Nike Campaign

School start time to be pushed to 8:30 a.m.

Hannah Gross Staff Writer

Students slumped over their desks, struggling to stay awake is not an uncommon sight. Rolling out of bed before the sun rises is just a part of daily life for middle and high school students. Last year, Senator Anthony Portantino aimed to change that.

Sen. Portantino’s bill, Senate Bill 328 or SB 328, proposes that California middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. It failed to pass last year aft er backlash from school boards and teachers. However, on Aug. 31 the bill received enough votes to pass and is heading to Governor Jerry Brown’s desk to receive a signature or a veto. If the bill goes into eff ect it would not include optional zero or fi rst periods that commence prior to the mandatory school day, and schools in rural communities would be exempt from the changes. In addition to these changes, the Department of Education would be urged to publish information about the importance of a healthy sleep schedule on their website.

Many current NPHS students would not experience the eff ects of the bill as California schools have three years to implement the changes.

Th e majority of the bill’s leverage comes from a statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics recommending the shift in school start times to 8:30 a.m. or later. Supporters also cite several studies linking sleep, or lack thereof, to academic success.

Th e Center for Disease Control, the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association endorse the bill. Th ese groups assert later start times lead to higher attendance, less traffi c accidents and improved student performance overall.

Cali Greenidge, senior, was enthusiastic about the possibility of school starting later. “I think that is the most amazing thing ever,” Greenidge said. Like Portantino, Greenidge feels the change would have a positive impact on learning. “I’ve heard that your brain is not fully functioning before 9 o’clock. I think (students) would perform better in school and academics.”

Organizations such as Start School Later, have rallied around the bill. Start School Later consists of parents, doctors and other concerned community members supporting SB 328. Terra Ziporyn Snider, the executive director and co-founder of Start School Later said, “Moving school start times is no guarantee that most teenagers will get the sleep they need. But not moving school start times is a guarantee that most won’t.”

However, not everyone supports SB 328. Some claim the bill places an additional burden on working families who drive their children to school as well as district employees such as bus drivers. Connor Th orup, senior, expressed concerns about the implications of the bill. “I don’t (think the bill should pass), because I am a morning person, and I enjoy having morning classes before 8 o’clock.” A later start time may also aff ect extracurriculars, such as sports. As a student athlete, Th orup expressed concerns about how later start times could negatively aff ect his schedule. “I personally would not like to have to leave earlier. I would like to miss less class if possible, and I don’t want to get home later.”

Even if the bill did pass, it would not necessarily provide students with more time to sleep. Some are already up early for religious reasons. “I have morning seminary, so it might not affect me that much,” Th orup said.

Others insist the bill poses a threat to school districts’ autonomy, which Brown has supported in the past. One of these opposing groups is the California Teachers Association (CTA). CTA’s spokesperson Claudia Briggs said, “It should be a conversation that should be had by school district offi cials, parents, students and educators.”

Opposers such as Briggs claim that for a state as vast as California a generalized start time is less than ideal. “We shouldn’t have a one-size fi ts all approach for all school start times based on how geographically diverse and large our state is,” Briggs said.

Despite its past failures Sen. Portantino’s belief in the bill remains unwavering. Brown has until Sept. 30 to reach a fi nal decision. “I’m hoping that people look at the science and put the best interest of kids fi rst,” Portantino said. “We want healthy kids to do well and this is a three-decade peer reviewed research way that has results to back it up.”

Greenidge has a similar point of view, “Early in the morning your brain is not fully awake. You can walk, and talk and breathe, but you’re not ready to learn.”

Students question

school board candidates

Maya Chari Online Editor

With the school board elections in the near future, several organizations are holding candidate forums to interview prospective board members. Newbury Park, Westlake and Th ousand Oaks High School journalism programs recently co-hosted their own panel interview, inviting all eight candidates to join. Sitting board member Mike Dunn, who is running for re-election this November, declined the invitation and all further attempts to interview him.

T H R I V E Conejo will also be hosting a community-friendly forum on Sept. 27, which will be held at the Lundring Events Center within California Lutheran University in Th ousand Oaks. Another will be held on September 15th, by the Conejo Council PTA. As reported by the Acorn, all but two board members will be in attendance; Jenny Fitzgerald, who has a prior family engagement, and Amy Chen, who did not RSVP to the invitation.

Each forum will begin with a brief personal statement from candidates, followed by generic questioning and time allocated for public questions. Community members are welcome and encouraged to attend. Questioning- Chiefs from the Westlake Arrow, Thousand Oaks Lancer and Newbury Park Panther Prowler newspaper staffs gather to interview board candidates on Tuesday, Sept. 4. The panel convened over a period of three days, interviewing all candidates, aside from Mike Dunn, who declined the invitation. Maya Chari/Prowler

Nike launches new ad campaign

Rahul D’Souza Front Cover Editor

Protesting racial injustice and police brutality, Colin Kaepernick, former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, knelt during the National Anthem on Aug. 14, 2016 at the beginning of the fi rst game of the season. On Sept. 4, Nike released a commercial celebrating their 30th Anniversary of their Just Do It campaign, with Kaepernick as the face of it.

“He has showed us all that police brutality and oppression exist to this very day,” said Ido Dukler, Junior.

Dukler also believes that Nike made a great decision in Kaepernick and because many people use their products, their message will spread quickly.

Since Kaepernick’s protest, players such as Marshawn Lynch, the entire Raiders’ off ensive line and numerous other players have followed suit, kneeling with their arms enlocked with their teammates during the National Anthem or staying seated on the bench. Th is has prompted responses from fans, politicians and NFL offi cials alike. Kaepernick opted out of his 49ers contract that year, but found no other team willing to sign him.

“Th ey are just exercising their fi rst amendment rights and I think that it is wonderful that they are using that platform,” said Willa Stonecipher, senior.

Although students may be in support of Kaepernick’s decision, many do not share the same sentiment. President Trump claimed that Nike made a terrible decision and they are “getting absolutely killed.” Nike did experience a 3.2% drop in sales that day, but also gained roughly $43 million worth of media exposure. Seven days later, their online sales have jumped over 31%.

“I think a major corporation like Nike supporting social justice is great for the movement,” said Colin Cremault, senior. Cremault also supports players’ right to protest, even if that means kneeling during the national anthem.

Nike’s release of their campaign sparked outrage but also widespread support. Many people were in favor of Nike and their rights as a private company, standing behind their message: “Believe in something, even if it means sacrifi cing everything.” Others, however, couldn’t accept that Kaepernick was the face of their campaign and began boycotting and burning their own Nike products.

Th is is not the fi rst time Nike has used its brand to advocate social change. Th e company has also run campaigns centered around AIDS stigma, gender equality, disability, religion, and many other controversial problems, drawing support and attention from consumers everywhere.

Maintenance policy leads to new concern

Nidhi Satyagal Opinion Designer

Th e CVUSD school board passed a new policy reorganizing the maintenance department at the meeting in June. Th e policy dissolved the on-campus maintenance staff positions at high schools districtwide. Instead, the district now has three teams of maintenance workers-- one covering Newbury Park, another Th ousand Oaks and the third, Westlake. “(Th is system) works on the middle school and elementary schools already, so the proposal is (doing) a lot of the same things they’re doing there to maximize the resources we can have,” Steve Lepire, principal, said last May, before the policy was passed.

Th e fi rst maintenance rotation began on Sept. 4. “We’ve just started, and so far, so good,” Lepire said.

“During the school day, we have two custodians and our plant manager plus a maintenance person (assigned to the school),” Lepire said.

For less urgent issues, staff members must submit a work request form via the district website. “We insure and execute preventative and general maintenance, repairs, and alterations to eff ectively sustain safe operations of over 2 million square feet of buildings, on over 500 acres of property throughout the Conejo Valley,” the website reads.

Th e work requests are then processed by Lepire and other administrators. Lepire is able to personally sift through the requests and prioritize which ones need immediate reaction. “I know a lot of the people that are part of the group that’s working Newbury Park High School. So if there’s specifi c things that I’d like them to address, I just talked to them about it, and they take care of it,” he said.

Kristian Atkins, woodshop teacher, has had some issues with the new system. “Th e website itself seems okay, you’re done in a timely manner,” he said. But out of the seven requests he has made, only one has been addressed in any way.

A recent leak in the woodshop classroom prompted Atkins to take his issues directly to Lepire, who took immediate action. “Somebody came out (the same) aft ernoon and turned the water off , and they’re trying to fi x it,” Lepire said.

“I think (the policy) is a way for the district to save money, but I feel like it takes the personal touch out of our little school community,” Tiff ani Coull, history teacher, said. Coull feels this depersonalization is especially obvious in the lack of awareness for the school schedule. “Th ey’ll clean the grounds and rake leaves while we’re in class,” she said.

For both Coull and Atkins, the new system has not been very user friendly. “I would like it if the work could get done in a timely manner,” Atkins said.

Help!- Seeing a bathroom stall taped with yellow caution tapes constantly reminds the student body the importance of maintenance staff. With the new policy, majority of the maintenance staff are centered at the district, leaving four maintenance staff still assigned to NPHS. “(The new policy) is trying to streamline the work as much as possible to try and increase the effi ciency of everything we can do in the school district.” Lepire said. This policy has been put into effect for two weeks and is still in an adaptive phase. Jessica Zhou/Prowler.

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