
Illustration by: Yasmin Myers
Social Media Editor Julia Davies
Our Mission Statement The Cougar Press is a student-run, community forum of Ventura High School and the surrounding community. As a publication, we strive to fairly report on the issues and happenings that occur throughout our school and community. We encourage involvement from our readers, as support from our community only improves the quality of our reporting. We can be contacted at thecougarpressvhs@gmail.com.
Tyler Andell Chris Beal Charlotte D’Orsi Shannon David Camille Dunavin Anna Guerra Malia Gutierrez Jocelyn Lee Connor Lynch Audrey Flynn Emily Looney Caroline Marsden
Katie Medina Skye Mercardo Yasmin Myers Leon Naranjo Danny Ochoa Greta Pankratz Kole Petty Riley Rameriez Petyon Redmond Jack Shatzman Logan Wilkov Jesse Zapata
Features/Arts & Entertainment
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They harmonize before the sunrise Anderson sprints his way to Members of Company, Ventura Unified’s all district choir, sing before everyone wakes. Julianna Jacobson It was 6:16 a.m. on Oct. 8, the sky had slowly started the process of changing from black to a cool blue. Outside the drama room, 12 kids stood in a loose circle talking and laughing. As more students began to trickle in, Company’s director, Heidi House, came and unlocked the side door, leading to a grand piano in the center of the stage where she set her bags. Students formed a half circle around the piano, each with a folder full of sheet music. Before any singing could begin, the conversations
up, the harmony of the piano and 32 different voices filled the auditorium. House’s hands traveled up the keyboard, and students warmed up their voices by matching pitch to the piano. The exercise continued, and students started to do the Macarena, according to House, to pull focus away from their voices and bring it to their bodies. This would allow the throat to relax and warm up properly. “Heidi... she’s an eclectic teacher,” noted senior Cole Campbell, a four year Company member whose been singing with House since Kindergarten, “She is a very good person and
VUSD’s choir leader, Heidi House, rehearsing with students for their upcoming holiday concert, her clenched fist in the air to emphasize a section where enunciation is key. Photo by: Julianna Jacobson had to stop, which took fifteen minutes, give or take. “[House] mostly starts [class] with conversations, and everybody gets into them,” noted freshman Arkiran Khaira, who has been doing show choir with House since 6th grade. While some may have viewed this as a distraction or waste of time, Khaira had a different opinion. “You have fun going, you look forward to going, because all the people there make it fun,” she added. As the class began to warm
she’s a very good director.” The class was then separated into three circles: sopranos, altos and baritones, where they practiced for House’s favorite event of the year, the holiday concert. “It includes all of my [chior groups], and typically I’ll have between 130 and 150 kids... they sing ‘Imagine’ [by John Lennon] and everybody cries, including me.” The concert takes place at VHS on Dec. 13 at 6:30p.m. and 14 at 2:00p.m.. When asked about the
Company’s other events, House talked about their most notable performances, stating, “We participated in an album to support Thomas Fire victims, we opened for Big Bad Voodoo Daddy when they did a benefit concert here, we sang at Olivas Adobe one time before a big concert. It’s fun to do those outside events.” Though she acknowledged her appreciation for those opportunities, House was quick to add that, “It’s great to do all those things that, you know, have those big names but... it’s really about the kids, that’s exactly what it is.” Sophomore Riley Stork was later asked the same question, and chuckled as he recalled that, “as a joke, someone suggested we do “Kung Fu Fighting” from “Kung Fu Panda”, and so we did do that, and it was honestly really fun.” After sitting in on the class, what seemed the most noteworthy aspect was the natural bond between House and her students: “We really are close, and it’s a wonderful place to be, and that’s the thing I’m most proud of...we’re very inclusive, and diverse, and... it’s the happiest,” she added fondly. As students filed out at the end of the period, jokes and comments were exchanged that clearly showed the friendly connection that they all share. Looking back at House, she said, “This is what we are, we’re a family, and it’s the best thing in the world.” After my momentary audition, which House insisted upon, she mentioned that although it’s not ideal for students to join after auditions in early June, she “would love to have more kids,” and “there’s always room for talented people.”
Stefoni Rossiter: “A clowning achievement”
What’s the backstory behind the drama queen on the third floor? Miles Bennett According to current students and alumni alike, Ventura High School Drama Department head Stefoni Rossiter has made a tremendous impact on many of the young thespians she’s educated and directed throughout her fifteen years at VHS. Although she is widely regarded as an amazing theater arts teacher, Rossiter hasn’t always been the educator her students know today. Life took Rossiter to many places before she could claim Ventura High’s third story drama room as her own, including dancing, bartending, teaching preschool and being a full-time clown. Ever since childhood, Rossiter seemed to have a disposition for theatrics. “When I was a little kid I would sing and write and I always wanted to do a play,” stated Rossiter, “I think, for some reason, it was always in me to tell stories.” However, Rossiter’s debut as an actress wouldn’t come until adulthood, as she spent a large portion of her youth as a dancer and intended to major in dance at San Diego State University. Rossiter was set on making a career out of her passion for dance, that is, until
her sophomore year of college, when a friend of hers convinced her to try out for the show that San Diego State’s theater program was putting on, a 1940s musical comedy called “Kiss Me Kate.” “I’d only seen a couple of musicals, but one of my dancer friends said, ‘Let’s audition for that’, and we did and I got in,” recalled Rossiter, “I thought, this is even better than dancing! This is like doing it all! So I changed my major and then there was no looking back.” After a few more years and the acquisition of a Theater Arts Degree from UC Riverside, Rossiter was ready for her new life as an actress. “I did a fair amount of [theater], I did some independent film work and a little bit of television. I did the game show circuit. I even did a pilot for a game show, won a lot of money, ” stated Rossiter on her life as an actor. But a life of show business can’t always put bread on the table, so Rossiter often had to find other ways to support herself. “I did a lot of odd jobs. I worked at a pizza parlor, I worked at a clothing store, for many years I was a bartender, I worked in a
lot of restaurants, I worked temp, I worked for a movie producer’s office assistant, there’s probably more than that,” said Rossiter. The actress life provided her with a lot of varied occupations, but none are as iconic to Rossiter’s drama students than her years as, “Shuffles the Clown.” After hearing of her previous work for other clown companies, an acting coach convinced Rossiter to pursue clowning and start her own company. “[The Company] was called Shuffles the Clown: A Clowning Achievement. Get it?’” stated Rossiter, as she let out a brief chuckle, “It got pretty popular and I created a couple of other clowns and hired some other performers, so I was running this company that did mostly kids parties. [We also did] company picnics and things like that. I did balloon animals and painted faces and a little magic and I brought in toys for the kids.” But after a few years of slapstick and colorful outfits, Rossiter hung up her clown garb for good. Although, an old issue of the Ventura County Star with a feature on Shuffles can still be found framed and hanging in her office, as a memento
coach of the year
After instructing track and field for over a decade, Ventura teacher is recognized for his hard work Anna Guerra On top of being department chair for Health class and the College and Career seminar, Kory Anderson has been coaching track and field for twenty years. Just recently, Anderson has earned the award of 2018-19 Boys Track and Field Coach of the Year by the Southern Section. Upon receiving the award, Anderson’s first thought was that a joke was being played on him. He remarked, “A couple of years ago I was up for the same award, but I received a call giving me a heads up about being one of the finalists. This time I only received an email saying ‘Congratulations you won the Coach of the Year award’, so I thought it was a scam or one of my friends messing with me.” When Anderson verified that none of his friends were messing with him, he thought that acquiring the award was “really cool”. “I think we stand out more as a staff than I do as a coach,” Anderson mentions. “I would like to think that I’m just a reflection of our staff. We’ve had some really excellent staff over the years so I’ve been blessed to learn from a lot of great coaches.” Athletic Director, David Hess, comments that Anderson is very deserving of this award and adds that, “Working with him is great. He really loves what he does and it shows. He puts in a tremendous amount of work to make our program as competitive as possible.” Anderson also shares to the tomfoolery of the past. After ten long years of acting, Rossiter grew tired of her life on stage. “I always thought that if I didn’t want to pursue acting, that I would either want to be a high school theater teacher and have my own department or run a dinner theater. Because I thought both of those would be a way to keep theater in my life, if I just got tired of the grind of auditioning and submitting your pictures, which I did after like 10 years or so,” explained Rossiter “It’s a really hard life, but I didn’t want to give up theater,” Rossiter continued, “So I decided [that], right after I got married, I’d
“Coach Anderson represents our school in a way we can all be proud of,” expresses Athletic Director David Hess. “He makes sure our players are prepared to compete and act appropriately. We’re lucky to have him.” Photo by: Yasmin Myers
why track and field is special to him, stating, “Track isn’t really a sport where hundreds or even thousands of people will show up at the events. At some sporting events like football or basketball you’ll get a huge crowd to come and support you. Track is one of those things that you do because you like the people you’re doing it with, you want to test yourself, and you enjoy what you’re doing.” One of Anderson’s proudest moments as a coach is seeing a player accomplish something that they didn’t even think was in the realm of possible. “Seeing [the players] gain an appreciation for what somebody else can do, like a thrower seeing a distance runner finish the mile in five minutes, is always great,” continues Anderson. ...continued on thecougarpress.org go to school and get a [teaching] credential, since I already had a degree in theater arts.” After she finished school, Rossiter found that there weren’t any openings for a drama teacher in Ventura, so she bided her time as a 4th and 5th grade teacher for a few years. Rossiter put in a request at the Ventura district office to be considered if any position did open. And that it did. Ventura High School’s former drama teacher, Dennis Enfield, had decided to retire in the middle of the 2003-2004 school year. ...continued on thecougarpress.org
VHS Alumni Kyle Harvey, known by his stage name, “KYLE,” meeting up with Rossiter after hosting an anti-bullying rally, sponsored by AXE, at VHS in 2018. The year prior, Harvey donated $10,000 to the VHS Drama Dept. out of appreciation for Rossiter and what he learned from her. Photo by: Lola Bobrow
The Cougar Press Page 4
The nuts are watching me
Cougar Catnips Why doesn’t Brandy fit me, a large gay man?
Kole Petty
No one cares
Jack Schatzman
Photo by: Kolw Petty
They are orange, gooey, and smelly. They are the stupid little nuts that fall from the trees on the quad. The worst thing about VHS is those nuts. It’s almost like the Devil himself put them there to torture me for my wrongdoing. Whenever I’m walking in the grass on a beautiful October day, they ruin everything. They plug my nostrils with their putrid smell and get stuck to the bottoms of my shoes. The nuts go after me like they have a mind of their own. Their goal is to destroy me.
Distractions
Julia Davies
Photo by: Jack Schatzman
Everyday I see all of these cute, trendy, and wearable clothes around campus, but it always dawns on me that I’ll never be able to wear them. Brandy Melville; larger sizes, that’s all I want. Holy Mother, can you just grant this plump gay man’s one dream of adorning his body with your high rise jeans and raw hem crop tops. Whenever I tary on your pants I can never get over my posterior, whenever I try on one of your tank tops my muffin top oozes out. ITS INFURIATING! I just want plus size men’s clothes. Is that really so hard?
Photo by: Julia Davies
Don’t talk to me when I’m obviously trying to listen or work, and don’t you dare ask me what the teacher just said or what page we’re on. Nothing pisses me off more than when people think that instead of listening or using their school time efficiently they should distract me and tell me something that has zero relevance or importance to me whatsoever. I couldn’t care less if it’s your dog’s birthday or that your grandma is crazy. Do me a favor and don’t waste my precious time on Earth by telling me about your stupid meaningless life.
Graphic by: Charlotte D’Orsi
The Last Straw
School be like...
By: Juliana Jacobson
By: Shannon David
Freshman Aiden Marin commented, “I have been looking forward to football games and my classes are good. I like how I am a freshmen and I am on the JV football team.”
VHS on... The Freshman Experience
Freshman Mariyah Alexander (right) said, “[School is] alright, I kinda like the people and my favorite teacher... Mrs. Miyata!” Kayleen Zapata (left) said, “It’s good! I like how I made the soccer team!”
Photos by: Jesse Zapata
Freshman Alfredo Avila commented, “It’s alright I guess, it’s calm so far. I like how there are some good teachers and some bad teachers, its kind of all balanced out.”
Freshman Liliana Cagnecci said, “It’s pretty good, I like the art and music program.Oh! And don’t forget about the cuties.”
Freshman Charlotte Sanchez commented, “It’s pretty good. I like the environment here because its all sunny and green.”