oak park high school
TALON
volume v • march 2015 • 899 north kanan road, oak park california 91377
“A Chorus Line” provokes debate Censorship of mature themes in school play approved by licensing company by Eric Kellenberger, staff writer Controversy within the community over raunchy language in the Oak Park production of “A Chorus Line” has led to a discussion about censorship — and the possibility of canceling the show. After conversations between the administration, cast members and parents of cast members, who cautioned the school against changing the play without special permission, the show is still scheduled to premiere March 26 — with edits approved by Tams Witmark, a licensing company for Broadway musicals. “We wrote an exact wordfor-word, line-for-line proposal of changes,” said drama instructor Allan Hunt, the director of the show. “If they
didn’t approve it, we wouldn’t be doing it.” Junior and cast member Aurora Schnurr said that the play, an “edgy deconstruction of the entertainment industry,” is “risqué” and may offend a young or conservative audience. The musical, written by James Kirkwood, contains multiple songs with sexually explicit content. The songs of concern include “Dance: Ten; Looks: Three,” “Hello, Twelve; Hello Thirteen; Hello Love” and “Gimme the Ball.” The edits approved by Tams Witmark include “a couple of lyrics and words,” Hunt said. The licensing company’s approval came after parents of the cast were concerned about lines being cut — and the legality of the edits — and continued on page 5
The cast of “A Chorus Line” rehearses one of its acts. The play, with its revisions, is set to premiere March 26 (Staff Photographer/Talon).
Homework policy examined School utilizes new tools to reduce student stress on campus
The administration is reviewing homework to help students know their course load in advance (Carly Albert/Talon).
by Ben Winck, staff writer As part of a new initiative adopted by the administration to decrease student stress, the school is re-examining homework to help students make more informed choices about their course schedules — and the workload required. The process asks teachers to attempt to quantify the
amount of homework they assign in class by determining the level of difficulty of the work and the amount of time students take to complete each assignment. Students would then have access to the information before they select classes. “We would like kids to be able to, when they sign up for a course, say ‘here’s my schedule, here’s what I want to do,’
but still be well-rounded, getting enough sleep and getting to spend time with family,” Assistant Principal Jason Meskis said. The end result would assist students in “planning their academic programs,” Principal Kevin Buchanan said. With more precise information about courses offered, students may be able to better balance their social, academic and extracurricular pursuits. “We want them to understand that if they’re taking four AP classes, they could be doing six or seven hours a night on top of their extracurriculars,” Assistant Principal Bryan Martin said. “We want to help students to visualize the time it would take to have a heavy course load.” The challenge, however, in quantifying homework arises because some students take longer on certain assignments than others, and homecontinued on page 6
EXTRACURRICULAR POLICY CLARIFIED by Malia Lanner, staff writer The attendance policy regarding extracurricular activities has garnered both criticism and confusion among students. The policy states that, in order to participate in an activity or athletic event, the student must be present in all scheduled classes on the date of the event. Additionally, a tardy period of 15 minutes or more is considered an absence. “All students sign the co-curricular code of ethics which clearly states the policy and it is enforced in athletics and performing arts primarily,” Principal Kevin Buchanan wrote in an email, “although
recently we had a situation in Mock Trial where students were unaware that the policy applied to their activity so we reinforced the message.” Buchanan clarified the policy in a mass email to faculty after some students in Mock Trial nearly missed the regional Mock Trial competition. On the day of competition, some Mock Trial participants did not come to school, arrived late or left early to prepare. However, these students were eventually allowed to go to the competition after advisor Victor Anderson spoke to Buchanan. According to Buchanan’s email, the policy does apply to members of school activities such as Mock Trial or Academic Decathlon—activities not considered sports or performing arts. “I never knew that policy was for us because I’m not in any sports,” senior and Academic Decathlon team member Chandana Srinivas said. “I don’t think it is completely fair because each situation is different and relevant to each continued on page 6
INSIDE • on campus 2 • beyond oak park 7 • sports flashback 8 • campus life 10 • entertainment 12 • opinion 14