Edition 14 (March 18, 2016)

VHS Journalism
Please Recycle
Ventura High School
The
‘rawr’
Friday, March 18, 2016
2 North Catalina,Ventura CA 93001
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“We must stop thinking of the individual and start thinking about what is best for
society.”-Hillary Clinton
Volume 68
Edition 14
Be Astonished by the Cast of “Little Women”
Shae Lawson
This year’s spring
musical is “Little Women,”
based off the novel of the
same name written by Louisa
May Alcott. The story
centers around the March
sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and
Amy, living in 1860s New
England with their mother
while their father is away
fighting in the Civil War.
The main character
Jo, played by senior Claire
Winch, is very passionate
about becoming a writer at
a time when women weren’t
exactly encouraged to be.
Without giving away too
much of the plot, the family
has fallen on hard times, and
is struggling to keep things
running. As the March girls
grow, they face personal
challenges, and must learn
the importance of family
and perseverance in the face
of the upsand downs of life.
Junior
Kayla
Ouerbacker, who plays a
hag, was eager to share, “It’s
been fun to have such an
avant-garde role because it’s
helped me not take myself so
Photo by: Shae Lawson
seriously. And since there isn’t
much written in the script
about the hags, it was fun
to develop a backstory that’s
elaborate and out there.”
The musical’s cast
consists mostly of girls, as
it’s about sisterhood between
the characters. Since “The
Outsiders” (this year’s fall
play) was a male-dominant
cast,
Ventura’s
drama
department director Stefoni
Rossiter chose a musical
with a female-heavy cast.
Auditions for this
musical were held right after
winter break, and only 35
students received a role. In
(From left to right)
Sophomores Amanda
Malotte as Meg March
and Riley Conrad as Amy
March, and seniors Gabby
Stefany as Marmee, Claire
Winch as Jo March, and
Ciara Montemayor as Beth
March huddling together to
wish Marmee safe travels.
order for the show to run
smoothly, backstage there
are two stage managers
and three light technicians,
along with other devoted
crew members who are
responsible for props, hair
and makeup, and the set.
“I’m
just
really
proud of my cast and crew.
Honestly, I’m thrilled. When
we had our first audience
performance, I couldn’t [have
been] more proud and happy,
and I think the audience will
be blown away,” Rossiter said.
Along with Rossiter
directing the play, Heidi
House acts as the vocal coach,
and Paul Hunt handles the
musicians. Rehearsals, which
began in early February,
consisted of running the
scenes, going over the songs,
and making sure the show’s
music was synchronized.
There are roughly 26
songs involved in the musical,
and the show features live
music provided by our own
orchestra consisting of
current students and two
alumni. In addition to the
orchestra, there is also a
professional pianist in the
orchestra pit. Everyone in
the music department has
devoted a great amount of
time to this production.
There will be two
more performances: tonight,
March 18, at 7:00 p.m., and
Saturday night, the 19th, at
7:00 p.m., to make a total
of seven performances
over the past two weeks.
Tickets can be bought at the
door half an hour before
each show, and are $6 for
students and $9 for adults.
The cast includes all
grade levels, with some of
the performers being familiar
to the Ventura stage, and
some being brand new. All
of the students, except one,
have been or are currently
drama or stage craft students.
According to Rossiter, “One
student auditioned from
the general population,
who I did not know [and]
who’s
quite
talented,
and she was cast a role.”
Come
support
Ventura
High’s
drama
department by coming
to watch the last two
performances
of
this
heartfelt musical; follow
along with Jo March in this
classic story that portrays the
value of family bonds and
overcoming obstacles in life.
Girls’ Basketball Ends Season Strong
Brandon Larimer
Ventura basketball
fans have been graced with
plenty of entertaining games
this year that could easily be
ranked high upon the list of
the best games ever seen at
Ventura High School. On
Wednesday night, March
9th, the Ventura Girls
Varsity Basketball team
faced off against Bakersfield
High School. It was an
amazing game all the way
through, and Ventura’s team
proved why they are CIF
champions with a compelling
victory over Bakersfield.
It was the first time
in a long time that Ventura
hosted a CIF game for
basketball. And, yet again,
home
field
advantage
brought out Ventura’s most
spirited fans in support of
one of the greatest girls
varsity basketball teams
Ventura has ever produced.
The game was close
from starting tip-off with
neither team taking dominant
control in the first half. The
see-saw battle continued
through the second half up
until the last quarter. The two
teams traded baskets in the
third quarter, but from that
point forward, Ventura took
control of the game. They
were easily able to run up
and down the court hitting
clear lay-ups and jumpers.
Ventura committed
little to no turnovers, playing
an astonishing game. They
started sailing through the
latter part of the matchup
while at the same time
playing an exemplary form
of basketball that younger
players at the school should
look up to. As the Cougars
ran the floor and turned the
tables, Bakersfield was faced
with the daunting task to
make a late comeback miracle.
Fortunately for Ventura, that
miracle never even came close
to becoming a relative reality.
Ventura’s
lady
Cougars are some of the
best basketball players and
athletes the school has
seen, which is why they
provided a riveting game
to watch and remember.
With the combination of
intense practices, focused
mindsets, and all of their
dedication, Ventura and
all of their senior players
capped off an incredible
game.
Unfortunately,
Ventura lost their next game
to Fairmont Prep 58-39, but
that loss did not take away
the gratifying season that
Ventura had undergone.
Table of Contents
The Cougar Press
Page Two
Letters To The Editor................................3
News...........................................................4
Sports..........................................................5
On Campus................................................6
Food Faire/Sadies......................................7
Little Women..........................................8-9
Sports........................................................10
Arts & Entertainment............................11
Opinions.............................................12-13
Spanish/College.......................................14
Distractions..............................................15
Ventura High On....................................16
M a r c h C a l e n d a r
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
14
15
16
21
22
23
Boys Varsity Golf
Boys Varsity, JV
Varsity and JV
Oak Park Invitational Baseball vs Santa Swimming at
at 12:30pm
Barbara at Home, Ventura County
3:15 pm
Championship,
Photo by: Abel Guitron
Boys Frosh-Soph 3:00pm
Baseball at Santa Boys Tennis vs Simi
Barbara, 3:15pm Valley at Home,
Boys JV Golf at
3:00pm
Saint Bonaventure,
1:30pm
Varsity and JV
30
28
Swimming at
Spring Break!
Spring Break!
Vta County
Boys Varsity
Boys Varsity
Championships
Baseball Atascadero Boys Volleyball at Baseball Atascadero
Tournament, time is Rio Mesa, 4, 5, 6pm Tournament, time is
TBA
TBA
29
Boys JV Baseball vs
Photo by: Marco Medina
Spring Break!
Alemany at Home,
Boys Varsity
1:30pm
Baseball
Atascadero
Tournament, time
is TBA
Boys JV Baseball at
Moorpark, 1:30pm
Thursday
Friday
18
17
24
Little
Boys Varsity, JV
Women7:00pm
Baseball vs Buena at $6/student, $9/
Home, 3:15 pm
adult
Boys Frosh-Soph at
Buena, 3:15pm
25
Boys Varsity and JV
No School!
Golf at Santa Barbara,
time is TBA
Girls Varsity and JV
Softball at Buena
3:30pm
Varsity and JV
Swimming at
Ventura County
Championships,
3:00pm
Boys Tennis at Santa
Barbara, 3:00pm
Track and Field at Dos
Pueblos, 2:45pm
Boys Volleyball at Santa
Barbara, 4, 5, 6pm
31
Spring Break!
Boys JV Baseball at
Agoura, 1:30pm
Photo by: Abel Guitron
The Cougar
Press
The Cougar Press is a student
run 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.cugr.org.
Send letters to: Editor, The
Cougar Press, Ventura, CA
93001.
The Cougar Press
supports student free speech.
The Cougar Press
Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Ciara Montemayor
Assistant Editor-in-Chief
Dolores Lopez
Saturday
19
Boys Varsity and
JV Baseball vs
Knight at Home,
11:00 am
Boys Volleyball
Camarillo JV
Tournament,
8:00am
26
Track and Field
Easter Relays,
8:00am
Track and
Field Meet of
Champions,
11:00am
Managing Editor
Waverly LaTourette
Layout Editor
Abel Guitron
Photo Editor
Marco Medina
Bradleigh Aeh
Joseph Demaria
Laurel Dudek
Sofia Felino
Haley Garcia
Max Ginchereau
Lacey Girardin
Octavio Gonzalez Avelar
Laura Hofer
Brandon Larimer
Shae Lawson
Jacob Lee
Tatum Martin
Hayley Martinez
Sarah Mehrnia
Madeline Nathaus
Devin Nordeng
Izzy Ospina
Sierra Payan
Delanie Pence
Nick Schwartz
Kyleigh Stolla
Natalia Valentini
Ryan Velasco
Response
The Cougar Press
Page Three
Response to “Islam: The Religion of 'Peace'” by Jacob Lee
he may not do so without
admitting that Christianity is
just as vicious (which, being
In the last edition of an avid Christian, I suspect
The Cougar Press, my fellow he won’t). I’d like to offer
staff writer Jacob Lee took this verse from the Christian
on the topic of Islam and its Bible: “I will fill your
relation to recent terrorism. mountains with the dead.
I’d like to offer a rebuttal. Your hills, your valleys, and
In his article, Lee your streams will be filled
argues that Islam is not a with people slaughtered
“peaceful religion,” citing by the sword. I will make
various verses from the you desolate forever. Your
Quran that depict gut- cities will never be rebuilt.
wrenching
violence.
I Then you will know that I
wholeheartedly
concede am God” (Ezekiel 35:7-9).
that the verses Lee cites are While I’m at it, I’ll add that
violent, but if he wants to violence against women
make the claim that the whole is in no way absent from
religion of Islam is violent, the bible. For example,
Sofia Felino
“You will be pledged to be
married to a woman, but
another will take her and
rape her” (Deuteronomy
28:30-31),
and
“Now
therefore, kill every male
among the little ones, and
kill every woman who has
known man intimately. But
all the girls who have not
known man intimately, spare
for yourselves” (Numbers
31:17-18). Might I also
add that in Leviticus, the
Bible forbids its followers
from shaving their beards,
braiding their hair, getting
tattoos,
and
wearing
polyester blends (the last
being something most every
Christian in a first-world
country does on a daily
basis). Especially in the 21st
century, religious works
such as the Bible, Torah, and
Quran are not intended to be
taken literally. (At least, after
reading the above verses, we
had better hope they aren’t.)
All these things aside,
however, the thing that really
scares me about Lee’s article
is his inability to separate
the religion of Islam from
the violent acts of Islamic
Terrorists. In comparison,
this would be like saying that
Christianity promotes the
KKK, which is in absolutely
no way true. A few people
that act out violently, even
if they claim it is on behalf
of their religion, as the
KKK did, do not speak for
their entire religion. The
accusation that they do
is not only preposterous,
but also deeply harmful.
This is the 21st century
America; gay marriage is
legal, we have freedom of
religion, we have freedom
-- something we Americans
usually take pride in. As
much as we are regressing,
we are still progressing,
and ultimately, there is
nothing any uneducated
man who refuses to open
his eyes can do to stop it.
Response to “Gaming:The Addiction Is Real” by Dolores Lopez
Brody Garcia
When video games
first came out, they were seen
and sold as children's toys
fun games you could play on
your television and nothing
more. So as time progressed
and the medium of video
games began to change and
people started to see what
video games could do, they
were startled by what they
saw because their vision of
video games, a cute kid sitting
on the floor and staring at
the screen, was challenged...
The graphic images seen
in Mortal Kombat shocked
people even though it was
just pixels on a screen and
didn’t even look real. So how
is it that almost 50 YEARS
later people can’t see video
games with a clear head?
Simply
put
it's
because
they’ve
been
conditioned to think that
people that play games are
a damaged and fractured
minority that lives in their
mother's basement. They
think they’re still games for
children and should not
be violent because a child
may play it. Now I hate
to break your facade of a
reality but that’s like saying
there shouldn’t be violent
pictures, art, movies, or
books. It's all just a form
of art...It's time for people
to grow up and realize that
just like movies and tv these
games have ratings and
sometimes that means that it
requires a bit of supervision.
People see that
someone who shot up a
school played video games
and jump all over it as
a cause or outlet for his
madness. Frankly, that's just
not true and if you think
that, you are, to be as blunt
as possible, stupid and
ignorant. If everyone that
played video games was of an
unstable mental health and
needed to be sheltered and
guarded then there would
be a lot more incidents and
chances are you would have
suffered from them directly
because everyone around
you plays video games.
The only reason
people have that thought
is because you kill people
in video games. I’m not
going to say that's not true
because like so many others
I have killed millions of
aliens, clowns, dolls and
zombies...I’ve played hours
of Mortal Kombat and the
‘graphic’ image of killing
someone still has an effect on
me, but other times it's lost.
Why is there a disconnect
when I kill someone in a
video game, why do I not
feel remorse or guilt, am I a
psychopath? Nope...Here's
how it works: I pull the trigger
and whatever is in front of
me no longer is, this could be
a wall, a car, or a person....I’m
not desensitized to real life
violence but I am to video
game violence because I
understand it's not real. I’m
not killing a real person, but
the image of one and that
image has only grown more
accurate. However there's
still more, more that the
naive don’t see. Every game
is a puzzle, a challenge, that
connects to the primal part
of your brain. When you’re
playing a video game, from
the simple Bejeweled to Call
of Duty or Pac-Man, you’re
brain rewards you....That's
why everyone is playing them,
from the most hardcore to
the simplest grandma playing
a game on facebook...That
word [gamers] no longer
has a special connotation
to describe a minority
group but is a broad term
that lumps everyone that
plays
games
together.
Yet ‘gamer’ still
evokes the image of a no
life twenty year old to the
oblivious. They think that
video games are something
that we get addicted to can’t
stop playing, something that
creeps into our brain and
steals our time as it tells us
to play them and forget
about our more important
work. Now ask yourself,
how is this any different than
books or television. Video
games aren’t some special
drug media that ensnares its
buyers, they just have fun
with them....It's a hobby, not
an addiction, pleasure not
misery....Is staying up late at
night with your friends online
any different than when
you stay up late at a club?...
Video games are
here to stay and if you think
they’re some kind of devil
media then you’re going to
be disappointed when you’re
not the one playing them.
They’re changing medicine
with devices like the Kinect
and influencing TV and
movies with new innovations
like VR. They’re not a new
way to enjoy yourself, just
more adult, and like movies
and books there a certain
games for certain people and
age groups. And just because
you see them as a minority
doesn’t mean they’re not
in every crevice of your
life and surround you in
the form of anyone that
plays a video game. You’re
just to blind to see them.
This article has been edited
for brevity. To view the
full version, go to cugr.org
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News
The Cougar Press
Page Four
Tick Tock on Kesha’s Career
Ryan Velasco
Pop and now country
artist Ke$ha, after two albums
with her producer Dr. Luke,
has sued him for alleged
sexual assault and battery,
sexual harassment, gender
violence, emotional abuse,
and violation of a signed tenyear music deal. Last month,
New York Supreme Court
Justice Shirley Kornreich
ruled against Kesha’s request.
This brought tears to the
artist’s eyes during the ruling,
and fans, along with fellow
celebrities, were furious.
Social media began
to blow up around the issue,
protesting that Kesha should
be set free from her music
studio contract with Dr. Luke
(tagged with #FreeKesha).
Kesha entered rehab for a
eating disorder back in 2014.
The main person to blame,
according to Kesha and her
mother, is producer Dr. Luke.
According to TMZ.com,
Kesha had told her friends
that Dr. Luke was bashing her
about her weight and calling
her a “big, fat refrigerator.”
The
Hollywood
Reporter website states,
“Taylor Swift announced
that went through what
I’ve been through suffer.”
Recently
on
March 10, 2016, Sony has
announced they would be
letting music producer Dr.
Luke out of his contract early.
When asked about
Kesha’s situation, sophomore
Amy Maxwell says, “Honestly,
I’m on Kesha’s side even
that she will donate $250,000 with Carson Daly, “I feel though I don’t know much
to her cause, and many like she’s being very publicly about it, but if someone is
for
something raping her...obviously I’ll
celebrities and musicians shamed
— as well as fans — have that happens in the music be on Kesha’s side. I think
pledged their support.” industry all the time, to Sony needs to be shut down
Pop singer Lady women and men. I just want because that’s crazy to do that
Gaga commented on Los to stand by her side because to someone. I like how Adele
Angeles’s 97.1 AMP Radio I can’t watch another woman helped support Kesha.”
Senior Laurent Beauregard
says, “I believe that
women are suppressed,
and especially that famous
women aren’t getting the
recognition for things like
this that they need and the
media is suppressing it by
saying it doesn’t matter.”
Photo by: Ryan Velasco
Brock Little Passes Away After a Succesful Surfing Career
Photo from: Vimeo.com
Lacey Girardin
As many of you
know by now, heaven has
gained one of the most
famous and talented surfers
out there. Brock Little passed
away on Feb. 18, at age 48,
due to severe liver cancer.
Little was born in
1967 in Napa, California. At
age 3, Little and his family
moved to Haleiwa, Hawaii,
and later, at the age of
seven, Little began surfing.
Surfer Brock Little died at the
age of 48, on Feb. 18, 2016.
Growing up, his reputation
rapidly started expanding.
At age 19, he finished
fourth in the Eddie event,
and a couple years later,
he came in second place
in the prestigious contest.
He had extreme
passion for his sport and
made the best out of every
situation. Little was always
known for what he lived for
-- surfing. He was also a very
risk-taking individual in his
younger days, jumping off
cliffs and bridges and driving
insanely fast. Pretty much
anything wild, Little would
do it. He lived life to its fullest
and was always laughing
wherever the waves took him.
After
getting
a
divorce with his wife, Little
began drinking heavily.
Before the big cancer
announcement hit surface
on social media, he told his
friends he was supposed
to have died 10 or 12 times
already, and he was surprised
and blessed to have made it
this far. Once he found out he
only had weeks of life left, he
accepted it and did not let the
fear of death bring him down.
Little’s passing not
only had a tragic impact on his
family, but on the people who
looked up to him as a hero,
idol, or even a best friend as
well. Forever in our hearts,
rest in peace Brock Little.
An Apple a Day Keeps the FBI Away
such technology would
open a “Pandora’s box,”
Guest Writer
leaving customers’ personal
In recent weeks, the information vulnerable to
dispute between Apple and hackers and other parties.
the FBI has raised numerous Cook argues that
concerns with the American the only way to accomplish
public. In the aftermath of what the FBI is asking
the San Bernadino shooting, would be to create a “back
the FBI has requested that door” that bypasses security
Apple build a new operating measures, technology that
system that would allow could easily fall into the
them to access data from wrong hands. FBI Director
the shooter’s iPhone. Apple James Comey asserts that
has cooperated thus far, the request is for one phone
granting the FBI access to and one phone only, despite
all available data including the fact that there are 175
the phone’s most recent locked phones involved in
iCloud backups; however, ongoing investigations in
Apple CEO Tim Cook is the state of New York alone.
hesitant to comply with the Controversy
has
request to unlock the phone, taken hold not only in
claiming
that
creating government settings but in
Avalon Condzella
resistance and working on
increasing their privacy
technology.
Complying
with the requests would
also have a serious impact,
and considering that the
United States is not the
only (or even the largest)
market that Apple caters
to, the decision will have
implications internationally.
Apple
currently
Photo by: Max Ginchereau
maintains
servers
in
public settings as well. Many No matter which countries such as China and
Americans feel strongly way the verdict falls, this case Russia while maintaining
about the right of privacy is bound to set a precedent encryption so that none of
versus that of security. going forward. According the data from its products
Others disagree. Foothill to “The Guardian,” other can be accessed by the
senior Keaton Dadigan technology
companies government. One of Cook’s
says, “I feel that Apple such as Twitter, Facebook, fears is that granting the U.S.
should be forced to give Google, WhatsApp, and access would be immediately
the FBI any info regarding Snapchat are all currently followed by requests from
future terrorist attacks.” taking cues from Apple’s these countries for the same.
Foothill senior and
Ventura varsity swim
team captain Keaton
Dadigan comments, “I
feel that Apple should
be forced to give the FBI
any info regarding future
terrorist attacks.”
Sports
The Cougar Press
Page Five
Boys’ Tennis Is Raising a Racket
Shae Lawson
It’s that time of the
year again. It’s the time for
the “elite Channel League
powerhouse” that is the
Ventura
High
School’s
boys’ tennis team to take
the courts once again.
Beginning in midFebruary, the boys laced
up their shoes and began
practicing in order to
dominate their match against
Moorpark on March 2. The
boys, as expected, won 11-7 in
Photos by: Shae Lawson
Catch the boys’ tennis team as they play
against Buena on April 7th, at 3:00 p.m.
Freshman
Drew
Worthy
serves the
ball in his
match.
their match. Junior Won Jong
and freshman Drew Worthy
both won two single sets.
Sophomores Daniel Brackett
and Dylan Morales won two
double sets. They continued
to win their next three
matches by generous margins.
Junior and three-year
tennis player Dylan Hubert
shared with The Cougar
Press, “I’m just so proud of
my team. We hit the weights
hard this season and it’s
paying off. We fully expect
to win every match this
season. For me, it would be
a disappointment if I am not
playing in the French Open
by the end of the year.”
The boys’ tennis
team is very confident this
year, so catch them at their
home match against Buena
on April 7th at 3:00 p.m.
Their next match is today,
March 18, against Hart, here
at Ventura High. The match
will begin at 3:00 p.m. at
the tennis courts. Support
your Cougar boys, put on
some gold, and attend!
VHS Baseball Is a Hit
games, they’ve battled tough
pitchers and hard hitters,
swaying back and forth
Ventura’s
boys’ between wins and losses.
The team, however, is
baseball team is looking forward to its goal of a in high spirits for its upcoming
winning record this year with season. “I think we’ll be better
the help of a new coach who than last years team. Preseason
has been pushing them hard was tough but we’re ready,”
for success. According to the junior Michael Stewart said.
team, Coach John McMullen The team is only graduating
Holmes has been an inspiring three seniors this year; it
new asset and a major mainly consists of juniors.
For such a young
benefit to Ventura’s program. T h r o u g h o u t team, the boys seem to be
preseason this year, the team doing a great job at keeping
has been working hard for a up with the competition,
season worth remembering, earning a record of 2-3 so
and it’s almost here! In their far, and competing against
first couple of preseason difficult teams such as Simi
Kyleigh Stolla
Valley, Calabasas, and Quartz
Hill. Their upcoming game
is this Saturday against
Knight at home, and the first
home game is next week on
Tuesday, March 22 against
Santa Barbara, a team who has
had a reputation in past years
of being tough competition.
“We are doing pretty
good, we just don’t always turn
it on. It’ll be a good season,
we just need to work hard,”
Stewart concluded, excited for
the season to begin. It sounds
like this will be a good year to
be a Cougar baseball fan, so
grab your baseball caps and
come support boys’ baseball
next week on Tuesday!
Senior Jayden Metz
winds up to pitch a ball
in the Ventura varsity
baseball game last week.
Photo by: Marco Medina
Track Shreds the Competition
Max Ginchereau
Last Saturday, March
12, Ventura Track and Field
hosted over 20 schools at the
Ventura Invite. This meet,
with over 1000 athletes,
showcased the depth of
talent on all levels of the
team. Not only did both the
boys and girls varsity squads
win the team championships,
the frosh/soph teams took
home the titles as well.
Some of the stand
out individual performances
included Chris Lawry’s
pole vault personal record
of 15 feet, which slayed
the competition, Alisa
Houston’s 400m dash,
and
Garrett
Reynolds
dominating run in the
1600m leg of the Distance
Medley Relay.
Other
Photos by: Abel Guitron
Varsity competitor and senior Chris
Lawry pole vaulting at the tri-meet
against Valencia and Saugus.
members of the boys varsity
DMR included seniors Adan
Cruz and Ryan Stevens,
and junior Spencer Cefalu.
Senior varsity sprinter Ryan Stevens
preparing to race in the varsity 4x100.
This meet was one
of the first of the season
with
assistant distance
coach Doug Petree stating
“This meet has been the
first opportunity for our
team to really show what
it can do and sets the tone
for a successful season.”
Reflecting on the events that
night, junior Nick Randazzo
comments, “After seeing
the way we ran I have high
expectations for the rest of
the meets to come.” Track
is positively humming with
good vibes, filling everyone
with hope for a great year.
On Campus
The Cougar Press
Page Six
The Guide to Becoming a (Cougar) Coach
a career in coaching.
For girls’ varsity
basketball coach Edward
So you want to
Pacula, his situation just
be a coach. Do you feel
happened to be destiny.
compelled to help coach
When asked how he became
students and get them to
a coach, he recalled, “I was
excel at what they do? Or,
asked by Coach Larson to
maybe you have the desire
coach many moons ago.”
to coach at a professional or
In his case, he was in the
semi-professional level after
right place at the right time.
you learn the ropes on a high
“I always wanted
school level. This article
to become a coach since
will hopefully help make the education, or physiology. recommended). 2) Get I was a freshman in high
decision a little bit easier. Having a degree in fields like some coaching experience school….Three years after
There are virtually these help make life easier somewhere. 3) Become high school I coached
no
requirements
for for getting the coaching an assistant. 4) Obtain a football and soccer at
becoming a high school job, but it is also required certification for coaching. Rio Mesa, and ever since
coach: there are no specific if that person wants to be 5) Advance in the field. I have coached soccer
education
requirements, a teacher as well as a coach. These are all opinions and for 26 years,” says varsity
but many coaches have There
are
five a ground floor blueprint soccer coach Todd Tackett.
a bachelor’s degree in simple steps to being a for starting off as a coach, The values Ventura
sports science, exercise, coach. 1) Earn a bachelor’s but there are many other High’s coaches have are
kinesiology, fitness, physical degree
(optional,
but ways not listed to launch second to none. The general
Brandon Larimer
Photo by: Brandon Larimer
According to
girls’ JV basketball
coach Edward
Pacula, “I was
asked by Coach
Larson to coach
many moons ago.”
consensus of the coaches
of the school is exactly what
it should be -- they strive
to coach like they teach
and to help students grow
as athletes as they increase
their skills and knowledge
of the sport they play. Most
coaches hold values that
get their athletes to respect
and admire them enough
to have a passion to do
well and a drive to achieve
greatness when learning
things beyond the basics of
being an athlete. “I have
the values that my high
school coach had,” Tackett
continues, “the values
of being a responsible
citizen, the values of
teamwork, and individually
taking care of yourself to
build a winning attitude.”
Powderpuff Is Powering Up
Laurel Dudek
The ladies of Ventura
High School are lacing up
their cleats and putting on
their jerseys for this year’s
Powderpuff
tournament
against Ventura’s long-time
rival Buena. The Ventura
Powderpuff
teams
are
separated into smaller varsity
and junior varsity teams that
are each planning to play
the Bulldogs in late April.
The varsity team,
consisting purely of senior
girls, is coached by a
host of Ventura football
alumni including seniors
Carter Woodruff, Jackson
Steiner,
Austin
Litten,
Zach Sourwine, and Tyler
Smith,
among
others.
These
devoted
coaches and athletes have
been practicing weekly in
the quad for several hours
on Mondays, Wednesdays,
and Thursdays, and will
continue to do so until the
showdown, set for April
29 at Buena. According to
Steiner, all the team’s hard
work in practice “speaks for
itself.” He also comments,
Varsity Powderpuff sets up to a run a play at practice.
“We’ve been running a lot.”
Senior Lina Ajao
predicts, “I think our
team will do really well.”
Coach Tyler Smith similarly
anticipates “complete and
total domination… [Buena’s]
not going to have a chance.”
Not
only
have
the girls been progressing
quickly in learning the game’s
technique,
they’re
also
enjoying themselves. Senior
Jackie Arroyo comments,
Photo by: Laurel Dudek
“I’m always excited for
practice. It’s good to see all
the progress week by week.”
The
Cougar
Powderpuff team and coaches
will continue their hard work
in the hopes of victory.
Chalk Festival: All It’s Chalked Up to Be
grass bordering Catalina
Street, talented art students
have had an opportunity
to show off their creative
The
beautiful skills to the public during
Ventura sun was shining an annual event known
all over the gorgeous as the Chalk Festival.
In the festival, a
artwork drawn by the student
or a small group of
students of Ventura High
School this past Tuesday students are either asked or
and Wednesday. For these assigned a picture to draw
couple of days on the with chalk. Some art pieces
Natalia Valentini
and
Lacey Girardin
this year depicted the ocean,
sea animals, musical artists,
and well-known figures
from different cultures.
Throughout
the
school day, students and
their classes were welcome
to walk outside to explore
the process as pictures were
recreated and created with
only chalk and a simple
piece of paper. Walking
down the steps towards the
statue near Ventura High’s
entrance, the colorful and
bright chalk colors seen on
art piece after art piece were
astonishing to the human
eye and simply beautiful.
A
handful
of
the art pieces have been
sold to either students
or anyone who wishes
to
purchase
them.
These committed art
students represent Ventura
High in such a wonderful
manner and their true
talent has clearly erupted
from their chalk-covered
hands onto the pavements
of Ventura High. This
yearly festival cannot be
described through words;
luckily, a picture is worth
a thousand of them.
Food Faire/Sadies
The Cougar Press
Page Seven
Food faire photos by: Tori St. Joseph
Junior Amber Dowler
assisting students at the
ASB burger station.
This year’s second Food Faire was on March 10, 2016. The annual
event is held to help clubs raise money to buy things like T-shirts or
to go on field trips. At Food Faire, students could purchase everything
from burgers to tacos to rootbeer floats to Shirly Temples.
Seniors Prabjot Singh and
Sierra Conboy enjoy their
last Food Faire together
at Ventura High School.
Spanish teacher Raul Rubalcava
with senior Amy Landeros at
the MECHA taco station.
Dance photos by: Jasmine Tuzak
Ventura High School hosted a Sadie Hawkins dance for
the first time since the 2012/13 school year. The dance was
held on March 4, 2016 and went on from 9:30 to 11:30.
Junior Thomas Welsh
pleases the crowd at
the Sadies dance.
Seniors Liam
McGowan and Erica
Riley enjoy a dance
at the Sadies dance.
Juniors Jordan Neria and Sophie
Dahlstedt enjoying each other’s
company throughout the night.
Seniors Bridget Maynez and
Shannon Fey take a moment
away from the crowd.
Little Women
The Cougar Press
Page Eight
Photos by: Shae Lawson
Laurie swears his greatest oath
of loyalty to the March sisters.
Laurie has a meaningful
conversation with Jo.
Mr. Laurence, portrayed by junior
Max Breschard, demands Beth
continue what she was playing.
Sophomore Daniel
Brackett, as Laurie,
tries to convince Jo
to dance with him.
Meg and John Brooke,
played by sophomore
Amanda Malotte
and freshman Louis
Santia, share a warm,
heartfelt embrace.
Senior Ciara
Montemayor (right)
as Beth March tells
sophomore Amanda
Malotte (left) as
Meg March that Mr.
Laurence has just
invited Beth to play
his piano.
This year’s spring musical,
put on by the Ventura High
School Theatre Department,
was Little Women. The show
dates were March 10, 11,
12, 13, 17. The last two
shows will be tonight and
tomorrow night in the main
auditorium starting at 7:00
p.m. Tickets are $6 for
students and $9 for adults.
Sophomore Courtney Caldwell, as Mrs.
Kirk, and senior Jack Nothwang, as
Professor Bhaer, listen to Jo read her story.
Rodrigo, portrayed by senior Stephen Russell, appears in magnificent
splendor to fight evil villian Braxton, played by junior Xander Young.
Little Women
The Cougar Press
Page Nine
Characters in Jo’s
operatic tragedy open
the second act with
“Weekly Volcano Press.”
Jo, Amy, Laurie, Meg, and Beth
(left to right) declare Laurie the
brother they never had.
Senior Claire Winch as Jo
March hard at work in her
attic, writing a story.
Marmee comforts
Jo after Jo finds
out her story has
been burned.
Senior Gabby Stefany
Marmee advising her
daughters, Meg and
Amy, to behave while
she is away.
Amy, portrayed by sophomore
Riley Conrad, hugs Laurie in
excitement over his initiation as
their brother.
Meg, Beth, and
Laurie urge Jo
to forgive Amy.
Feeling left out and
forgotten, Amy yells at Jo.
Aunt March, portrayed by senior Erin Mihalka, scolds Jo for cutting her
hair to make money for her mother’s trip.
The villianous aristocrat, Braxton Prendergast, lurches
for Clarissa, senior Erica Riley, in Jo’s operatic tragedy.
Chalk Festival
The Cougar Press
Page Ten
Sophomore Brook
Ortiz works on
her magnificient
multicolor portrait.
Photos by: Abel Guitron
Each year, the art classes at Ventura
High put on the Chalk Festival in hopes
of raising money for art supplies. This
year, the festival fell on March 15 and
16. Students worked tirelessly and
created amazing pieces of art.
Sophomore Coral
Monahan shades in
the background of
her Little Mermaid
masterpiece.
Senior Kaelyn
Yankovich works
alongside two
friends to complete
a canyon river
landscape.
Sophomore
Ezri Brannon
takes over for
senior Jon
McHale.
Junior Izzie
Clark adds green
accent marks to
the wave in her
sunset drawing.
Senior Izzy
Ospina
shades in
green leaves
in her chalk
drawing of
Frida Khalo.
Junior Amber Dowler
works on her project
with younger sister
Brianna Dowler.
Senior Shannon
Fey colors in the
sky of her sunset
chalk drawing.
Arts & Entertainment
The Cougar Press
Page Eleven
Local VHS Band, As Tides Turn, Hits the Stage
Jacob Lee
Ventura has a very
interesting music scene,
and in the summer of
2015, a new band formed
called As Tides Turn. Two
of the band’s members go
to Ventura High School,
seniors Cristian Renteria
and Chris Janes. Janes plays
guitar, while Renteria is on
vocals. Their genre of music
is deathcore, a fusion of
metalcore breakdowns and
Luck,” “The Second One,”
“™ 66,” and “Angler Fish.”
They are new to
the music scene and have
already been taken under the
wing of the local Foothill
This logo
Tech-based band Half Past
represents
the Revolution. You can get
the acronym
more updates from their
of As Tides
Instagram or Facebook,
Turn, ATT.
@astidesturn. If you like
bands such as Whitechapel,
death metal riffs and vocals. So far, they have their first EP, which will be All Shall Perish, Bring Me
The vocals are guttural played three shows at Rock released this summer. The the Horizon, For Today,
growls not common in the City Studios in Camarillo. EP will feature the songs or Parkway Drive, you
mainstream music scene. Currently, they are recording called “Dead Men Have No will definitely enjoy them.
Edit by: Chris Janes
Watch iZombie for Crime-Fighting Zombie Action
End The Weeknd
zombie and must live her
life completely changed.
Now, this isn’t the
normal zombie show. The
zombies aren’t moping
around, dragging their feet
behind them, and begging
for brains. They live
among humans, they act
like humans, and they even
experience human feelings.
The only difference is their
pale skin and hair color,
and their need to eat brains.
With every bite
of brain that goes into
Moore’s mouth, she takes
in all the previous owner’s
feelings and some of their
personality. When she
eats the brains of murder
than that he can’t feel his
face, it would still be awful.
After making myself listen
Where
do
I to this guy for the sake of
even start with this guy? this review, I completely hate
Since this is supposed myself. How is it even possible
to be a review about the music to misspell “weekend?”
Junior Spencer Cefalu
The Weeknd makes, I’ll try to stick to that, but it is hard said the following when
not to take points off for the asked about the artist: “The
name. His song “I’m Good” first time I listened to the
has honestly some of the most Weeknd I had a strange urge
trash lyrics I have ever heard. to jump off a bridge.” Now,
The way auto-tune makes if you are still not convinced,
his voice sound is absolutely just look at a picture of his
revolting. For real, why would hair. Can someone please
you ever do this to your ears? start a petition for him to
Another nice piece cut it all off for charity?
Please, just spare
of garbage that he has made is called “Can’t Feel My Face.” yourself the pain, and
If you could even understand go listen to something
what he was saying, other decent, like Nickelback.
Tatum Martin
In this era, zombie
shows, zombie movies,
zombie anything, seems to
be the big hype. This trend
includes “The Walking
Dead,”
“Zombieland,”
“World War Z,” “Warm
Bodies,”
and
most
recently,
“iZombie.”
“iZombie”
stars
Rose McIver as Liv Moore,
an assistant at a medical
examiner’s office, who
attends a party and witnesses
a zombie outbreak. Waking
up in a body bag and
rising from the dead, she
finds she has become a
victims, she gets flashbacks
of their murder. As a result,
she begins to use her new
abilities to help a local police
officer and friend solve
local murders. However,
the police force does not
know she is a zombie; they
believe she is a psychic.
Each
episode
has a new story with
a
murder-mystery/
crime-fighting story line.
“iZombie”
first
aired on The CW on Nov.
15, 2015 and it quickly
became a hit. With two
seasons on Netflix, I
recommend it to anyone
who
enjoys
mysteries
and some zombie action.
Max Ginchereau
A New Generation of Wildcats
dreams crashed with the
announcement of a new cast,
with new characters, and a
Our biggest and whole new story. I mean, is
wildest childhood dream has it really High School Musical
finally come true: High School FOUR if the entire plot and
Musical 4 is real and it is characters are not the same?
High School Musical
happening -- but don’t get too excited yet. For years, we have was the epitome of our
been expecting and hoping childhoods. We all sang along
for the triumphant return of to the songs, idolized the
Troy Bolton and Gabriella characters, and wished we
Montez and their adventures could be Gabriella and have a
in college, and honestly, it Troy Bolton of our own. The
was the perfect idea. With original High School Musical
the recent announcement movies became a classic for
of High School Musical 4, our generation, and although
people were buzzing about creating a new set of movies
Zac Efron returning to with fresh faces could become
the Disney spotlight as our iconic to the newer generation
favorite
basketball/singer (and give me another chance
stud, but our hopes and to be Gabriella), continuing
Sarah Mehrnia
the series without the same
characters ruins the story
that we cherished as kids. I
have always thought that if
the movies were going to
be continued, they should
keep the same characters
and actors, or not try to
recreate or continue them
at all (unless I was cast as
Gabriella again, of course).
Although the new
movie could burn in the eyes
of the fans of the original
movies, it could become
beloved by a new generation of
kids who didn’t grow up living
and loving the story of Troy
Bolton and Gabriella Montez.
High School Musical 4 could
become as iconic for them
as the first three were for us.
“I think they should
take their own advice
and ‘stick to the status
quo’ and the ‘stuff
they know,’” states
junior Lindsay Clark.
Photo by: Sarah Mehrnia
Opinion
The Cougar Press
Page Twelve
Justice for Kesha: Workplace Harassment
fighting this legal battle, she
was denied a preliminary
injunction by New York
Supreme Court Justice
Shirley Kornreich (fuse.tv).
As a result, she cannot sign
with a new label, which
puts her career at stake.
Regardless
of
Madeline Nathaus
whether or not you
respect her as an artist, her
In October of 2014, situation mirrors unfair
Kesha Rose Sebert, known and misogynistic situations
as Ke$ha, the iconic pop that have been present in
star, sued her producer, the workplace for a long
Lukasz Gottwald, of Sony, time. Her circumstances
for sexual assault and are
unfortunately
not
verbal abuse (vulture.com). uncommon. As reported
Just last month, after by
huffingtonpost.com,
nearly a year and a half of “American
employees
reported 36,500 rapes
and sexual assaults in
the workplace between
1993 and 1999... In the
2013 fiscal year alone,
workers filed more than
10,000 sexual harassment
charges...and four in five
of those who came forward
were
women.”
These
are terrifying statistics.
Harassment
and
assault in the workplace
typically leave the victim
with two options: report
the incident in hopes that
the perpetrator will be
punished, or stay quiet
about the incident. With
the first option, there is a
possibility that there will
not be enough evidence
to convict the harasser/
assaulter, and so the victim
risks damaging their own
reputation or even chance
being fired. With the second
option, the victim may stay
quiet in hopes of keeping
their job and maintaining
their reputation, but still
risk continual harassment.
Even when harassment/
assault is reported, the
perpetrator
still
may
not be found guilty, like
in
Kesha’s
situation.
Women
and
men alike should not
be forced to work with
their torturers, and yet
we are constantly seeing
acceptance of workplace
sexual harassment, most
commonly in the form
of catcalls and unwanted
flirting, which is a precursor
to more extreme offenses.
At what point will we realize
that the unfair workplace
treatment will not end
until we hold the harasser/
assailant
responsible
for their inappropriate
actions and punish them?
We need justice for
Kesha, and justice for the
thousands of others who
are sexually harassed and
assaulted in the workplace.
L a d i e s D o n ’t N e e d S a d i e s
glance, this function seems
progressive in promoting
equal opportunity among
both males and females.
However, the subversive
mask the event wears relies
on ideals that are outdated.
Sadies
is
not
Laurel Dudek
considered a normal dance
like prom or homecoming,
High school dances because the emphasis is
and the traditions surrounding specifically placed upon the
them often serve as a useful girls asking the guys. For this to
tool to gauge an area’s culture. be considered irregular, it must
This lends an interesting be assumed that the norm is
perspective when examining for a girl to get asked and a boy
the Sadie Hawkins dance, to do the asking. In this strange
the role-reversing event manner, the act of defining a
that centers around the girls specific time and place for a
asking out the guys. At first girl to ask a boy out actually
enforces the very gender
roles it seems to go against.
This is an interesting
ideal to be floating around a
relatively progressive school
like Ventura. Many girls ask
boys to the annual dances such
as prom and homecoming, but
girls being asked to Sadies is a
rarity. Though it’s subtle, the
idea that the girls have to take
the initiative this one time tells
the ladies that they can only
assert themselves under certain
circumstances. Similarly, it’s
suggested to boys that they
must always be dominant in
social settings. This dance relies
on the stereotypical couple:
the sweet, docile girl and the
strong, independent boy.
Regular
dances
have grown out of the
heteronormative mold in recent
years, and it is increasingly
commonplace for a nonheterosexual couple to attend
together (although things
can grow more complicated
for these couples when they
are forced to confront the
parameters of the dance.) In
a non-traditional relationship,
questions are raised as to who
does the asking. Following
this question, a couple must
confront the conflicts of
social acceptance: does each
member of the relationship
have to represent a more
stereotypical male or female
role in order to function in
society? There is no harm
in raising these questions,
but when customs dictate
the structure of a proper
relationship, even subtly, it
can become a dangerous
environment for those who
fall outside the lines drawn
It’s simple: we don’t
need Sadie’s anymore. No
gender needs permission
to interact respectfully with
someone simply because
it’s out of the norm. Go
where you want, with who
you want, when you want.
Something as trivial as a
dance shouldn’t change that.
Tackling Sexism in America’s Favorite Sport
and authorized by assistant
principal Charles Cornwell
called “Powderpuff,” an
appropriately girly name to
reflect the single game of flag
football these girls get to play.
The question is, why
Delanie Pence
don’t we have an opportunity
to play “real football” against
It’s true that in an other willing girls? With
almost laughable attempt to proper training and coaching,
avoid sexism in the football many girls at this school
program, girls are permitted would be more than capable
to try out for our school’s of playing tackle football like
football team with a slim their male peers. This situation
chance of actually playing can be compared to Ventura
(especially since kicker is hypothetically having a boys’
about the only position a girl basketball team where girls
would even be considered were permitted to try out,
for). However, there is also a but could also participate in
team on campus run by junior a less aggressive girls’ game
and ASB member Elle Gaston where players are unable to
touch each other and have
to skip down the court.
With all the advances
that have been made for
women’s athletics, it is
interesting that no one has
taken the initiative to make
girls’ football more widely
accepted. Even if the school
is not prepared to take on
this huge project just yet,
we should work on making
our flag football team into
a league by getting more
schools on board so we can
have more than one game.
The girls and the
coaches invest a lot of time
and deserve to play more
than once. According to
Cornwell and principal Carlos
Cohen, the program brings
in a considerable amount of
money and the players have
showed their dedication year
after year; this year more girls
have signed up to play than
in almost all other previous
years. All we would need is
a qualified head coach and
sufficient training to be able
to play under CIF rules.
Cornwell comments,
“[The girls] play so hard and
give it 110% so every year., I’ve
always wondered why we can’t
have a league. And it’s not about
money, the girls bring in plenty
of money... I would be more
than happy to help [them].”
The program makes enough
money that it would cover
all the projected expenses.
Gaston, who plays
on the junior varsity team,
comments, “I think it is
ridiculous. It pretty much
implies that girls aren’t as tough
as boys. It’s sexist. With the
right protective gear, we could
be just as tough as boys. We
just aren’t given the chance.”
Senior and varsity
player Jackie Mellring agrees:
“I think it would be really cool
if girls were allowed to play
football. It’s unfair that we don’t
get the same opportunity.”
It’s time that girls
are given real opportunities
to
prove
themselves.
Powderpuff is a very fun
activity, but it is more of a
way to let us stand out on the
field and feel special instead
actually treating us equally.
Opinion
The Cougar Press
Page Thirteen
Don’t Just See in Red and Blue,Vote Green
Sarah Mehrnia
&
Delanie Pence
With the outcome of
the recent election primaries
and the likely nominees coming
to light, Americans across the
nation are worried about the
future of our country. Donald
Trump and Hillary Clinton
are the front-runners in the
race so far, and the most likely
candidates to go head-to-head
in the November election.
With Clinton and Trump in
the lead, American voters
are conflicted on who they
should vote for and whether
they should vote at all.
Trump, notorious for his bold
statements and biting remarks,
is gaining massive support
that seems to be worrying
the GOP and Democrats
alike. Hillary Clinton, former
Secretary of State and wife
to former president Bill
Clinton, has created a layer
of suspicion around her
campaign. Considering her
e-mail scandal and false
promises to the Democratic
Party, Americans are unsure if
she can be trusted, especially
as our next president.
With all of this
confusion, it is important
not to rule out the other, less
advertised and funded parties
and independent candidates.
A lesser known third-party
candidate may be the solution
to the Trump vs. Clinton
decision that voters are
facing. Political parties have
been a tricky subject since the
founding of our country, and
George Washington himself
warned of the consequences
of having such a dominant
divide. Jill Stein, a third party
candidate in this year’s election,
believes that solutions to
problems are blocked by
these parties because they
support
the
“corporate
elite, not the people.”
Dr. Jill Stein is
a mother, a physician, a
pioneering
environmental
health advocate, and a Green
Party presidential candidate.
Although she is an extremely
liberal candidate, her views
correspond with the majority
of the common middle class.
A pro-choice advocate of
LGBT rights, Stein appeals
to Republicans who feel as
if their party is too harsh
or unreasonable on those
topics. She argues that the
dominant political parties
blame each other for the
nation’s problems, yet both
support the establishment.
Stein’s objective is to stop
large corporations and the
top 1 percent and to find a
way to fix an economy that
does not provide for the vast
majority. When it comes to
ISIS, she feels that fighting
terrorism is an oxymoron,
and that the situation should
be approached peacefully,
but makes it clear that peace
is not passive, and she
will take necessary action
to ensure that funding to
terrorist groups is cut off.
Yes, promoting a third
party candidate is idealistic
and a seemingly far-fetched
goal, but raising awareness for
parties that don’t receive the
same attention and support
from corporations, the media,
and the nation as a whole is
extremely important. The
majority of Americans do not
always agree with the extreme
views of the two major
political parties and with only
two options, it sometimes
feels as if you are having to
pick your poison. As a voter,
if you have a wider spectrum
of policies and opinions to
choose from, you are more
inclined to vote knowing you
are being well represented.
America needs a leader that
represents the common
people, not a marionette
being controlled by the private
agendas of the industry
that is political parties.
*All
information
and facts from http://
w w w. o n t h e i s s u e s .
org/Jill_Stein.htm
President or Shape-Shifter? Ask Russia
Max Ginchereau
They are among
us, and there is a very real
possibility that our President
is one of them. Humanreptile hybrids are slowly
but surely taking over
our planet by disguising
themselves as people and
becoming world leaders.
The main intent of
these reptilian aliens is to
enslave the human race, while
also stealing our valuable
resources like butter, low fat
milk, and sports cars. While
the reptoids are all over the
world, the focus of this
article is President Obama.
According to the
website Russian Insider,
the Kremlin has done an
exhaustive study of Obama
and has concluded that
due to the way Obama
licks his sorbet rather than
eating it with a spoon, he
is indeed a space lizard.
Now, you may have
noticed that I said space
lizard; that’s right, he is no
normal lizard, he is a freaking
space lizard. That means that
he has superior shape-shifting
abilities and mind control
techniques, once again studies
provided by Russian Insider.
The irony of these studies
done by Russians is that they
are clearly sponsored by
another scaly overlord known
as Vladimir Putin. It is clear
that there is a lot of tension
between different lizard clans
around the world, even among
those ruling our own country.
You are probably familiar
with the main two sects in our
country, calling themselves
Democrats and Republicans.
When I went to talk
to fellow students about the
topic, I was very worried when
our own senior class president,
Cristian Walk, stated, “This is
complete nonsense, the only
reptile who is running for
president is Bernie Sanders.”
It appears that the lizard
infiltration is deeper than
anyone could have predicted,
leaking all the way to our own
student government. Senior
Jacob Martinez has a much
different opinion: “I really
want to believe that Obama is
being truthful with us, but after
seeing the evidence it would be
close-minded of me to ignore
his reptilian resemblance.”
Another
study
published by The Wire
showed that only 4 percent of
Americans believe Obama is a
reptile, and I can only assume
the other 96 percent are being
actively brainwashed by the
alien invaders. Many people
in our community are also
aware of the threat, people
such as junior Dylan Hubert,
who has been brave enough
to say, “There is absolutely
no doubt in my mind that
shape-shifting lizard elites
control every aspect of the
world that we live in.” Its
time to wake up America.
The Moon Landing Was Faked
for the American people,
however, space is the most
hostile environment known
to man. The chances of
humans being able to
survive are pretty much
non-existent. The evidence
presented against the moon
Devin Nordeng
landing is overwhelming in
comparison to the paper Many
Americans thin explanations provided.
believe that the moon landing The first thing that
was a great accomplishment raises questions regarding
the integrity of the Apollo
11 mission is the way the
flag is shown to react in a
vacuum environment. In
the pictures of Buzz Aldrin
and Neil Armstrong you
can see the flag rippling in
the breeze. This is totally
preposterous due to the
lack of any molecules
capable of moving the flag.
Multiple light sources
can clearly be observed
in the images that NASA
released. Shadows going in
every direction should be
a pretty good sign to the
American people that it was
faked. The people that faked
the pictures were clearly
terrible at their jobs, thinking
that those errors would slide
past the more intelligent
beings in the world.
The sight of the
pictures taken also does not
line up with the previously
released information about
the terrain and environment
of the moon. If the lunar
module had really landed
on the moon, there would
have been a large disturbance
underneath the module
to mark its landing. There
is clearly no crater on any
of the footage or pictures
released, almost as if the
module was just placed there.
Español/College
The Cougar Press
Page Fourteen
España No Es Tan Bonito Como Se Mire
a corte la juez, Maria del
Carmen, preguntó si ella
trató de “cerrar sus piernas.”
En
Vitoria, Este no es la primera vez,
España, un día después tampoco. España tiene una
de la celebración del Día crónica contra los derechos
Internacional de la Mujer, el de la mujer. Una en cinco
8 de marzo, una mujer fue un mujeres es víctima de abuso
víctima de violencia sexual, sexual, dice India.com.
Cuando la víctima
según India.com y The Telegraph. Pero también de abuso sexual en
hay algo más -- cuando fue Vitoria estaba diciendo
Dolores Lopez
su declaración la juez
interrumpió y preguntó
la víctima, “¿Cerraste tus
piernas
correctamente?”
y “¿Cerraste tus órganos
femeninas?” Este comento
hizo daño a la víctima y a
otras víctimas. Después
de que la juez preguntó la
víctima, activista de los
derechos de la mujer del
grupo Clara Campoarmor
Association, Blanca Estrella
Ruiz, dijo que la víctima fue
groseramente interrumpido
y su testimonia fue falso
por la juez, Maria del
Carmen. La mujer que fue
preguntada estas preguntas
fue impactada y humillada.
Ella dice que estaba
abusado físicamente y
sexualmente múltiple veces.
La corte todavía
tiene preguntas y no sabe
si creen el testimonio de la
víctima. El comentario de la
juez fue ofensivo a muchos
y España ha tenido múltiple
crónicas donde al juez no
le importa a término de
los derechos de géneros.
Había 1.1 millones quejadas
de violencia domestica
contra
mujeres
desde
2005, dice The Telegraph.
Say “Aloha” to University of Hawai’i
Photo from: Flickr.com
Natalia Valentini
Imagine
waking
up in the morning to the
sun beaming on your
face. You decide to get
your morning started by
taking a walk. Less than a
mile later, your feet are in
the warm, Hawaii sand.
You are in the Sunshine
State, at the University
of Hawai’i at Manoa, and
could best be described
as “living in vacation.”
Welcome to a nonprivate college campus
located right on the beach.
Your after-school activities
Consider attending University of Hawai’i, Manoa, a
public school with a 78 percent acceptance rate.
may include surfing, hiking
with your friends, exploring,
laying on the beach, or
eating açaí bowls. On your
way to your classes or
wherever your destination
is, you pass by gorgeous
green scenery. Whether it’s
looking at the next hill you
want to hike or admiring
the tall trees, you’re bound
to take notice of the
beautiful scenery. Ranked
eighty-eighth among public
schools nationwide, the
university has many popular
majors.
They
include
business,
management,
marketing, social sciences,
health
professions
and programs such as
education and psychology.
If you are a beach
lover and love to soak up
the sun, The University of
Hawai’i at Manoa just might
be the right college for you.
A great perk to keep in
mind is their relatively high
admission rate. Seventyeight percent of applicants
are admitted, and yearly
admission is up to $11,404
for the 2015-2016 school
year. Take a walk on the
beach, tour around the
Big Island, and see if this
college is right for you.
All Signs Point to Point Park
Dolores Lopez
Point
Park
University is located in
downtown
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. Point Park
first started out as a junior
college between the years
1960 and 1966, but later
turned into Point Park
College after adding more
classes and beginning to
award bachelor’s degrees.
Their
first
graduate
program was journalism
and mass communication,
which was established in
1981. In 2003, Point Park
became a university, as the
administration implemented
a new strategic plan and
Photo from: Wikipedia
boosted their enrollment.
Point Park today
has around 4,000 full and
part-time students and an
overall acceptance rate
of 75 percent. There are
87 undergraduate and
13 graduate programs.
Professors use a handson approach and have
active and career focused
experience. Point Park has
easy access to internships
and career opportunities,
with more than 130 full-time
faculty members who have
extensive work experience
to help if you need them.
Class sizes are small with
15-20 students and a 13:1
student-to-faculty ratio. 93
percent of their students
receive financial aid, making
the cost of tuition easier
to pay. Point Park also has
multiple sports programs,
such as: softball, baseball,
soccer, basketball, cross
graduate student population
is 64 percent Caucasian, 21
percent African-American,
1 percent Hispanic, 1
Located in downtown
percent Asian, 1 percent
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
American Indian or Alaska
Point Park University has
Native, with 7 percent
an urban setting
international students, and 2
country, golf, volleyball, percent multiracial students.
downtown
track and field, cheer, In
there
are
and dance. Their mascot Pittsburgh,
is a bison known by the parks, riverfront trails, and
name of Black Diamond. copious amounts of shops
The Point Park and restaurants. Pittsburgh
undergraduate student body has a great transportation
is 71 percent Caucasian, 16 system which will allow
percent African-American, you to visit all these sites.
4 percent Hispanic, and Point Park University has a
2 percent Asian, with urban setting with a liberal
4 percent international arts tradition where you
students and 4 percent can explore and discover
multi-racial students. The in a new environment.
Distractions
The Cougar Press
Page Fifteen
1
2
3
Across
4
5. Played the oboe for 2
years in middle school
8. Was arrested at a
protest while trying
to assist a man being
mistreated by the police
10. Paddleboard enthusiast
12. Wrote a novel that is
available for purchase
on Amazon
5
6
7
8
9
13.Homecoming
Queen
2013, has lost more
timers than the average
teacher
14. “Yo te miro.”
16. RIP (Figuratively)
18.“Someone comes up
to you on the street
and asks you to find
the tangent at the point
(0,1)”
20. Jewish on his mother’s
side
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Match the
Teacher Facts!
21
22
23
You can find the answers at
cugr.org!
100
24
25
Wo r d
EclipseCrossword.com
21.Was attacked by a
chicken in her youth
24. Once ate guinea pig
25. Used to be a Driver’s
Education teacher
Down
1. Has been on 4 game
shows
2. Probably likes bones
3. Loves coffee and Dmitri
Shostakovich
4. “The choice is yours.”
6.Attended school in
Hawaii
7. Once had a fish hook
embedded into her
hand
9. Used to run a nuclear
reactor in a submarine
10. Spent 8 years in the
Marine Core
11.Was born in Canada
while his parents were
on vacation
15. Can be seen in a Chevy
commercial
17.LOVES
Joseph
Campbell,
doesn’t
sweat
19.Was trained by Jay
Locher for his first, and
last, triathalon
22. Her sister was almost
abducted
by
the
Russian Mafia
23.
Retired,
but
still
teaches 2 periods a day
Rants
C o u r t n e y L o v e Start Taking Mental
Didn’t Kill Cobain Disorders Seriously
Sofia Felino
For all the people who still spend
their Friday nights spamming
Courtney
Love’s
Instagram
commenting “YOU KILLED
KURT COBAIN” and “JUSTICE
WILL BE SERVED,” I implore
you to stop. In April, it will be
22 years since Nirvana frontman
Kurt Cobain shot himself and 22
years since deranged fans have
been gunning for his widow’s
head on a stick. Cobain suffered
from multiple mental illnesses
and had attempted suicide
multiple times, once just weeks
before his death. Cobain was an
amazing musician who will be
forever mourned, but it’s time
to stop badgering Courtney
online. Thank you so much.
Tatum Martin
Why aren’t mental disorders taken People’s anxiety isn’t in their head;
as seriously as physical injuries? their heavy breathing and sickening
Maybe you can’t see people’s feeling is real. So don’t tell people
depression lingering on their back their bipolar disorder can be easily
and holding them down, but it sure solved with a simple pat on the back
is there. I’m so sorry that their and a “get over it,” and that it isn’t
sleeping disorder isn’t in the form a real “injury” because here these
of a broken bone; maybe then people are, suffering just as much
you would take it more seriously. as someone with a physical injury.
R e s t ro o m
Use
Pop Is a Word! I s N o t O p t i o n a l
Bradleigh Aeh
One word, three letters. It’s the same what I’m talking about, or have the
as soda or sodapop. I’m not from audacity to correct me, I get a little
here, so I don’t say soda. I’m from PO’ed. If I’m asking about a drink
Ohio, where people say ‘ain’t,’ ‘y’all,’ and refer to it as pop, let it go. If
and ‘crooked as a dog’s hind leg.’ I’m asking what kind of pop you
It’s a colloquialism, a simple phrase, serve, please don’t look at me like
maybe even slang. When people ask I have two heads. I’m only human.
Laura Hofer
As high school students, most of sometimes, you get shot down with
us are in school for six hours or a no. Are some teachers not aware
more per day. Throughout those that bodily functions do, in fact,
many hours spent sitting down in happen throughout the school day?
a classroom, it is very common to Are teachers superhuman? Do they
eventually have to use the restroom. never have to relieve themselves? If
So, you politely raise your hand and so, this is what should be taught in
ask if you may use the restroom, and school, cause that’s some good talent.
Ventura High On...
Photos by: Waverly LaTourette
Senior Maya
Turner says, “It’s
incredibly brave
of her, and she
deserves more than
that because she is
a creative musician,
and she deserves to
be appreciated and
acknowledged.”
“I think it’s totally unfair
that Kesha is being held to
this contract despite being
raped... Free Kesha,” exclaims
sophomore Spencer Jay.
What do you
think about the
Kesha situation?
Freshmen Olivia
Miller comments, “I
just think that she
should be let out of
her contract because
she was assaulted by
her producer.”
“I think Kesha should have the right to
be withdrawn from her Sony contract
because of the state of affairs with her
producer,” says senior Nico Aguilar.
“I think it’s really wrong, and even if
she’s under a contract, if she’s being
sexually abused, she should not be
anywhere near that person, and he
should definitely go to jail,” comments
sophomore Tigerlily Bogart.
Chemistry teacher Karen
Reynosa says, “Anyone
who has to endure assault
in any matter or form
should be allowed to do
whatever they want.”
“I’m glad she
spoke up,
she needs
to speak her
mind. I think
its wrong that
they won’t let
her out of
her contract,”
mentions
freshmen
Koby
Maddox.
“I agree with
what Lady Gaga
said, you can’t
dictate who did
and didn’t get
raped, it’s not
your choice,”
says sophmore
Courtney
Caldwell.
Sophomore Daniel Brackett
believes, “She should have
the right to back out of her
contract, she should not
have to deal with a situation
that extreme.”
Sophomore Riley Conrad says, “I think the whole
situation is really unfair, it goes to show how rape
is treated these days. She’s still being forced to
work with this person when she obviously has a
problem with him. And that’s horrible.”