4.01.15

THE

ARROW

VOLUME XXXVII, ISSUE 5

\100 N. LAKEVIEW CANYON ROAD, WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA 91362

Branham accepts role of principal Pranav Kaygee Feature Editor Alex Shi Managing Editor

COURTESY PHOTO

After a month of evaluation

by CVUSD and WHS employees as well as teachers and students, Jason Branham has been selected to succeed former principal Ron Lipari and to take on the principal position at WHS, pending CVUSD board approval.

Lipari was the WHS principal for the last 15 years and hired over 75% of the current teaching staff. His departure from WHS and Branham’s expected arrival have created high expectations for the new principal.

A faculty meeting was held on March 10 where WHS teachers and staff members discussed the prospect of a new principal. They shared their ideas and noted the aspects and qualities they wanted to see in JASON BRANHAM will return to WHS as new principal on the next leader.

The new principal must be invested in position; however, only three finalists the school’s daily activities and have over were selected for an interview. Interviews five years of experience. “We wanted to were held on March 23, and a committee see someone who was strong in academic consisting of a WHS secretary, two instruction and influential in hiring new students, two parents, four teachers, and teachers and staff members,” said Nicole three district office personnel agreed on Judd.

Branham as the new principal.

Despite serving as the interim Branham graduated from CSU principal for part of the 2014-2015 school Northridge in 2004 and was immediately year, Judd chose not to apply for the hired by WHS to work as a math teacher. principal position. “I know what it takes to In the fall of 2008, Branham moved be an effective high school principal,” said to administration and worked as dean of Judd, “but with two young children it will attendance. “I was dean of attendance for be hard to manage night-time activities at one year, and in that role you learn the ins school.” and outs of attendance, administration and Fifteen applicants applied for the discipline,” said Branham.

A year after, Branham was appointed to assistant principal of athletics. He not only remained in this position for three years, but also filled in as the assistant principle in charge of instruction. Over the past three years, Branham has served as the principal of Los Cerritos Middle School.

He believes that his former experiences have prepared him for the role as principal of WHS. “I think all the experiences, understanding of our community... and expectations of our district have prepared me,” said Branham.

Branham has numerous goals in mind for the upcoming years. He understands that WHS is an outstanding academic high school and wants to continue this legacy by supporting students who require extra support. “My goals are to have all of our July 1, 2015. students be successful and to be prepared for any adventure they choose in life,” said Branham.

Additionally, Branham hopes to make the high school experience more memorable. He wants to leave a positive impact on not only the students, but also the teachers, staff and community. “These are the years people remember for the rest of their lives,” said Branham. “It’s a truly special place.”

Branham chose to return to WHS because the school provides a comfortable atmosphere. “Ever since I left I’ve still been in contact with the students as well as the parents, teachers, and staff. I’ve always had the desire to come back to the high school level,” said Branham.

APRIL 1, 2015

Dance team finishes season at nationals Rachel Finegold Sports Editor

The WHS dance team finished its three month competition season (from January to March) with a win at the Elite USA Dance Nationals competition held at the Anaheim Convention Center from March 19-21.

The team took many first, second and third place awards throughout the season for their two all-team dances, ”The Purge,” a hip hop number, and their jazz number “Ritual Union.”

They danced in four specialty numbers in addition to the 14 girls who competed with solos.

Their performances at multiple preceding competitions, earned the team high enough scores to continue on to nationals.

Their all-team jazz dance “Ritual Union” qualified for finals at nationals and ultimately placed 3rd overall in its division. Senior soloist and Captain Paige Ingles placed fifth overall in the soloist category.

The team rewarded itself for all their hard work with a trip to Disneyland at the conclusion of their nationals weekend.

Although the team has finished their competition season, the team is still preparing for their annual Spring Showcase to be held on April 29 in the Carpenter Theater. The showcase will feature original choreography by all of the team members.

Directed by Head Coach Kristen Volk and Assistant Coaches Katelyn Miller and Lexi Howerton, the 17 team members and two alternates have built a well-focused, well-driven and passionate team that is ready to perform.

AcaDeca competes at state competition Heidi Chiu

Feature Editor

in this issue Page 2 Science Olympiad

STRIKE A POSE: AcaDeca members imitate a statue and show their strength as a team after placing 20th out of 66 schools.

Page 4 Humans of Westlake

Page 9 TEDx Talks

Page 11 Boys Volleyball

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This year, the WHS Academic Decathlon Team A competed with over 60 other schools, including Ventura County’s Oak park High School, at the state level in Sacramento from March 19-22.

After winning first place at regionals for the fourth year in the row, the team continued to do well at the state level, placing 20th out of 66 schools.

Advised by English teacher Joseph Nigro, the team consists of Ben Hannel ‘15, Sophie Piao ‘15, and David Suslik ‘16 in the Honors category; Tatyana Mustakos ‘15, Marcus Nordstrom ‘15, and Kevin He ‘16 in the Scholastic category; and Sabrina Shenker ‘15, Ana Park Von Simun ‘16, and Yorai Vardi ‘16 in the Varsity category.

Hannel placed gold in Mathematics, as well as Science and had an overall score of 8848.0, which was the highest score on the team.

Because Hannel had the highest overall score for Mathematics and Science, he won a $250 scholarship from The Professional Engineers in the California Government.

“I’ve learned a lot of interesting stuff and met some amazing people I never would have otherwise,” said Hannel.

In addition, Suslik won bronze in Math and Science, Nordstrom won gold in the Essay division, and Vardi won bronze in Interview.

“This is the best we’ve done in the history of WHS,” said Nigro, “and we’re looking forward to recruiting new members for next school year.”

2

NEWS

THE ARROW

APRIL 1, 2015

Mock Trial debates against all odds

Pranav Kaygee Feature Editor

Rotary Club offers annual essay contest

Seniors recognized as National Merit Finalists This year, WHS had 14 students earn finalist status for the National Merit Scholarship sponsored by the College Board. Semifinalists are selected from the top 50,000 students that take the PSAT test during their junior year, which is about 3% of the eligible student pool. The top one third of that 50,000 are selected as National Merit Semifinalists, who are then qualified to apply for Finalist status. The National Merit Finalists this year are seniors Adrish Anand, Alec Cheng, Annie Cheng, Andrew Gourley, Ben Hannel, David Huang, Sumant Iyer, Amy Li, Frances Ling, Sophie Piao, Katherine Sham, Kevin Shen, Timur Vural and Max Wang.

Students chosen for Boys State

Winter Drumline attends SCPA competition The WHS Winter Drumline attended the Sights of Conejo exhibition at Thousand Oaks High School on March 7 and competed at Aliso Niguel High School on March 15. Drumline finished in 13th place with a final score of 74.7 at the Aliso Niguel competition.

The penultimate and preliminary competition was located in Temecula, California on March 29. WHS finished in eighth place with a final score of 79.85.

Math Center opens for tutoring The WHS Math Center is a facility for all students seeking assistance in math. Tutoring is available in subjects ranging from pre-algebra to calculus.

The Math Center helps students, via student tutors, with problems on homework, tests and quizzes. Students interested in becoming tutors should submit applications to math teacher Andrea Sansing. The Math Center is open everyday during lunch in room 22C; appointments are not required.

defense,” said Kopel.

“This year’s case involved a larceny in which a $100,000 painting was stolen by an art student,” said defense witness Hannah Chi ‘15.

The team debated on the court case of People vs. Shem, an art theft case.

The case revolved around the topics of embezzlement, fraud, and theft. There were two suspects: the butler and the con artist.

Two key characters in the case are Marty McCulloch and Evan Shem. McCulloch

Science Olympiad pushes towards state competition

Amanda Yao

Opinion Editor The WHS Science Olympiad team has a long-standing reputation for its outstanding performance at both the regional and state levels, and this year is no exception.

On Feb. 14 at Antelope Valley College, Science Olympiad swept the competition and took first place out of 19 teams. In addition, the team won multiple individual awards and secured its advancement to the state competition.

Only the top four schools that placed at the regional competition were able to advance to the state level this year; WHS led the way with Cerritos, Clairmont, and Van Nuys High Schools following.

Science Olympiad adviser Kristi Hronek is very impressed with the students’ performance this year. “They are hard workers and extremely independent,” said Hronek. “I also like the fact that this year’s club has more 10th and 11th graders.

It is a great mix of students.”

“This year, for the first time, our team placed first at regionals,” added club president Sophie Piao ‘15. “Our team has a

Pranav Kaygee

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD PICTURE

VICTORIOUS: Science Olympiad places first in the regional competition at Antelope Valley.

lot of potential, so we’ll wait and see what happens at state.”

Even though Science Olympiad took several individual awards at regionals, it is important to remember the “team” aspect of this club.

“Science Olympiad doesn’t just count on any one individual,” said Megan Wu ‘17. “We have study sessions during the

weekend so that teammates can work together, split up the studying, and get more done in less time. This sort of synergy is vital for the competitions.”

Science Olympiad continues to prove that teamwork is an important element in creating a successful team unit. The state competition will take place on April 4 at Canyon High School in Anaheim.

Civil War era of the mid 19th century.

“The play is incredibly unique in that it features a classic story in a different time period,” said Pettrocione. “I feel like this is going to be a really good play.” The story traces the “star-crossed” love between a couple from feuding households.

Despite their unlikely chance of being together, Romeo’s and Juliet’s love acts as a strong bond that defies the boundaries and hatred created by the feuding families.

Forced to hide their love from their families and friends, the lovers devise a plan to marry in secrecy. However, when Romeo accidentally kills Juliet’s cousin Tybalt, Romeo is exiled from Verona and is forced to sever all connections with Juliet.

The plan spirals out of control when Romeo’s advisor, Friar Lawrence, gives Juliet a potion that will put her in a coma for “two and fort hours,” so that she can fake her death and escape her family in

order to join Romeo.

As Romeo rushes to Juliet’s rescue, the plan goes awry, resulting in the deaths of the two tragic lovers. The two families are left heartbroken and the Montague and Capulet houses finally reconcile and vow to end their violent conflict.

The tragedy of these star-crossed lovers set during the American Civil War era will provide a visual treat to the viewers through unique lighting and sets.

The setting will also create an original narrative that will drive the story forward.

“The setting of the play will set [this production of] Romeo and Juliet apart from other plays,” said Burke.

A free preview of the play will be held during periods 2-7 on April 21.

Tickets will be sold at lunch on April 13 in room 21K. Tickets will also be sold at the door an hour prior to the performance or can be purchased online.

Drama prepares for upcoming Romeo and Juliet performance

Feature Editor

WHS Drama looks to recreate William Shakespeare’s classic romantic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet.

The love story between Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet is revisited in the WHS Drama department’s adaptation of the Shakespearean classic.

Directed by drama teacher DeDe Burke, the play casts Christian Chatfield ‘15 as Romeo and Eden Lederer ‘16 as Juliet. Other cast members include Duncan Bielman ‘16 as Mercutio, Nick Pettrocione ‘16 as Benvolio, and Noah Sylvester ‘16 as Tybalt. Bielman and Stephen Michaels ‘17 are the assistant directors.

The play will take place from April 22-25 in the Carpenter Family Theater.

The cast attempts to recreate the romantic classic with a twist, setting the play in the

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The American Legion Boys State is one of the most respected educational programs of government instruction for high school students. The participants selected from WHS will become a part of the operation of the California state government. The nominees were juniors Dale MacLean, Ryan Gebhardt, Charlie Douille, Garrett Muscatel, Hunter Gettings, Alexander Gribble, Sulaiman Alvi and Madhav Soni.

Muscatel was chosen to be WHS’s representative, and Alvi is the alternate.

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The Thousand Oaks Rotary Club has opened its annual essay contest to all CVUSD high school students. This year’s essay topic is the “4-way test.”

Participants are required to take the an ordinary day and apply four questions to it: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build good will and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? All entries must be typed and less than 1000 words. Entries must be submitted no later than April 17, 2015 and should be emailed to Barb@cornwallsecurity.com.

The WHS Mock Trial team took 4th place in the regional Mock Trial Competition held at the Ventura County Courthouse, losing to the 3rd place winner, Santa Susana, by half a point. The competition was held from Feb. 22 to Feb. 28, and the awards ceremony was held on ON March 2.

Jerry Song ‘17 won the outstanding pre-trial attorney award, while Brooke Kopel ‘15 won an award for her outstanding portrayal as a defense witness.

Tias Webster ‘15 won the MVP Award.

“I was so proud of the team, “ said adviser Ashley Tomkins. “They were strong and gave a brilliant performance.”

Both the defense and prosecution teams closely worked off each other in order to make a strong case for the competition.

“Everyone has a different but important role whether it be prosecution or

is a resident of the fictional Day County, California, an avid art collector, and a professor of art history at Hamiltonia University.

Evan Shem is a second year art history student at Hamiltonia University. On the night of the theft, she allowed a friend named Charlie Gibbons to enter her home but asked him to leave for an unknown reason.

The case is initiated when McColloch realizes that her prized painting, Treason, by Fletcher Yazoo, was stolen from her home, and an investigation led to the arrest of Shem.

Overall, the team was able to stay competitive at Ventura while utilizing the skills that they honed over the course of the year.

“Mock Trial requires a strange and wonderful cocktail of skills, spanning debate, acting, timekeeping, and confiscating cell phones,” said defense pretrial Webster. “It’s a complex art.”

FEATURE

THE ARROW The Golden State: a treasure to preserve

APRIL 1, 2015

Clare Doyle Staff Writer

With a vast expanse of open land, and the horizon of the Pacific Coast seemingly endless, the 1848 discovery of California must have caused a rush of shock and anticipation. No wonder the state motto still remains, “Eureka!” (I have found it).

At first glance, California’s beauty may appear to be a fantasy rather than a reality. With each region the climate changes, the landscape changes, and the lifestyle changes.

The third largest state behind Texas and Alaska, California is a home to a wide variety of topographies and climates. With this in mind, being "green" must be of vital importance to sustain its population of 38 million, as well as the land which provides for it.

The northern section of California runs from the state’s metropolitan capital, Sacramento, all the way north to Crescent City at the Oregon border.

Several recreational areas, including Redwood National Park, Lake Shasta, and Sierra Nevada trails make up the lush surroundings.

A large dilemma in this area is forest conservation. Lumber is one of the top ten industries in northwestern California.

With paper companies and construction work increasing their demand for timber, the amount of trees chopped down is not replaced at a fast enough rate to keep up with production.

Extending from the shores of San Fran-

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cisco to Death Valley, the Central Valley of California is defined by its agriculture.

Since the beginning of the 2000s, the California drought has led water conservationists and farmers to investigate critical immediate and long term solutions.

Lastly, there is "SoCal," home of the Warriors, oranges, and avocados.

Being one of the most well-known business centers in America, Los Angeles has had a long-time struggle with smog.

Air pollution polls ran highest in 2007, and it is still a concerning issue for many people today.

Another rising problem exists in San Diego, where water pollution and overfishing take a toll on the environment.

California, the second largest seafood distributor in America, may face economic downfalls if the problems of water pollution and fracking (illegal drilling for gas products) continue.

As Earth Day approaches on April 22, these issues will be the top discussion subjects at local, state, and national news levels, prompting people to take action.

Heal the Bay, The Nature Conservancy, and any agencies under the California sector of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) offer young people opportunities to step up and volunteer.

“I think taking action means to recognize certain issues in the world and make an effort to actually change them,” said Sabrina Beckwith ‘15.

The first to step foot in the “Golden State” claimed, “We’ve found it!” Now it’s time for this generation to conserve it.

Solar panels act as alternative energy source Rachel Finegold Sports Editor

In the United States, an individual household uses an average of 909 kwh of electricity a day. Using this excessive amount of electricity has a bigger toll on the environment than most people know.

Most electricity in the United States is generated from fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas, and oil.

Coal is formed from the decomposition of organic materials that have been subjected to geological heat and pressure over millions of years. This makes coal a non-renewable resource because it can’t be replenished in a human life span.

When coal is burned, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury compounds are released. These are all greenhouse gases which, when released into the air, break down the ozone layer.

To avoid all of the negative effects that burning coal has on the environment, people can use alternative methods to produce electricity, which may include installing solar panels to absorb the sun’s energy.

The amount of energy the sun sends

towards the Earth is 35,000 times more than what the population currently produces and consumes.

Using solar panels is a clean source of energy that does not release any greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Solar panels collect energy from the sun and convert it into DC power. The DC power is sent to a solar inverter, where it is converted into AC power for home use.

Some countries around the world are starting to offer incentives and subsidies for homeowners who install solar panels on their roofs. The net metering laws will allow on-grid users to sell any extra electricity produced back to the grid at retail prices, which will then be deducted from electricity bills.

People can also take advantage of the direct subsidies to offset costs of photovoltaic equipment and installation charges that California has to offer. Low interest loans for financing solar power systems and tax incentives are also available.

With population on the rise and natural resources becoming more scarce, it’s time to start relying on alternative forms of energy.

4

OPINION THE ARROW March Madness: college admissions APRIL 1, 2015

Frances Ling

Editor-in-chief

RIGHT OR HUANG? Don’t make the Huang choice David Huang

Freelance Writer There are 28 students at Deep Springs College, one of the few all-male colleges in this country. The students farm (alfalfa, mostly) in lieu of paying tuition. They spend their spare time exploring the nearby mountains or riding their horses into the sunset.

I visited Deep Springs last month because it is a required part of the application process. They make you dig holes and feed livestock. Cow udders are unsettlingly large in person.

I heard Deep Springs described as “a magical place” and “a weird place” and “not hipster exactly… it’s what the hipster movement is trying to emulate.”

At Deep Springs, they roll their own cigarettes, listen to records, write their term papers on typewriters, and refuse to shave in a mildly hippie-esque fashion.

This strange college has been covered in Vanity Fair and The New Yorker wherein the students are written about and reported like some strange isolated capsule of old-fashioned values and fraternity.

The conversations with the students were fascinating, exhausting and overwhelmingly pretentious. The students at Deep Springs love to say things that baffle you, like “Ah, yes, Cartoon Network-very Faustian” and “I love Jane Austen.” During lunch, I felt like I was surrounded by philosophers and geniuses. It was like the School of Athens: all around me were impressively bearded men dressed in questionable clothing.

My family and friends were very unsupportive about me going to Deep Springs. Before I left, my mom reminded me to “drink lots of water” and to “not die.”

Many other comments were in the same vein about the tenuous nature of my survival. (“David, you live on Twitter. You’re going to die without Internet.”)

College. It’s scary. I don’t think I could survive at any of those fancy institutions, let alone Deep Springs.

It’s hard not to simply see your life in three morbid phases after high school: 1) college, 2) job, 3) death.

Deep Springs is an extreme version of what I envisioned college to be: a sweet escape from real lifeavoiding becoming a real adult. I always thought of real life as the interim period between education and death. College seemed like an occupation just to distract ourselves from facing our imminent and overwhelming meaninglessness.

Or maybe I’m just over-blowing the situation to compensate for the amount of Bs I got junior year.

I don’t have anything wise to say about college.

I have not learned much from the application process besides memorizing my Social Security Number.

Anyway, I know what you’ve been really thinking all this time. How do 28 straight-laced guys survive for two years … without any girls? I asked the president of the college this question at the end of the trip. He said I could ask him anything and it wouldn’t hurt my admissions chances.

He looked me dead in the eye and asked, “Are you asking if there is a temporary homosexual cult that develops here as a result of a lack of female contact?

Well, the answer is no.”

And thus ended my adventures at Deep Springs College. To be continued?

March Madness is typically known for the countless brackets, upsets and surprising winners that come with college basketball season. But for some, the frenzy of college basketball is overshadowed by something far more hectic—college admissions decisions.

For seniors, the past few weeks have been harrowing to say the least. Colleges were accepting, waitlisting and rejecting students left and right, and there didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. Students with 4.0 GPAs and bulky resumes were rejected from their safety schools, and schools that accepted certain students didn’t accept equally qualified students.

However, throughout this rather scarring college application process, I’ve learned a lot.

Probably the most important lesson I took away was that college acceptance does not by any means determine a person’s worth. Getting into a better school doesn’t make you better, or even smarter, than the next person.

Being successful with college applications is like making cookies. You spend four years of high school using a cookie cutter to shape yourself into the perfect student—straight As, flawless SAT score, and a slew of extracurriculars. Your cookies look so tasty that a college would be insane to reject them. But when it seems that your cookies are stably baking in the oven, your oven explodes or you forget to add eggs, and your cookies come out burnt and completely inedible.

Normally, working hard in high school pays off. It

only seems natural that studious students get accepted to prestigious schools, but hard work can only go so far.

There are so many qualified students at WHS, not to mention the entire nation, that above a certain threshold, admissions decisions seem to be completely random. I probably could have correctly guessed the admissions results by throwing darts.

What causes even more hype with the admissions season is the “brand name” of colleges. Nowadays, college applications focus too much on a college’s reputation.

Most seniors care more about a school’s prestige than how they can personally benefit from the college’s learning environment. I myself was guilty of doing this back in September when I was researching schools to apply to.

I constantly found myself on U.S. News’ rankings of the best colleges to help me decide which schools to apply to and which to cut. Now, I regret not looking deeper into the nuances of each college instead of just applying based on its ranking.

Thus, I find it fitting that colleges release their admissions decisions during March Madness. Seniors finally get to watch the results of the brackets they carefully created back in November.

As more college applications roll in, seniors can breathe a sigh of relief when a team they were sure could win advances to the next round, celebrate when a lower seeded team causes an upset, and mourn their favorite team’s loss.

In the end, it doesn’t matter what college you end up at. As long as you make the most of your time there, you made the right choice.

Anti-immunization “shot” down becoming a victim of epidemics. Let’s not forget Japan in the 1970s, when over 13,000 members of the population contracted whooping cough after routine vaccinations With the recent outbreak of the measles virus here in stopped.

California, many questions have risen over the spread of “Immunization is a positive externality. It’s like this disease. At one time, the measles virus was a threat to education- there’s some people who think its not helpful, populations worldwide, but it was completely eradicated but it is actually good for everyone,” said Taylor Li ‘15. in the U.S. by 2000.

However, don’t lose sight of the real reason why some This all seems fine and dandy, but the question still people consider vaccines to be the Kardashians of the stands concerning how this virus was able to spread. medical world.

The answer to that question lies In the early 2000s, former Playboy in the “Happiest Place on Earth,” bunny, and Playmate of the Year, Jenny Disneyland. Since December 2014, announced that her son mmunization is a McCarthy, nearly 60 cases of measles have been Evan had been diagnosed with autism. positive externality. discovered, with 42 directly linked to Though many experts believed It’s like education- Evan was misdiagnosed, McCarthy Disneyland in Anaheim.

But how can an eradicated -there are some people who remained adamant, and went as far as virus manage to spread? Well, what think it’s not helpful, but it’s to blame her son’s vaccinations for his started as a single case of measles in a development of autism. good for everyone.

California woman, accelerated into an Of course, as soon as a famous… outbreak. “actress” with absolutely no expertise -Taylor Li in the medical field makes an New national surveys show that fewer parents have chosen to unsupported and highly circumstantial immunize their children in recent claim, the public stands behind her years, and, big surprise, their children have started getting position. sick.

In fact, only one doctor supported her claim, and he It’s not rocket science, but if you don’t protect children lost his medical license soon after for fabricating evidence from certain diseases, they are at an increased risk to on the topic. Yet support still grew and continued to build contract that disease. momentum.

It’s not like measles is a deadly virus or anything.

I don’t know if this generation’s parents are lazy, afraid It only leads to some minor ailments like pneumonia, of needles, or just ignorant of the scientific facts. How can a encephalitis and death. Nothing to worry about right? vaccine cause autism, a disease that is a direct result of the How about a dash of irony? Young children are the lack of two specific genes in your 15th chromosome? most susceptible to the measles virus, with over 50,000 The only time exemptions from vaccines should be deaths in 2003 alone, and surprise, surprise, our youngest allowed is if they threaten the child’s health. generation has had fewer immunizations than those in the Children who are too ill for vaccination should, past few decades. of course, be granted an exemption. Everyone else, no Vaccines are incredibly useful in preventing the matter their belief, should face the fact that the benefits of spread of disease and save countless lives every year. vaccinations outweigh the cons.

This obviously makes them the bad guy, and I haven’t Don’t let deadly diseases destroy the happiest place even mentioned that they protect society as a whole from on Earth. Support vaccinations.

Ashwin Rangarajan Feature Editor

“I

Humans of Westlake Question: What is the meaning of life?

“How much chocolate can one consume in a lifetime?”

-Deana Fechner

“42.”

-Ron Thalanki ‘17

“Make the world a better place because you’re on it.”

-Andrew Gourley ‘15

“Eating all the yummy foods of the world.”

-Alina Yen ‘16

OPINION

THE ARROW

APRIIL 1, 2015

School campus to undergo remodelling Max Wang

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CON

PRO

Opinion Editor

ARROW

students at WHS. This area would be used for walkways in between classes and used as extra space to eat lunch with new tables.

In addition to adding the pavers in the place of grass, tables will be added, a raised platform to serve as a stage where rallies will be held, and a possible school statue.

Because administration wants to clear the grass to create more available space for students, it doesn’t seem sensible to then crowd that space with these new additions.

The administration also hopes to save the money that it would cost to maintain the grass each year was then brought up at a later point in administration’s argument.

Each year, ASG allots a specific amount of money to spend on school improvements and is planning on putting that money towards the deterioration of our school’s appearance.

For this school year, Dean of Activities Greg Coull and ASG proposed that we strip WHS of its green and healthy grass as their annual school improvement project.

Although many seniors would not be impacted by this change, freshmen, INACCESSIBLE: Students Chris Rivera ‘15, Graham Peoples ‘16 and Grace Levin ‘16 try out sophomores, and juniors are outraged. the new space that will be created by the quad remodelling.

“I think that the infamous grass patches should not be replaced with Rachel Finegold that are planned to be planted in the new concrete because this would detract from Sports Editor open space will provide natural shade on a the transcendental environment of WHS,” distinctly shade-less campus.

At the end of the 2015 school year, said Alex Arnaout ’16.

“The grass exists, but we’re not alUsing this extra money that ASG has WHS will be taking out the grass at the lowed to sit on it,” said Stan Liao ’17. “It’s front of the school and changing it to to maintain the grass each year would a symbol of oppression.” pavers, taking away the first impression of be much more valuable to students than Greg Coull, the administrator heading the welcoming aesthetic value our school taking the grass away. up the remodeling project, sees the removal Students can use the space to walk has to offer and replacing it with a cold, of the lawns as a positive change. and eat their lunches if they didn’t have it gray, and dismal feel.

“We want to give this space back to the Administration’s first goal of swapping blocked off. This way students can eat on students,” said Coull, regarding the empty the healthy grass for the insentient the nice grass outdoors after being in class space that will be able to seat over 150 stupavement is to create more usable space for all day long. dents. “To me, a school should welcome.”

PHOTO BY RACHEL FINEGOLD

I won’t be sorry to see the two grass lawns in front of the library go; that grass is probably home to hundreds of killer insects, nematodes, and fungi that could bite, sting, poison, or otherwise kill or maim me, just like everything else in nature.

But ignoring my wildlife-fearing ways, plans to replace the front lawns at WHS with pavers, a stage, planters, and a possible statue are still a good idea.

Remember that time you needed to go to the restroom but found your way blocked by three slow-walking girls, all carrying Starbucks cups, walking in a straight line across the aisle, moving at the velocity of a solar-powered tractor driven by an arthritic three-toed sloth? Blame the grass.

With the stainless steel barriers finally removed and the courtyard made available for walking, rushing to class after CPTs will be easier, and students will finally be able to avoid the human tangles that come as the result of club rush, Honor Roll barbeques, and every college fair.

“We’ll have more space,” said Connor Fachar ’15. “That’s good, since this school is kind of overpopulated.”

Even ignoring the costs of lawn care keeping these lawns in a desert is about as wise as starting a camel farm in Siberia.

To provide the entire lawn with an inch of water, it takes approximately half a gallon per square foot, which comes to about 63 gallons every 10’ by 10’ space.

For those that mourn the loss of green on campus, the grass won’t be replaced with bare concrete. Though the grass will be taken away, planters with drought tolerant plant life will be placed around the existing sycamore trees.

In addition, the new sycamore trees

THE

The College Board monopoly robs students

Editor-in-chief

Frances Ling

Managing Editors

Pranav Kaygee Feature Editor

Michelle Choi, Alex Shi

News Editor Helen Shi

Opinion Editors Max Wang, Amanda Yao

Feature Editors Heidi Chiu, Kallyn Hobmann, Pranav Kaygee, Jaisen Lim, Ashwin Rangarajan, Mara Rothbard

Sports Editors Matt Donovan, Rachel Finegold

Staff Writers Clare Doyle, Allison Mendoza

Freelance Writer David Huang

Adviser Karie Lynch The Arrow is written, designed and run by the students of the Advanced Journalism and Journalism 1CP classes at Westlake High School and is published monthly. The opinions expressed in these publication are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent those of the Conejo Valley Unified School District, Westlake High School administration, faculty or student body. We welcome feedback. Letters must be signed by the writer.

Please send submissions to westlakearrow@gmail.com.

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board

e olleg The C

$527.8 million total, but only spent $482.9 million on their services, leaving behind a $55.1 million profit.

After all, since College Board owns the education industry, why not make profits by forcing teenagers and their parents to cough up their hard earned dough?

The only reason SAT prices are still reasonable is because the ACT still exists outside the realm of Col-

It is quite ironic that College Board would include the corruption of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company into its AP United States History framework. In AP Exams SAT APUSH, students Prep Classes*.........$2000 all over the counUS History*.............$100 Exams (3)*.................$150 try learn about the Art History*............$100 Prepbooks*.................$50 Calculus*.................$100 illegal monopoly controlling oil in*late exam fees: $150 in not going to the college of dustry and as a reyour choice sult, could set the price of oil at any value the corporaGRAPHIC BY MICHELLE CHOI tion pleased.

The irony lies in the allegory. College Board. ever. lege Board is the Standard Oil Company, If the ACT were to discontinue someAn AP test consists of at most 30 sheets College Board is John D. Rockefeller, and of paper. To print 30 sheets of paper would time in the near future, expect the SAT to the beloved AP tests that students have cost College Board approximately $2.10 to become a financial nightmare once its pricome to love and desire, the precious oil. print an AP test, if we set the cost to print mary competitor is out of the running.

College Board has amassed one of the This modern day U.S. Steel of educapaper at an estimate of $0.07. largest monopolies in the nation… and no, Factor in the employee salaries for tion controls everything in the education not the cute board game with that one guy one test (approximately $31,500,000) and field: AP tests, the SAT, SAT subject tests, with a mustache. divide it by the total number of AP tests your independence and personal control of This monopoly is far more dangerous. administered (4.2 million in 2014), add it to your mind.

After all, one mention of College Board We can’t hate on this money-hungry $2.10, and you get $7.68 to make an AP test. alone flashes images of a greedy, powerThat being said, College Board is mak- dictator of education, College Board, too hungry behemoth that inflicts pain and ing approximately an $83.32 profit on one much though. misery upon its poor, slaving students They send our test scores and organize AP test. straddled to the confinements of the educaThe 1084% profit on AP tests blows 19th other college related information like applition system. century’s Standard Oil Company out of the cations, scholarships, and set scores. They Take another look a the receipt you rewater (thanks APUSH), and goes to show get their job done, even if it costs $91 per ceived after registering for AP tests.

College Board’s determination to own AP test.

As of 2015, College Board has set the Let’s just hope we get some Progreseverything and anything in the education price of AP tests at $91. While it may not sives (once again thanks APUSH) to break field. seem so, this is one of the biggest rip-offs In 2006, College Board had made up this leviathan of education.

THE

ARROW

VOLUME XXXVII, ISSUE π

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APRIL 1, 2015

Mascot changed for upcoming year

snails, inch after inch.”

“I’m really excited about the new fight song because it allows the marching band to slow down the pace at which we march across the field to mimic that of a snail,” said Sean Chen ‘16.

The dance and cheer teams have also been working on new dances and cheers that successfully capture the excellence of the snail. These include new green and brown costumes, as well as nature-themed background music.

New WHS merchandise has already been ordered in anticipation of the large demand from students and parents for the new snail-approved products. Items include coffee mugs with the logo, t-shirts, and even new foam fingers that transform your hand into a snail.

With the discontinuation of the tribe, the WHS snails will now have the slime circle to get students even more involved at sporting events. The slime circle will be led by a student in a snail costume in hopes of increasing school spirit.

Tryouts for the snail mascot will be held on April 31 in the gym after school. Administration is looking for the student with the most spirit to slide around in the snail costume at rallies and important sporting events.

Rachel Finegold

Sports Editor

WHS’s current mascot, the Warrior, has been deemed offensive for the last time. To avoid further confrontations, the mascot is being changed to a snail.

With the new motto “Slow and steady wins the race,” WHS will be the envy of all other schools. In our exponentially fast-paced society, our new mascot will encourage students to stop racing against the competition/clock and take a deep breath.

All sports teams’ uniforms will be fully equipped with a picture of the blue and orange snail on the front, and the snail’s motto on the back, surely guaranteed to intimidate WHS opponents before the game even begins.

Administration believes that the new mascot will increase school spirit since the snail is one of the most envious and qualified gastropods. Therefore, the fight song will be revised to accommodate the new characteristics and abilities of the snail.

WHS’ chorus and band departments have teamed up to create an empowering new fight song.

The chorus of the song being “On Westlake steady

Sports Editor

WHS administration has announced that the final parking spot raffle for the 2014-2015 school year will be held on April 24, but the eligibility rules have changed.

Only juniors and seniors with a 2.5 GPA or below are qualified to receive a spot in the raffle.

In addition to the raffle eligibility changes, administration will add seven more speed bumps to the student lot.

Teachers have witnessed an increase in cars speeding in the parking lot, and in an attempt to maximize student safety, the new speed bumps will be longer to make sure students can’t race around them.

Administration warns that students who protest these changes will be severely punished. The minimum penalty will be a suspension for two weeks and a minimum of 30 community service hours.

The purpose of changing eligibility requirements is to give students who are struggling academically a new opportunity to perform at a higher level.

By giving these students a parking pass, they will be able to park closer to school, which will give them more time to sleep in since they will not have to walk a long distance from their car to campus.

This extra sleep will allow them to perform better than their fellow classmates.

These newly eligible students will have the opportunity to experience the perks of having a high grade point average, such as free barbeques for those with a 3.5 GPA or higher.

In the past, the exclusion of students who have a GPA of 2.5 or below from school activities has been regarded as discriminatory. The new raffle will be instituted to balance out the injustice done to these students.

When these new rules go into effect on April 31, all current juniors who have acquired a parking spot through the luck of the draw raffles will be stripped of their passes in order to make room for those students with

Not the Onion Page π Elsa arrested (Huffington Post)

Page Ω Vial of Churchill’s blood auctioned (New York Times)

PHOTO BY FRANCES LING

Rachel Finegold

Parking pass raffle revised

the required 2.5 GPA or below.

Administration is predicting a dramatic increase in student motivation for those who have a below average GPA. “As a teacher who personally knows students with a 2.5 GPA or below, I think this is the perfect and best opportunity for them to start improving their grades,” said history teacher Brian Rogers. “In fact, I have already seen a decrease in the gap between my lower level students and my higher level students since the initiative was first announced. However, I am suspicious that this is a result of my higher level students trying to receive worse grades to drop into the 2.5 GPA or below requirement, therefore remaining eligible to receive a parking spot.”

Even so, this suspicion has not affected any teacher’s decisions to pass this new requirement and have it implemented immediately.

According to a survey taken by the teachers’ board, it was shown that as of today, 95% of teachers plan on voting to pass this new necessity to help raise students’ grades.

If the new rule is effective in raising grades, administration proposes to institute the new eligibility requirements on all future parking lot raffles.

Page -47 LeBron James wants colleges to stop recruiting his son (ESPN)

NEWS

THE ARROW

APRIL 1, 2015

In Boxers Block schedule for upcoming year For the 2015-2016 school year, WHS will switch to a block schedule to provide teachers more time to educate students. Students will take one class every two weeks. Each class will be seven hours, filling the entire school day. At the end of the two weeks, students will complete a final exam before enrolling in a new two week course.

Presidential essay contest

The Presidential Essay Foundation will be holding a contest from April 3-35. The prompt asks writers to discuss the most attractive president and what qualities make him boyfriend material.

Hot or not

The senior prom dates and location have been changed. Prom will be held during after the first week of AP testing at the Simi Valley Walmart. The profit from tickets will go directly to the Break-A-Wish Foundation, a non-profit organization that takes the dreams of terminally ill children and gives them to perfectly healthy children.

The Arrow to switch to Twitter

For all future issues the WHS Arrow will switch media outlets from news print to Twitter. The Arrow will serve as a gossip outlet and inform students of the latest rumors and scandals by hourly Tweets. Who needs fact when fiction is so much more juicy? You will be able to follow us at @WestlakeArrowAprilFools.

Fundraiser for administrators On April 2, WHS administrators will sell copies of all semester finals and future tests in an effort to raise money for better walkie talkies and golf carts for the campus supervisors.

These new walkie talkies will have a 30 mile range, and air conditioning units and leather seats will be added to the golf carts. This will give administrators a more comfortable ride to go off campus and join students at Starbucks, Sprinkles, and, most importantly, Lululemon.

New classrooms to be implemented WHS is taking a holistic approach to education for the 2015-2016 school year. Classroom walls will be removed to allow for increased feng shui and allow chi flow. Each floor will have a central common area, where students will be able to mingle and drink herbal bamboo monkey-picked teas before and after class.

The modern furniture company, LoveSac, will be sponsoring the renovations. The traditional chair and desk setting will be replaced with LoveSac sofas and loungers. iPads will be provided for every student.

Spring break hot spots Michelle Choi

Managing Editor With spring break around the corner, people are scurrying to find the best vacation spots. The Arrow has scoured the depths of the internet to find the most fantastic vacation destinations.

of Texas. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the Atlantis of the 21st century as most of its contents are suspended under the surface of the ocean.

3)

Pyongyang, North Korea

1)

Let’s face it: everyone and their dog has visited South Korea.

Why not visit South Korea’s mysterious and hermetic sister? be You’ll able to witness the architectural prowess of North Korea, such as the Yodok Political Prison Camp, and immerse yourself in a foreign culture.

Maybe if you ask nice enough, you’ll be able to ride on Kim Jong Un’s personal aircraft--Airforce Un.

7

take a drive down to San Diego and hop the border for some foreign fun! Just don’t forget your passport!

4) Fukushima, Japan Japan is the epicenter of culture on the front lines of animation, technological advancement and more. Visit the Fukushima exclusion zone for a Thoreau-ian experience. The Fukushima Prefecture was hit by an earthin quake 2011, which damaged a local nuclear power plant.

Four years later, Fukushima has been completely abandoned, with the exception of wildlife, which makes it the perfect location to unwind in peace.

5) CIA Black Sites, Declassified

Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Pacific Ocean

2)

Also known as the Pacific Trash Vortex, this mass of marine litter is located in the North Pacific Ocean. Scientists estimate that it is twice the size of the state

Tijuana, Mexico

GRAPHIC BY MICHELLE CHOI

As the largest city in Baja California, Tijuana is a perfect destination for any partier. Tijuana has fantastically warm weather and cheap hotel prices. You can

The CIA “Black Sites” are an American historical paramount. There are multiple locations, including but not limited to Somolia, Thailand, Poland and even a secret site on the Guantanamo Naval Base.

There, you’ll be able to learn CIA torture and interrogation techniques, as well as the rich history of the National Security Act. It’s a fun and educational experience for all ages!

Word Search CATS

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WARRIORS

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WESTLAKE

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8

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APRIL 1, 2015

The Arrow Reviews

Scavenge the wild for the truth

Dead Wake revives the past Jaisen Lim

Feature Editor

COURTESY PHOTO

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania is a newly published narrative nonfiction piece written by Eric Larson.

The book was published on March 10 by the Crown Publishing Group. Its content involves the sinking of the ocean dream-liner RMS Lusitania during World War I. On May 1, 1915, the RMS Lusitania departed from New York to Liverpool with its passengers unaware of a lingering threat.

The story is told from two opposing points of view: Walther Schweiger, Captain of a German submarine, who is tracking the RMS Lusitania, and Captain William Thomas Turner of the Lusitania.

Larson uses primary source evidence such as journal entries, historical records, and letters to consolidate the relevance of his novel to society in 1915.

Dead Wake takes place during the Progressive Era in the United States.

The novel explores the elements that brought America into WWI and against the Central Powers: Germany and Austria-Hungary.

“Larson gives us a strong sense of the individuals—passengers and crew—aboard the Lusitania. A story full of ironies and ‘whatifs.’ Dead Wake is a tour de force of narrative history,” according to Alden Mudge on the BookPage website.

Although the sinking of the RMS Lusitania is widely known, the book provides interest for its readers through its constant fluctuation in point of view.

Scout out Harper Leeʼs Watchman News Editor The musty summer afternoons and naive child laughter never seemed to draw to a close in the last few pages of the prized novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Yet 55 years after the publication of the novel, many readers’ thoughts are not soundly justified.

The story lingered because there was a continuation. Or possibly even a prologue.

Author Harper Lee’s lost manuscript, Go Set a Watchman, was rediscovered on an accidental sorting by Tonja Carter, Lee’s lawyer, while she was assisting Lee with legal work. Skimming through the old manuscript, Carter first assumed it was a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird; however, she quickly realized that she had stumbled upon something very different.

Carter then brought the manuscript to Lee, questioning her about the completion

of the manuscript. Lee revealed that this story would have been her literary masterpiece had her editor not rejected it.

Go Set a Watchman takes place in the 1950s, 20 years after the original plot of To Kill a Mockingbird. Scout, the protagonist from To Kill a Mockingbird, has matured into an adult and lives in New York. She returns to Maycomb, Alabama to revisit the exciting memories of her childhood.

“I, after much thought and hesitation I shared [Go Set a Watchman] with a hand full of people I trust and was pleased to hear they considered it worth of publication. I am humbled and amazed that this will be published after all these years,” said Lee in a press conference.

The novel will be released on July 14, but many worry that the grand reputation of To Kill a Mockingbird will be ruined by a mediocre sequel. This premonition has many awaiting the release of this novel.

Go Home, not home

Feature Editor According to transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau, the best way to get away from modern civilization is to venture and live happily in nature.

The Wild Truth is a non-fiction biography following the family and life of Christopher McCandless from the well known non-fiction book, Into the Wild.

The novel is written

by Chris’ sister, Carine McCandless, and was released on Nov. 11, 2014.

Carine wrote this heart touching and emotionally conflicting novel in an attempt to justify her brother’s actions prior to his death in September of 1992.

In 1990, Chris decided to follow his dream of escaping the burden of society by living a life inspired by transcendentalist philosophies in the Alaskan wilderness. He spent two years traveling around the lower 48 states before heading alone into Alaska.

During his adventure, Chris cut off all methods of communication with his family.

In April of 1992, Chris headed into the harsh Alaskan wilderness with ten pounds of rice, several books, a couple cases of bullets, a .22 caliber rifle, and a camera.

After 119 days in isolation, Chris died from starvation caused by ingesting moldy seeds.

His death and story captivated thousands of people, including Jon Krakauer, who wrote Into the Wild.

The novel follows Chris on his two year journey after graduating from Emory Univer-

sity all the way up to his death.

The Wild Truth is significant because it takes the point-of-view of Chris’ sister, Carine McCandless.

The novel portrays the atrocities committed by their parents and how the family responded.

“This is just the truth, the information, the answers to all the ‘why’ questions that have been lingering about why Chris felt the way he did, why he left the way he did, and what pushed him to the extreme,” said Carine in an interview with Outside editorial director Alex Heard.

Controversies still surround Chris because of his decision to leave his family.

Throughout the book, Carine defends his actions by providing primary text evidence from his journal.

“Tramping is too easy with all this money,” Chris wrote in a journal. “My days were more exciting when I was penniless and had to forage around for my next meal. I’ve decided that I’m going to live this life for some time to come.”

The Wild Truth sheds light on why Chris McCandless chose to “divorce” his family and live a carefree life in the wilderness of Alaska. The informative novel provides not only an explanation of Cris’ actions, but also provides readers with a captivating story.

COURTESY PHOTO

Helen Shi

Jaisen Lim

John Oliver makes his mark

Alex Shi

Managing Editor

COURTESY PHOTO

COURTESY PHOTO

Released on March 27, Home is the latest DreamWorks Animation film directed by Tim Johnson.

The movie takes place on Earth; however, the planet has been captured by an optimistic and ambitious alien race called the Boov, which are led by Captain, Smek.

The aliens invade Earth in order to escape their mortal enemy, as well as to create a new home. The aliens believe they are doing the humans a favor and begin to relocate the entire human race.

When Oh, a misfit Boov RACE AGAINST TIME: Travel with the characters from Home who has been banished from as they try and save the Earth. the aliens, arrives on Earth, he finds himself fleeing from his own kind. Jennifer Lopez as Tip’s mother.

In addition to her role as the voice of Oh forms an unexpected and unlikely friendship with a resourceful and quick Tip, Rihanna contributed to the soundtrack thinking young girl named Tip. She by creating a concept album with 12 manages to avoid being captured by original songs.

The movie is based off the children’s the aliens and the duo begins a series of book The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam comical adventures.

While they are on the run, Tip and Oh Rex, which was published in 2007.

DreamWorks Animation had come to understand that making mistakes and being unique are all part of what originally scheduled the movie release date to be Nov. 26, 2014. However, the release makes an individual “human.”

The animated movie includes a voice date was pushed back to March 27 in cast starring Rihanna as Tip, Jim Parsons order to switch places with DreamWorks’ as Oh, Steve Martin as Captain Smek, and Penguins of Madagascar.

global cigarette and tobacco company, threatened to sue the Australian government, due to the country’s requirement that cigarette boxes cannot bear brand logos.

In order evade the rule, he suggested combining a branded character with the health warning that accompanies every carton of cigarettes.

The cigarette industry isn’t the only social crisis John Oliver has challenged.

The Miss America Pageant is considered the largest provider #JEFFWECAN: John Oliver’s talk show airs every Sunof scholarships for women day night at 11 p.m. on television. worldwide, handing out $45 million in scholarships each Michelle Choi year. Oliver debunked the Pageant’s Managing Editor outlandish claim and pointed out flaws in John Oliver, host of HBO’s new eligibility to receive the scholarship.

The Miss America Pageant comedy news program, Last Week Tonight, has started a cultural revolution. Oliver’s still remains the largest provider in show influences investigation and reform scholarships in the world. In order to of various topics, such as net neutrality allow for a larger sphere of women to and civil forfeiture. Last Week Tonight further their education, Oliver directed has established a strong presence in the viewers to donate to other groups he deemed more worthy, such as the Society political community.

His latest campaign fights against of Women Engineers. Two days after the the tobacco industry. Nations like Togo, segment aired, the organization received Uruguay, and Australia have passed $25,000 in donations, which was credited laws to replace the iconic Malboro Man to the “John Oliver bounce.”

Oliver has replaced The Daily Show with diseased lungs and rotten teeth: side and The Colbert Report for the deeper effects of smoking.

Oliver informed viewers that crevices of social quandaries and Philip Morris International Inc., a inspiring action.

FEATURE APRIL 1, 2015

THE ARROW

WHS takes TEDx by storm

Pranav Kaygee

Natalie Barzyk

Although a scheduling conflict prevented Lydia Wagoner ‘16 from speaking at the actual TEDx event, she still had wisdom to impart.

Wagoner’s speech was about the universality of feminism and how everyone can benefit from feminism. “My epiphany happened when I was reading an article, and I realized that what I had thought of as feminism up until that point was really just selfishness,” said Wagoner.

Wagoner hopes that her message will help people realize that feminism is not just an issue for women. “In order for progress to be made, everyone has to work together,” said Wagoner.

Wagoner believes that feminism affects everybody, and if people realize that, the world will be a better place.

From the entire experience, Wagoner realized that “it doesn’t matter what your age is; you can still be an inspirational and influential person,” added Wagoner.

Ben Hannel

Vikkie Jiang ‘17 began dancing at age five, but she didn’t begin to enjoy it until age seven.

“My epiphany was when I found out dancing is my passion--what I love to do,” said Jiang.

Jiang was inspired to perform at TEDx after watching ballet dancer Juliet Doherty’s performances.

“Having passion changes your outlook on life and can help you truly live your life,” added Jiang.

Jiang hopes that her performance will influence others her age and encourage them to find a passion and realize the importance of it.

Jiang learned a lot from her experience. “I thought it was a great experience, and I’m really glad I got the opportunity to spread a message,” said Jiang.

Most of all, however, Jiang realized that people her age do great things and are capable of doing a lot.

Lydia Wagoner

PHOTO BY FRANCES LING

Vikkie Jiang

COURTESY PHOTO

Anya Arami ‘16 discussed her experience using social media, namely her Instagram account @nightlynews, to increase international awareness for youth.

Once Arami realized how much time people were spending on different social media platforms, she thought it would be effective to create political awareness using social media.

“I think a big problem today is that youth are unaware of current events and human rights violations occurring around them,” said Arami.

A few summers ago, Arami went to China and North and South Korea with her Model United Nations team. This inspired her to dedicate her time to informing other youth about current events to inspire them to make a change.

“Technology plays a very important role in people’s lives and it has the potential of being used to learn about international events,” added Arami.

Whitney LaValle ‘15 originally received encouragement from her friend Natalie Barzyk ‘15, who said that TEDx might be a good platform for her. A few teachers also encouraged LaValle to speak.

“I told my family about it and they thought it would be a good idea, so I just went for it,” said LaValle.

LaValle spoke about how her mom’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease inspired both her and her mom to “get out there.”

“I hope that people feel inspired or capable of overcoming loss instead of feeling set back from it. It’s a window for reinvention,” said LaValle.

LaValle believes that her epiphany changed the course of her and her mom’s lives because they both started living differently when they realized life wouldn’t be the same anymore.

“I am passionate because it still affects me every day,” commented LaValle.

COURTESY PHOTO

Ben Hannel ‘15 was inspired to speak about his website, EV Trip Planner, when he realized that other people were also interested in his program.

“The way that we live, learn, and create with technology has been changing,” said Hannel.

Hannel spoke on how the increasing technology and availability of information means that young people can start to innovate at an early age.

“I’m hoping to get teens excited about technology and really pursuing creativity and what they want to do early in life,” said Hannel.

What he took away most from the experience was the diversity of ideas in the community.

“My speech was about one thing, but at auditions, I was amazed at the diversity of experience and thought among people I see every day but never bothered to ask about,” said Hannel.

PHOTO BY FRANCES LING

COURTESY PHOTO

Natalie Barzyk ‘15 spoke on what it means to be comfortable in your own body, and the ideology that a body type does not define the individual.

“TED talks have always been a huge part of my life, and I feel that I can really express myself and my opinions though them,” said Barzyk. “The ability to voice my ideas to a large crowd inspired me to speak at TEDx.” When Barzyk was younger, she was told that she was “too fat to dance.” However, she quickly realized that it didn’t matter as long as she was comfortable in her own body.

Barzyk hopes that people know that their bodies don’t dictate who they are and inspire them to pursue activities regardless of their body types.

While listening to other speakers at TEDx, she has gained valuable knowledge and inspiration.

COURTESY PHOTO

Anya Arami

Nate Young

Whitney LaValle

COURTESY PHOTO

COURTESY PHOTO

Nate Young ‘16 spoke about the known properties of the Fibonacci sequence, a few properties of the Fibonacci sequence that he discovered himself, and how he learned from them.

“I wanted to present these properties I discovered, and what they led me to learn,” explained Young. “I wanted to share with other people essentially what I had found, what I had learned, and how we benefit from them.”

His epiphany was the mathematical realization of other various properties of the Fibonacci sequence.

He also realized that the learning he was conducting was entirely self-driven.

It was something he did not learn in a classroom, but rather, came up with on his own.

“I am passionate about my topic, partially because it was self-driven. It’s a topic I’m interested in just because I like math,” added Young.

Pranav Kaygee ‘16 talked about the lack of cancer and disease awareness in rural societies and what people can do to help.

When Kaygee was in Madurai, India, many patients believed that cancer was incurable and was a curse given to them

by God because they had sinned.

The concept that cancer could happen to anyone was not instilled in them, and as a result he witnessed the plight that many poor cancer patients faced.

“My epiphany encompassed my will to change the social stigma of cancer,” said Kaygee.

Kaygee hopes his speech will inspire other people to support organizations like American Red Cross and Cancer Awareness Measures and spread awareness through the internet and social media.

“I want people to be aware of what is happening outside of the United States,” he added.

9

S PORTS T HE A RROW 10 Boys lacrosse looks to take state APRIL 1, 2015

Matt Donovan Sports Editor

(Bottom left): Christian Ahn ‘15 sprints down the field toward the goal as he is chased by an Agoura opponent.

(Bottom right): Connor O’Brien ‘15 manages to score as he evades Agoura’s defense.

PHOTOS BY MATT DONOVAN

WHS boys lacrosse is on a hot streak with their current 7-0 season record. The team has blown by every opponent they have faced this season by scoring double digits in every game.

“My expectation for my team is that we go to state because we have the potential to be great,” said defensive midfielder Tanner Gee ‘15.

Redondo Union was the first victim in a 17-3 win by WHS, followed by an 11-8 victory over Chaminade.

The team eliminated both Culver City with a score of 16-7 and West Ranch with a score of 19-2. A 16-5 victory over Agoura and an 11-5 win over Newbury Park leave the team undefeated in league. The team won over Calabasas 17-3, moving them into first place in league.

“Our athletes are looking forward to winning the Marmonte League title and the SS CIF title,” said Coach Dennis Ray, who has coached lacrosse at WHS since it first began six years ago.

The championship bound team rallies behind Captains Christian Ahn ‘15, Jesse Cuccia ‘15, Conor O’Brien ‘15 and Drew Taylor ‘15.

“As a captain I like to encourage the team and keep up the positive vibes because when we work together and communicate, we function better as one unit,” said midfielder Taylor.

Taylor, who has been playing since he was in fifth grade, brings great communication and an impressive transition game to the team.

In addition to Ahn, Cuccia, O’Brien, and Taylor, this year’s impact players include Matthew Kilkeary ‘16, James Sullivan ’16 and Brett Reilly ’15.

“I play very hard and so does my team.

Therefore, I expect for us to win every

STICK IT TO THEM: (Left): The team huddles around Coach Ray as he gives them a pep talk during a time out.

game,” said long stick midfielder Ahn. Ahn, who has played since the age of ten, will take his drive for success to play lacrosse at Salsbury College in Maryland next year. The team works very hard on and off the field. The coaching staff prepares for games by reviewing game film on the WHS team and its opponents.

At practice, the players warm-up, practice plays and run drills. They practice for two hours, four days a week during the season, with two games each week.

“Our strength is our highly experienced offense and extremely talented freshmen,” said Coach Ray. “Our weakness, although minor, is our relatively young defense.

They are very skilled but many are young.”

Thousand Oaks High School will by far be the team’s most challenging opponent this season. The team will face TOHS on April 1.

The team expects to win the Marmonte League and go far into playoffs, if not win the entire Southern Section division.

Athletes to watch for Sport: Track and field Grade: 9

Goals: “I want to get the all time record for the 400. I’m 0.4 seconds off right now. I also want to get a personal record in the 800 under 2.20 seconds.”

Biggest accomplishment: “I went to Junior Olympics a year ago with a relay team. We won two gold medals, and it was really fun.”

Maya Sharp

Stats: “Top ten underclassmen in the nation for the 400, top 20 for state overall.”

Sport: Track and field Grade: 9 Goals: “I want to get 11.5 seconds for varsity 100, mid-15 seconds for 100 hurdles, and high42 seconds for the 4x100.”

Biggest accomplishment: “For track, I went to Junior Olympics last summer for hurdles. I ran and in the middle of the race, I messed up my knee and tore my pelvis, but I still finished second.”

Stats: “Last year, I was ranked first in the county, third in the southwest region, and 13th in the nation.”

Michael Brown

Sport: Swim Grade: 10

PHOTOS BY MICHELLE CHOI

Elena England

Goals: “I want to win CIF and receive MVP this year.”

Biggest accomplishment: “I would have to say making CIF freshman year and winning MVP.” Stats: “I was ranked 230th nationally and 10th in California (AAAA).”

Compiled by Frances Ling

SPORTS

APRIL 1, 2015

11

THE ARROW

Standouts play one under par

Girls lacrosse squares up for spring

Rachel Finegold Sports Editor

The boys varsity golf team has five returning players who all participated in the win at the CIF state championship last year. In addition to these returning five players, another five players have joined the team.

Returning players are Matt Wolff ’17 and Spencer Soosman ‘16 who both scored a one under par at the CIF state championship.

Wolff won the Marmonte League Individual Championship as a freshman and Soosman won the CIF Northern Division Individual Championship as a sophomore.

Captains are Soosman and Justin Egelske ‘16 for the 2015 season. “The teams goals are to repeat as Marmonte League Champions, CIF Northern Division Champions, and the CIF State Champions,” said Coach Rick Naranjo.

Soosman performs above the rest because of his “mental strength” by simply taking deep breaths and listening to music. “I tell the team before a match that if you have a bad shot, don’t get down on yourself and make it even worse because you’re playing for the team and not yourself,” said Soosman. “If you can’t recover and pull yourself together, then you need to minimize your mistakes.”

Soosman is already committed to UCLA with a full scholarship. He started playing golf when he was only one and a half, and started competing in tournaments when he was only ten. Soosman practices every day for four to five hours to improve his skills and consistency.

Wolff started playing golf when he was four years old. He went to sports summer camps when he was little that included baseball, football, and basketball, but golf stood out above the rest. “I go to the golf course after school for three hours, and I try to look for the weaknesses in my game, which gives me that extra push when game time comes around,” said Wolff. He believes he adds the element of communication to his relatively quiet team.

Oaks Christian poses as the team’s most competitive rival in the Marmonte League this year. “WHS has a lot more experienced players than Oaks Christian, even though they have a lot of good players and will be good competition,” said Soosman. The team has not lost a match so far this season.

Rachel Finegold Sports Editor

COURTESY PHOTO

Undefeated, the WHS girls lacrosse team has a current record of 6-0. With the goal of being Marmonte League champions, the team is aware that they have its work cut out for them.

Captains are Arden Edgerton ‘16, Lexi Padilla ’16, Mikaela Vespe ’16 and Emily Garnica ’16.

“The captains work really well with the team because we all balance each other out, making up for each other’s weaknesses,” said Edgerton.

Edgerton offers intensity, Padilla brings speed and adrenaline, Vespe brings a knowledge for the defense, and Garnica offers a poised and calm attitude.

“As captains we lead the team through drills and encourage everyone during our tougher games,” said Garnica.

The team worries about its games against Agoura and Oak Park because of both opponents’ experience. Both teams have a few exceptional players, yet Garnica believes the team has the motivation and desire to win.

The girl’s lacrosse program started only three years ago, yet the team already has “athleticism, work ethic, and a mentally tough mindset, contributing to a tight-knit team,” said Edgerton. Since lacrosse is a developing sport on the west coast, the team practices every night except Sundays to gain experience.

“Practicing our plays gets us really comfortable performing them, so during games we can easily integrate them into our attack,” said Garnica.

Boys volleyball digs into season Allison Mendoza Staff Writer

PHOTO BY KALLYN HOBMANN

WHS’ varsity boys volleyball team is preparing to win back the Marmonte League title after their five-year winning streak was disrupted last season by Newbury Park High School.

Coach Doug Magorien and team captains Chris Shaffer ’15, Adrish Anand ’15, and Michael Young ’16 are all optimistic about the upcoming season.

With fresh players, strong passing, and an effective defense, the team hopes to win the league title and make it to CIF quarter finals. The team currently has seven wins and four losses.

“We knew Newbury Park was going to be a challenge,” Magorien said. “They’re a very physical team. They’re very good attackers, but we’re much more of a ball control team.”

Both Shaffer and Anand agreed that the biggest challenge with NPHS would be its athleticism and strength against WHS’s strategic aptitude.

WHS lost its first match against NPHS in a mere three games because of a lack in serve receive passing and blocking at the net. “Practicing passing jump serves will definitely help us improve before our next game,” said Anand.

The team has two setters instead of one and three attackers in the front for every rotation. This modified team layout provides for a stronger offense.

BUMP, SET, SPIKE: The team celebrates after winning a heated point against Newbury Park.

The team has a strong sense of camaraderie, and both Magorien and the captains are pleased with the team development.

“We have a lot of new people starting [on the team], so having them get used to the team and how we play could make us a lot stronger and more united,” said Young.

With only four returning players, the

team has many green members. Blake Crisp ’18 is the only freshman on the varsity team. Crisp is a setter and right opposite for the team.

“Very rarely do we have a freshman start on varsity, so the fact that we have Blake starting is a pretty big deal,” said Magorien.

Crisp watched his older brother play

with the person who last made varsity as a freshman before him.

“I was definitely surprised [to have made varsity],” said Crisp. “[Coach Magorien] told me the last time that happened was eight years ago.”

Other key players include Everett Schuett ’16, Dean Robinson ’15, Troy Magorien ’17 and Dale MacLean ’16.

Schuett is currently preparing to commit to University of Hawaii: a Division I university. Being able to see his older sister play volleyball for Hawaii Pacific influenced his decision.

“I got to see her experience playing volleyball in Hawaii, and [the university is] academically a place where I can be both a good student and a good volleyball player,” said Schuett.

Most of the players play club volleyball during off-season, so they are already in shape when they begin their training.

Magorien has the boys run after practice to cover cardio, but most of the training is “in relation to the ball.”

“Our team could definitely improve on our blocking and serving, but besides that, just working together more [could improve our performance],” said Young.

The next game against NPHS will be April 22 at 6 p.m. at NPHS. “Already having lost to NPHS won’t affect our next match against them at all,” said MacLean.

“We already know how they play, and we already know how we play, so if we play well then we can win.”

The Arrow’s Fashion Guide to Spring 2015

With the beginning of each season comes a wave of new fashion trends and this spring is filled with both classic and cutting edge looks that are sure to switch up your style. From cool neutrals to bold yellows and blues, shirtdresses to one-shoulder cut-offs, this year’s spring fashion provides the perfect inspiration to revolutionize your wardrobe.

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Tis the season to accessorize. A variety of jewelry trends were noticed on the runway, but a select few took the spotlight. The models at Balenciaga Spring/Summer 2015 rocked the runway with metallic jewelry, such as the Metal & Rhinestone Cuff from Bebe. Stacks of bracelets are also gaining popularity, whether they’re brightly colored bangles or tough, rock-like cuffs. Choker necklaces have become a necessity for any spring outfit as have gemstone necklaces.

Jewelry with architecturally interesting shapes, such as the Ester Bib necklace ($55) from Chico’s, is perfect for completing any look.

A certain decade always takes over each fashion season it seems, and the 70s are clearly taking control this spring, as seen at Milan Fashion Week. Anything with a Bohemian look will obviously satisfy this trend, as will ponchos, fringe, maxi dresses, tie dye, and culottes. Long and midlength floral skirts also represent the 70’s, as do plaid skirts such as the Campbell Plaid Pleat Skirt ($171) by McQ Alexander McQueen.

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From clutches to tote bags, this spring is all about unique shapes and sizes. Bags such as the Snake Coin bag ($40) from Topshop perfectly capture the circular shape that is taking over spring bags.

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