Marchcenter2014online

Oak Park HIgh School

TALON

M a r c h

In This

n o i t i d E News

School Life

Sports

Entertainment

Feature

•

V o l u m e

I V

•

I s s u e

March 24-28 ASB Election Interviews e March 27-29 Cabaret Performances 7 p.m. in the Pavilion e April 18-27 Spring Break e April 30-May 3 Life Skills Retreat #3

•

8 9 9

N . K a n a n

R d . ,

O a k

P a r k

C A

9 1 3 7 7

A New Oak Park Tradition

By Juliana Furgala, Staff Writer

This year marks a new tradition at Oak Park High School: an annual school carnival hosted by ASB.

In the past, ASB hosted “Vice,” which was a formal dance in March.

However, according to junior Ben Winck, attendance has dropped and students are noticeably less interested than they were in past years.

Junior Michelle Velasquez, an ASB member, said that the group wanted to “open up to the community” and get students from all the schools in the district involved.

ASB decided to host a carnival because it would appeal to all ages. They rented inflatable bounce houses and games.

The Oak Park community gathers to enjoy delicious food, musical entertainment, games, and inflated bounce houses.

The event had races with remote control cars and inflatable games, similar to what can be seen at the high school rallies.

Ben Winck said that his favorite part of the

event was the “grilled cheese food truck.” There was also a Jersey Dogs food truck and a Palazzolo’s food truck, among others.

People attending the carnival got the op-

portunity to see Oak Park High School’s various musical programs, such as the school’s choir, jazz band and barbershop groups, as well as local rock bands who perContinued on page 8

Revisions Modernize Standardized Test

By Laura Cruz-Albrect and Wendy Xiao, Staff Writers

Events:

6

The SAT, a standardized exam offered nationwide which most universities take into consideration in regards to college admissions, is undergoing drastic changes starting in the spring of 2016.

The redesigned SAT will have eight main changes. Most prominent among these is the shift from a 2400 to a 1600 point scale, as the SAT originally was before the writing section was added in 2005.

Additionally, the essay portion of the SAT will be optional rather than mandatory. Due to this change, the exam will decrease from three hours and 45 minutes to three hours.

The Critical Reading portion of the exam will include an excerpt from one of the ‘founding documents’ of America, for example, the

Federalist Papers or the Gettysburg Address.

Another change is the lack of a penalty for incorrect answers. Currently, the SAT deducts ¼ of a point for every incorrect response.

Finally, the College Board has stated that the new SAT will have no more ‘obscure’ vocabulary words, will be available in digital form in some areas and will have restrictions placed on calculator use.

The core motive behind changing the test, as stated by the College Board President and CEO David Coleman, is that the SAT has become “far too disconnected from the work of our high schools.”

For example, the College Board website states that the new vocabulary within the exam will emphasize “words that students will use throughout their lives— in high school, college, and beyond.”

Continued on page 9

Controversy Over Blood Donations

By Lauren Perlmutter, Staff Writer

On February 26, Oak Park High School hosted its annual blood drive with the American Red Cross. Over 80 students donated blood, a quantity that has the potential to save around 140 lives. However, when a homosexual student went to donate blood, he was denied the opportunity.

Before donating blood, there is a form each potential donor has to fill out. One of the questions asks: “Have you had sexual contact with another male, even once?” If a person marks the answer ‘yes,’ they will not be allowed to donate blood.

Beginning in 1983, the Food and Drug Administration implemented a law about homosexuals’ rights to donate blood. The law, passed in 1983, states that a man who has had sexual intercourse with another man any time after 1977 is banned from donating blood (Bravo). This law was put into place at the height of the HIV epidemic.

In 1985, it was believed that men who had sexual intercourse with other men were at a greater risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis (Johnson). Therefore, they were at a higher risk of transmitting these viruses.

Wanting to take precaution before transmitting blood, the FDA decided to rule out Continued on page 5

News

2

March 2014

Success Survey

By Varsha Sarveshwar, Staff Writer

PC: Wendy Xiao-- Some members of the Mock Trial team as they prepare to enter their second day of competition.

A Reflective End for Mo c k Tr i a l

h

dh

eric w. leser, od & vicki leung, od

RI CWL

d

ESERA

NDVICKI LEUNG, ODS

Doctors of Optometry

h

d E d

tition, and I think that everyone gave their best performances. The pride we all felt for Oak Park Mock Trial was palpable, and that made competition so memorable.”

Sophomore Roshni Dugar adds, “The energy at the courthouse was so high and overall positive that it felt less like a competition and more like a family reunion!”

Coach Victor Anderson of Oak Park High School also reflected on the performance of the team, saying, “This was the best team we’ve ever had in terms of the way they presented themselves. We held our own against every team we faced.”

The team learned a lot and came back from competition with many amazing memories and excitement for the approaching year.

Junior Polina Davydov reflected on what she will take away from the competition saying, “I will remember the nerves and sleepless nights during competition week. But most of all, I will remember the incredible love that this team has for each other.”

d

Oak Park High School’s Mock Trial team competed in their annual competition on February 24th and 25th at the Ventura County Superior Court. The team scored 18th place overall but won many individual awards.

According to the Ventura County Office of Education website, Mock Trial is designed to “clarify the workings of our legal institutions for students through first-hand experience.”

Thirty high school teams participate in the Ventura County competition while thousands of teams participate nationwide.

This year’s fictional case, People vs. Concha, involved a second-degree murder and an illegal drug sales in a high school.

The competition spanned two days with the prosecution and defense sub-teams from each school competing once each night.

Local attorneys and judges volunteered their

time to assist with scoring each team’s performance.

The top eight teams returned to compete in the final rounds. The winners were announced on Friday, February 28th at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center.

Oak Park’s prosecution sub-team lost both of their trials against Trinity and Santa Suzanna. The defense sub-team won both of their trials against Fillmore and Oaks Christian.

The Oak Park High School team also won many individual awards.

Senior Catherine Shi won third place for her performance as witness Avery Perkins and junior Alex Pai won third place for his performance as witness Dr. Casey Burke. Senior Wendy Xiao received an MVP award. In addition, seniors Shi, Xiao, and Sevitha Konda won awards for four years of participation.

Overall, the team had a very positive experience.

Captain Wendy Xiao commented on the team’s effort and unity saying, “We really supported each other during compe-

d d

By Ashley Siavoshi, Entertainment Editor

As students begin to sign up for next year’s classes, many wonder: how many Advanced Placement and Honors classes are too much?

Teenage stress seems to be at an all-time high and advanced courses certainly play a role.

According to the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America Study, 32% of teenagers experience stress-related headaches, while 27% of teenagers report feeling extreme stress.

At Oak Park High School, over half of students take at least one Advanced Placement course.

To obtain a better idea of what factors stress out students and what faculty can possibly do to help combat it, Oak Park High School administered Stanford University’s Challenge Success Survey in February 2014.

According to OPHS Principal Buchanan’s monthly letter, the “results from the study will provide insight into decreasing academic stress, increasing student engagement, and fostering greater student voice in school.”

To learn more about the Challenge Success Survey and its goals, the Talon interviewed Bryan Martin, Assistant Principal and Coordinator of Instruction at Oak Park High School.

Martin explained that “the Challenge Success Survey in general is part of a bigger program, through the University of Stanford’s School of Education.” He added, “We’re undertaking this project to evaluate student stress and to figure out the sources of the stress and how we can alleviate [it].”

Martin did not want to speculate on the exact nature of the stress, but

said that for students, stress probably “comes from a lot of different places, from the school in general and our school culture, from you guys and your innate sense of motivation. It comes from your parents, from your perception of where you want to be. It comes from your teachers sometimes . . . and we want to evaluate every single one of those sources.”

When asked about the correlation between student-driven stress rather than parent-driven stress, Martin noted, “A lot of our students here, which we’re really lucky for, have an intrinsic motivation...

But there’s still somewhere where there’s a source of that [motivation] where we can probably look at and...[find out] why you’re pushing yourselves.”

Competition to get into top colleges also drives up the stress rate among students.

Stanford University, the administrator of the Challenge Success Survey, “has acknowledged that [it’s] part of the problem because of the fact that there are people pushing to get into these top universities.”

The SAT test, another stress factor for students, is also being looked at. According to Martin, a recent study showed that GPA, rather than SAT scores, is the primary determining factor of student success in college. This, along with other reasons, has prompted many colleges, notably New York University, to stop requiring the SAT.

Martin calls for a “more balanced approach” that allows students to “explore different aspects of [students’] personality.”

While stress levels among teenagers seem to be reaching a peak, there seems to be one silver lining – colleges and high schools have noticed and are looking to make it better.

23161 VENTURA BLVD, SUITE 201, WOODLAND HILLS, CA 91364

PH: (818) 591-8860

•

http://www.eyedocs.org

Special Offer: Mention this ad and we will donate 5% of any purchase at our office to an OPHS organization.

dh d h

Must be registered 501(c)3, non-profit corporation

March 2014

News

3

G.L.I.D.E. Hopes to Strengthen Self-Identity

By Min Kwon, Head of Photography

With Awareness Week in full swing, students gathered on Thursday, February 28th in G-9 to hear a presentation by representatives Michaela Ivri and Arnold Pomerantz from G.L.I.D.E. (Gay and Lesbians Initiating a Dialogue for Equality).

It discussed the common roots and causes of homophobia in modern society.

The presentation sought to pinpoint the common stereotypes and misconceptions that society holds of the LGBT community.

“I felt it was important to attend so that I could personally grow more aware of what is going on in the LGBT community,” comments junior Kenny Park, who actively participated in the discussion. Park adds that he attended the presentation in order to “learn more about the LGBT community that [he] had not known before.”

Tyler, an openly gay junior, says, “I have attended these every year of high school and [have] found them to be informative, entertaining and inspiring.”

Students were strongly encouraged to be as open as possible, especially when asked to list out the

specific, derogatory words or phrases that are commonly associated with gays and lesbians. Also in the audience were counselors Debi Fries and Janet Svoboda, as well as history and social science chair, Robert Hall, who facilitated the discussions.

The presentation included listing the common stereotypes of “gay” and “lesbian” jobs, in which students gave examples of what society thinks gays and lesbians hold as occupations. In addition, students were asked to list out where society commonly expects homosexuality to originate, such as two-male or twofemale households or families where sexual abuse occurs.

Instead of focusing on these false stereotypes of gays and lesbians, Arnold Pomerantz emphasized that “your sexuality is determined by who you love, not by your sexual relationship.” He also pointed out the “unfortunately negative” list of words that were used to describe members of the LGBT community.

Following Arnold Pomerantz’s presentation was Michaela Ivri’s commentary on her own experience as a transsexual. She expressed her thoughts on sexism as being one of the fundamental roots of homophobia in society today.

“It was a great opportunity to learn more about homophobia,” comments senior Alexis Cheney. “It

GLIDE representatives Michaela Ivri and Arnold Pomerantz share their individual experiences.

teaches you how judgemental and pessimistic society can be towards the LGBT community.”

Tyler, who believes that GLIDE offers “the resources and knowledge necessary to breaking down homophobia,” has an even

more optimistic view for the GLIDE program in the future. He comments that increased attendance and promotion for the presentation is necessary so that others “[can] realize how important this fight against homophobia is.”

Raising Awareness about Empathy

By Hannah Exler and Sarah Heeney, Staff Writers

Each year, the Oak Park High School Peer Counselors set aside a full week dedicated to acceptance.

Feeling “pressure to make this [Awareness Week] equally as creative,” Advanced Peer Counselors Maris Paden and Gabriela Ojalvo dubbed this year’s Awareness Week, “Em(path)y,” signifying a “path” towards acceptance.

Paden and Ojalvo wanted a speaker who would “impact students,” as well as someone who would be “energetic and relatable.” They decided on “Walk and Roll” dance team members Chelsie Hill and Ali Stroker.

Paden states she and Ojalvo found Chelsie to be “inspiring” and watched multiple clips of different speakers before deciding on Hill and Stroker. Students could relate to these girls due to their closeness in age and personalities.

Senior Alyssa Wilson comments, “These speeches were a lot more relatable compared to past speeches. They were both two totally

different incidents” which, according to Wilson, gave students different views on the girls’ handicaps.

In addition to special guests, the peer counselors made their way into the classrooms for an even more personal experience.

Though this aspect of Awareness Week has been present for years, “Em(path)y” featured a new twist.

By giving students a variety of scenarios in the Four Corners activity, and offering choices on how to help another student, each individual class was able to connect and grow from their different interpretations of empathy. While some students had more subtle approaches to how they would help a fellow student, others shared their desire to be more deeply involved in another person’s life.

The peer counselors explained that there was no “correct” way to feel empathy, and affirmed that any desire to help was a proper choice.

Though Awareness Week has been a fundamental part of Oak Park’s annual curriculum, it is important to recognize the individual emotions and skills we have learned from each speaker, presentation and theme.

Math Tutoring Experts.

• Comprehensive Assessment • Customized Learning Plan • Homework Help • Test Preparation • Private Lessons

THOUSAND OAKS

1321 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. # 124 Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 (805) 777-8403

$50 off compre hensive assessm ent if enrolle d by April 15 th

OAK PARK

630 Lindero Canyon Road Oak Park, CA 91377 (818) 735-0007

www.mathnasium.com

School Life/News

4

March 2014

iPad Integration

By Zainab Pixler, Managing Editor

The next step of the iPad integration process is underway as student iPad centers are now being used as learning tools in the classroom.

During the summer of 2013, Oak Park’s Technology Committee designed a technology plan outlining the steps of integrating iPads into OPUSD’s curriculum.

The ultimate goal of the technology plan is to have all district teachers and students using iPads to facilitate learning by June 2016. To get there, the district has slowly started to place iPads into the hands of students.

Small groups of six to eight iPads are now mak-

ing appearances in classrooms. In Ms. Litten’s biology classes, for example, iPads are used during lectures to enhance individual students’ visual learning.

Lauren Goodman, a sophomore in Litten’s class, says, “The iPads help me understand the concepts more because they’re more interactive.”

By June 2015, the district will deploy mobile class sets of iPads, or MiLKs (Mobile iPad Learning Karts).

By June 2016, all district teachers should have dedicated teacher iPads to deliver instruction to students who will also have the opportunity to use the individual iPads to enhance their learning independently.

Oak Park Concert Band, directed by Zachary Borquez, plays a modern arrangement of “Amazing Grace.”

Triumph of the Arts

By Nicole Schwartz, Staff Writer

Oak Park High School’s Fine Arts Assembly, which occurred on March 14, was a huge success.

The purpose of the Fine Arts Assembly is to show students the different performing arts programs that the school offers in order to elevate the interest of students. This year, the assembly helped raise the excitement of students towards the upcoming play as well as future school shows.

Sophomore Brianna Gabriel, member of the Oak

Park High School Choir, comments, “I personally thought it went really well.

I think everyone enjoyed the High School Musical aspect.” The High School Musical songs played a double role. They increased student engagement, as well as excitement toward the Disney performance that took place later that night. It added a more fun, child-like aspect to the performing arts assembly, which contrasted with the mature theme and tone of the play.

Sophomore Aurora Schnurr, a member of the upcoming play “Cabaret,” says, “The Fine Arts Assem-

bly was really fun and I loved having the opportunity to show what we’ve been working on.”

The actors of “Cabaret” are dealing with a more adult theme. Schnurr explains, “It really pushes our acting, singing, and dancing skills to be more mature and adult than ever, given the topics.” The play will be a challenge for this year’s talented actors, and will show the hard work that the students have put into the play.

The hard work of the performing arts students has shown through their excellent performances at the Fine Arts Assembly.

They’re Here, Ladies

By Adella Katz, Co-Editor-in-Chief

RAW POWER VOCALS •

Learn to sing, scream, or growl.

• Safely harness the power of your own unique voice.

• Taught by OPHS/UCLA Grad in Oak Park.

• Ask about a free half hour lesson!

Connor

P: 818 489 0542 E: connorjdawson@hotmail.com W: www.rawpowervocals.com

After nearly five months of waiting, the pad and tampon dispensers arrived on March 7th.

According to Assistant Principal Jason Meskis, the six dispensers are located in the main bathrooms, as well as in the gym/girls’ locker room and library bathrooms.

The actual tampons and pads have and will continue to be installed in the coming weeks.

The tampons and pads themselves will be a mere 25 cents each.

At first, it was uncertain if tampons would be put in the dispensers considering their controversial nature, but according to Meskis, the district decided “Toxic Shock Syndrome is not something that happens… it’s sort of user error.”

According to tampax.com, “TSS can affect

anyone – men, women, and children. Some cases of TSS are caused by infections following insect bites, burns, or surgery. About half of the cases are linked to women using tampons.”

However, to reduce the risk of tampon-related TSS, the website advises for women to “use the lowest absorbency tampon for their menstrual flow.”

“TSS is so rare that most doctors will not come across TSS during their medical careers,” states toxicshock.com.

The district approved the addition of tampons so far without complaints from parents or faculty members.

When asked about the issue of complaints from parents, Meskis laughed and replied, “Not yet. They were just installed, but I don’t anticipate it being a problem.”

Thanks to OPUSD Head of Facilities Julie Suarez, Oak Park High School’s Principal Kevin Buchanan

and Oak Park High School’s Assistant Principal Jason Meskis, the addition of “sanitary napkin” dispensers has come to fruition.

Sanitary napkin dispenser in main bathroom of OPHS.

School Life

March 2014

Senior Spotlight

By Alex Appelrouth, News Editor, Brittany Jones, Co-Editor-in-Chief Q: What is your band name?

How was the name created?

A: Listening Young; we all brought in options for a long time and after a while we settled on it because we thought it fit us the best.

Q: Who is part of the band?

How did you meet?

A: Current members include myself, TJay Colamaria (who is a sophomore at OP), and Jack Cygan (who is a sophomore at Chaminade). We all went to the same elementary and middle school together and became close through mutual friends and now we are like brothers.

Q: What made you decide to start a band? When did it happen?

A: It’s kinda funny. It was really a random idea. We were hanging out at The Commons with our now former guitarist. At the time, I had already been playing music for a few years but they were all starting out. We said, “Hey, let’s start a band!” And we just kept it going and now

it’s been about two and a half years.

Q: What has the progress been like?

A: The progress has all around been pretty good.

With the departure of our good friend and guitarist, readjustments had to be made but we have gotten back on track. Early on, I did a majority of the song writing, bringing in finished songs to the band, but we really love the new stuff right now.

All our colors really shine through to create a sound we adore.

Q: How does it feel to be playing in front of large crowds, i.e. House of Blues?

A: Being on stage for people is a strange feeling. The nerves and butterflies are what we live for, and though we take our music seriously, we always have fun because we love each other.

After some shows, like at the House of Blues and even at the Whisky A Go Go, it’s almost like a blur and I feel like I woke up from a dream.

We love to be on stage and see people enjoying our music.

Q: What are the band’s future plans? Do you plan to remain together through college?

A: The future hopefully includes good spirits, lots of new songs constantly being written and playing shows as often as possible so our music really gets out there. The most important thing to us is to have fun. As long as we are doing that, we are going to stick with it. Fortunately, TJay and Jack have two years of high school left, and I’ll be local for college this coming fall, so our plans are definitely to keep the band intact.

Q: What is your role in the band?

A: I am the lead singer and guitarist. I try to bring as much energy to the stage as possible, as do Jack and TJay. As I said before, I still accomplish a big part of the song writing processes, but we all have come together lately in writing the songs and we like doing it that way.

Q: What importance does the band have to you?

A: This band is a huge part of my life. So many hours go into perfecting what we do in order to give our audi-

5

Tony Helou

Tony Helou is a member of the aspiring band Listening Young.

ence a good show and providing them with music we think they would enjoy. It lets me escape temporarily from the everyday struggles that stress me out and it allows me to express myself through my voice and my guitar. With our practice schedule of every weekend, it’s always something we can look forward through the week that we know will make everything okay.

Q: What has been your favorite performance or experience?

A: My favorite experience

would probably have to be playing at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood. From the very beginning of the band and our frequent trips to Hollywood to check out music, we always thought it would be the coolest thing to play at “The Whisky.” After a ton of hard work and dedication, we finally got our chance and we had accomplished our goal. It was a showing of all our efforts coming full circle, and it was an amazing feeling to have climbed that mountain.

From there, we decided to always keep climbing.

Students Turned Away from Donating Continued from page 1

homosexual and bisexual men from donating blood.

Many gay advocates have spoken against this law and have taken a stance against it. Peter Tatchell, a gay advocate, states that the law “is based on the assumption that all homosexual and bisexual men are ‘high risk’ for HIV… the policy seems to reflect homophobic prejudices, not medical facts” (Johnson).

It is also recognized that the Food and Drug Association does not take any precaution in determining if a heterosexual donor has been exposed to HIV(Johnson).

In 1997, the FDA met to discuss the law. They agreed to discuss whether or not homosexual and bisexual individuals should be denied from donating blood.

However, nothing has been done about the law for over a decade now.

The American Red Cross faces controversy as homosexual and bisexual men are turned away from voluntarily donating blood.

There has been much controversy on the fairness of this law.

In 1990, over fifty thousand people protested in New York City. Congress members have discussed this issue and are working towards overturning the ban.

Kathleen Sebelius, the United States Secretary of the Department of

Health and Human Services, believes that the “current policies turn away healthy, willing donors, even when we face serious blood shortages.” She includes that this ban “perpetuates inaccurate stereotypes against gay and bisexual men” (Bravo).

With the criticism this law has received, an FDA spokeswoman, Mor-

gan Liscinsky, told The New Yorker, “Although scientific evidence has not yet demonstrated that blood donated

by MSM [men who have sex with men] or a subgroup of these potential donors does not have a substantially increased rate of HIV infection compared to currently accepted blood donors, FDA remains willing to consid-

er new approaches to donor screening and testing” (Greenhouse).

An OPHS student was denied donating blood because of his sexual orientation. He has begun an online petition against this FDA law. He explains, “It’s not a gay thing; it’s a human thing.”

6

Feature

Sports

March 2014

History

THE CIF SOUTHERN SECTION CHAMPS

By Brittany Jones, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Oak Pa mark t

The boys’ Varsity basketball team made Oak Park history on Marc a victory over St. Francis.

The game was played at Azusa Pacific, a neutral location. The winn to not only win the CIF championship, but to also advance to the state play

Grant Bettisworth, a senior, comments, “My initial reaction when hard work paid off.”

The Oak Park boys’ Varsity basketball team ends its season with an as well as a league record of six wins and four losses. It is ranked 1,419th in

The team consists of sophomores Keyan Bazargan, Niccolo Posa juniors Kenneth Koffi, Michael Alvarez, Jon Lee, Leeyul Jeraffi and Robe Bettisworth, Robert Radin and Matt Byer.

For the first round of state playoffs, the Oak Park team played aga pace during the fourth quarter and won 73-59. Unfortunately, the Varsit Olinda, with a score of 66-73.

Sophomore Keyan Bazargan adds, “It was a great experience and t

For the first time in Oak Park High School’s histo cluding pre-season games, this gave them an 18-0-4 reco their belt.

Junior Captain Brittany Von Schneidau says, “Th it.”

This year’s team was remarkably young due to t freshmen on the team, sophomores and juniors fill the re team is left with a sturdy base that may springboard the t

Freshman Ally Spooner comments on the relatio play future seasons with my best friends.” A loving bond

Unfortunately, the second round of playoffs left th competitors, St. Joseph, were permitted to advance to the title.

Although this season was not as successful as the

TIM Kenney: Head Coach and History

The start of the new year brings with it new things, new people and new hurdles in life. For Oak Park football, change has a face and name and it goes by Tim Kenney.

Kenney was hired last month by the Oak Park Unified School District to be the new football head coach and a teacher in the History/Social Science department.

Kenney is a Notre Dame graduate with a history degree; he was also a college athlete who played for Notre Dame’s football team.

His personal life is consumed by sports in-season and off-season. “I live, eat and breathe football,” says Coach Kenney. He does not have any kids yet and lives in Hollywood but plans to move closer to Oak Park in order to be closer to the community and be more accessible to athletes and students.

After college, Coach Kenney went to St. Genevieve High School at the age of 24 to pursue his dream of becoming a head coach of a high school football team. He transferred on his own accord to Campbell Hall, a private school, and was Assistant Head Coach for two years. Coach Kenney wanted to be back in the top seat, so when he heard that Oak Park had an opening, he took the opportunity.

As far as football goes, Coach Kenney believes in having the Right Kind of Guys on his team or RKG’s. He believe that, “if you

Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse

By Justin Green,

Spring is rapidly Varsity Lacrosse.

Although their 16be difficult to beat, Coach termined to win it all this y year we made it to the US section championship. Our the championship.”

Winning the cham take a lot of hard work an part of the girls, especially val: Agoura High School. beat them in the champion

Feature

March 2014

7

ark Teams leave their this season

ch 7th when it won its first CIF title with

ning score was 60-53, allowing Oak Park yoffs. n we won was shock. All of our time and

n overall record of 22 wins and 11 losses, n the nation, and 140th in the state. arelli, Kobi Weisberg and Jake Whealen, ert Vetti, and seniors Cole Micek, Grant

ainst Roosevelt. Oak Park picked up its ty team lost their second game to Brea

the team really came together.”

his season was the best we’ve ever played as a team and I was so happy to be a part of

the high influx of freshmen in the past few years. With only four seniors and two emaining fourteen spots. Because only four players will be lost come graduation, the team into a position of high regard in the coming years. onship of the team, saying, “This was such a great experience and I am so excited to can make a team a strong competitor, as it seems to have done with this team. he Eagles with a loss of 5-3 – their first loss. This ended their season abruptly as their e next round. St. Joseph’s played Oaks Christian on March 8th for the championship

e team would have hoped, it is still a great improvement for the team and the school.

By Leah Katz, Art Director

Varsity Girls’ Soccer

ory, the girls’ Varsity soccer team went undefeated throughout the entire season. Inord going into CIF playoffs. They also had a Tri-Valley League Championship under

Teacher

Guest Writer

have guys that come out every day and give it their all and are focused, then winning will be a byproduct of that.” Kenney wants to develop the team character and help each of his students and players reach their goals, whether it is in the classroom or on the field.

Coach Kenney also has determined that he wants to be at Oak Park for the long haul.

He wants to be involved on campus to bring out latent talent that he feels this school holds.

When asked about player safety Coach Kenney said that is one of the most important parts of Coaching, knowing when a player is not acting or playing right, and responding to that by sending a player to the trainer.

Coach Kenney plans on making a lasting impression on the school. Many players feel he will be a good fit. Student Noah McCreary says, “ I am looking forward to a great season and Coach seems like a great leader and he will be able to take us far”

Fellow teammate, Lucas Flamer, says, “He seems driven and focused on a good season.”

approaching, as is girls’

remarks.

So far, their hard work and dedication has paid off. In the season opener, Oak Park beat Newbury Park with a score of 19-1. Shortly after this win, they beat Palos Verdes 20-4.

The team has also had many opportunities to bond this season.

Co-Captains Brooke Smailes and Alexis Cheney shared their favorite preseason memories. “Our team participated in a breast cancer awareness run which was a great bonding experience. Our team also raided IHOP on free pancake day after our beautiful win!”

With this much spirit and determination, the girls’ Varsity Lacrosse team is sure to have a very promising season.

-6-1 record last year will Courtney Schneck is deyear. She comments, “Last S Lacrosse CIF Northern r goal this year is to win

mpionship, however, will nd determination on the y against their biggest ri“We are determined to nships this year,” Schneck

By Chloe Wigul, Staff Writer

8

News

March 2014

Unexp e c te d Carnival At t e n d a n c e Continued from page 1

Credit: Taylor Bray

formed live during the carnival.

Morgan Paige stated that the carnival was a great opportunity to “spread the word about choir” and to open people up to “different types of music.”

Since the carnival is a new event, the ASB members were unsure of how popular it would be with the public and the students.

However, Ben Winck noted that the “shear number of people [that attended the Carnival was] fantastic” and that the event turned out better than he expected. This positive view ensures that the carnival will be continued in future years.

With this year’s carnival as a model, ASB has goals for future years - one being to get more high school students involved.

ASB plans to use the funds to expand their programs, including the carnivals in coming years. They want to make the events available on a larger scale and to invite more students to participate.

Overall, the carnival was successful. As Michelle Velasquez said, the event seems to be “something everyone would enjoy.”

News

March 2014

Directions: For each question in this section, select the best answer from among the choices given and fill in the corresponding circle on the answer sheet.

Which of the following statements best completes the following: The SAT is hated by ___________.

(A) stressed out students (B) frustrated educators (C) hamstrung admissions officers (D) anxious parents (E) all of the above

SAT Attempts to Achieve Equal Opportunity Continued from page 1

Furthermore, the aim of creating a new SAT is to ensure that the test more accurately measures student proficiency rather than reflecting access to expensive test-prep programs that teach students the “tricks” of the old exam.

In order to prepare students for the exam, College Board will partner with Khan Academy, an online educational resource, to give students free preparation materials in the spring of 2015.

Current freshmen will be the first group with the possibility of taking this exam. Freshman Gui Andrade stated, “I don’t think it will make that much of a difference [compared to the older exam].”

When senior Catherine Shi was asked if she felt that the revised SAT would be able to accomplish the College Board’s goal of providing more equal opportunity for success on the exam, she replied, “Yes and no, because I feel that at first a lot of people will be able to get the help they need… but I feel after a while people will be able to score so high that they will push the scores higher and higher, and there would not be a benefit for people who can’t afford additional prep.”

Ultimately, thoughts are mixed, but it appears that the revisions will bring a notable change to an important aspect of the college admissions process.

Come support the Oak Park High School Concert Band perform at the Thousand Oaks High School Band Festival on Thursday March 27 starting at 7:15 a.m.!

Showtimes: Thursday, March 27 at 7 pm Friday, March 28 at 7 pm Saturday, March 29 at 2 pm and 7 pm

9

Entertainment

10

March 2014

Juniors on Life Skills Retreat

By Min Kwon, Head of Photography

Prospective members can contact Pai or can stop by a meeting in R-3 every Friday at lunch.

Future Business Leaders of America

By Tushar Jois, Layout Editor Future Business Leaders of America, or FBLA for short, is one of the world’s largest student business organizations, allowing its members to establish their merit with focused competitions and projects with topics ranging from entrepreneurship and sustainability to entertainment management and video game design.

A dedicated, member-elected board, run by club president Alex Pai, runs the Oak Park High School FBLA chapter.

“What I am most excited about is our recent success at our regional competi-

tion,” says Pai, a junior. “We received third place in the amount of awards handed out, managing to beat out schools with membership twice our size.”

The club received awards in both individual and team events, including some of the more competitive topics, such as Accounting and Economics. Some members even placed twice in both of their competitive events.

The success of this club’s members has allowed some of them to go to the State Leadership Conference in April where they will go head-to-head against other qualified Californians in Ontario, CA.

Junior Justin Liu affirms, “I have been doing

nothing but studying every single day, eating, drinking, breathing, and living Economics [his topic]. I vow not to stop until the day I finally and gloriously triumph over Westlake’s Vladimir Kremenetski!”

In addition to competitive events, the club also undertakes educational programs as well.

State-level projects, such as the Go Green project, allow members to commit to educating themselves on a particular subject area.

“We, as a club, want to bring business and education together,” remarks Pai. “Business encompasses a lot of things – and that’s what we want to show everyone.”

Due to the large size of the junior class, the third Life Skills Retreat, which will take place April 30 to May 3, was offered to juniors as well as seniors this year.

Traditionally, most of the senior class tends to go on the first two retreats, primarily due to AP testing in May as well as some sports that may interfere with the retreat schedule. In addition, the third retreat has more OP Independent and Oak View students attend than during the first two retreats. Nonetheless, it has engendered criticism as well as support from the student body.

“Retreat is definitely more fun with people you know because you become closer friends,” comments senior Shivani Shikha, who attended the second retreat in February. She adds, “Knowing that you have another year of high school after the retreat might change the meaning of the entire experience.”

However, some have positive outlook on the issue. “Having juniors on the retreat won’t change the message you get from the

retreat,” states senior Rachel Convey. “I think if you focus on trying to get the most out of it, you can still enjoy it.”

Although the retreat is still shrouded in mystery for those who have not been on it, some juniors have positive expectations for it, even though they may not go to one that is attended by only their class. “I don’t know much about what goes on during the retreat,” comments junior Jessica Ji, “but I think it’s good that the entire junior class is getting offered to go.”

If the size of the junior class continues to increase, there may be considerations for another, distinct retreat. However, the cost and planning that goes into the retreats is likely to prevent such an addition.

With the administration increasingly addressing the issue of overpopulation at Oak Park High School, it seems that this kind of a “junior-overflow” is temporary and that such exceptions as juniors on the senior retreat will not be occurring in the near future.

In discussing this change in the retreats, Convey added, “People should try to go for the message it carries, not based on who actually attends the retreat.”

Ethics: Homer Dickerson Spotlight: Surf Team

By Ashley Siavoshi, Entertainment Editor

What are ethics?

Ask anyone and they’ll likely say that ethics are knowing what is right or wrong and acting upon that. But then ask them what defines right and wrong and there is often disagreement. The truth is that there is no objective definition of rightness and much of the time it is hard to truly say whether or not something is ethical.

This was the subject of the Homer Dickerson Youth Ethics Conference hosted by the Rotary Club of Westlake Village, which I had the pleasure to attend.

The conference was aimed towards high school students. Students from eight local schools attended the conference where they were grouped with local business leaders to discuss ethics in our every day lives as well as the implications of ethics in the professional world.

The highlight of the event was the keynote speaker, Dr. Terry Paulson. He presented a thirtyminute speech in which he discussed the importance of ethics in the real world.

One of his more interesting points was that being unethical may earn you money in the short-term, but it is ethical practices that will gain you long-term customers.

He also discussed how every action people take affects every single person around them. Finally, he urged us to stand up for ethical decisions even when others appear to overlook or avoid them, because sometimes it only takes one person to set off a domino effect.

However, all of his advice still does not address the main question at hand: how do you know if something is ethical or not? The Rotary Club has created a simple but elegant Four-Way test to determine if something is ethical.

1. Is it the truth?

2. Is it fair to all concerned?

3. Will it build good will and better friendships?

4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Paulson encouraged the audience to analyze the four prongs of this test before saying anything or making any decisions to ensure that it would be the most ethical choice possible.

As the audience broke into small discussion groups and began considering ethical scenarios and what they would do, the long lasting implications of ethics really began to strike certain individuals. Every action one makes and every word one says affects other people in ways that one truly cannot comprehend. Because of this, it is important for everyone to try to be as ethical as they possibly can in order to make the world a better place.

As American author Mark Twain once said, “Always do what is right. It will gratify most of the people, and astound the rest.”

By Tushar Jois, Layout Editor

On Sunday, February 23, the Oak Park High School surf team participated in their third competition.

Although it appeared to be a day with low tides, the team was in high spirits as it hit the waves in Santa Monica.

According to Mr. Kinberg, the coach of the school’s surf team, the OPHS B team did “exceptionally well.” They won a victory over Westlake High School, improving to 3 and 0 in league match-ups.

Aaron Kinberg, Alex Ungar, Cody Boskovich, and Brandon Aguilar

all advanced in their respective events, with Ungar finishing 7th overall. Ungar, a sophomore, comments, “I feel like I have improved a lot as a surfer because the really good surfers push me to advance my surfing. ”

As for the girls, Vienna Werner and Katy Rupp advanced in both Women’s Shortboard and Women’s Longboard. Vienna made it to the finals in both catagories. She ended up third in longboard and won shortboard.

Although the A Team lost to Malibu, Davis Gortner was able to advance in both longboard and shortboard.

School Life

March 2014

11

New and Improved Band Program

By Sarah Goldberg and Varsha Sarveshwar, Staff Writers

Oak Park High School is known for being an academically excelling school, but it does not have such a stellar reputation when it comes to sports and music. However, that is about to change.

In the 2013-2014 school year, Zachary Borquez became a teacher at OPUSD. Mr. Borquez splits his time as the band director at Medea Creek Middle School and Oak Park High School, and he has an ambitious plan to improve the music programs at the high school. The Talon interviewed Mr. Borquez to learn more about music at OPHS. Talon: How are you aiming to extend the band program for the 2014-2014 school year?

Mr. Zachary Borquez: Next year’s program will be expanding dramatically. We are adding an additional

concert band course [called] “Wind Ensemble (H).”

There will also be a brand new course called “Advanced Band” which will be 8th period… Marching Band and Color Guard will take place during fall, which will earn P.E. credit for sophomores and juniors in the same way that a sport does. For winter and spring, Advanced Band will be where our extended jazz program will be offered, as well as other various instrumental ensembles.

Drumline and Color Guard will go year-round.

T: What programs would you like to see in the future?

ZB: In the future, we of course hope to integrate string instrument-performance [and] course opportunities, as we are striving to create a fully comprehensive music department.

T: How have budget cuts impacted OPHS’s music programs?

ZB: The primary impact to the OPHS music program, resulting from budget cuts,

occurred a number of years ago, when each of OPUSD’s elementary schools lost their full-time and fully credentialed music teachers.

T: How has student enrollment affected the music programs that OPHS offers?

ZB: Student enrollment will always be the driving force behind any successful department, especially those that are not mandated graduation requirements. It’s simple really: the more students we have enrolled, the better we can structure the program to provide more opportunities for all.

T: In the world of competitive college applications, how do band programs compare with AP and Honors electives?

ZB: Of course, AP and Honors electives are important.

That being said, consistent participation in a music ensemble, as it relates to “how it looks” to colleges, is an enormous addition to an application. Colleges seek diversity in the types of cur-

ricular and extracurricular activities [and] classes in which students participate.

The whole “music makes you smarter” deal has been proven time and time again, and students who perform music at a high level, on average, have higher GPAs and SAT scores—colleges know this… That being said, we’ve combined the best of both worlds for next year’s program by offering and Honors Wind Ensemble.

T: Considering the diversity of music programs in nearby districts, how important is it for OPHS to remain strong in not just academics, but in our art and music programs?

ZB: Ventura County is home to many great schools that have very strong music programs—programs that have been fully established for decades. Now—do I think it is important to be competitive in what we offer to our OPUSD musicians [and] aspiring musicians? Yes, of course. Unless we can offer comparable ensemble performance opportunities, we

will always run the risk of losing the best musicians to those established programs.

That being said, I genuinely believe that next year’s instrumental music department offerings will be the first big step toward preventing musical attrition in our district. It is probably unrealistic to expect to be able “compete” with schools with well-established programs at festival competitions just yet, but with the direction I am seeing things headed, it shouldn’t be long.

I can tell you with full confidence that Oak Park Unified School District has so much potential to become a musical powerhouse and a true musical gem. I can see it becoming a model for music in Ventura County, throughout the state, and even the entire nation. All the elements are there. Finally, considering the correlation between music and academic achievement, if OPHS is strong academically right now, what is its potential with a fully realized music department?

M A R K E X L E R D . D . S . , F. A . C . P. PRACTICE LIMITED TO PROSTHODONTICS

Proud Supporter of OPHS Women’s

Volleyball

“Go Eagles” BOARD CERTIFIED SPECIALIST CARING FOR YOUR SIMPLE TO COMPLEX DENTAL NEEDS 818-501-0663/16311 VENTURA BLVD., SUITE 530 ENCINO, CA 91436

About the Talon

TALON Mission Statement

12 The Talon, produced by OPHS Journalism Club students, strives to bring attention to and to discuss current events through a student forum.

The paper aims to inform the student body in a reliable and relevant manner.

If you would like to contact the Talon with comments or questions regarding advertising, please e-mail the newspaper at: talon@ oakparkusd.org

March 2014

Letter from the Editor

Dear Readers,

This is quite a stressful time for us all. AP exams are coming up quickly leaving students scrambling around bookstores and the internet, finding the perfect study book and flashcards for each exam. May is a busy month rapidly approaching - May 1st is the final day for college committal, the first couple weeks of the month are stocked full of AP exams and the middle of the month tops the stress off with PROM. (Speaking of Prom, your dresses are absolutely fabulous, Ladies).

And to Senior Guys and Girls: the pressure is on! People are expecting to be asked, so be creative.

The following are ideas of how to ask people to Prom: 1. Write a message on her/his car using washable paint, of course, and treat her/him to her/his favorite flowers and/or chocolates goodies.

2. Stand outside her/his window holding a boombox in the air playing “your song.”

3. In the wee hours of the morning, throw pebbles against her/his bedroom window, while standing with a bouquet of roses until she/he opens the window.

4. Plan a “study date” and whip out a bouquet of roses from your backpack as well as a picnic blanket and her /his favorite food... at the beach... at night under the shine of the twinkling stars...

5. If you come up with a creative way to ask someone to Prom, let us know. We’ll follow your story and write a little something in the May issue!

So, live out the next couple months with as little stress as possible. While exams are stressful and demanding, always make room for a little quirkiness and love. Relaxation is key to surviving high school and remember, in the words of Anchorman Ron Burgundy, “Stay classy, [Oak Park]!”

- Adella Katz

The Talon Staff Editorial Staff

Staff Writers

Brittany Jones is a senior who has been writing for the Talon for three years. She is on the Varsity basketball team.

Varsha Sarveshwar is in her first year writing for the paper. She loves reading about and discussing current events and politics.

Adella Katz is a senior at OPHS. She enjoys writing for the Talon and obsessively watches her favorite TV shows New Girl and SVU.

Hannah Exler is a senior embarking on her second year of journalism. She also plays on the volleyball team and drives a Scion in her free time.

Alex Appelrouth is a senior at Oak Park who loves music and fast food. He enjoys being active and plays Varsity baseball.

Tushar Jois is a junior at Oak Park who enjoys writing and layout. He is a typophile and hopes you like the new layout.

Leah Katz is a senior at Oak Park and she likes taking pictures and watching ridiculous sitcoms. She also plays soccer in her free time.

Min Kwon is a senior at OPHS. He enjoys writing for the Talon and listening to K-Pop in his free time.

Ashley Siavoshi is a junior and has been writing for the Talon since her freshman year. Her hobbies include poetry, maths, and the Big Bang Theory.

Zainab Pixler is a senior at OPHS and this is her second year writing for the Talon. She loves The Huntington Library and National Geographic.

Juliana Furgala is a junior and she has always been, and will continue to be, an avid reader. Her favorite subjects are history and art.

Taylor Bray, also known as “Klancy,” is a senior striving to become an illustrator. He enjoys playing with small rodents and eating various assortments of fruits.

Sarah Goldberg is a sophomore at Oak Park High School. She enjoys reading, watching television, and hanging out with her friends.

Lauren Perlmutter is a sophomore and has had a passion for writing since she was young. Lauren enjoys being with friends and volunteering in her free time.

Also included in this issue: Sarah Heeney, Justin Green, Nicole Schwartz and Chloe Cross.

Interested in joining the Talon staff?

Whether you are interested in journalism, photography or layout, we have a place for you. ~ Locate Brittany Jones or Adella Katz, or stop by a club meeting. Meetings take place every other Tuesday at lunch in H-9.