VOL. 10 NO. 4
February 23, 2017
3400 W. GONZALES ROAD, OXNARD, CA. 93036
The Aca-Demigods
Oxnard High School takes first in their division for Academic Decathalon By: Mark Henry Salupen Editor-in-Chief With student-athletes achieving success at the CIF level, scholars receiving full-ride scholarships to prestigious universities, Oxnard High School poses yet another achievement in extracurriculars with its recent success in the 2017 Academic Decathlon (Aca Deca). According to OHS sophomore and gold medalist Jade Chongsathapornpong, Aca Deca is an annual competition comprised of several rounds geared towards challenging one’s knowledge. The competition consists of ten test-taking events, two speeches, an interview, a written portion, and others. The finale of the competition is the Super Quiz, which Chongsathapornpong said is “the highlight of the whole competition,
By: Sarah Anaya Business Manager
where the teams are asked a variety of quiz-style questions.” Much to the team’s excitement, they won first in their division and second overall behind Cal-
championship” and are advancing to the next level, according to Lansangan. From here, they will be competing against those of similar caliber at Sacramento. She said,
OHS Academic Decathalon is a force to be reckoned with. Photo credit: Nina Lansangan
abasas. According to OHS senior Nina Lansangan, “It was the highest we’ve scored in the past decade.” As a result of their win, the group of dedicated students “scored high enough to compete in the state
“We’re coming up with a game plan to get even more plaques and build upon our weaknesses.” Despite their success, the team faced their share of obstacles along the way. Unfortunately, due
to medical complications and other obligations, their coach Mr. Robert Borneman had to step out for a portion of the season to recover. Nonetheless, the team managed to persevere. Lansangan believes their coach and advisor played a vital role in their preparation and was a catalyst for their success. She said, “Just his faith in us and our abilities was everything.” Likewise, OHS senior and medalist Daniel Siu said, “Without Mr. Borneman, I don’t think we could’ve scored nearly as high as we did. He really helped us learn all of the fundamentals that we had to learn.” To Lansangan, the event is more than just a competition or a war of wit. She said, “We’ve always had each other and no one else really understood that. To me, Aca Deca is a second family.”
On Their Way to the Courthouse
Mock Trial is a club on Oxnard High School’s campus, every year the members are faced with new challenges. The students are given a mock court case to which they are separated into prosecution and defense, to solidify their arguments for their side. This year’s case is the People vs. Aubrey, involving human trafficking and false imprisonment. The case packet revolves around a restaurant owner named Cameron Aubrey who is being accused of overworking and treating her employee, Lin Stark, like a slave. “In this packet, there are fake testimonies of witnesses [as well as] exhibits (diagrams) and guides for attorneys. Basically, this packet is a Mock Trial Bible,” said OHS senior Sama Kalaj, leading prosecution attorney. For practice, Mock Trial teams from different schools come together to scrimmage. These
Mock Trial prepares for their yearly competition
scrimmages give the students the opportunity to see their strong points and what improvements need to be made.
experience I have had throughout high school. Before I joined Mock Trial I hardly had any friends. It was nice to have a second family of
During a Mock Tiral scrimmage against Pacifica. Yasmina Alikhani re-examines the witness to find more information. Photo Credit: Sarah Anaya
Mock Trial is not only an academic experience, but also a social one. OHS senior Megan Frost said “It was honestly the best
a lot of different people that I didn’t have classes with. They were all super sweet, warm and welcoming.” The club also shows com-
petition, as students are required to speak in front of an audience and debate for their side. “I think the best part of Mock Trial is that everyone who goes through the program comes out a much more confident person,” said Mock Trial Adviser Allison Halstead. The team meets together on Wednesdays after school and Saturday mornings to prepare for the Mock Trial Competitions, held at the Ventura County Courthouse on February 27th and 28th. If the team places top 8 out of 32 teams, they will advance to the next round taking place on March 3rd. Though the team has been working extremely hard to prepare, winning is not always everything. As Kalaj said, “I really don’t want to focus on the scores and the awards. I just want everyone to focus on their individual improvement.”
Follow The BUZZ on Social Media! @ohsthebuzz
@OHSthebuzz
@ohsthebuzz
@oxnardhighschoolthebuzz