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“If love is the answer, could you rephrase the question?” -Lily Tomlin
February 13, 2020
Volume 72 Edition 05
Is traditional schooling not for you?
What’s inside?
Independent study could be the answer. Audrey Flynn Julianna Jacobson At the start of this semester, VUSD administrators began piloting a new independent study program at VHS and other high schools across the district. The program is intended to serve as an alternative education path for those who are struggling in the traditional public school environment. Students enrolled in Independent Study, which has yet to receive an official name, will be given high school credits towards graduation. Their course load will consist of online work and weekly proctored tests, and they will be required to complete the same amount of hours as in a regular six period schedule. “For any independent study (IS) program, I think the main disadvantage can be (it’s not always) the false perception that it will be easier than a traditional in-class/ brick-and-mortar kind of course,” explained Dr. Gregory Bayless, Director of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction for VUSD, in an
email to The Cougar Press. “In my experience, only those students who either are or learn to be self-motivated, self-disciplined and are good at thinking about their own learning are successful in IS programs.” According to a poll conducted on the Cougar Press’ Instagram out of 350 students, 34 percent have heard of this program and 20 percent are either currently enrolled or planning on enrolling in Independent Study. Though students will do most, if not all of their work independently, they may still take some classes at Ventura. “We believe that if we can retain them, we can better serve them in the long run,” stated Bayless. “Programs are...self-paced, which is particularly attractive for learners who want to accelerate. Perhaps most importantly, students in IS programs can use different hours of the day/week to work through the course as opposed to being limited to the standard 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM in-class schedule,” added Bayless. He went on to mention the possible negatives of the program: “It is also the primary
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Photo from: Gene Dunn
Sports Recaps pg. 2 Students are now able to move their education onto their personal laptop. Graphic by: Audrey Flynn
danger of them as well. It is extremely common for students to fall behind because the flexibility lures the student into thinking there’s always enough time to work on the course “later”...I think parents/guardians can sometimes underestimate the increased role they need to play when their child moves to an IS program.” A VHS counselor noted that the program isn’t for everyone, clarifying that it serves as a way for students who may have moved
to Vista or El Camino to remain a part of VHS. The counselor later mentioned that many of the students that have transfered to this kind of program are unsuccessful because of the expectation that they know how to manage their time well, and with El Camino, that they can take the rigor of difficult high school and college classes. . . . continued on thecougarpress.org
Photo by Yasmin Myers
History of Valentine’s day pg. 3
To panic, or not to panic? Sickness is spreading The coronavirus has people thinking about recent sickness at VHS. Alina Calamia Greta Pankratz The first semester of the 2019-2020 school year has come to a close, finals are over, and students are able to give their grades a fresh start. However, there have been many absences recently and there may be something in the air. All of the media attention on the coronavirus, a new and potentially fatal virus, though many have survived it, has led to the topic of illness at Ventura High School. Schools are full of different people, meaning that by attending school, students are touching things such as door handles, bathroom passes, and desks that come in contact with many people everyday. Hygiene is important, and it is one of the main ways to prevent illnesses like this from spreading. However, not everyone cooperates,
and the precautions aren’t always effective. Illness can spread quickly throughout campus, often leading to times with increased absences. Students have observed the class sizes, and how they have gotten smaller this past week after finals. A poll done on the Cougar Press Instagram on Jan. 30 asked, “Have you noticed a lot of absences this week?” Out of the 100 kids that took the poll, 73 students voted for “yes” and 27 students voted “no”. Illnesses such as the cold and flu are caused by viral infections. However, a stressful couple of days can also create similar symptoms. As students are trying to get over the tiring effects of finals week, the pressure and workload increases stress, which can make it more likely to catch a cold. The reasons people catch colds from stress are exercising too little, sleeping poorly, eating erratically,
Junior Mia Houle backs away from junior Morgan Jensen because she was recently sick. Jensen commented, “I don’t wanna get sick. I was just super sick, and I don’t want to die.” Photo by Greta Pankratz
and working too hard, according to the New York Times. During finals, students experience a lack of sleep, and tend to not be concerned about their health, being more concerned about the grade they will receive on an important project or test. When asked to reflect not just on the spreading virus in China, and the absences here at VHS, juniors Morgan Jensen and Mia Houle both noticed an increase in sickness and a decrease in attendance this past week after finals. Jensen had experienced the traveling cold herself. She recalled, “I was gone for a week because I was super sick, and I’ve seen a lot of people gone too. I think that since it’s the end of the first semester, everyone is just kind of giving up and stressing, and they might be getting sick from it.” Similarly, Houle commented, “There’s been like 10 kids out of my classes.” When asked what she believes could be causing this, Houle expressed her idea that, “It’s probably the end of finals, and everyone’s just like, ‘I don’t want to go to school’, and also the coronavirus. No one wants to get murdered by an infection. Also, people are just nasty and they don’t wash their hands.” Junior Owen Bouwman, however, didn’t notice any particular difference in the attendance. When asked if he had seen an abnormal amount of absences, he simply said, “No, not too much.” An illness that has also been on the minds of students is the coronavirus. It is a respiratory illness that as of Feb. 3, has not killed anyone
in the United States. However, as of that same date, the global death toll was 426. According to the CDC, its official name is the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, “novel coronavirus” meaning that it is brand new, and yet to be named. It is a new respiratory virus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. There is currently no vaccine to prevent it and no antiviral treatment to cure it, which is why the Global Health Organization declared a global health emergency on Thursday, Jan. 30. Updated Feb. 3, the CDC reported that there have been 11 positive cases of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the United States among 5 states; six in California, one in Washington, one in Arizona, two in Illinois, and one in Massachusetts. Want to learn more? Visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus. An email went out to teachers of VUSD schools, saying any student who has been in China’s Hubei province (home of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus) within the last 14 days will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine. In addition to this, any student who has returned to the US from anywhere in mainland China, other than the Hubei Province, is advised to remain at home for 14 days before returning to school. If a parent or guardian notices symptoms in their student who is at home during that 14 day period, they are advised to contact Ventura County Public Health. Their number is 805-981-5201. . . . continued on thecougarpress.org
Graphic by Charlotte D’Orsi
Materialism of Valentine’s pg. 3
Graphic by Yasmin Myers
Dating Opinion pg. 3
The Love Doctors are in! Advice with Charlotte and Sam Advice Column pg. 4 For more content, check out thecougarpress.org