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May 30, 2017 3400 W. GONZALES ROAD, OXNARD, CA. 93036 Vol. X No. VI
Andrew Kelley Editoral Editor Ilse Ramirez Reporter
Chain Mail
A convicted DUI murderer writes letters of caution to Oxnard High School English students
Nobody was home. Upon arriving to his house, and finding it locked, he panicked. Lester feared he was being abandoned by his friends, who were on their way to another house. Because of this misunderstanding, a fight broke out within the group. After the dispute had died down, the Jonathan Sanchez, Elena Acevedo, Gabriela Melendez, group, minus Lester, and Kevin Sanchez of Mr. Brickey’s class pose with letters headed down the street. from Lester. “At that point, he was Photo courtsey of Rhiannon Enriquez very angry and drunk, In the early hours of Octoand he got behind the wheel of ber 28, 2006, a crime was commithis truck,” said Mr. Simon. Lester ted, one that is still being felt today, drove towards the group, hitting even in Oxnard High School’s them, and killing one of his friends. English classrooms. On that fatal He was eventually reprimanded morning, Lester Varnum and a after crashing into a nearby house. group of his friends were on their Mr. Simon continued, “He was not way home from Money Pancho’s the person that the alcohol made Mexican Restaurant in Camarillo, him that night” and because of one California. “Lester was smashed, small mistake, he was sentenced to his blood alcohol level was .23. 15 years to life in prison, for SecThat was almost three times the ond Degree Murder. legal limit for driving.” says Mr. Mr. Simon went on to say, Richard Simon, a Senior District “When we did the sentencing, I Attorney. Adrian Clark Sports Editor Celeste Ramirez Business Manager
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said something I’ve never said at a sentencing for murder case. I said, ‘I hope he does get out, I hope he does become a productive member of society.’ ” Simon believes it is likely that Lester will receive parole, due to the amount of support he has. In his speech to Mr. Brickey’s English class, Mr. Simon said that parole is not only distributed based upon behavior while incarcerated, but also upon plans one might have to reintegrate back into society, such as plans for employment or housing. According to a 2009 article in the Ventura County Star by Raul Hernandez, Varnum’s lawyer, Louis Samonsky, Lester will “not be eligible for parole until he serves 85 percent of his sentence.” District Attorney Simon, commented about student involvement in Lester’s story saying, “I [think] that it was really good that they were engaged and interested because they learn to avoid this situation.” He continued, “It shows the complexity of the system, not all cases are black and white.” Since his incarceration, Varnum has taken up writing
letters to students of Mr. Marcell Brickey’s English class. In a letter of his, Varnum offered advice he hoped would open the students’ eyes to something greater. “It is important to try to learn from what are hopefully small mistakes on your part, but it is also very important to learn from other peoples’ mistakes,” wrote Lester in one of his letters. In a matter of minutes his entire life changed drastically, but instead of living with the anger of what happened that night, he took initiative and is now focusing on bettering himself. One of the most important things he said was, “Don’t ever depend on someone to take care of you, and don’t be afraid to call your parents. They’d rather you be safe than in danger right?” The reality is, they do just want you safe; taking it from a person who has been in that position, don’t be afraid. Learn from the experiences of others and use them to your benefit because, as Lester wrote, “what’s more [important] is the decisions you make today; they’ll affect your entire future.”
OHS Teacher Quality Probed
The various traits that teachers exhibit in their classes is what makes students want to come to class or want to avoid going to class. A Buzz survey of 145 Oxnard High School students representing the four grade levels and representing almost 5% of the student body, revealed student views of teacher qualities. OHS junior Angel Martinez said, “The qualities that make a teacher great is when they are nice and respectful.” Other students had their specific priorities for teacher quality and for what their ideal teacher would be like. Some of the important traits that make a teacher great are confidence, patience, and passion. Teachers that care about their students and want to help students pass their classes tend to be a student’s favorite, as revealed by the
Students rank teacher’s outstanding qualities
Teacher Qualities Survey Results Chart
survey and student responses. OHS junior Gabriel Estrada said his favorite quality in a teacher is when “the teacher has a great attitude with the students.” Estrada added that his favorite teacher assists him by working one on one in class when he needs help. This seems to be the case with lots of students at
OHS, who appreciate one-on-one help, to further understand the subject being taught. On the other hand, there are teacher traits that students find to be negative and that take away from learning. Estrada discussed how his least favorite teachers are not very inspiring. This was most-
ly because there was a lot of busy work involved, no group assignments, and too much lecturing. Some of the surveyed students commented that they tend to lose focus and become distracted when a teacher lectures for too long. OHS junior Abel Tinajera admitted that it is for him to lose focus in classes that have a lot of lecture or have no group activities. He usually spots people on their phone or having side conversations during the lecture. Tinajera said, “This happens after 15-20 minutes of talking. We all just lose focus because we want to engage with each other.” Classroom control and behavior become a key factor for the students. Students seem to appreciate a learning environment that is quiet and busy.