Issue 8, 2016-2017 by The Lancer

the

LANCER

Volume LV, Issue 8 » Apr. 4, 2017 » Thousand Oaks High School » 2323 N. Moorpark Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 » www.tohsthelancer.org » thelancer.tohs@gmail.com » Circulation 2,304

TOHS’s top four hurdlers share an intensity like no other relay team. pg. 21

the fantastic Four PHOTO » CARISSA LO» THE LANCER

JUST BEAT IT

NOT SO FORTUNATO

HISTORICAL ACTOR

Drumline gets ready for a major competition this weekend.

2000s artist Nelly Fortunado falls flat with the release of her new album.

Junior Eric Erickson often participates in war reenactments with his dad.

pg. 04

pg. 07

pg. 16

EDITORIAL

Hits and Misses

New parking: Spotted

What’s Up and Down with The Lancer Hit: SpaceX conducts the first successful rocket relaunch of Falcon 9. What goes up might finally start coming down.

Miss: We couldn’t wear shades indoors on shades indoors day. Seems pretty shady to us.

Hit: Gordan Ramsey finally shuts down the debate over pineapple on pizza by saying it doesn’t belong (a pizza good advice).

GRAPHIC » REBECCA HEINZEL » THE LANCER

Should TOHS sell parking permits for specified, individual parking spots? EDITORIAL BOARD

yes

abstain

Nobody likes to park. We, as high school students, are especially renowned for our ineptitude when it comes to parking. The school doesn’t seem to recognize this. In fact, the TOHS parking system assumes its students are competent, diligent drivers and know how to navigate a parking lot and park safely. We, too, find this hilarious. The only asset of a teenager driver is that they are commonly aware they don’t know how to drive. So, the methodology our school has developed in creating a parking lot should not have been taken so nonchalantly. The school expects us to handle parking maturely, to handle putting a vehicle in the spot we find most convenient for us and safest for others. Evidently, the school has not taken a careful look at our parking situation. Simply put: It’s a mess. If you haven’t had the pleasure of dealing with parking your car in the morning, here’s what you’re missing out on: traffic, congestion, angry drivers, thinking outside of the box and, yes, parking spots. Our solution? Easy — just change the way the school sells parking permits. Right now, parking permits are sold at the beginning of each semester and allow students to park in any of the parking spots on either side of the school, so long as it’s not designated “staff” (Or, of course “fire,” “emergency,” etc). This system of sell and go may appear adequate on paper, but the way TOHS carries out parking quality is more of a system of “oversell and go”. Finals week: a living, breathing, congested catastrophe. Arriving at school five minutes before second pe-

riod: we would be lucky to get a parking spot in time for nutrition break. If the school sold parking permits in a more organized fashion, we would park in what would be an apparently equal fashion. Other local schools encounter similar issues with parking; they see an excessive number of students that need to park in the morning and realize their spots may not accommodate all of them, so they adapt. Perhaps the most efficient way to adapt to so many cars would be to auction off parking spots based on their apparent value (lot location, proximity to school). Perhaps, of course, this is immoral for a public school and technically illegal. Well, not perhaps. It is. But something legal and still upright we can try to convince the school to do is sell specified, individual parking spots. The school specified parking spots would be distinguished in the same way classrooms are distinguished. Just as we know which classrooms to enter based on their number and locations, the labels on parking spots would follow a similar pattern. Not only would this make each of the spots exclusive so students could spend less time searching for a spot, but it would make it incredibly obvious when one is in the wrong spot or parked inappropriately. Labelled, specified parking spots make it obvious where each student is to be placed, so there would be no confusion as to where each car belongs. We need a solution, and selling spots instead of stickers is the smartest one.

Miss: The House of Representatives proposes a bill that allows them to sell the public’s internet history. That’s why I use incognito.

Hit: Choir won first place at the Heritage Festival in San Diego; we told you TOHS was diverse!

Miss: The NHL decides not to send any male or female players to the South Korea Olympics. What the puck?

Hit: Lancer Lately’s Cam King finally learns how to say “Agoura” correctly. No more a-grrrr-ession from the student body.

THE LANCER STAFF 2016-2017 EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

ENTERTAINMENT

SPORTS

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Brian Lee Jessi Soporito

Shraya Blaisdell Sebastian Maya

Cameron King Allison Medley Paul Moon

Carissa Lo Quincey Smithers

MANAGING EDITOR

OPINION

Sam Kallen

Andrew Chau Gavin P. Norton Sierra Waters

BUSINESS MANAGER Cameron Neel

NEWS Natalie Pagan Nate Swanson

IN-FOCUS Joyce Huchin Hannah Mercer

FEATURES Clarissa Kano Kylie Patterson

STAFF WRITERS Abbey Austin-Wood Emma Caudill Austin Gregory Sam Hwang Abby Kawaii April Sanchez Samantha Shapiro

ARTIST Rebecca Heinzel

WEBSITE EDITORS Blake Saari Cate Valinote

ADVISER Tasha Beaudoin

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT: www.tohsthelancer.org

The Lancer is the official school publication of Thousand Oaks High School, created and produced by students in Advanced Journalism. This publication as well as additional stories can be found online at tohsthelancer. org. The Lancer reserves the right to refuse advertising deemed inappropriate for high school publication. Guest editorials and “Letters to the Editor” are welcome, but must be signed and are subject to editing for length, libel, obscenity and grammar. They can be sent to thelancer.tohs@gmail.com. The Lancer is a member of the Journalism Education Association (JEA), National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) and NSPA All-American Hall of Fame.

NEWS

89,000,000 people play an April Fool’s joke each year

32%

67%

The earliest recorded association between April 1 and foolishness can be found in the Canterbury Tales

of April Fool’s Day pranks are played by friends

of people say there is no one too old to celebrate April Fool’s Day

The most popular theory about the origin of April Fool’s Day involves the French calendar reform of the 16th century

APRIL FOOL’S DAY April 1 is often known as a day for jokers and pranksters to have and excuse to fool their friends, family and even strangers. Most people use Facebook to prank others

April Fool’s Day was first known as “All Fool’s Day” 56 percent of people feel mischievous on April Fool’s Day

In the United States, the pranks last all day, but in other countries they only take place until noon

175

injuries caused each year by an April Fool’s joke

26 %

13% will play a prank on their parent

of people think “changing the clock” is the best April Fool’s prank

England announced Big Ben would be “going digital” last year

Popular companies like Google, Netflix and YouTube often play pranks on their consumers

Most memorable April Fool’s Pranks SOURCE » WWW.FACTSLIDES.COM

Early 1950s BBC runs a “news” item about the spaghetti harvest in Switzerland. PHOTO » CREATIVE COMMONS » WITH PERMISSION

1986 Press releases for the non-existent New York City April Fools’ Day Parade have been issued every year since.

1996 Taco Bell runs an ad in newspapers claiming it purchased the Liberty Bell and is renaming it the “Taco Liberty Bell.”

SOURCE » WWW.GOODHOUSEKEEPING.COM

SOURCE » WWW.CNN.COM

GRAPHICS » CREATIVE COMMONS » WITH PERMISSION

NEWS

MOVE TO THE BEAT Thousand Oaks High School’s Drumline program prepares to perform their upcoming show titled, “Common Heroes” this Sunday on Apr. 9 NATE SWANSON

News Editor

Cymbals crash, snare drums hiss and quads boom as drumline practices on Wednesdays and Fridays from three to six. The drumline consists of two sections: the pit and the battery. The battery is made up of the instruments that a person would be able to march in a parade with and the pit is the opposite. The marimbas and the full drum set are instruments found in the pit because they are immovable. The snare and bass drums are some examples of instruments found in the battery. After moving up a division two years ago, Thousand Oaks looks to improve on their show for their ﬁnal com-

MARCH ALONG— Sophomore Parker Snyder reheares his steps while playing the tenor drums at a practice after school on Mar. 31.

petition of the year. “[At our practices] we know our whole show by this point, so we are really just cleaning up bits of our performance,” sophomore tenor player Parker Snyder said. The competition has grown since moving up to Scholastic Open Division. Thousand Oaks plans to accommodate to the new growth in stride. In the last competition, they gained support from the judges who assured that they were in the correct division for their skill. They only need to get accustomed to their opposition to be a serious threat. “Drumline is more of a theatrical show than marching band, we have to perform with our faces and express some emotion be-

cause our show usually has [a theatrical element in it],” Snyder said. The show element is not the biggest factor, while it is still important to their performance. The skill factor is the most important for their competition, as it would be across any competition or sporting event across the globe. They continue to use the judges support to motivate them to compete to their highest level and continuously improve on it. With only eight seniors out of approximately 35 percussionists involved in the program, there is a bright young future ahead. This future is going to be set up by the current senior leaders. “As Drum Captains we are responsible for making sure everyone is focused. During practice we are responsible for making sure all the equipment is working and really just making sure the group is as productive as we can be,” senior tenor player Ethan Harbour said. Ethan is the Battery section leader and one of the tenor drum players. He has been involved with drumline for four marching seasons and one winter season. This could be his last competition at Thousand Oaks High School. With that possibility on the table, the show will be kicked into overdrive to prepare. “We are just working on detailing all aspects of our show. As we move on in the season and the show gets better, the small mistakes become more evident, so we really have to work on making sure we fix as many of those as possible,” Harbour said. The format of the competition allows the top half of a group to move onto the finals. For example, if there is a group of twelve, the top six will advance and the bottom six drumline groups will be eliminated. “I think we have a shot to squeak into the last spot and make it to finals which would be the best our school has done in a long time,” Harbour said. The upgrade to Open Division happened 2 years ago. The shift is more noticeable with the upperclassmen, but the underclassmen only know the realities of the new division. Open Division is the middle of the three divisions; the lower is Scholastic A Division, and the higher is Scholastic World Class Division. The upcoming competition is on Sunday April 9 at California State San Bernardino University. The finals will be in Ontario, California. The Lancers are as optimistic as they can be with their nose to the grindstone. With a new taste of the Open Division competition, they are not letting up anytime soon. The senior captains Ethan Harbour and Brendan Romero hope to push their sections collectively to the finals in Ontario.

PHOTO » QUINCEY SMITHERS » THE LANCER

NEWS

A High N te Choir attends the annual nationwide Heritage Festival, held in San Deigo this year, and wins first and second place in the vocal competition. NATALIE PAGAN

News Editor

Early every morning, while most students are still trying to wake up, a group of students are priming their voices to sing for the next hour. After working on their songs all year, choir was finally ready to go compete at the annual Heritage Festival, a choral and instrumental competition for schools across the west coast, which was held in San Diego this year. Concert Choir and Vocal Ensemble drove down to compete in the festival from March 31-April 2. They had previously competed in New Orleans four years ago and San Francisco three years ago for the Heritage Festival. “We were given [our pieces] at the beginning of the year and worked on them since then,” junior Violet Halub said. “So we’ve been working on them all year.” Concert Choir performed the songs “Hallelujah Amen” by Handel, “Good Night Dear Heart” by Dan Forrest and “Tshotsholoza” by Jeffery L. Ames while competing against three other concert choirs in their category. Overall, there were fifteen other schools from different west coast competing at the festival. For sophomore Haley Hallman and others, the most difficult part was having to sing and compete right after a three hour bus ride to San Diego. But both choirs managed not only to perform to the best of their ability, but win first and second place at the festival in their categories. “[Concert Choir] placed first with a gold rating which means we basically got an A on the performance,” Hallman said. Vocal Ensemble placed second with a gold rating as well. “This means that in our category, we scored the highest on the national ranking scale,” Halub said.

After the actual competition, both of the choirs had the opportunity to spend some time exploring museums, getting dinner and watching an improv show in Old Town San Diego. They also got to spend the day at SeaWorld before attending the awards banquet and dance at the park on Saturday night. “After we competed on Friday we went to Old Town and checked out the museums then on Saturday we went to SeaWorld and had an awards banquet that night,” Hallman said. Heritage Festival this year proved to be a big win for both choirs, as all their hard preparation during the school year paid off, although they did not have their usual musical director, Janna Santangelo. “The most rewarding part was winning ﬁrst place especially without our usual director, Mrs. Santangelo,” Hallman said. “Our current director Mrs. Langnes was awesome and led us to our victory.”

SING IT LOUD—

ALL PHOTOS » HALEY HALLMAN » WITH PERMISSION

(Top) Seniors Greer Henderson and Kristen Wisneski celebrate their first place win with Concert Choir on Saturday night. (Bottom) Concert Choir and Vocal Ensemble spend time in San Diego after the awards ceremony. On their trip, they also got to visit different museums, see an improv show, eat dinner in Old Town San Diego and spend the following day at SeaWorld before the actual awards ceremony and dance held at the theme park.

x 2” 06

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ENTERTAINMENT PHOTO » OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE

WHOA, NELLY! — Singer-songwriter poses dramatically against a car for her album cover.

Thoughts from

The Lancer staff “I feel like it’s a throwback to the early 2000’s. I really liked “Cold Hard Truth,” but all the others sounded the same.” -Sierra Waters, 12

“I liked the atmosphere it set. The ambiance was pleasant, but not too bubbly.” -Gavin Norton, 11

A RIDE IN THE WRONG DIRECTION Nelly Furtado’s new album after five years, The Ride, was a dissapointment to The Lancer. While some of the album was calming, most songs were bland. SHRAYA BLAISDELL

Entertainment Editor

Jojo has nothing on Nelly Furtado (check out Issue 2 to see the beginning of the controversy). Despite the Lancer staff having a diverse taste in music style, from hard rap to classical to dubstep, all of us could agree that Nelly Furtado’s new album, The Ride, was less than satisfactory. Nelly reached her peak in 2010 when she released her successful hits “Say it Right,” “Promiscuous” and “Maneater.” Her musical career includes a lot of experimentation. In her even earlier albums like Whoa, Nelly and Folklore, Nelly played around in folk-pop. Now, she’s gone more mainstream. Nelly’s sound has deﬁnitely changed from previous years. In her new album, her music still remains in the pop genre, but it’s more bland than before. Her old sound from 2010 was more distinct and breathy. Now, her voice gets lost in the background melodies. Her songs also sounded too kiddish. The instrumentals and use of synth disconnected with the lyrics or beats of the songs. Most of her songs sounded like they were meant to be background music, and her voice wasn’t distinguished next to the instrumentals. I’m really not sure who her target audience would be. The people who loved her and sang her songs in the car before have grown up. Younger audiences wouldn’t like this style of music either because of its oddness. She changed for the worse; she was trying too hard to

be eclectic in her soundscapes, but ended up sounding a lot like elevator music. Most of the songs were forgettable in their lack of catchiness and boring lyrics. She’s lost some of her natural charisma. Nelly was trying too hard to appeal to younger artists. Before, it came naturally. The one good thing album was its cohesiveness. The songs seemed to be apart of the same album because of their similarities in vibe, instrumentals, and attitude. It wasn’t separated or divided. She was clearly aiming for something with this album, but the message got lost in the songs’ shortcomings. The most appealing song of the album was her last song, “Phoenix.” Her voice ﬁnally came through the music. Even though it’s less upbeat than her others on the album, it doesn’t sound like a superﬁcial attempt at pop. One of the great things about Nelly Furtado’s old sound was that it was distinctly hers. The lighthearted songs were catchy, but you could still recognize them as Nelly’s on the radio. At the end of the song, you had a pep in your step. Now, Nelly Furtado wouldn’t stand out among today’s artists, and her album will leave potential fans disappointed. Don’t get me wrong — I’m okay with musical change, but she lacks the energy and spunk that made her past songs memorable. Listening to The Ride left the Lancer staff less than impressed and craving a more appealing sound. Hopefully Nelly’s next album will be more gratifying.

“I don’t like it, but I guess someone could. I just don’t know why. It’s kind of weird. It’s not my thing.” Sam Kallen, 12 “It was good background music but it’s not my personal taste. I can see how people would like it.” -Joyce Huchin, 12 “I wasn’t a huge fan. She’s an adult, and her songs sound like she’s a teenager. Grow up.” -Hannah Mercer, 10 “It reminds me of 2005, spefically Usher’s work. Yeah!” -Nate Swanson, 10

ENTERTAINMENT

TED Talks The talk of the Future The future is tomorrow, but these TED Talk presenters imagine what the future will be like in 10 to 100 years from today. Various questions about what’s yet to come are answered. The Lancer also invites Blake Augustine, a TED Talks presenter, to a Q&A about his TED Talk. 1. The Incredible Inventions of Intuitive AI | Maurice Conti

Technology is the future. Maurice Conti explains the dawn of a new era through his eyes and the revelation from passive to intuitive computers. The Augmented Age combines technology with a digital nervous system to produce innovations humans are incapable of. Computers now can take complex problems and think of millions of solutions without the manual command from humans. However, the Augmented Age intertwines humans and machines to create a coexistence of labor and intuition. Together, humans and machinery can overcome the obstacles of growing issues such as global warming or create designs for airplanes that are twice as strong and twice as light in the coming age. Looks like robots won’t be taking over the world anytime soon.

2. Your Kids might live on Mars. Here’s how they’ll survive | Stephen Petranek

S TO O » IC FF

O L IA

3. What Will Humans Look Like in a Hundred Years | Juan Enriquez

Within 20 years, humans will be able to live on Mars. How? Mars is less than half the size of earth, the are is 96 percent carbon dioxide, and average temperature is below freezing at negative 81 degrees fahrenheit. Not to mention that humans need food, water, shelter and oxygen to live on Mars. The key? Elon Musk for will power and NASA for long term stability. NASA has found answers to food, oxygen, and water. Dried food, frozen water on Mars, and the Moxie, will provide livable conditions for humans to live on Mars. To create a long term solution for livable temperatures and conditions is to reflect the sun onto the frozen water to rise the atmosphere and provide a stable environment; essentially, a greenhouse. Make sure to remember to grab your astronaut suit and an oxygen tank.

Development in human genes will create new genetics to survive in various climates, diseases and planets. To escape extinction on Earth, humans must find other places to live. Juan Enriquez starts by questioning the ethics of evolving the human body. Science has now come to a point where genetics can be mutated to evolve specific aspects of human cells and organs. To live on different planets and atmospheres, FUTURE ENDEAVORS—(1) A one must change his or her genes to live and grow in that cartoon of a human walking in an AI environment. (2) The surface climate. The next step for human survival is to evolve and of Mars. (3) Human alteration that colonize other planets. In hundreds of years, who knows, combines technology and biology. we might be able to breath underwater and fly.

G A ST

PHOTO » SHRAYA BLAISDELL » THE LANCER

What do you think makes a good Ted talk? I think mostly engagement with the audience. The whole idea [of a Ted talk] is ideas worth sharing, so everyone up there has an idea worth sharing. But it’s about how they involve the audience and get them involved that is the most important factor in a Ted talk. Like what the audience leaves the talk with, what they’re more enlightened of. How have you worked to make your talk more inspirational and more worth sharing? Mine is interesting because mine is super educational. It was kind of a challenge. First, it deals with colors, so I had to think of a way that everyone

Blake Augustine, 11th grade

relates to color because it’s one of those things that everyone relates to in some way. I went that route and in the beginning of the talk, I say, ‘I want everyone to think about their favorite color,’ and just have them involved in some way and so we can all relate to it. What was the hardest part in creating your speech? It was how to make it more personal. I’m colorblind myself, so it’s hard to do a project about color when I can’t see it. So the hardest part was that they wanted me to make it a lot about me even though a lot of this project was just me doing research and communicating what I found.

ENTERTAINMENT

MAKEUP trends AROUND CAMPUS

The Lancer presents TOHS students showing their makeup talent. Eyeliner and mascara are popular daily choices among these girls. Eyeshadow allows them to express their creative sides.

PHOTOS » SEBASTIAN MAYA » THE LANCER

S: ESEESNENT TS: R P R N P BBRRIAIAN DON’T TAKE CHAIR MY CHIPS REVIEW

Nikki Rivera, 9

MAKEUP YOUR MIND — (1) Nikki Rivera uses tape for her eyeshadow and eyeliner to create a precise line. (2) Alexa Gno likes nude colors for eyeshadows. She started applying make up in middle school by using YouTube. (3) Taylor Stanley finds inspiration from her mom and YouTube. (4) Leah Nicole Evans likes the Kat Von D eyeshadow palette and Urban Decay products. (5) Mahathi Rao uses mascara with occasional eyeliner.

Taylor Stanley, 9

Leah Nicole Evans, 10

Alexa Gno, 9

5 Mahathi Rao, 11

I decided, as a chair connoisseur, I would take the next step in my career and write a review, so today, I will be taking a look at a wide range of different types of chairs, from the maternal comfort of the living room sofa, to the studious environment of the home office, I’m going to try to hit them all. First off we’re going to take a look at the blue airchair in my friend’s garage. At first glance, not much stands out about it, nothing special, just an ordinary armchair. However, getting past the initial impressions, the texture and detail reveals much more — the chair tells of its troubled past and extensive history. Truly a wise and weathered chair. Despite its vast character and background, I’m going to have to give it a 4/10. It honestly looks disgusting, there are some questionable stains and the years have really taken a toll on the cushions and comfortability. Next up, we have a dark oak dining chair from Costco located in my dining room. It came in a set of eight along with a large dining table which is quite the plus. The chair is aesthetically pleasing, the dark oak wood frame combined with the espresso brown upholstery turns secondary furniture into the centerpiece of the room. Moving on to the ergonomics, it sits surprisingly well. I thought the back rest would be uncomfortable after long sessions of sitting, but the bottom cushioning makes up for the back rest and I often find myself sitting down for hours on end. I definitely have to give this chair an 8/10, for its sleek design paired with the comfortability and utility This next chair was submitted by popular request, the OH/TS29/NR DXRacer gaming chair from their Tank Series. I am a huge fan of all of their tank series models because I tend to enjoy larger chairs and I feel that the OH/TS29/NR offers a versatile option. It takes the classic swivel office chair and goes way beyond.Straight off the bat, I could see this chair being intimidating to many other chair enthusiasts, it is on the larger spectrum, and the price is way out of most people’s range at $599. That being said, the high density mould shaping form allows for a beyond optimum sitting experience, and this seat guarantees durability. Its heavy duty tilt mechanism matched with the 5-star wide aluminum base can support copious amounts of weight. The only problem I can see with this chair is the inconvenience of its size and reduced mobility, Despite that, I give this chair a solid 10/10. It is just an all around outstanding piece to add to your collection if you’re ready to raise your price range. Now we have a Bronze Poly Heavy Duty, Stackable, Folding Banquet chair. On the upside, these come in packs of 1000, on the downside, you have to be willing to throw down $12 thousand dollars. Individually, these chairs have everything you need in a bulk purchase of chairs. They are foldable which mean easy transportation, not to mention the lightweight tubular steel design resistant to any corrosion. For that, I give them a 7/10. They are basic, but they get the job done. Last but not least, I will be taking a look at the raised stools located by my kitchen island. These are also fairly basic, a wooden seat top coated in a chocolate brown layer of paint, and stainless steel legs. That being said, I enjoy the simplicity of the stool, it really grounds me to Earth and keeps me calm in times of global turmoil. I think most of it is due to the curved design on the seat itself. The indent creates softer edges and lets me think deeply whenever I’m sitting down. This stool is definitely a 6/10 but only because it doesn’t have that much to offer. I enjoy sitting in all sorts of flavors of chairs, and I hope that you can adopt my passion after reading this culmination of my wonder. —Brian Lee

OPINION

Improvement

unrealistic S PHOTO » SIERRA WATERS » THE LANCER

Democratic California Senators Stern and Galgiani spent the last few months developing a bill intended to relieve California public school teachers from state income tax after teaching in a district for five years. Galgiani and Stern advertised the bill as a measure to protect currently employed California teachers and as an incentive to aid the state with its declining number of teachers. Proponents of the bill argue that the change will benefit the state’s education and opponents are concerned with the bill’s details and funding. Should the state of California pass Senate Bill 807?

YES

California needs to invest more money for the best education

The state cannot waste time on expensive, unrealistic bills

SIERRA WATERS

Opinion Editor

Teachers are the true job creators. Starting from preschool, teachers have the power to set kids up for success or failure. Elementary and middle school teachers set the foundation of education, and in high school, teachers become mentors to help guide students to their next step in education and the world. However, California is currently experiencing a lack of teachers, and that’s detrimental to the next generation and therefore society. SB 807 is going to help bring back qualified teachers into schools and take the initiative in giving them the pay they deserve. All teachers have to go through a year of student teaching before they can receive their credential — that’s a year of teaching without pay, and there’s not even a guaranteed job afterward. It takes about six years to get a teaching credential in California — that’s six years of dedication without pay. It shows that the teachers that complete the program are committed to their students and helping shape the next generation into intelligent, functioning adults. Then when they finally get a job, the money they make doesn’t compensate for their education. Because of this, 30% of teachers leave the profession within the first five years, according to the California Senate. It’s forced schools to hire teachers who may not be as qualified. SB 807 would motivate teachers to stay with their profession with the income tax cut put in place. It also means tax exemption from training programs, meaning more teachers stay, gain more experience, and become better educators with each coming year. Everyone benefits from the state making an investment in teachers. Students get a better education from teachers who are excited to be there, which make them more likely to positively affect the economy. Students are more likely to pursue a form of higher education which ultimately leads to a good job that brings money back into the economy. It’s a win-win for everyone. Students are the future, and only education can ensure that they are set off on the right path to success. California is taking a step toward improving its education, showing that the state cares about its teachers and wants to keep them in the classroom. It’ll be one of the first states to address our teacher shortage, and SB 807 is the first step in improving the state’s education system. It shows that the state isn’t just invested in teachers, but in the students’ futures in this generation and the next. Our primary focus as a state, and even as a country, has to be the wellbeing of the students and setting them up for success in life. Teachers are the primary source of that success, and we only want the best for the next generation of innovators and artists. Senate Bill 807 is only beneficial to the state of California. It helps provide a solid foundation for our students, which in turn improves California’s economic standing in the long run. It provides opportunities for underprivileged schools, and will make our state an innovator in education.

GAVIN P. NORTON

Opinion Editor

The bill in question, unlike most bills involving teachers, does not appear to be beneficial to fellow California students. Those pressing the bill — senators Henry Stern and Cathleen Galgiani — pose the plan as a saving grace for the teachers and the teaching system, but not the students. Their argument plans the bill (in an all-too-thorough 400-word document) as an effort to incentivise Californians to become public school teachers. However, the evident problem is that teachers may serve the common good less. Public service positions are designed to be attractive to those who value the general public — in the case of teachers, those who value education and Californian youth. Naturally, more people will take up the application when the state provides incentive to apply for a position. More applicants means more teachers, but not necessarily more teachers whose main purpose is to brighten a child’s future. Not only does this minimize the teacher’s positive impact on students, but the new, hefty tax break that will result from the bill only applies for teachers. The bill does not address other government employees who don’t receive annual tax breaks nor for those who hold other public school jobs (e.g. janitors, administrators). The way the bill stands right now, any teacher hoping to take advantage of the proposed tax cut needs at least five years of teaching experience in their district. So, unfair for those who hold teaching positions right now, the wait to receive this new level of tenure is their previous amount of experience added onto the five years now required for new teachers. Furthermore, the root of the problem is cost. With less government funding from teachers’ income taxes, there’s less government funding going towards teachers’ incomes. More government funding towards the same number of positions means the state government would have to spend money it just doesn’t have. This funding does not come from China or from a divine source, it comes from taxpayers. According to the bill, it comes from a combination of lottery tax and, ironically enough, state income tax. Also, focusing on income tax, Sterna and Galgiani have ignored the real problems with becoming a teacher in California; the problem has always been a combination of long, extraneous student teaching and sub-par income. Stern and Galgiani have not been particularly helpful with finding a solution to the issue of cost, either. In their bill, neither of the senators provided any clear plan on how much the bill would cost or any plan for how to deal with a number of possible anomalies. In short: the bill is vague — too vague. Although the bill relieves those already holding public school teaching positions of income tax, it fails to help the other public school employees mentioned earlier, teachers who work in state-supported voucher schools, charter schools or religious schools and private schools. The bill proposed is not only unrealistic in ambition, but those tasked with writing it in no way took into account any realities of how a simple law is passed.

OPINION

Ifo? S A s i ’s in store r AI.

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Games like chess, Connect 4, Go and Poker

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HAU » THE LANCER

While these laws offer a strong base and foundation for controlling ASI, they are far from all-inclusive and there are many exceptions to them — Asimov’s own novels often explore these loopholes. Furthermore, despite seeming straightforward enough, the laws are difﬁcult to program. They’re much harder to implement in real life than in science ﬁction. Nonetheless, ASI is an advancement that we as humans should excited for: it opens new frontiers and possibilities beyond what we now can even imagine.

arriving: 2060

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GRAP

Let’s fast forward our lives to a time where artificial superintelligence (ASI) exists. Maybe it’s 50 years away, maybe it’s 500: that part’s not important. What is important, though, is this: once ASI arrives, we as a human race will very quickly either go extinct or become immortal. That’s not an exaggeration. Before we go further, let me explain some of the basics. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the science of making intelligent programs, and it’s already present in society: it filters spam emails, plays chess and much more. This narrow AI is designed for one purpose in mind. A chess playing program, for example, can’t filter spam. ASI though, is far ahead of narrow AI. At this point, ASI will have a greater brainpower, so to speak, than a human, and it, unlike narrow AI, will have the capability to perform various tasks. It’s hard to truly grasp the amount of intelligence ASI will have, but it makes Albert Einstein look like a june bug in comparison. So why does ASI have such a large impact on society, and why does it only have two possible outcomes? Here’s something ASI likely won’t do: it won’t be like “The Matrix” or “The Terminator,” where sentient robots actively try to eradicate or enslave humanity. In describing ASI, we have to remember that robots, regardless of the available technology, are just robots. Even in it’s nearly infinite intelligence, ASI will likely be designed with a specific purpose. It will, however, have an extremely large resource pool to carry out its purpose. Without careful guidance, this simple goal may spiral out of control. Let’s say the hypothetical Andrew’s Bakery develops an ASI program named August to create the world’s best banana bread. Harmless right? Initially, August is given various recipes to increase his knowledge. Soon enough though, August requests Internet access so he can better do his job. It realizes that the best banana bread ingredients lie on a faraway planet, but international space law prohibit aircraft from flying there. To circumvent the law and future inconveniences, August decides to initiate a program that kills all the humans on the planet. Don’t ask how it does this; August is light years smarter than we are, so it’s easily possible. Finally, August creates not the world’s, but the universe’s best banana bread. Maybe the story’s a little exaggerated, but it goes to show how easily ASI can spiral out of control. If used and regulated carefully, though, ASI could pave the way for a new era. If used safely and wisely, ASI will inevitably draw out the secret to reverse or stop aging. It could develop nanobots that stay in a person’s bloodstream, replenishing old cells, recreating organs and revitalizing the brain. Maybe it’s just an anti-aging pill. Who knows, but with ASI, immortality is not far away. AI is increasingly a problem that we need to worry about: such a future is on its way, and when the stakes are so high, we need to prepare ourselves to control it. We need to figure out how to counteract those with malicious intents and how to ensure that ASI plans with good intentions don’t turn sour. Science fiction author Isaac Asimov coined three laws that experts use as a general reference for ensuring the safety of humanity: 1) AI may not harm a human being by action or inaction, 2) AI must obey orders unless such orders break rule 1, and 3) AI must protect its own existence so long as doing so doesn’t break rules 1 or 2. With these in place, the hypothetical story about August falls apart.

lligence e t In y

Na rr

Opinion Editor

t on e re

Seas The Day “There’s a big, blue sky waiting right behind the clouds!” —Lightning McQueen, “Cars”

ANDREW CHAU

H E xp o erts w dis a

As artificial intelligence advances and presents new possibilities, society has a lot to prepare for.

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You know, with all the misery in this world, there’s still so much so smile about. Trust me, I know what it’s like to be disappointed, to be let down, to be heartbroken and just flat-out sad, but the only way to make it through life is to smile through it and take the time to appreciate the people/things we love. I am a firm believer in practicing what I preach, so here are some things in my life that make me smile: I am thankful for dogs, mine specifically. I have two dachshund-lab mixes named Olo and Bella. Olo is so old now he has to wear diapers, and Bella will eat anything in sight, but they are perfect. All I ever want to do is watch TV with them. The truth is, no one’s going to love you like your dog will, and there’s something so assuring about that. I’ve had my dogs for sevenish years now, and a lot of people have come and go in that time. But no one has been more constant and more willing to love me than my dogs (well I mean except for Jesus, but that’s besides the point). I love it when a class at school becomes a family. For example: The Spanish 5 CP class is probably one of the most tight-knit groups on campus. There’s something trying to achieve a goal like learning a language that forces us to work together. Luckily we all support each other and are nothing but uplifting. I’m not sure whether it’s been the weather or the fact that I got new shoes or both, but either way I’ve been diggin’ it! Everyone has seemed happier with the dawn of spring, because we’re so close to summer! Like, I want to go out and explore! Break out in song! I want to go on a spring break road trip with my BFFs with the top down, hands up, music blasting — you know the deal. Falling in love with a new song is awesome. It’s just like in the movie “Easy A” when Emma Stone was singing to Natasha Bedingfield’s “A Pocketful of Sunshine.” When you find a new song to sing your heart at to, the incredible joy that you feel can release all the tension and worries in your life. I’m thankful that I’m not a drug addict, didn’t get knocked up, or anything like that. Instead, I’m obsessed with bread and chocolate. After the end of long day, that’s the ultimate comfort food. Sorry, Mom and Dad. Getting a hug from a friend you haven’t seen in awhile is one of the best feelings. When my friend from college came back for spring break last week, we ran up to each other in the Trader Joe’s parking lot and hugged in the middle of the street until we got honked at. But you know what? We didn’t care because we missed each other, but all the time apart made the reunion so much more valuable. Hopefully the lady in the minivan will appreciate friendship one day. Speaking of friends, I just love my them. Having good friends in your life is so essential, and at this point in my life. I feel like I can say that I have made a good choice in who I’ve been hanging out with. They make me laugh, hold me accountable, and know how to pick me up when I’m down. They’re smart and spontaneous. You need to be around people who inspire you to do your best and can learn from, and they should be open to learning from you too. But we can’t take these people for granted because the truth is that we don’t know our future with them. I know that’s kind of a damper on our uplifting theme, but it’s something that’s important for us to understand in order to truly appreciate the people we have around us. Bottom line: hug your dogs, love your friends, and sing more. I hope I see all of you guys smiling through the halls, because there’s always a reason to. :) — Sierra Waters

IN-FOCUS

Disney Channel Original Shows and Movies contain low quality content that fails to meet past standards.

Then

The “old” Disney Channel Original Series’ and Disney Channel Original Movies taught viewers quality life lessons, positive messages and had unique, clever plots.

Now

The “new” Disney Channel Original Series’ and Disney Channel Original Movies lack substance, originality and positive messages. PHOTO » HANNAH MERCER » THE LANCER

IN-FOCUS

GRAPHIC »

SA M A K EN LL

HE »T C ER LAN

Flip the script HANNAH MERCER

In-Focus Editor

Enter “Jessie,” (2012-2015) a Disney Channel Original. Enter Jessie and her troupe of kids: black (F), Indian (M) and white (M and F). Guess which one is angry, bratty and sassy? Smart and Nerdy? Pretty and Cool? (they’re in respective order). Then, enter “That’s So Raven,” (2003-2007) another Disney Channel original. Enter Raven, and her two friends. Aside from Raven’s psychic powers, the trio are normal, everyday people. What type of problems does Jessie encounter? There are issues with the kids she babysits and their respective stereotypes, her singing career and pestering the butler. Not so relatable. What type of problems does Raven encounter? There are frequent discussions about body shapes, beauty and eating disorders. Pretty relatable. Disney Channel Original Series’ and Disney Channel Original Movies began airing in 1997, when Disney Channel shifted its target demographic from young children to tweens and early teenagers. But since then, the essence of every classic, timeless Disney Channel Original has vanished, making modern Disney almost unrecognizable in comparison. “When the 2000s ended and the millennial generation started growing up, it was such a signiﬁcant period of time for TV,” junior Emma Roth said. “When they realized they had a new audience to cater to, they kind of had to start from scratch.” Disney Channel Originals used to be just that original. The plots of almost all of them were creative and unique, but somewhere between 2006 and 2008, the script ﬂipped. “It was their crazy themes and ideas that we found so funny and bizarre. Since they embraced that, it worked,” Roth said. “But now, I feel like some of the

newer shows are trying to normalize [plots] and be more trendy to keep up.” Old shows like “That’s So Raven” (2003-2007), “Hannah Montana” (2006-2011) and “Wizards of Waverly Place” (2007-2012) all had quite unrealistic storylines, but remained relatable. Each revolved around a high school girl’s life, but they were no ordinary high schoolers: one was psychic, one had a secret double life as a pop sensation, and the third was a wizard. However, all three faced basic high school challenges. Obviously, these situations (probably) wouldn’t happen in the real world, but mixed in with all of these alternate realities were valuable life lessons that all viewers could pick up on. “Not only did old school Disney give us spectacular humor, it also gave us a sense of connection,” Toni Baraka said in an article published on theodysseyonline.com. “The characters were beyond relatable, no matter how unrelatable the premise of the actual show might have been. There was always something that made us feel like we knew these characters, we watched them grow as we grew.” Disney Channel used to consist of clever, genuine television. It had important messages laced throughout about growing up, such as social and academic hardships they will face in their near future. This could be seen in the prior example from “That’s so Raven.” “If you pair an eating disorder with a [psychic], it’s a little easier to swallow than a regular high schooler with an eating disorder,” Roth said. “It’s a good way to incorporate that so it isn’t so hardcore reality.” Disney Channel Shows have since changed. Many parents of Disney Channel’s current audience claim that the network has actually grown to be a bad inﬂuence on children. “Disney Channel used to air episodes where children would partake in mischievous activities and, despite

their best effort, were caught, consequently learning a valuable lesson such as the dangers of bullying or hazards of conformity,” writer for “Pipe Dream,” Binghamton University’s newspaper, Matt Bloom said. “The difference between this generation’s Disney Channel and ours is essentially a holistic plot twist in the majority of their series, where characters “get away with [their wrongdoings],’” as opposed to the shows we were raised with, where they most certainly did not.” Similarly, Disney Channel Original Movies have morphed from morality to plots that encourage defiance. Adventures in Babysitting (2016) was about two teenage girls who have a wild night in New York City while babysitting a group of young children. The movie features countless examples of inappropriate, illegal behavior, such as breaking and entering, speeding and scalping tickets. And at the end, the police and the kids’ parents don’t find out about everything that happened that night. The kids walk away free, and they don’t face any consequences. This storyline can be applied to Disney Channel Original Series’ as well. “There’s a difference between fantasy and realistic fiction,” Roth said. “If you know something is fantasy, anything is possible and you don’t question the likelihood of everything that happens. There are no rules of logic that apply, and they don’t have to worry about people thinking, ‘Oh that would never happen’ because the whole thing could never happen.” This isn’t exclusive to Disney Channel, though: many children’s TV shows follow the same trend. What society need to notice though, is that the problem isn’t Disney. Rather, it’s just the result of changing modern beliefs — it mirrors what the public has grown to value. And if we’re unhappy with the current TV shows, then maybe that says something about the culture we live in.

PHOTO » SHANTI CUIZON-BURDEN » WITH PERMISSION

IN-FOCUS

Lance-talgia Lancers compare and contrast the Disney Channel shows and movies they grew up with to the content airing today. “I like ‘Thats So Raven,’ but I can’t relate to Disney shows now beacause the actors are all under 12 years old. Then, they had teenagers who could act, but now they have kids. Their facial expressions, body language, what they wear — it’s all just bad. Old shows had unique plots and really good messages, and there was more diversity. Now, the Disney shows are cliche and predictable.” — Valeria Moreno, 12

VS (2007-2012)

(2012-2015)

» Unique plot about a family of wizards, centered around Alex Russo, a high schooler. » Casual, natural conversations and humor » Clever, original storylines » Relatable conflicts, even though they were about a sci-fi topic » Always had a deeper message behind each story

» Unique plot about a family from the perspective of their talking dog, Stan » Cheesy jokes and forced situations » Conflicts only came from the unlikely situations from having a talking dog » Storylines’ only purpose was to get laughs, which they failed to do anyway

“My favorite Disney Channel show was “Lizzie McGuire.” It was relatable. It was funny, and I liked the characters. They taught life lessons. Shows try to be funny now, but it’s not very good life lessons or very good humor. “That So Raven” had a good message in every episode. They covered things like racism and sexism, but now in “Jessi,” it’s about a girl making a birthday party that’s zebra themed for a little kid.” — Shanti Cuizon-Burden, 12

“I really liked “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.” It was funny. It was an original show, not just repeats. I haven’t watched TV in a long time. The popular Disney shows aren’t as funny anymore. There’s no originality. Make it new. Make it funnier. Don’t keep saying the same things over and over. To me the message really doesn’t matter anymore. It’s a Disney channel movie. It’s supposed to funny and weird, and it’s not supposed to be taken literally. — Grant Eller, 9 PHOTO » SHANTI CUIZON-BURDEN » WITH PERMISSION

PHOTOS » JOYCE HUCHIN » THE LANCER

FEATURES

MADE TO SHINE— (Top Left) Siman-Tov demonstrates how her Tesla coil operates to power a lightbulb. (Top Right) A disconnected lightbulb lights up in close proximity to her homemade Tesla coil. (Below) Siman-Tov’s tools are ready to build with in her home workspace.

ct it OUT

Junior Eric Erickson’s interest in participating in Civil and Revolutionary War reenactments gives him the oppurtunity to be filmed in movies and commercials. KYLIE PATTERSON

Features Editor

All up and down the coast of California, hundreds of Civil and Revolutionary War enthusiasts gather together to reenact historic battles year round. Junior Eric Erickson is one of these history buffs, participating in battles across Southern California after discovering it with his father. “My dad has friends that do it, and he had never done it before,” Erickson said. “He decided to try it out and ever since then he’s been going to different reenactments all over.” Each reenactments consists of different activities, such as cooking food over a campfire, and having dances, but Erickson enjoys the battle itself above the rest. “I like the battles the most. Sometimes they’ll cook at the campfire too,” Erickson said. “Meals and stuff, over the campfire. A lot of the people come and visit the camp and we talk to them and make friends with the other reenactors.” Although Erickson goes to the battles for fun, he also take a lot of new knowledge away from them as well. “I’ve learned a lot more through participating in reenactments than I would’ve just in my history class,” Erickson said. The most interesting lesson Erickson took away from his hobby was the truth behind the South’s motivations for participating in the Civil War, those of which can be misconstrued by those who are uninformed. “The Civil War was just about the South wanting to secede and be their own nation. It wasn’t all about slavery,” Erickson said. “That was a part of it, but it wasn’t all about that. They seceded for state rights. I thought that was pretty interesting.” Another aspect of reenactments that Erickson enjoys are the period dances that are thrown and take place during the time period of the battle. “Sometimes there’s period dances. You go to dances and the women are dressed up in the gowns and the men are dressed up in the uniforms,” Erickson said. “They take place back in the 1860’s. It’s really fun.” One of the perks of being a regular reenactor is being

reached out to by movies and TV channels that need soldiers for their filming. Erickson has had the opportunity to be in multiple TV episodes and commercials, as well as a movie that came out on the National Geographic channel. “I’ve done a Billy the Kid special where they had Union soldiers on horseback and stuff but we were dismounted cavalry,” Erickson said. “And so we got to do that, and that was pretty fun.” Erickson and his dad are popular contacts in the entertainment industry due to the fact that they have all their own authentic battle equipment. “That’s why they usually call us at the movie studios because they don’t want to buy everything, they just want people that already have all of the equipment,” Erickson said. “My dad buys them from sutlers at the reenactments. Sometimes they’ll make it handmade. It’s kind of hard to find. A lot of times you’ll find inaccurate uniforms, and the movie studios don’t like that.” Although the prospect of being on the big screen is exciting, Erickson feels the actual process can sometimes be a tedious one. “I’ve done some Revolutionary War filming where we’re in a battle scene, and that’s really fun,” Erickson said. “It gets kind of boring though, because they have you do the same scene over and over.” Because of the large audiences that the reenactments attract, Erickson had cold feet about his first battle. But after participating in eight battles so far, Erickson considers himself a pro. “I was a little bit nervous for my first battle. I had never done it before so it was very new to me,” Erickson said. “It’s kind of treated like a performance, there are a lot of people video taping it and they’ll put pictures out online. A crowd watches it in the stands. At Moorpark there’s always a large crowd.” Erickson encourages everyone who is able to go and try to participate in reenactments, because there is much they can learn and take away. “Anybody can go and try and see if they want to do it,” Erickson said. “It’s fun. You don’t have to be a special person to go and do it.”

PREPARE FOR BATTLE— (Top) One of Erickson’s battles from a Civil War reenactment. (Right) Erickson’s Revoltionary War outfit. (Below) The South firing during a Civil War battle.

PHOTOS » RICHARD ERICKSON » WITH PERMISSION

FEATURES

take the Lead KYLIE PATTERSON

MADE TO SHINE— (Top Left) A scene from “Coming Distractions” during Jan 2016. (Top Right) McGlynn sings during “Coming Distractions.” (Bottom Left) In 2015, McGlynn and her costars pose in front of their sign. (Bottom Right) McGlynn ends a line of nurses in “13.”

Features Editor

From age nine, freshman Jade McGlynn has been drawn to the spotlight. After a little encouragement from her parents, McGlynn found her place with theater and has been performing shows ever since. “From the beginning I really enjoyed it, but it was mostly my mom pushing me to audition for stuff,” McGlynn said. In her most recent production of “Bring It On” through Panic! Productions, a local community theater, McGlynn had the opportunity to be an understudy to one of the lead roles. “She was really talented, so it was cool to be able to study with her,” McGlynn said. “She was on Broadway. A week after we closed then she left to go shoot a movie.” Although McGlynn has done non-musical plays, she prefers musicals because of how much she, and the audience, connect with the music. “Personally, I think I’m more of a singer than an actor or a dancer,” McGlynn said. “Musicals are so much more fun, and I feel like they’re not as slow. Some plays can be really slow.” When she first got her start on stage as a child, McGlynn was in awe of all levels of the industry, not just professional productions. “I used to think community theater shows were like professional shows,” McGlynn said. “They are not professional shows, but when I was little it was so cool and magical.” Throughout her time doing shows, one of the most important lessons McGlynn feels she learned is how important it is to be able to work alongside, and get along, with all types of people. Talent isn’t always the deciding factor when casting a production. “It’s better to be easy to work with than a talented person,” McGlynn said. “A lot of people that seem really talented are super difficult to work with and people don’t want to cast people who are divas and brats.” Another concept McGlynn picked up is respecting the director’s decisions, even if they conflict with the

actor’s interpretation of the script. “If you have a set idea of what you want to do with the character in your mind, but then the director gives you a note, it’s not because what you’re doing is wrong it’s just that’s how they want the character to be,” McGlynn said. Having been in over 26 shows, McGlynn has a vast knowledge of Broadway musicals and has much to choose from when picking her favorite show. “The first show that I ever called my favorite is “Wicked,” because that was the first show I ever saw on Broadway,” McGlynn said. “I think I got to see Kristen Chenowith play Glinda. I didn’t even know who she was at the time.” While “Wicked” is McGlynn’s favorite show, her favorite production she’s had the chance to be apart of is “13 The Musical,” due to how much the content of the show synced up with where she was in life and the experience of growing up she was sharing with the rest of the cast. “13 is my favorite show that I’ve been in, because we were all the same age. Which was very nice because we were all going through the same stuff, I guess,” McGlynn said. “The subject of the show is growing up, and that was still happening to all of us. It was just really cool.” Performing has been a consistent part of McGlynn’s life, but she has a desire to explore other parts of theater, such as directing, which she considers a huge responsibility to take on. “I’ve looked at directing, I think that would be really cool, but it’s so much work,” McGlynn said. “You’re in charge of all these people and then when something goes wrong, the director gets all the blame.” To McGlynn, one of the most important aspects of theater is the community and camaraderie of a cast. “The family environment of being in a cast with people is so special to me. You go through this whole rehearsal process with them and you just get so close with everyone,” McGlynn said. “I’ve never been in a show where I haven’t gotten really close with a group of people.”

PHOTOS » JADE MCGLYNN » WITH PERMISSION

From the start of third grade, freshman Jade McGlynn has directed all her time and energy towards her passion for being on stage and performing musicals.

FEATURES

TECH SAVVY The Lancer interviews tech worker Scott Diaz on his job helping the school stay up-to-date in technology, his past with computers, and his life outside campus.

CLARISSA KANO

Features Editor

THE LANCER: What are you in charge of in terms of technology at TOHS? Scott Diaz: I am in charge of the computers and peripherals on campus. This includes consulting with teachers to make sure they get exactly what they need for their classroom. I have to make sure all computer components are functional. If they aren’t, I need to fix them. This includes network gear, printers, projectors and any other technology device. TL: How did you get this job? SC: To get a job in Tech Services you have to go through a series of tests and interviews. There is an initial oral interview along with a multiple choice test related to computers and a hands-on test. The top three candidates proceed to the final oral interview with the Director of Technology Services and usually the Principal of the school assignment.

POWER THE CAMPUS— The Lancer gets a picture of the motherboard inside of one of the new computers on campus, which the tech workers installed. No computers were harmed in the taking of this picture.

TL: How did you get involved in computers? SC: I’ve been using computers since 1983, starting with the Commodore 64. I’m showing my age now. I originally started with running an old school dial up BBS (Bulletin Board System). Then I progressively starting doing more with both hardware and software. I’ve been working in the computer industry since 1994, at both hardware companies and software companies. TL: How do you put your skills/knowledge to use outside of this job? SC: I own a software company where I do programming. Of course, I also have the friends and family members that call for their technical support. TL: What other jobs have you had? Where else have you worked? SC: My first job was working at a skating rink (roller). I was a DJ in the late 80’s there. I’ve worked in the movie industry as an assistant

PHOTO » BRIAN LEE » THE LANCER

locations manager, and I was also a reserve police officer for Simi Valley PD. TL: What has this job taught you? SC: I would say this job has taught me patience. I have a tendency of thinking everyone knows computers like I do, so when they don’t I would get frustrated. The worst thing is when people click on things too quickly when I’m trying to give them instructions. However, now I just laugh about it and tease them about it. Over all it’s about not letting things bother me. TL: What’s a big obstacle for you when doing this job? SC: The biggest obstacle is the budget, or lack of. A lot of computer equipment is old and outdated. Somethings just aren’t worth fixing. However, when we don’t have the money to replace it, the school has to go without. With technology the phrase, it’s better to have something than nothing, is not true. TL: How do you keep up with the technology on campus? · Keep track of all the computers? · Keep updating the technology? SC: It’s my responsibility to know what’s on campus when it comes to technology. I have software that helps with managing hardware and keeping track of inventory. When the school orders computers, I’m usually consulted with before any order is placed. TL: What do you do in your free time? Hobbies or personal projects? SC: Free time? What’s that? I have a sophomore here at TOHS, and I try to spend as much time with him as I can. Occasionally I get out to play a round of golf. Though I have to say after taking 6 years off of golfing I did beat the Varsity Golf coach. I’m sure it can’t be easy to get beat in golf by the computer guy when you’re the varsity golf coach of a high school. Just ask Mr. Daigneault.

“I’m sure it can’t be easy to get beat in golf by the computer guy when you’re the varsity golf coach of a high school. Just ask Mr. Daigneault.” —tech worker SCOTT DIAZ