70-06 by The Cougar Press

Ventura High School Journalism 2 North Catalina, Ventura CA 93001 thecougarpress.org

@the.cougar.press @thecougarpressvhs @thecougarpress @thecougarpress

The Cougar Press Friday, November 17, 2017

Sneak peek: Dress code opinion Sarah Clench Brooke Newman “Honey, you need to put on some clothing,” said a Ventura High School administrator. I was wearing high waisted, flowy pants and a tube top. Must I elaborate on how demeaning that statement is? This way of speaking to students is unacceptable, regardless of whether or not my clothing was “provocative.” And I’m sorry, but no, my outfit was not “provocative.” I do not see the issue with wearing a shirt that shows my shoulders. Why would VHS’s administrative staff waste their time dress coding students for showing their shoulders, instead of focusing on legitimate campus issues. School Office receptionist, Domenica Banales, said, “It’s hard to dress code everybody just because there [are] way too many of you and very little of us.” Instead of creating an unfair environment for students on campus by dress coding a select few, why not repeal the “no off the shoulder shirts rule,” since it poses no harm to anyone on campus. On Wednesday, October 19, we conducted a school wide “off the shoulder/tube top day,” where over 100 students participated by showing their shoulders and peacefully protesting against this ridiculous dress code regulation. But, who makes these rules and offensive guidelines? Banales stated, “The district… It’s district policy, the rules and regulations. We just have to abide by it.” However, the district policy doesn’t prohibit students from wearing scoop neck and v-neck t-shirts, which are generally more “provocative” than tube tops, so how does this policy make any sense? “I’ve never been dress coded for wearing an off the shoulder top but I think everyone knows what shoulders are and personally, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” sophomore Alyssa Cornwell stated. This alone is a compelling reason to get rid of this dress code rule. Administration, you cannot dress code everyone for their “provocative” shoulders, so why even try? Besides, in the grand scheme of things aren’t exposed cleavage, bare midriffs, and buttocks more “provoking” or “distracting” than a girl’s shoulders?

“You see things; you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?” -Geroge Bernard Shaw

Rage Cage rumors grind to a halt

What’s inside? Santa Cruz trip

Sarah Clench Acacia Harrell Ventura High School students have been asking questions about future dances of the school year: How many will there be? Will there be any more at all? If there will be less dances, is it because of some of the events that occurred at Homecoming? With all of these questions in mind, a rumor arose on campus. Students began to talk about the possibility of a ‘Rage Cage’ dance this year. However, some members of ASB said that this was merely an idea rather than a definite plan. So, what really happened? According to sophomore and ASB member, Kambria Haughton, a senior in ASB wanted to have a repeat of the ‘Rage Cage’ dance from last year. This senior also mentioned that the dance would be for a charity project, even though other members of ASB said that a link to a charity was never established. Other members of ASB also believe that the said member was trying to get the dance publicized in an effort to ‘force’ the school board to approve it. According to Haughton, many ASB members disagreed with the student’s efforts. Once the rumor got to ASB advisor, Ann Larson, she was upset and explained that even

Volume 70 Edition 06

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Photo by: Woody Maxwell

VHS students head to Santa Cruz for a walk on the island and a talk about the wild life there.

Snapchat opinion Graphic by: Sarah Clench and Acacia Harrell

though she tried to have the dance approved, it was never certain. The senior that was reported to have originally pushed for the ‘Rage Cage’ dance later denied the claims and asked the interviewers not to write about him or the dance, in order to avoid further attention to the topic. Haughton explained that it would be very difficult to have the dance because ASB has to have their dances approved by the school board ahead of time and they already have six dances planned, which is above their usual limit. Also, it seems that the district is becoming stricter when approving dances because of the negative incidents that occurred at this year’s Homecoming dance.

“They are not doing a Rage Cage in the NovemberDecember time. The next upcoming dance is prom,” stated Haughton. She also mentioned there is a chance that ASB may try to push for an extra dance later in the year. In general, Haughton explained that the school board has been trying to keep the amount of yearly dances minimal. The school board has also attempted to schedule dances to end earlier, in order to give students a chance to be home by a curfew of 10:30 p.m. These restrictions have made dance planning more difficult for ASB, but they said they will continue to do their best in creating fun outside-of-school activities for VHS students.

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Photo by: Acacia Harrell

How do you use Snapchat? The odds are, not like how most adults think you do. Read more about Snapchat’s reputation inside!

Ventura fire

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Cougars clawed their way out of CIF Lola Bobrow Hannah Lee

Cross Country: Girls Cross Country finished their season in first place with a Channel League win, a goal most sports teams aspire to achieve. Senior Sophia Ramos and other girls are moving on to CIF prelims for a CIF title. Boys Cross Country placed second in Channel League. The boys will continue to race at CIF prelims. Girls Tennis: Girls tennis placed fourth in their league. Senior Maya Krishnasamy and sophomore Isabella Francis are the number one and two singles for the team and they both will advance to CIF prelims playing doubles together. Their first game will be on November 20. Girls Golf: Girls golf broke a total of 30+ records as a team this year. Continued on... Golf had a record of 10-5 winning, Page 8 10 matches and losing five.

Photo by: VCFD

Ventura recently was burned by a fire that stopped traffic on the 33 and caused electrical companies to shut down their lines.

Dress code opinion Page 8

Collage by: Hannah Lee

Boys Water polo: Varsity boys water polo had a strong season, ending with the title of Channel League champions. However, they only played one game for CIF. Sophomore and varsity player Micah Amico said, “We started off pretty well, made it to CIF, and then we did pretty bad [in] our first CIF game. We lost that game.”

Girls Volleyball: Girls volleyball did not go to CIF this year, ending their varsity season with an overall score of 19-12 and a league score of 5-3. There were several standout players this season, including MVP’s junior Mary Sinclair and senior Raphaela Rosales.

Photo by: Hannah Lee

Are you provoked by their shoulders? Check out the rest of this article to read about students opinions on the dress code.

Teen Drinking

The Cougar Press Page Two

If you get lit, will you be forced to quit?

Brooke Newman What is Ventura High School’s policy when it comes to the relationship between drinking and sports? With the recent incident that took place, it’s a serious question that many may not know the answer to. The only overlying policy that VHS has is the one adopted by the district, where all student athletes must sign a code of conduct as part of the athletic clearance packet, which states that students may be subject to

“In a lot of ways, it would be easier if there were just one policy for everybody, but a lot of times, things happen and it doesn’t always work.” -Hess

discipline if they violate a rule outlined in the code of conduct. However, this code of conduct does not specify what that discipline is. Why, you may ask? As athletic director David Hess puts it, “[VHS] has resisted making one policy for everyone.” However, Hess stated that he is not a believer in a “notolerance policy,” or “this is what we’re all going to do,” method because every situation is different and needs to be addressed accordingly. Therefore, it’s up to the coach to decide their athletic policies for their student athletes. Some coaches, such as dance and hip-hop coach Samantha Hazan, have a very strict, no tolerance policy. However for boys baseball, the sports policy is quite different than Hazan’s team policy. Baseball coach Sam Triana, has put in place a point system for his team. “The points go towards if you’re disrespectful to a parent, coach, umpire or an other player, than that’s two points. Any form of substance abuse is an

automatic 10 points and if you collect 10 points in a week, you’re suspended for a game,” Triana described. “If you’re caught [abusing substances] again, then you’re automatically kicked off the team. I don’t believe in life sentence punishment the first time,” he concluded. And as for boys volleyball, coach Gary Knowles added that “there really is not a policy in place,” other than abiding by CIF rules.

Therefore, it’s been Knowles’ policy that if an athlete is suspended for violating any school policy, they are suspended from participating in matches or practices for as long as the suspension exists. What Hazan, Knowles and Triana all have in common though, is that they all stated that they were never explicitly told to create a policy for their team. Continued on thecougarpress.org...

Infographic from: VUSD

You booze, you lose Ian McWeeney “It takes all of us to make sure kids are safe and making good choices,” assistant principal Susan Eberhart said, regarding the Homecoming dance. One in three high schoolers drink alcohol and one in six binge drink, according to Fox News. Ventura High School’s Homecoming dance was hosted on Saturday, October 14 and was the second school dance of the year. But -as school dances have for years- many students ran into problems with consuming alcohol and attending homecoming while under the influence. Eberhart was a chaperone at Homecoming and

said that, “Many people were caught under the influence at the dance which led to consequences. When you come to a school event under the influence of anything, you get a school suspension.” The drinking incident at Homecoming caused many students to get in trouble with their sports teams. Unfortunately, a few students were even sent to the hospital for alcohol poisoning that evening. Students also had parties after the Homecoming dance that encouraged drinking, and led to

other consequences. When Eberhart was asked whether she expected students to come to the dance under the influence of alcohol she said: “No, I did not. I think we usually have at least a couple of students who have made a poor choice that were aware of the regards to safety.” When asked about how administration will work to prevent future alcohol related problems,

Eberhart said, “We’re open to all suggestions, of course. We’re really concerned with our students safety.” Eberhart stated that her main focus is making sure all students are safe at school dances. “Were all students under the influence? Did we catch everyone? Of course not. And that’s sad because if you think about the kids we didn’t intercept, what if they were driving? So that’s very concerning,” Eberhart replied. She encourages parents to get involved in their kids lives: “I think we want parents to be actively involved and aware of what’s going on in their homes.” For the rest of the year, ASB has three dances planned so far: Senior Ball, Sadie Hawkins and Prom.

Infographic by: Ian McWeeney

SUSpension Sarah Clench Last year, Ventura High School had a total of 176 suspensions out of the 2,138 students. This totals about eight percent of the school’s population. More specifically, 31 percent of the suspensions were due to a controlled substance being used, possessed, or sold, compared to 2014 when the percent was approximately 23 percent. Will that number increase as a result of this year’s incidents involving teen drinking and substance abuse? Assistant principal Chris Murphy stated, “If every student

on this campus behaved in a morally upright way like nearly all of us know how to do, we would not have any more suspensions period, logic would suggest.” With a school sponsored event, for example Homecoming, the school is responsible for you from when you leave your house until after the event when you return home. Therefore, the school has the authority to suspend an individual if he or her violates the code of conduct in that time frame. If caught using, possessing, or selling a controlled substance -like alcohol- the student would receive a call to their parents, a two day suspension, plus one day of alcohol counseling that takes place on campus.

However, if the student is an athlete or is in extracurricular activities, they could face more consequences than others due to the athletic policy. “Unfortunately a lot of kids made the poor choice of doing something and they were all dealt with,” said assistant principal Charles Cornwell. A student can have a maximum of 20 cumulative

suspensions, but if exceeded, the school can expel or seek alternative placement for the individual. Cornwell added, “I think there are better ways to deal with discipline. We need to hold everybody accountable, but at the same time, there’s also got to be what we call restorative justice. We have to figure out a way to make sure [it] doesn’t happen again. My goal is not to increase suspensions.”

Photo by: Sarah Clench Cornwell’s office where the suspensions are dealt with.

Index

Teen Drinking...................2-3 News......................................4 Arts and Entertainment......5 Features..............................6-7 Opinion..............................8-9 College.................................10 Distractions.........................11 VHS On..............................12

The Cougar Press The Cougar Press is a studentrun public forum of the VHS community. We strive to present all sides of the issue fairly and without bias. From time to time, we make an error. When this happens, we try to correct it as soon as possible. Students and community members are encouraged to write letters to The Cougar Press. We welcome all letters, but may edit them for clarity and brevity. This public forum is only as good as the community support it receives. Any letter submitted also may be published on our website www.thecougar press.org. Send letters to: Editor, The Cougar Press, 2 N. Catalina Ventura, CA 93001. The Cougar Press supports student free speech.

Staff

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

Teen Drinking

The Cougar Press Page Three

Opinion: A video or a death sentence? Liliana Lara Imagine this scenario: someone underage is drinking an alcoholic beverage. They are already putting themselves at risk. Then, someone takes out their phone and presses record. Not only do they record it, but then they post it on their social media for the world to see. Why in the world would someone ever think that’s a good idea? Do they really not see the harm that could come from this? However, there is a factor that most don’t take into consideration: rivalry.

Mostly everyone has rivals -or at least someone that they know doesn’t like thembut what are the chances that the person will see this video? Probably more likely than one would expect. What if they take it to the extreme and send it to someone that could get you in trouble, whether it be at home or at school? Depending on the degree of the punishment, one might be miserable. It’s a shame because the whole situation could have been avoided if the recorder would have taken a step back and thought about the consequences

opportunity to ruin their rival. When senior Daniel Aguilar was asked what motives could possibly contribute to an individual posting a bad video of a friend, Aguilar said, “They just want to show their friends what they’re doing and that happens to be what they’re doing. I don’t think it’s meant for people to get

They probably think: Oh well, it’s harmless. No one will turn me in or say anything.

in trouble or anything.” So my advice would be to think twice the next time you pull out your phone to video someone doing something that could potentially lead to punishment for that person. You may also want to think twice before making the decision to do something that you could be punished for yourself. As Aguilar puts it, “It’s very risky, especially if you’re like an athlete, [when] you get caught doing stuff like that then you’re just like screwed.” There are plenty of snakes in the grass and if one is not careful, they could get bit.

In remembrance of Suzanne Brown

Opinion: Stop and think, don’t drink Clayton Currie Honestly, what is the point of drinking in high school? The way I see it, is that all it does for you is make you forget the bad decisions you made the night before at the party, as well as give you a headache and put you on the path to becoming an alcoholic. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, people ages 12-20 drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States. To make things worse, teenagers tend to binge drink, rather than just drink, meaning that when they do drink, they drink an excessive amount. A Ventura High School student -who has asked to remain anonymous in case there are legal repercussions to admitting to underage drinking- said that “[I’ve had at least] three beers every Friday for the past couple weeks.” I get that people want to have a good time with their friends, but you do realize that you don’t need alcohol to have fun right? I can name 10 things off the top of my head that are more fun when you’re sober. continued on... thecougarpress.org

of what they were about to do. Even if they did take the video, maybe they would have at least had the decency to not post it on social media? Recently, VHS students hasn’t been so lucky. Students were so ecstatic about keeping the Suzanne Brown trophy, that they decided to have some illegal fun with it. What they didn’t consider when pulling out their phones to record the illegal activities though, is that even if they have no rivals, VHS students all have one huge, freshly jealous, common rival, lurking just around the corner and watching with an attentive eye for any

Billy Maxwell Avenlea Russian

Every year, the Suzanne

Brown memorial trophy goes to the winning team in the Buena-Ventura cross town rivalry game.

Jonah Brown, her father Jack Rawls,

by an oncoming drunk driver on

and Jamaal Brown’s girlfriend, Dia

the 101 Freeway near Agoura Hills,

Rae Rounds, were returning home

who was driving the wrong way.

from Jamaal’s basketball game in

“I feel like it was a

Beverly Hills, CA when they were difficult situation, it was kind of all killed in like a black cloud...a lot of people a

a head on collision

who grew up in Ventura still remember clearly what happened back in 1986,” said assistant

On Friday, October 13, Ventura High

principal

School won the

describing the trophy drinking

54th annual rivalry

incident.

game for the ninth

time in a row.

memorial trophy was created

Suzanne

to honor her memory. The

Brown went to Buena

two schools came together and

High School and was a

created a memorial trophy that

teacher and cheer

The

Cornwell,

Suzanne

Brown

represents camaraderie as well as

advisor at VHS. Her

sportsmanship.

son Jamaal Brown

attended and played

“It means everything

to me, it’s been important to our

basketball for BHS.

history for a very long time. The

trophy should be taken great

December of

care of and I feel next year’s

1986, Suzanne

seniors will do well with that,”

Brown, her younger son

Charles

Photo by: Billy Maxwell

commented junior Carlos Aviles.

Opinion: If you use, don’t abuse Alicja Fowler Teen drinking is something that’s usually seen as a terrible thing. It’s typically associated with excessive drinking, partying, and blacking out. Honestly, it shouldn’t be associated with those activities. What I just described is binge drinking, not teen drinking. Teen drinking is drinking while you’re a teenager, which is not necessarily binge drinking at parties. I believe it should be perfectly fine to have a glass of wine with dinner, or a beer after a long day. In a controlled and safe environment, teen drinking should be allowed. Binge drinking in an uncontrolled environment however, can be deadly. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 4,300 teens die each year in the U.S. from excessive drinking. These deaths are mainly caused by alcohol poisoning and other factors that aren’t accident related. continued on... thecougarpress.org

Can you get roasted for what you’ve posted? Acacia Harrell Summer Yovanno Social media has become a huge part of our society. According to a Pew survey taken in 2014/2015, 94 percent of teens who go online with a mobile device do so daily. 71 percent of teens use several social media platforms, in which they post pictures, videos, and statements related to their daily life and ideas. These platforms include Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and many others. Snapchat and Instagram both have a feature called a ‘story.’ A ‘story’ can have a picture or video up for 24 hours and then it

‘disappears’ after those hours are up. The risk is that this is available to all friends or followers within the apps. Since all of one’s social media friends and followers have access to their stories, they all have the ability to screenshot and take a picture or video of a story using another device. This can extend a picture or video to be permanent, instead of having a 24 hour lifespan. This aspect of social media is what makes ‘stories’ so different from other social media platforms, with the idea that what one posts online may become permanent. Another thing that seems to worry parents and teens about social media is the risk of one’s

personal information getting into the hands of someone who wasn’t intended to have it. A recent incident occurred after the Ventura vs. Buena varsity football game on Friday, October 13. After Ventura’s victory, some football players and other VHS students celebrated

“Initially, I don’t think [the video] was meant to be out to the whole world, but some people got caught because of it.” -Cornwell

by drinking alcohol out of the winning trophy at a party. Students only know this because there were videos of them drinking out of the trophy posted on a couple of their Snapchat stories. According to VHS principal, Carlos Cohen, “VHS coaches and administration received videos of in the incident from various sources,” some of which asked to remain annoymous. When asked under what jurisdiction the school may punish students for off campus activities, assistant principal, Charles Cornwell, stated, “It can be something that happened outside of the school setting, but if it affects the school itself, then that’s when we have the jurisdiction.” This is an example that

has the potential to show that -contrary to what some teens may think- a picture or video can become permanent and damaging to real life. So now students are presented with the question: Are teens truly aware of the risks that social media poses? And if so, why do they continue to post on social media? When asked what risks he believes social media creates, junior Hayden Ijames said, “Cyber bullying and the risk of [exposing] something you don’t want to be exposed.” However, Ijames also mentioned that despite these risks, teens still participate in social media “to stay with everyone else.”

News

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Should you stay away from that palm tree? Kai Torres Andrew Welsh Ventura High School experienced strong Santa Ana winds on Monday, October 9, that reached 32mph around 12:20 p.m. These winds caused palm tree seeds, palm fronds, various tree branches and even an entire tree to fall over on campus. Theoretically, any of these arborial objects could have fallen on a student, faculty member, or classroom. Just palm tree seeds alone are strong enough to break through car windows when they fall and they collect in mass quantities on the ground -which if stepped on- could cause a person to fall. This could be a potential threat to VHS students, considering that the palm tree seeds generally aren’t cleaned up and are just left for people to walk on. Nordhoff High School in Ojai, CA reported on a similar story in regards to threats posed by trees on campus. In “Campus Trees Get a Closer Look,” by Malina Cate, a fallen tree limb at Topa Topa Elementary School in Ojai fell over and injured five people on Monday, September 25. As reported by the Ojai Valley News, elementary school teacher, Mrs. Hill, and her students were standing outside underneath the tree for her physical education class and were preparing to head back inside when the tree branch broke. The 20 ft long branch that was estimated to weigh anywhere from 300 to 500 pounds, according to Ventura County Fire Department captain, Stan Ziegler, and it critically injured the teacher and a student. Two students were moderately injured and another student suffered minor injuries. One student was airlifted off the scene via a helicopter and was transported to the Los Robles Hospital and Medical center in Thousand Oaks by the VCFD air squad. Hill as well as the other students were transported to the Ventura County Medical Center and other local hospitals via ambulance. Cate also reported that the tree was removed later that afternoon by an arborist. Although the fallen tree at VHS didn’t injure anyone, falling trees on campuses like the elementary school appear to some to be a bigger potential issue than imagined. The Voice of San Diego’s article, “As You Pass

The fires of a red-HOT topic

Christian Caudillo Northern California began experiencing 13 wildfires starting on October 8 and October 9. As of October 17, only two of the 13 wildfires have been contained, and 11 were still burning and have burned over 170,000 acres of land. On October 24, at about 2:35 p.m, Northern Ventura began to experience a brush fire due to the heat wave that was taking place. Local fire departments received calls that a brush fire had started on the 7200 block of Ventura Avenue, up in the northern hills of Ventura. Some firefighters believed that the fire was caused due to the combination of the heat wave and strong winds. Many roads, and the northbound 33-highway, were blocked off due to the brush fire. According to the Ventura County Star, two firefighters were injured in the line of duty. One firefighter suffered minor smoke inhalation, but has been treated and released back to work.

Graphic by: Kai Torres

That Palm Tree, Heads Up!” from 2010 relates palm tree hazards to the city’s budget cuts. With certain budget cuts that were made in San Diego, the city is not allowed to spend money on the rather risky and expensive job of palm tree trimming. During this time, LA resident Elsa Lopez said that she heard little from the city about palm tree maintenance, however, “the city had paid out thousands of dollars to repair cars and homes damaged by palm fronds.” There are over 700,000 public trees in LA, and it’s the city’s responsibility to maintain them however, “The current tree trimming cycle is about once every 21 years,” according to Los Angeles Urban Forest Division Manager, George Gonzalez. After seeing palm tree seeds on the senior lawn every day though and now being aware of their potential hazards, VHS students may be asking themselves, “Why don’t we clean up after our trees?” Could it be that the school maintenance funds have been cut and VHS cannot afford the expenses of maintaining palm trees? Or could it be that palm trees have never really been identified as a hazard until recently? Though both remain interesting questions neither are definite answers for why VHS doesn’t clean up after its palm trees. continued on... thecougarpress.org

The other firefighter suffered multiple yellow jacket stings that were not lifethreatening, but was transported to a local hospital. There were approximately over 100 firefighters trying to contain the fire. As a safety precaution, Southern California Edison cut power throughout northern Ventura during the fire incident. More than 8,000 customers were affected by the outage that started at 2:30 p.m. Ventura residents’ power began to come back on shortly after 5 p.m. According to Ventura County Fire department captain, Stan Ziegler, “We’re prepare for an event like this.” Ziegler later added that “The Ventura County Fire Department and other agencies, aware of the weather patterns, took precautions this week to ensure a swift attack on such a fire.” Ziegler shared that the fire had burned over 150 acres.

During the fire a small travel trailer was burned, however, no other structures were threatened by the blaze. As of October 25, firefighters have contained about 50 percent of the fire. continued on... thecougarpress.org

Photo from: VC Star

Do you know your flow? Brooke Newman As many people may not know, Ventura has a vibrant pop-up yoga community that has existed for three years and was founded by Jessie Raspiller. According to pop-up yoga instructor Chelsea Gray, Raspiller originally started pop-up yoga as she was going through her yoga training through a program called Yogafit and had to fulfil her eight hour community service requirement. From there, pop-up yoga began to develop and according to Gray, “[they] got permitted [to practice] in several parks around Ventura including Marina park and Mission park.” Aside from outdoor yoga, Ventura pop-up yoga also resides in a “winter home” each year for their late fall and winter classes. This year, all indoor yoga classes are located at 420 E. Santa Clara street in downtown, Ventura. “Every year we’ve had a different spot,” yoga instructor John Beck said, so no experience will be the same.

Beck shared that his yoga journey began back in Oregon with hot yoga before moving back to California and joining pop-up yoga, where he has taught for about nine months. As for Gray, she too completed her training through Yogafit and began teaching with Ventura pop-up yoga early this year. Ventura pop-up yoga classes are donation based classes that are available to anyone. According to their website, they believe that “Yoga should be affordable and accessible.” Ventura pop-up yoga offers classes for all different skill levels, as well as provides free rental mats to those in need. The weekly yoga class schedule can be accessed via the Mindbody app or on their website; venturapopupyoga. com. As for the month of November, Ventura pop-up yoga cancelled all outdoor classes at 4p.m. due to the time change. However, they still have a wide variety of classes ranging from sunrise to sunset.

Other than a regular yoga class, Ventura pop-up yoga also offers SUP yoga, a yoga practice, but on a stand up paddle board. To check out a yoga class near you, the schedule is accessible online and more information can also be provided by following Ventura pop-up yoga on instagram, @ventura.pop.up.yoga.

Graphic by: Brooke Newman

Arts & Entertainment It’s not a Demogorgon it’s a Demodog Infographic by: Brooke Newman

“Stranger Things” season two made its return to Netflix on October 27, 2017. Fans were beyond excited after waiting over a year to see their favorite characters make their big screen debut. Last year, the show appeared out of nowhere, combining a thrilling horror series with Science fiction. All of the old characters returned to season two, along with a few new characters like Max, Billy, Eight and Bob. In this season, viewers see the characters evolve from the first season. The main characters ,Mike, Will, Eleven, Lucas and Dustin grow and become young adults. They face new challenges that come with growing up such as romance issues, trust issues and

fighting against the past. Senior Samilia Aquino fell in love with season two and said, “The ending, it seemed to be all coming to a close and there wouldn’t be enough of a story for a third season, but right in the last minute they leave you at a really unexpected cliff hanger which just left me wanting more.” In season two, the kids are back and still face the horrors of the demogorgon and the secrets of Hawkins Lab. Will Byers has been rescued from the Upside Down, but a bigger and even more sinister entity still threatens those who survived from the previous season. Will is corrupted with thoughts of what happened in season one and the challenging circumstances that pose harm in season two. continued on... thecougarpress.org

The most iconic date of the LANY tour Brooke Newman LANY? Who is that? LANY just so happens to be a band that originated in Los Angeles, CA in 2014. Interestingly, the name of their band is an acronym for Los Angeles and New York, NY. LANY is a three-piece band consisting of lead vocalist Paul Jason Klein, drummer Jake Clifford Goss and keyboard and guitarist Les Priest. With an alternative rock and electro/indie pop feel, LANY has released four albums (in chronological order): “Kinda,” “Make Out,” “I Loved You” and their most recent self titled album, “LANY.” LANY’s music is also classified as “dream pop,” which

is a genre of music that most people may not be familiar with. Dream pop first developed in the 1980s in the United Kingdom and typically includes instruments such as electric guitar and synthesizer. LANY is currently on tour as part of, “The LANY Tour: Part 2,” where they made a two day, back-to-back appearance in Los Angeles. On Friday, November 3 and Saturday, November 4 the band played two sold out shows at The Wiltern, a theatre in Los Angeles. Although LANY will continue to tour the U.S as well as Europe, Los Angeles remains a legendary performance spot for the artists, having grown up in the city. continued on... thecougarpress.org

Photo from Instagram: @thewiltern The Wiltern posted the above photo with the following caption: “Last night was an absolute dream. LAlet’s do it again TONIGHT! Round two. SOLD OUT.”

Page Five

Osborne makes her way up the silks Hailey Cox

Hannah Lee

The Cougar Press

Junior Camille Osborne has been dancing since she was four years old. Ballet, lyrical, and contemporary were always her strong points when she danced at Ventura Ballet Academy. When she was 10, she tried aerial and really enjoyed it. For about three years she was juggling both ballet and aerial. She soon realized that she wanted to stick with aerial, so she quit ballet to do aerial full time. When asked why she decided to quit ballet, Osborne said, “[Aerial] is kind of like dance but it’s just more fun.”

Photo from Instagram: @osbornecamille A glance at Osborne’s second place act in the Circus Star competition!

Now she does aerial at The Aerial Studio in Ventura, CA about five days a week, sometimes more. Her practices are usually around four hours. With this much training and conditioning, she decided to enter in competitions. Osborne has only been doing competitions for about a year but doesn’t plan to stop now: “I have done three competitions so far and I’m going to do them again this year.”

“I have done three competitions so far and I’m going to do them again this year.” -Osborne West Coast Aerial competition and Viva Fest are two competitions that Osbor ne has won so far. Her most recent competition was Circus Star, where she received second place. Recently, she took a vacation to Hawaii, where coincidently a competitor and the winner of the Circus Star lives. She g ot the oppor tunity to train with

Photo from Instagram: @osbornecamille A glance at Osborne’s first place act in the Viva Fest Competition!

him and to show each other new skills. According to Osbor ne, in the future she hopes to make a living off of aerial: “I would like to g et paid for doing shows, so far I’ve g otten paid a few times and it’s really fun.” Her favorite thing about aerial is perfor ming. To pre pare for her perfor mances, she has to choreog raph and kee p practicing her act to perfect it. When asked who her big g est inspiration is Osbor ne said, “I don’t really have one.”

VHS alumnus drops self titled album Lola Bobrow “We really wanted the band to be named Areola 51 but that name was unfortunately taken,” Ventura High School alumnus Izzie Clark says of the name of her band, “Ego Sunshine.” “We laid on a beach, you were kissin’ me and for a moment everything was fine,” Clark belts out on track one of her debut self titled EP. The rolling drumline that accompanies her is played by none other than Zach Castro, Foothill Technology High School alumnus. Ego Sunshine dropped its album this last Halloween and features three songs: “Thief,” “Nerds” and “No Health.” Produced by record label My Friend Debbie, “Ego Sunshine” is a beachy pop/rock band, completely in tune to the house show and topping rooms where they started out. The first song, “Thief,” sets the pace of the album with a frustrated anthem of teenage love. It almost reminded me of the indie band, “The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.” Some might recognize it, as it was played at the “Grrls” topping room show on New Year’s Eve, 2016. Short and sweet, “Thief ” paints a picture of heartbreak. Clark jokes, “Whenever a scrub screws me over I write a rage song

Photo from Instagram: @izzieaclark Clark said the name for the EP and project came from her feelings while recording it. “I felt egotistical for recording my own songs for some reason, as music is very personal and it was kind of a window into my mind. However the ‘sunshine’ comes from the happiness I feel creating and showing people my music.”

about him!” “Nerds” is a self aware power ballad. Performed once in August of 2017, also under the band name “Grrls,” hardcore fans might also recognize this one. Although themes of heartbreak seem central to the album, “Nerds” focuses more on personal insecurities and introspection, but still gives fans an upbeat moshing opportunity. “No Health” begins with crashing drums and fast paced rhythmic vocals, followed by an electrifying riff. “Misery is fleeting, don’t want to stay ill,” Clark sings about “feeling physically and mentally unwell [about] my bad

habits,” as she put it. The EP was recorded at Red Bull Studios with producer Zoux Bluestein. Recording the album was a “huge learning experience,” according to Clark. “[Bluestein], our producer, gave us so much valuable advice about who we can and should trust while on our musical journey… Each day held a new adventure for us!” She also thanked Bluestein for his generosity and time saying, “He did everything for free, which is absolutely insane and the album wouldn’t exist right now if he had not devoted so much time to it.”

Features

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IM Pic Photo by: Ian McWeeney Junior Devin Ruiz practicing his flair kick. Read the full article about Ruiz on thecougarpress.org.

Photo by: Stace Sanchez

Photo by: Harley Gagnon

Check out this article about Thanksgiving recipes on thecougarpress.org.

He’s got that “ice” on his wrist Paris Carmody

Throughout the years, rap music has become popular amongst teens, even so much that Ventura High School students are making rap music. Sophomore Nico Cardona is one of the VHS students who is taking his rapping “very seriously.” Cardona has been making rap music for about three months and is continuing to make more. He posts all of his music on SoundCloud, where he is known as “1nstagrub,” and hopes that many people will listen to them. Cardona commented on the amount of followers he received: “I have about 100 or more followers and my

most liked song got like 10 thousand likes.” Cardona hopes to make new songs every week or so, that way more people will notice him and he will get recognized. “I hope this works out as a career because it would be pretty cool to not have to have a normal job,” Cardona stated. Cardona plans on having a small concert soon, but doesn’t know the details for it yet. Cardona recently made some of his songs available on Apple Music and Spotify. On Spotify, “1nstagrub” has two songs up, “Trues” and “Run It,” and has published nine songs on SoundCloud, where he has 169 followers. According to Cardona, his most popular song is “Run It” or “The Race Remix Ft. Sai J.”

Photo by: Nico Cardona Check out Cardona’s music on SoundCloud, Apple Music, and Spotify where he can be found as 1nstagrub. Above is his album cover for “Run It.”

Chemistry cruises on over to Santa Cruz Sarah Clench On Thursday, November 2, Ventura High School Chemistry teachers Karen Reynosa, Woody Maxwell, and Schatzi Sovich took 46 students from their classes on the annual Santa Cruz Island trip.

The students met at 8:15 a.m. at Island Packers. From there, the students and chaperones got on the boat to Santa Cruz Island, departing the dock at 9:00 a.m. Maxwell stated, “We got on the boat and it was beautiful. There was no wind.” Maxwell then explained that this disappointed some students who

Photo by: Woody Maxwell Perez explained his favorite part of the trip was hiking and the boat trip there.

Read this article online at thecougarpress.org for more information about the boys soccer team.

wanted to get their hair wet off the side of the boat. The students made sure to stay on the lookout for migratory and resident birds, whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions and other life forms on their trip. Once near the island, the students were divided into four groups and used smaller skiff boats to get onto the island. Two groups started from one end of the trail and the remaining two groups started their hike from the other side. “We hiked like two miles from Pelican Bay to Prisoner’s Harbor,” stated junior Rafael Perez. While walking through the Nature Conservancy area of the island, the groups discussed the role of CO2 in the atmosphere and its affect on marine and terrestrial life forms. “My favorite part is when we stop for ten minutes

Photo by: Hector Heredia

Photo by: Woody Maxwell Maxwell’s group started at Pelican Bay and hiked to Prisoner’s Harbor.

and we just sit and listen to nothing. Which is really rare to just have no sound except for the wind, or if you have good ears, the waves, or the birds or the crickets, or whatever animals there are. Everyone I’ve asked [said] that’s been their favorite,” Maxwell said. The boat was estimated

to arrive back at the Harbor at 5:00 p.m. unless delayed by whale watching on the way back. Overall, junior Leticia Gutierrez stated, “It was exciting to see different flora and fauna like the island fox, sea anemone, and there was some beautiful views. Although it was a trek, it was well worth it in the end.”

Photo by: Hannah Lee

Who made the Improv Troupe? Read the article online at the couagrpress.org or go to the Backstage Cafe November 17 and 18.

Features

The Cougar Press Page Seven

Infographic by: Brooke Newman Photo by: Acacia Harrell How much do you really know about Teen Voice? Read this article online at thecougarpress.org to find out more! Do you know how much VHS students are worth? Check out this article online at thecougarpress.org to find out more!

What’s the thermostat at? Samantha Franks Sailor Hawes Too cold or too hot? There has been a lot of confusion regarding the air conditioning units and access to the ther mostats in certain areas of Ventura High School. Many students have complained about the temperature conditions inside their classrooms. When asked how many of her classes are too cold, junior Mishel Tachet said, “My math class, with [Brad] Steward, is always too cold.” Tachet added that her “French class, with [Terri] Withers, is always too hot everyday.” Sophomore Laura Kemble shared, “My coldest

class is [Tyree] Cruz, [but] it’s only [cold] sometimes.” In a recent Twitter poll, VHS students voted whether or not they think their teachers have access to air conditioning ther mostats in their classrooms. Out of the 33 students who voted, 27 percent voted yes, while 73 percent voted no. While the majority of the students voted no, it turns out many teachers do have the ability to control the ther mostats in their classrooms. When asked if he uses the air conditioning ther mostat in his classroom, Daniel Maxey, a math teacher at VHS, responded, “Yes, I do and I [only] use it when it’s hot.” Sean Reynolds, a

Spanish teacher at VHS, uses his air conditioning daily: “My understanding is that everyone on the main campus has [access].” Reynolds explained how the air conditioning differs in the portables: “The portables have their own [air conditioning] but that doesn’t mean we can do whatever temperature we want [because] they limit the air control.” Lauren Minadeo, an art teacher at VHS, said “yes” when asked if she has access to air conditioning: “[To my knowledge] the old portable buildings behind the art buildings [are the only ones that] don’t have air conditioning.” Dan Larson, a history teacher and basketball coach,

Poll from Twitter: @thecougarpress

explained why he thinks some teachers do not have access to their air conditioning ther mostat: “A lot of our

school was built in different stages and for some reason they haven’t modernized everything.”

Movember is the move Bailey Peck Summer Yovanno No-Shave November is an organization and event that originated from Facebook, in which people embrace their facial hair and go a whole month without shaving.

“...[If] you want something to warm you up… get some hair going.” - Brody Lynch This yearly tradition also obtains the name “Movember” which is a combination of the words “moustache” and “November.” Senior Camden Gardner

said, “No-Shave November is cool because it gives guys a reason to try to grow out their facial hair and experiment with their appearance. It also raises awareness for men’s health which is great.” Although No-Shave November is a popular event among adult men, the question still remains whether or not Ventura High School students are taking part in this tradition. When asked if he is participating in No-Shave November, senior Andre Lemer said, “Yes I am, and the only reason I’m doing it is to beat Mr.McEntyre [AP Environmental Science teacher] in a bet we have.” Sophomore Gerald Howard is also participating in No-Shave November and commented that “[It] is something smart that boys can do together, like how girls have

their thing and boys have their thing… it’s dope, and [gives you] something to do.” Although Howard implied in his quote that NoShave November is a “boy thing,” junior Rhianne Martinez argued that he is mistaken. Martinez is participating in NoShave November this year and she participated last year as well. Martinez added, “I think it’s a great way to embrace yourself by letting your hair grow wild and free.” Junior Brody Lynch added, “Coming towards the fall [and] coming towards the winter time I think [it] gets kind of cold and chilly out there and [if] you want something to warm you up… get some hair going.” The thought of letting one’s hair grow wild and free may seem uncomfortable or intolerable, but when asked

interviewees had positive comments. The organization of No-Shave November encourages people to donate the money they would typically

spend on hair grooming to the American Cancer Society. Gardner stated, “I go to the barbershop every other week to line up [my beard] so it doesn’t get out of control.”

Photo by: Alexa St. Joseph Gardner stated, “I love having a beard!” and Lemer stated, “[Facial hair is] pretty beast.”

Photo by: Samantha Franks Photo by: Acacia Harrell Behind this counter is where all the nitrogen magic happens. Read about the new ice cream shop, Sub Zero, on thecougarpress.org. The VHS cheer team is one of the only sports allowed to openly support breast cancer. Read the article online at thecougarpress.org.

Opinion

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“I’m so distracted by her shoulders,” said no one ever Sarah Clench Brooke Newman Continued from... Page 1 Senior Cali Iadevaia said, “I think it’s messed up and sexist that we are not able to show our shoulders. Even the school is taking their clothes. I’ve heard [about] girls getting their tube tops taken away and I don’t think that’s appropriate or okay.” A legitimate issue that is worth addressing is not that what female students are wearing is inappropriate, but rather, the unjust double standards here on campus. VHS prides itself on being a campus accepting of all students, but how are female students supposed to feel accepted when male students have more freedom over what they wear than females do? To prove that’s so, male students are allowed to walk around campus shirtless for their sports practices and female students are not allowed to wear sports bras. Guess what administration, we get hot too! Female students are also criticized and dress coded for wearing tank tops, yet for male students tank tops are completely

okay to wear? Please tell me I’m not the only one who sees something seriously wrong with this. And do not even get me started on the short shorts…. What makes the cross country boys butts less provoking than mine? They can run around school with their legs fully exposed and with everything out in the open for everyone to see, yet somehow my shorts are distracting? Banales stated, “I think one time we [brought] somebody in because they were wearing the running shorts that were pretty short. So we [told them] they can’t be wearing that, [and] they have to wear longer shorts while they are going class to class.” However, that’s one instance… And were his shorts confiscated or was he forced to change? The answer to that question is no. So basically, it’s very rare for boys to be dresscoded at all, let alone for their short shorts. Can someone please explain to me how a male can walk around completely shirtless, yet my shoulders are the provocative factor in this equation? Freshman Abigail Martinez stated, “I don’t think that it’s something we should be focusing on, because [girls] aren’t

being provocative. It’s mainly like an administrative problem. It doesn’t matter.” Bottom line, if you’re offended by my shoulders that’s not my issue. The real issue here is that VHS staff members are enforcing a negative and inferior mindset for young women by telling them what they can and can’t wear, typically because “it distracts males in an educational environment.” How female students are to blame for male students being distracted is beyond me. Instead, what’s really distracting and hampers my education, is the male students who whistle at me and make disgusting comments with their friends during school hours, regardless of what I’m wearing. Boys, if you’re distracted by my shoulders, take your eyes elsewhere; chances are, I’m not interested in you or what you have to say anyways. And administration, stop sexualizing me and my female peers. We’re more than the rules outlined by the dress code, and we’re certainly more than the demeaning comments that have been made towards our discretion. Who knows, maybe one day our shoulders will shock the nation.

Photo by: Summer Yovanno

Photo by: Hannah Lee

Senior Sean Schneiderbauer states, “Dress code me @ Bonnie.”

Seniors Cali Iadevaia (left) and Natalie Lansberg (right) protested against the school’s dress code.

Photo by: Emily Distefano

Martinez does not agree with the dress code and believes that off the shoulder tops should not be a dress code violation.

Photo by: Hannah Lee

100 word rants

He’s our president, get over it.

Why are cliques even a thing?

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Common Bore

Gage Gregorchuk

Hannah Lee

Ryan Brocklehurst

Nathan Canchola

Photo by: Sarah Clench

Seniors Lauren Carpenter (left) and Alexa St. Joseph (right) show off their shoulders.

New phone, who dis? Ryan King

Photo by: Brooke Newman

Photo by: Hannah Lee

Photo by: Brooke Newman

Photo by: Hannah Lee

Photo by: Summer Yovanno

Why do teachers think it’s so important to complain about how our country is going down the drain because of our president? Yes, I do believe everyone has an opinion and the right to express it, but teachers don’t need to use a 20 minute chunk of class to complain about how President Trump is terrible and is ruining the country. Get over it, he’s the president and it’s time to move on. You’re also complaining to 16 and 17 year olds who had no input on voting for the president, so what’s the point? Just get over it and do your job, which is teaching, not complaining.

I’m so tired of walking down the halls at school and seeing a bunch of small groups chatter, laugh and stare at their phone screens. Honestly, cliques don’t accomplish anything! All they do is create stress for students that obsess over being popular and well liked. It makes me so upset that students feel so left out that they turn and look at Snapchat to see what parties and events they are missing out on. So this one is for all of the cliques out there: even though you have a group of friends that you’re close with, you should think twice about all of the students that you don’t have a relationship with and change that. You’re not limited to hanging out with the people in your “clique.”

The computers in our library and the chromebooks in our classes are an absolute blessing. Not many schools have them, so they are a very nice luxury. However, the way they are distributed is incredibly silly and somewhat stupid. The science building is sharing two carts of chromebooks and the 50’s and 60’s wings share two carts, but the 90’s wing -which is ten rooms- shares three carts! The library is always open, but with so many teachers using it, sometimes teachers can’t get in the days they want to. The computers are great, but their availability is poor.

Common Core is the dumbest thing that the school system has implemented. It’s basically forcing a heap load of information on us over such a short time. A lot of my friends that have been known to generally have good grades are close to failing now. I feel like my generation is going to be faced with difficulties by all of these new ways and experiments that the school system is forcing upon us. The things they’re teaching us -especially the math- would never be used in the real world by an average person.

Ever have an excused absence, yet you still get that bleeping robot voice calling and saying you missed school? I get it every bleeping time I miss a period or two, even with a signed note. Even when I go on a field trip, I get that bleeping phone call. I don’t know who’s fault it is -and I don’t care- but it’s not mine, so bleeping figure it out. When I hand you the note, take care of it before you forget. The only reason for this rant is to get the mysterious voicemail sender’s attention, because it’s a pain in the $%# and is quite unnecessary.

Opinion

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Bottoms Up

Everything that’s wrong with homework Lola Bobrow

Avenlea Russian Sometimes, one hour a day just isn’t enough. Therefore, homework is a valuable tool for teachers to use in order to make sure students practice the work they learned that day, as well as further their knowledge on various subjects. Teachers, I feel you… But if you assign over an hour of homework a night, I don’t agree with your morals and suggest that you rethink your curriculum, and maybe your life. Yes, I understand that I am in an Advanced Placement class that is mimicking a “college course.” However, I’ve taken a college class, so I know what it is like and it isn’t that bad. Junior Paige White is taking five AP courses and shared that her homework takes her around five hours a night. “[I

Photo by: Avenlea Russian Junior Delaney Valdez hard at work to finish her homework for the day!

don’t] always get to finish it, but [I do] enough to keep my grades up,” White stated. And weekend homework is pure evil. I work both days and pray my manager lets me off work early Sunday night so that I can finish my homework and hopefully go to bed before midnight. I usually don’t have much weekend

Photo by: Avenlea Russian My planner so I can plan out the excessive amount of homework I get!

I have had a number of my peers tell me that either their parents don’t allow them to have Snapchat, or that they were not allowed to use Snapchat in the past. It’s evident that parents seem to think that Snapchat is an evil place where teenagers send codes through slang and inappropriate pictures. However, that is far from the case. Personally, I use the app to communicate with my friends in a fun, playful way. The functions of the app allow me to keep a really cool, modern photo album on my phone. Not to mention, it’s a great way for friends that I dont see very often to keep up with my

Photo by: Lola Bobrow Quinn believes in daily hydration, especially before practice.

Sending nudes...Not likely Acacia Harrell

homework, but when I do... oh, boy! Having homework over fall break was especially terrible. In a recent Twitter poll conducted by The Cougar Press, it was concluded that 67 percent of voters said that they had homework over fall break, while a mere 33 percent had no homework. I was also visiting colleges and having to do homework every night. Fall break is a break, not some big excuse to assign homework. Is this my own fault and should I take responsibility? Probably, but let me have a moment. I am not necessarily hating on homework and I personally don’t hate school either. I just prefer the moderation of assignments because after all -AP or not- it’s still high school.

Too often is it that I meet people who say they simply, “Don’t like the taste of water,” and I’m baffled. Do you not feel dehydrated? How does your skin not flake off ? Especially in times like this, where it’s 80 and 90 degrees outside. I shiver when thinking about not getting in my recommended daily intake of 2.7 liters. First and foremost, water is of the utmost importance when it comes to athletics. Even mild dehydration– losing two percent of body water content– can cause negative performance. Considering that it isn’t uncommon for athletes to lose six to 10 percent of their body weight in sweat loss, it’s no wonder that hydration is stressed for athletes. According to Healthline, dehydration leads to, “Altered body temperature control, reduced

motivation, increased fatigue,” and can make exercise, “feel much more difficult, both physically and mentally.” Junior and track and field athlete, Seth Quinn, said he drinks about “4 liters [a day]” and that if he does not, he feels dehydrated. And yes, dehydration can also lead to poor academic activity as well. HHS Public Access states that “Mild dehydration produces alterations in a number of important aspects of cognitive function such as concentration, alertness, and short-term memory in children, young adults, and [the elderly].” Meaning yes, if you don’t end up doing as well as you hoped to on the PSAT, consider getting in some more H2O before the real thing. “I just get a really nasty headache [when I don’t drink water] and I feel really lethargic… It’s awful,” said junior Sam Coats. So remember everyone, bottoms up!

daily life. When asked what he primarily uses Snapchat for, senior Anthony Martinez said, “to talk to my friends.” Sure, there is a possibility that an app user could use the ‘disappearing’ pictures feature to send inappropriate pictures, but I don’t think it’s fair that Snapchat gets such a bad reputation for the very minimal amount of users who use it for that purpose. If you think about it, pretty much any app could be used in a bad way. Both Instagram and Twitter have direct messaging features as well, but they don’t seem to be correlated with sending inappropriate messages. continued on... thecougarpress.org

Photo by: Acacia Harrell “I have positive ideas about [Snapchat] because that’s the main way I communicate with my friends,” said junior Sierra Cameron, explaining that the positives definitely outweigh any negatives in her opinion.

Step up your game, attend more sporting events Hailey Cox Ventura High School’s student section has gone downhill within the last year or two. Students should be going to as many games as they can; when other teams show up to VHS, they should see stands full of students and parents, and they should be able to hear a loud student section. Last year, VHS’s rival– Buena High School– lost to the varsity football team, and no one could deny that VHS had a loud spirit section. According to students, the games aren’t as enjoyable as last year and the previous years. Many students now just stay home instead of going to the games. Football season and girls volleyball season are both more than halfway over and some students haven’t even attended any games. When many students attend sports games, the athletes get more excited and have more energy while they are playing. VHS junior and varsity volleyball player, Tatum Teel, said that “it’s so fun when everyone gets pumped up around the court, I feel like it also gives us more momentum with our team. I wish more people would

Photo by: Ryan King VHS’s student section continuing the kickoff traditions.

attend, it would help a lot!” Having a loud, energetic

“It shows our opponents what a great school we are!” -Teel student section also helps to intimidate other schools and show them how much Cougar pride VHS students have. Some students feel that the reason for the lack of enthusiasm is the class of ‘18 seniors. Senior Derek Swanson said, “The student section has

gotten worse since last year because not as many people go and the senior class last year was loud.” When asked if he would encourage more people to attend the games he said, “I definitely think more people should be going.” Students need to keep the school spirit alive, no matter who the senior class consists of. When asked about the student section this year, junior Jasmine Williams said, “The student section isn’t good this year and I think people should go to more games.” She added, “This year hasn’t been the same as the last couple years.” Related to this topic, this year, VHS administrators are no longer allowing the gold powder during the Buena game anymore, according to ASB. It is considered a “health and safety hazard.”

College

The Cougar Press Page Ten

West coast college tour by Lola Bobrow Willamette is a small liberal arts college located in Salem, Oregon. It is the oldest university in the Western part of the United States, founded in 1842. At almost 3,000 students, this small rural college has a sister relationship with a college in Tokyo, making study abroad easy. The small campus is located directly across from the state capitol, and offers internship opportunities for students who are politically aware, or those who chose to major in politics.

Photo by: Lola Bobrow

Stanford is a medium sized private research university with 7,000 undergraduate students and 9,000 graduate students. Established in

Photo by: Lola Bobrow

University of Oregon is a large public flagship research university located in Eugene, Oregon. This university has an acceptance rate of 78%, and was founded in 1876. This urban campus has 20,000

undergraduate students and 3,000 graduate students. This university also has a Division One athletic program. They’re also sponsored by Nike, they and offer large athletic scholarships for student athletes.

The only fair that matters Ryan King On Thursday, November 2, over 60 different college representatives gathered at St. Bonaventure High School’s gymnasium to inform and get to know prospective freshmen that are possibly interested in attending their college in the near future. A few of the colleges that attended this college fair include University of Oregon, Northern Arizona University, Ohio State University, Purdue University, University of Notre Dame, UCLA, USC, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz. Junior Sam Coats said, “It’s really neat to have all of these schools in one place.” This college fair allowed high school students all around Ventura County to get first-hand information from a representative associated with the college, without having to tour the actual college site. Junior Jake Grajeda shared his college fair experience: “[It’s my] first time at a college fair, and didn’t know what to expect. I’m glad I had a friend with me to show me around.” Important information that is given during college fairs and presentations as well as offered online, is that this year’s UC Application and CSU Application are due by November 30. The Common Application due dates are different

depending on the university. Many private universities have separate applications that can be accessed through their website and have a different range of due dates. Some universities offer students the option of applying as an Early Decision applicant. These applications are typically due earlier than regular applications and are binding commitments that let students know if they’ve been accepted or not before normal applicants. It’s important to know that the majority of the schools don’t only look at a student’s transcripts, and SAT or ACT score. Instead, they look for students that are well rounded with extracurriculars and other activities that show the students involvement within their school and community. Though college information is usually accessible online, college fairs are another way for students to be informed and speak with a representative from many different campuses. Visiting the college’s site when trying to trying to decide where to apply is highly recommended by many of the college representatives, as it allows the student to get a true feel of the college campus where they will likely be for the next four years. If you missed this most recent college fair, the Ventura/TriCounty National College Fair will be happening on April 17, 2018 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

Photo by: Ryan King (From left to right) Junior Joey Stutes, senior Alex Rangel, junior Cole Stender, and junior Jake Grajeda all attended the college fair and checked out the UC Santa Cruz booth.

1891, Stanford is a prestigious school with an acceptance rate of 4.8%. They also boast a division I sports program with 37 varsity teams. UC Santa Cr uz is a medium sized beach town college of 16,000 undergraduate students and is located in Santa Cr uz, California. UCSC holds 65 different major opportunities. UCSC was also ranked first for scholarship opportunities for Hispanic students by Bestcolleges. The UCSC campus consists of 10 residential colleges with different focuses, each with a core class designed to appeal to each demographic of students who dor m together freshman year.

Ithaca College: like Cornell but with a 55% higher acceptance rate Clayton Currie Ithaca College? Many students have never heard of it. It’s a smaller liberal arts school with an undergraduate population of about 6,000 students and is located in Ithaca, New York. The college itself is settled on a hill overlooking Cayuga Lake, the largest of the five finger lakes in New York. The campus has over 500 acres of natural land on campus grounds and is up the street from the town of Ithaca. Aside from ample natural lands and dozens of hiking trails, Ithaca’s buildings give off a professional, modern feeling. A few examples of the 105 possible majors include: Business, Music, Theater, and Communication. If a course is not offered at Ithaca but is offered at Cornell University, students can arrange to take the course at Cornell. Ithaca’s average class size is 17 students and has a student-

Photo by: Clayton Currie The non-denominational chapel located on campus gives out free snacks and a quiet place to study during finals week.

to-faculty ratio of 11:1. There are also hundreds of clubs for students of all interests and backgrounds. On campus dining options are ample at Ithaca, with four fully staffed dining halls located around campus, that include vegetarian and vegan meal plans for students. Alongside the four dining halls, there are plenty of options for exercise. Hiking trails,

an outdoor pool open during the spring, summer, and early fall and a gym complete with hard and soft basketball courts, a rock climbing wall, and a fully equipped weight and exercise room. Applications for Ithaca College are due December 1 and require official school transcript sas well as a Common Application essay.

Photo by: Clayton Currie It’s rumored that anyone who jumps in Ithaca’s water fountain before the last week of school won’t graduate, although graduates always run across campus to jump into the fountain after graduation. Scan over this photo with the app Aurasma for an exclusive video about east coast colleges.

Distractions

The Cougar Press Page Eleven

Winter Wordsearch Winter Wordsearch S H A C G N U N Jacket R N Q S E I R H Eggnog F X M B H R O C Christmas A W W E G G R S G O N G G E T N Cold R E C S S S E O Scarf B Q K E T K K W Fireplace P S R J A I C F E W G D T V A L Santa Z A N F L Y J A Snowball W O K H L O A K Rain G R W F U S C E A A S R Z C T Z Frosty Name: ___________________________________________ E K O O S U M A Iceskating Z Q B S A S S C L Z E T E D T Z Snowflake

M I G C R X F S T H F T V T A D P W T Y G N I T A

W S A M T S I R H C O V V N R T K

Q J V A L M R D S N G C T A F N S

D O E S U B E V D V I I Y S L Z E

M H Q C V B P J X Z W A M S F S C

Fall Crossword

jacket eggnog christmas cold

Z L O N N P L M G V O C R P P C I

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by 20 orthogonal maze Don’t20drink and drive

START

Date: ___________________

Distraction by: Liliana Lara

scarf fireplace santa snowball

Fall into the season

Across:

F M R Q X H E B O G P Q X S N P Q

@TheCougarPressVHS

rain frosty iceskating snowflake

2 _______ Fall off trees in the fall 4

7 When you carve your pumpkin it is now a _____?

8 Not “white” Friday, but “_____” Friday.

5 3

Down:

1 Pumpkin pie is a popular dessert on this holiday 3 ______ spice latte is a popular drink sold at Starbucks

7 END Distraction by: Lola Bobrow

4 Trick or treating on ______? 5 A great knit ______ is great for chilly fall days.

6 ______ is a great drink for a cold fall evening.

Distraction by: Bailey Peck

Thanksgiving Scramble

Across 2 _______ S Fall A offHtreesDin the MfallE 7 When you carve your pumpkin it is now a _____? TOSTAPEO 8 Not "white" Friday, but "_____" Friday. PISMIGL

Cougar Catnips

Down Why pie areisyou forcing me toon this holiday 1 Pumpkin a popular dessert Quit yo bangin’ in the suffer? bathroom 3 ______ spice latte is a popular drink sold at Starbucks 4 Trick or treating on ______? Brooke Newman Acacia Harrell 5 A great knit ______ is great for chilly fall days. 6 ______ is a great drink for a cold fall evening.

Smelly Balls Avenlea Russian

NCAEP IPE HAGNEMCPA AELPP EIP RKETUY BYRRRNCEA ASUEC NPIPUKM EIP Distraction by: Diego Roberto

Photo by: Ryan King

Photo by: Hannah Lee

Photo by: Acacia Harrell

I’m super grateful for free public education. However, I don’t understand why I have to take pre-calculus if I don’t want to have a career in mathematics. I don’t give a flying frick frack that the square root of negative one is ‘i.’ I GUARANTEE that I will never ever use that crap later in life. Sure I know how to balance an equation, but do I know how to balance a checkbook? NAH! I can do algebra, but can I do taxes? NAHHHHHHHHH.

So the journo room is RIGHT next to the boys bathroom. This unfortunate placement is rather frustrating because I’ll be midconversation and out of nowhere, BANG!! What the bleep are you doing in there!? Punching walls? Dropping rocks? Breaking sh** !? It all seems rather unnecessary and quite odd… What goes on in there, I don’t even want to know. But on behalf of journalism, quit yo bangin’ in the bathroom. Pounding on the walls or whateva’ you’re doing isn’t chill.

Yoooo, what in God’s name is that smell when you walk by the 100’s wing? Allegedly, it’s those orange balls from the palm trees that are smooshed into the mud. What the f@$%? If you aren’t triggered by what I am saying, go to room 104/105 -a room I walk in and out of about six times a day- and just… waft. You will not be disappointed; it smells like s@$#. When you walk by -I am warning youcover your nose, or else!

VHS On... Music Freshman Jake Nichols commented, “I like to listen to hype music before my water polo games.”

The Cougar Press Page Twelve

Junior Tatum Lazenby shared, “Listening to music with my headphones at school really helps me get through the day.”

Junior Massai Cole shared, “I love music, music is just in me, it’s in my genes. Music just makes the world go round.”

“My favorite song at the moment is Level by Yung Purpz,” shared senior Cali Iadevaia (left).

Photos by: Emily Destifano

Freshman Kaycie Kwasney said, “My favorite artist is Kyle, because his music is really inspirational and his message is amazing.”

“My favorite artist at the moment is Sam Hunt,” shared sophomore TJ Barlow.

“Mine is Gucci Gang by Lil Pump,” said senior Sam Hollowell Sophomore Angie Lopshire said, “I’ve always been super passionate about music since I’ve danced my whole life.”

Senior Eric Martinez said, “My music is all over the place. I like a lot of different things. But, the last thing I was listening to was Channel Orange by Frank Ocean.”