Issue 3, 2016-2017 by The Lancer

the

LANCER

Volume LV, Issue 3 » November 17, 2016 » Thousand Oaks High School » 2323 N. Moorpark Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 » www.tohsthelancerg » thelancer.tohs@gmail.com » Circulation 2,304

FASHION ON CAMPUS The Lancers’ individual style is as prominant as ever. Here, we take a look at student outfits and fashion pg. 08

PHOTO » ANDREW CHAU » THE LANCER

THE WRITING CENTER

ONE WORLD

SPRING INTO ACTION

A new TOHS program uses student coaches to help others with writing.

Senior Madelyn Paley wins a UCLA environmental film festival.

Freshman Payton Springer is a level ten gymnast at Monarchs Gymnastics.

pg. 04

pg. 16

pg. 20

EDITORIAL

STAFF EDITORIAL

Hits and Misses

This Filter is [Restricted]

What’s Up and Down with The Lancer Miss: Fall is here. We have pumpkin lattes, pies, bread, Cheerios and yogurt. What’s next? A pumpkin colored president?

Hit: We get the whole week of Thanksgiving off. It’s a Christmas miracle.

Miss: New York Magazine prints front cover with Trump as a “Loser!” before he went on to win the election. He did say it was rigged, after all.

GRAPHIC » REBECCA HEINZEL » THE LANCER

Is the school’s internet filter effective in increasing student productivity? EDITORIAL BOARD

yes

abstain

This editorial has been deemed inappropriate by Conejo Valley Unified School District’s Lightspeed System and has been blocked by the district. Not you? Log in…No! This is an editorial in a school newspaper, not Wikipedia. (We are infinitely less appropriate.) In place since the district adopted our school wide computer system, the headquarters’ censorship platform of choice has been Rocket’s wonderful Lightspeed system. Its purpose? To protect student research and increase productivity. Because we all know how well that works, right? Here, with programs from yearbook to AP Seminar to computer graphics, the internet remains a necessity inside the classroom. Yet, us students are only allowed access to a finite amount of websites accepted as productive or beneficial to our studies. The district claims the system is in place as an insurance policy for students to stay on track during school; to maintain productivity on campus by filtering any extraneous distractions. What we know the filter has turn into, however, is something distant from the original objective. Now, the filter stands as a hindrance to everyday class activities and student productivity because it blocks too many sites, from YouTube to Wikipedia, to a majority of international websites dedicated to research. A filter in and of itself is not a bad idea. A filter makes logical sense. Schools need filters to regulate the behaviors of students and restrict them from harnessing all the vast,

uncharted power beheld by the internet. And, yes, we know having a filter in place saves the school district money because, without it, CVUSD would have to customize their own restriction policies or go through the momentous hassle of employing a new filtration provider to replace Lightspeed (which, Heaven forbid, would take a little bit of time to find) and create their own system to only restrict websites that illicitly break the school’s code or vehemently hinder the productivity and focus of a student. Or, of course, the board could listen to the many teachers who have to go from laptop to laptop unlocking the particular website needed for class on any given day. In no way does our current system prove useful in promoting the positive actions of our students; instead the use of Lightspeed has now evolved to become fundamentally counterproductive. The typical class here at TOHS needs the internet to carry out its studies, so a new system that reduces the number of blocked websites will, without a doubt, help us participate with fewer interruptions. So, the solution must be to find a balance. The current system discourages students from using the internet for any purpose, positive or negative. The question now translates from “Is the school’s internet filter effective in increasing student productivity?” to “Does student productivity outweigh the cost of placing a newer, effective internet filter?” And with that new question, the answer appears refined and clear; the only reason to deny us of our right to be productive on campus is the associated cost.

Hit: The Mannequin Challenge. The creativity of these challenges is at a standstill.

Miss: Toblerone triangles are now smaller. And people say size doesn’t matter...

Hit: Canada’s immigration website crashes on election night. Hopefully that won’t be the only thing crashing.

Miss: 2016 is on track to be the hottest year on record. As if we haven’t already reached our boiling point...

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

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

On Black Friday itself,

74.2 million people shopped in 2015

The average amount of money a person spends on a Cyber Monday order is

$123

At least 29 retail chains are set to open on Thanksgiving this Black Friday

18.2%

of people start their holiday shopping on Black Friday

54.3 percent of people do their holiday shopping online

BLACK FRIDAY The busiest shopping day of the year and the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season falls on Nov. 25. 42

Shoppers spent $2.74 billion through the internet on Black Friday, a 14.3% increase over last year

retail chains are keeping their doors closed on Thanksgiving

The black portion of the name, “Black Friday” relates to businesses recording their losses in red ink and gains in black The National Retail Federation reported that stores would hire between

640,000 and 690,000 seasonal workers

59% of Americans shopped on Black Friday in 2015

$2.98 billion

In 2014, 37.7 percent more people shopped on Cyber Monday than Black Friday

Black Friday Numbers Through the Years In 2012,

In 2013,

In 2014,

89 million

92 million

87 million

shopped on Black Friday

PHOTO » CREATIVE COMMONS » WITH PERMISSION

In 2011, hundreds of shoppers piled into the Urban Outfitters in The Oaks Mall at 3am

Best selling items last year included iPads, game consoles, and Beats headphones

was spent on Cyber Monday as opposed to

$2.74 billion on Black Friday in 2015

SOURCE » WWW.FORBES.COM SOURCE » WWW.THEBALANCE.COM SOURCE » WWW.THEBLACKFRIDAY.COM SOURCE » WWW.FUNDIVO.COM SOURCE » WWW.STATISTA.COM SOURCE » WWW.INQUISTR.COM

BY » ABBEY AUSTIN-WOOD AND NATALIE PAGAN

NEWS

The Writing Center The Writing Center is a new addition to Thousand Oaks High School. It is run by English teachers Melissa Wood-Glusac and Thomas Smith at lunch, and is a place where student coaches can help other students improve their writing through almost entirely spoken word. NATE SWANSON

News Editor

Writing is the foundation of all society. Without writing, there would be no stories, no legal documents, not even science experiments and their proofs. Writing is what holds together people all over the world. The Writing Center at Thousand Oaks High School is here to ensure the ﬂame or passion for the written word shall never extinguish. “It’s a location where students can go in order to share what they have written or write with people who are already good at writing,” English teacher Thomas Smith said. While there are advisors like Smith and English teacher Melissa Gulsac at the writing center during lunch, the students or clients interact mostly with the writing coaches. The coaches are students qualiﬁed or experienced enough to be helping their less experienced peers. “[Students] can come and talk about what they are writing or what they want to write without receiving a letter grade,” Glusac said. The point of the Writing Center is to gain honest feedback from people closer to their age or even people who have had the same teachers as them. There are no edits made by the coaches because their sole purpose is to hear what the students have to say. Instead of directly editing their papers, the coaches can guide and ask about the wording of sentences in the essay or story. “We even just have kids writing for themselves, sitting at the computers that we have in the corners looking to bounce ideas off of people just because they like to write,” Smith said. Independent writing is a rarity and continues to be so outside of the classroom. Even though the Writing Center is on campus, the coaches and advisers can encourage students to write without needing the spur of a letter grade to keep them moving forward with their work. However, the coaches and advisers only motivate, they do not edit the work of the student, so they are not just sitting with a red pen while the student waits for them to be done correcting.

The experience of the Writing Center is to have interactive, truthful feedback from someone more personable and relatable. “We want the kid to be empowered enough to take their own work and change it and not have someone else take it and do it for them,” Glusac said. Achieving something alone can be a learning experience for the student, especially in writing, because the intelligence gained is motivation within oneself to do more and create more. Once a student has the conﬁdence in themselves, their work will improve and improve all the way through their academic career in school and could even push them to pursue a professional career in writing. “You read your work to [the student coaches] and talk through different ideas and different styles. You can hear when something works and when something does not work. It is a great way to expand your writing abilities and for the coaches involved I feel like they are growing so quickly as teachers and as writers themselves because you hear what works and what does not,” Smith said. As much as the Writing Center is based around the writing itself, conversation is just as important to the creative process because ideas typically never sound the same as they do solely in the brain. The added bonus of the spoken word is the elimination of fear to express ideas openly and freely and not being discouraged if they are shot down. The feedback from coaches is not always positive, but it is always constructive and never negative because critical feedback does little to help a student unless it can ensure that they learn from their mistakes in that moment. “Having a conversation with the student makes it easier to tell them what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong, and it is always constructive,” Glusac said. Building on ideas is an important skill in creating a written work so that the story is progressive and does works toward a speciﬁc purpose. This allows for logical connections to previous points throughout the work.

CENTER FOR SUCCESS— Juniors Brandon Tarin and Daniel Stephens work on essays

Every piece of writing tells a story even if it is a scientific paper. The paper explains how this conclusion was drawn and why that piece of evidence works the way it does. A college application tells a story about the life of the individual writing it even if it is a prompted piece of work. Stories were first told verbally and were entrusted with the next generation to carry on those stories. The Writing Center takes the word of mouth and connects it with the writing itself to create the best possible environment for students to express ideas and put them onto paper. The coaches in the Writing Center are qualified and recommended, but they still go through a training process with the advisers. “One or two lunch periods where you get example papers to look over and talk to Mrs. Glusac or myself and you see what it is,” Smith said. “[It’s] tailoring the

W�i��n� C�n�� Inf� OPEN: Mondays-Thursdays at lunch in C-2 NOVEMBER CONTEST: Crazy Hair Story. Winner will be submitted to Literary Magazine TWITTER: @tohswritecenter

NEWS

REVIVING Classic SHAKESPEARE NATALIE PAGAN

News Editor

Shakespeare is a vital part of classic literature. His plays are ﬁlled with drama, romance, love and comedy. For the last two weeks, the drama department presented a new twist on the classic play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” “[The play] is about all these different love interests interconnecting, intertwining. A lot of jealousy. A lot of spite. A lot of romance,” senior Kristen Wisneski, who plays Titania, said. “And there’s a lot of comedy in it too. And tragedy, which is what makes Shakespeare so great is he can combine the two and make it a beautiful thing.” But this production was different in that it was based off Julie Taymor’s version of the show, which was released in 2015. Not only was music composed and added, but each group of characters had diverse costumes: the fairies goth, the mechanicals steampunk and the lovers Victorian. “It’s deﬁnitely different and the mu-

The drama department performed a new musical version of William Shakespeare’s famous play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” from Nov. 3-12 filled with music, magic and mayhem.

sic style is very techno and supposedly modern,” Wisneski said. But the music added a new element for audiences that made this production unique from previous version of the show that have been done. “I’ve been told by certain people that the songs make it easier for audiences to understand what’s being said and it gives more opportunities for comprehension of the rough language that’s being used,” sophomore Haley Hallman, who plays Hermia, said. Some of the actors, such as junior Gabe Warburton, who plays Lysander, did not have much singing experience and had the added challenge of singing in addition to acting. The cast only had about a month to put the entire show together. “[The worst part was] the time restraint and the stress with it,” Hallman said, “but everyone was willing to help each other and pull their weight.” Within the plot of the show, there is another show being performed by the Mechanicals, a group of actors, for the Athenians— Theseus, Hippolyta, Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius. They perform the love story of Pyramus and Thisbe. Each

actor is playing a different role, such as the lovers, the wall or the moon. “I love the wall. [It’s] one of the best characters,” senior Zach Hessemer, who plays Oberon, said. The cast received numerous praise for their performance and interpretation of the play. “We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback, especially about kissing, which is fun,” Wisneski said. “It’s an interesting show and I think people thought it was crazy, but we’re just embracing it and loving it.” These roles also allowed the actors to play different, roles than they are used to, such as Wisneski and Hessemer who have played opposite of each other in last year’s play “You Never Can Tell.” “I don’t think I’ve ever played the part of husband and wife. [As a couple] we’re in our own fantasy world and we’re evil and butting heads,” Wisneski said. But for others such as Hallman, they had the opposite task of portraying a character that is similar to who they are outside the theatre. “I’m confused a lot of the time and I feel like a lot of stuff can go over my head pretty easily,” Hallman said. “In a lot of situations I’m just sitting there kind of like [Hermia] and I feel like that’s the whole third act.” “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” had a successful run and gained praise for its unique approach at a classic play.

“It’s an interesting show and I think people have thought it was crazy but we’re just embracing it.” —senior KRISTEN WISNESKI

THE FAIRY QUEEN—Senior Kristen Wisneski plays the role of Titania, the fairy queen, surrounded by her fairies.

BEHIND THE PLAYBILL Kristen Wisneski » Titania “Titania is a powerful, independent, strong woman who is taken advantage of by her husband and is treated unfairly She is forced to use her sex appeal in order to get what she wants. But all in all, she’s a strong woman, she stakes her ground, and I just really admire all of her character traits.” Zach Hessemer » Oberon “I play Oberon and Oberon is King of Shadows, Lord of Darkness and King of the Fairies. He definitely has old-fashioned, sexist values and wants everyone to be submissive to him. He’s always wanted to be a father, but Titania kept a child from him.”

Jules Weiss » Helena “[Helena is a] damsel in distress and in an internal fight for feeling good enough, yet so deserving of love.” Haley Hallman » Hermia “Hermia is kind of like an innocent, relatively young girl who just wants to be with her boyfriend but her dad says ‘no.’ She feels like she has to go do her own thing and runs away with him. Things work out for them in the end but there’s a few complications along the way.”

Gabe Warburton » Lysander “Lysander is this romantic, suave kid. He’s got this thing with Hermia, but her dad really hates him and wants her to marry someone else and he doesn’t like that very much. So I do this ‘bad boy’ sort of thing and I’m like ‘Let’s get married somewhere else and [we do.]” Gavin P. Norton » Demetrius “The most entitled character in the production, Demetruis is something of a spoiled brat. The show celebrates his first time not getting what he wants and he reacts rather poorly.”

” x 2” 06

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ENTERTAINMENT

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RESE RIAN P

Some clothes are ridiculously expensive SHRAYA BLAISDELL

“It is satisfying in its causality and food, and you could probably go in your PJs if you get a late night craving for fish and salad.”

Entertainment Editor

One of the few fish restaurants, Honeyfish Poke will give you a fulfilling meal for under $15. Poke is a Hawaiian raw fish salad that is often served as an appetizer. In this restaurant, servers put in different ingredients into your bowl in front of you. Honeyfish Poke’s design is very reminiscent of Chipotle — without the burritos. You can customize what you order because of the range of ingredients and toppings they offer. It’s a casual place to eat at with friends and relax. What Honeyfish Poke lacked in ambiance was more than made up by food quality and reasonable price. I loved Honeyfish Poke because it’s cheap, fast, savory and uncommonly airy to eat. As a student, the last thing I wanted to do was hand over $20 for miniscule fish portions. I just want a reasonable meal for a fair price. Honeyfish gives its customers many ingredients for $11 or $13. No matter how many ingredients you add, you get it for the price on the menu. I love the set prices for the dishes because they’re affordable, and you definitely get what you pay for. I loved the choices they offered. You get complete control of the flavors that interest you. For picky eaters, the restaurant is perfect. All of the components that I tried worked well together and were refreshing. There were many spicy ingredients to add a zingy flavor to the bowl and there is plenty of room to explore with choices

like Masago, a kind of fish eggs, and Ponzu Lime sauce, a citrusy sauce that added an interesting touch to my salad. In my bowl, I got salmon, tuna, and tofu as “proteins” and added kale as a base, along with edamame, carrots, avocado, cucumber, crispy onion, sesame and seaweed, ponzu lime sauce, and sesame oil. Yeah, that’s a mouthful to say, let alone eat. The meal left me feeling sufficiently full, and the fish and ingredients were fresh. The kale wasn’t too dry or crunchy, but had enough softness to be a good base. Honeyfish Poke is vegetarian-friendly with the option to get tofu instead of fish. While the food was tasty, the decor was obviously lacking attention. Granted, because it was such a small place, the designs couldn’t be too piled up. It was pleasant, but uninspired. The walls were blue and the restaurant had a bit of wood detailing on a wall, counter, and arch. The geometric-patterned chairs were interesting and, somehow, all of the components seemed to work together, but it was still fairly bare. I will definitely come here again. If I didn’t feel like paying more than $20 just for small portions of fish at some snooty, fancy place, I would go to Honeyfish Poke. It is satisfying in its causalty and food, and you could probably go in your PJs if you get a late night craving for fish and salad. For a reasonable price and a decent amount of fish, I’m not complaining.

4.0 stars

fast facts:

PHOTOS » SEBSTIAN MAYA » THE LANCER

address - Honeyfish Poke, #G, 3835 Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks, Ca 91362

hours - 11am to 9pm

website - honeyfishpoke.com

price - $$

phone - (805) 230 - 0007

Instagram - honeyfishpoke

atmosphere - casual

Hanes men’s white T-shirt: $2 Same exact T-shirt with 1”x3” Supreme logo: $35 Clay brick from The Home Depot: 35¢ Clay brick with Supreme logo: $40 I think fashion is cool. Do I know anything about fashion? Not at all, but hey, fashion is all subjective. And do I know a thing or two about money and price to value ratios? Kind of. That brings us to hypebeasts. Hypebeast is a blog at the forefront of men’s fashion that drives the entire subculture of streetwear forward. Its large amount of followers are known as “hypebeasts.” I mean no disrespect to them, in fact I admire that lifestyle, they’re happy, they look cool. It’s all good. What boggles my mind is the cost of clothing. There are multiple factors that go into cost, there are the basic things like production cost, then there are things like brand or designer names. On top of that it depends on what celebrities are wearing that brand, that all filters down into how much hype the clothes generate. The hype pretty much determines the price. Another thing is when a popular brand or designer releases something that’s extremely exclusive, that’s when stores get people camping outside three days before a release. People in the resale game ride on how exclusive an item is and price gouge everything, some increasing the cost up to 500 percent and people buy them. Adidas’s Yeezy Boosts, which were released at $200, now sell upwards of $1,200. That brick that Supreme sold? People resell and buy them around $80 a brick, even if some people buy it as a joke, it’s still $80 all because some people slapped Supreme onto it. That’s literally eight hours of my working life at minimum wage. Here’s a list of things one can buy with $80 instead of a Supreme brick: • 80 McChicken sandwiches • Like 320 Chicken McNuggets • 5 of those Tracfone flip phones in case you’re into some shady business • Almost a day pass to Disneyland • 5 months of HBO GO • 16 Little Caesars’ Hot n’ Readys • A Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval Indy 500 tire • A black and white Laser Xpress M2825DW printer • 2000 grams of Andes Worsted Yarn • 3 small bags of Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food • 20 lbs of copy paper As strange as hypebeast culture is, it’s something I can understand, there is just a hefty price tag that is kind of ridiculous. Something I absolutely do not get and probably will never, is high-end designer fashion. That stuff is wack. All those clothes at fashion shows that normal people could never wear are worth more than me and I don’t understand the thought process behind most of the outfits. Last Fall, Rick Owens, a renouned designer released a collection that he said was about “women raising women, women becoming women, and women supporting women.” And this collection literally had women strapped onto other women with seatbelts upside down (just Google Rick Owens people straps). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to insult female empowerment, but his fashion like other high-end designers just doesn’t make sense to me, some people enjoy that kind of stuff, but it’s just not for me. -Brian Lee

ENTERTAINMENT

flannel Brandy Melville shirt Goodwill

skirt Forever 21

“I would describe [my style] as bubbly. It doesn’t matter where [I buy it] from. I really love skirts. I guess I’m influenced by trends, but I don’t really rely on them. I’m not going to wear something if it’s a trend and I don’t like it.”

“I wear a lot of neutral, natural colors and anything that I feel more confident in. I wear a lot of boots and sweaters. I’ve worn a lot more dresses recently; I used to wear shirts and jeans, but now I’m trying to find more fashionable clothes.”

-Catherine Atkins, 10

necklace Charming Charlie

-Sheridan Burlingame, 9

C COLLE TION

shoes Nordstrom

sweater Forever 21

boots Famous Footwear

EST

fashion around 1966campus TH OU AN D OA

shirt American Eagle

pants American Eagle

“[My style is] funny and weird. I try to get shoes that nobody else has. I really like shopping online, to be honest, because then I can find the really cool stuff. There are a lot of crazy shirts out there. I just wear whatever I like. ” -Joey Padilla, 12

KS HIGH

OL O CH

“I would say [my style is] modern, hip-hop culture, like streetwear. A ‘hype-beast,’ as people say. I like to shop at Zara, Asos and H&M. If it’s winter time, I like dark colors for sweaters and stuff like that. Usually I just wear jeans and a hoodie with an extended tee. I watch some YouTubers, like Richie Lee, and he has a lot of videos of what’s sick and what’s in fashion.”

sweatshirt Zara

pants H&M

-Moneer Ghani, 12 shoes Vans

shoes Adidas

ENTERTAINMENT

Junior Elwood Walker’s photograph is experimentative and creativite as it displays a stunning, dark image. The mysterious half-cut face and the leaking spider’s web intensifies the eerie feeling of the photo.

student

Junior Giovanna Novera’s photo utilizes negative space and geometric man-made structures to highlight simplicity and stationary beauty. The whiteness of the buildings juxtaposes the exposed and bare sky.

photographers

Three TOHS student photgraphers showcase their senses of composition and artistic elements in their photographs. Each offered one descriptive word they felt described the feeling of his or her photograph.

Senior Lizzy Buzzelli uses shades of gray to add a dynamic element in her photo. She plays with her viewers’ perception by placing the darkest color in front and leaving the lightest color in the back. The clouds’ highlights hide behind the mountains but still make the black hues and shadows appear deeper.

BY SHRAYA BLAISDELL AND SEBASTIAN MAYA

OPINION

PUBLIC

PRIVATE S PHOTO » ANDREW CHAU » THE LANCER

Although we often associate social media websites with public material, they are still private enterprises and make conscious decisions on how they mediate their own content. Throughout the election, Facebook decided not to censor Donald Trump, although some material posted to his account is deemed intolerable by their terms and licensing agreement. Additionally, Twitter officially announced they were shutting down Vine, despite its popularity. Since these have such an influence on public opinion and are a huge source of news, Do social media outlets have an obligation to serve the public?

YES

They should be using their popularity to educate the public

Private enterprises should not have to serve the majority

SIERRA WATERS

Opinion Editor

America is a land of consumerism and tech savages (and freedom, of course). It’s because of this that social media has taken such a hold on society over the past decade. Our attention spans are shorter but our craving for a somewhat-intelligent opinion increases with every tweet. Since everybody is so into their phones and constantly checking social media, it is essential that the networks are working to benefit the common good. Social media has one of the biggest impacts on the way we think. People use social media to create global change. The 2013 Egyptian revolution first began when Twitter was used to rally the citizens together. The networks shouldn’t just allow them to discuss matters like this. They should promote social activism and participation in changing the world. Social Media doesn’t even have to be used at worldly level. Local businesses are taking every advantage to advertise with the social media platforms available. Most networks make it really easy to do this, but other networks aren’t pulling their weight, making them less relevant to the public. Even The Lancer uses social media to keep our readers informed to what’s happening on campus (follow us on Twitter @TOHSTheLancer). People use social media to express themselves. There are makeup tutorials all over on YouTube, crafting ideas on Pinterest, political interest groups on Facebook, aesthetic photography on Instagram and so much more. One of these outlets, Vine, is about to be shut down. When that happens, millions of people around the world are going to be denied that form of creative expression and individuality that makes them unique. Getting rid of Vine isn’t just a bad business decision, but a bad moral one. Businesses benefit from their service as well. When a company shows that it cares about its customers, its sales go up. That coverage and publicity is basically free advertising, and the interactiveness keeps people coming back. The people are the customers, and they decide whether or not something is relevant and whether or not a company stays in business. That being said, it seems almost idiotic that networks aren’t doing more to serve the public. Snapchat does and excellent job of serving the public. The stories and articles in their “Discover” section is an easy way to keep people informed and broaden their horizon. The section covers a variety of topics from different sources so people can form their own opinions. One can find politics, dating tips, sports, pop culture, and obscure articles about things you’ve never heard of (did anyone else read the one about ecosexuals?). Most importantly, the greatest benefit of the networks serving society is the fact that the people are more involved and aware of current events, other opinions and cultures. Scientists have said social media has made us as a society more selfish and ignorant, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Social media can be used to benefit us and make us more accepting by giving us greater exposure to other perspectives. It’s up to the networks to implement that, and if they start taking their role in society seriously, we can only go up from here.

GAVIN P. NORTON

Opinion Editor

We live in a world dominated by the internet. Whether you like it or not, the heavy influence social media plays on the modern individual is undeniable. So, in light of current controversies, many are jumping to the conclusion social media providers have an obligation to adjust their needs to accommodate the public’s desires. Yet, we cannot forget social media platforms are a business. And business is business. In no way should businesses feel obligated to serve a certain group of people. Sure, it may be helpful to their business model to listen to the majority of their audience, but decisions should ultimately be made by those appointed by the business to make decisions. Responding to Twitter’s choice to shut down Vine, the initial negativity was greatly reduced when the audience realized Twitter was losing money from the app because of the massive decrease in app usage since just 2014. The closure of Vine, however, was not even negatively received by all frequent app users. “Quite frankly, [I] saw this coming about a year ago, so [I] changed our online presence” the owner of the popular Vine account The Eh Bee Family said. Several self-proclaimed Viners have made the conscious decision to switch social media platforms because of the shut down. Simply put, Vine’s competition outperformed the short video network, so Twitter enacted on the logical business principle and made plans for cutting the network loose. The same common logic applies to Facebook rendering their terms and conditions void when it came to Presidential candidate Donald Trump’s speech being allowed on the platform. Yet, Facebook is receiving backlash. Those giving the site such strong critique are not realizing that also in Facebook’s terms and licensing agreement is the claim that they have the right to adjust their policies as they see fit. It’s the same principle as the common restaurant saying “we have the right to refuse service to anyone.” The purpose of a business is to do business, to make money. The more interference from outside sources, the less profitable the company becomes. We cannot give the consumer more power than they possess already. If a company — any company — wants to ignore the populous, it is entitled to do so. Do I recommend that? No, but if business professionals make that call, their call should be final. Petitions and every other outside force may be considered, but no private company should hold any obligation to serve the public. As established, America is a land of freedom. We, as Americans (business owning or not) choose who we do and do not associate with. Vine shutting down isn’t going to hurt anybody, if anything, Twitter can now allocate its funds to their title website and improve user-friendly features there. Facebook, if it was to censor Trump, would — without a doubt — receive even worse hate and backlash for being unjust and politically incorrect.

OPINION

The paradox of FCEVs ANDREW CHAU

Opinion Editor

the technology for FCEVs, enough eco-friendly companies would develop en masse to create competition and a steady supply of hydrogen for the sudden increased demand, oil companies would stay in business to provide resources for gas cars that are still in use, pipes to deliver hydrogen over long distances would be created and well over 100,000 gas stations around the country would need to install fueling stations. We don’t live in an ideal world, though, and I don’t want to set my expectations for FCEVs high because it’ll just bring disappointment. I wholeheartedly support the technology and I think they’re a great step towards ﬁxing our environment and pollution problems, but they have a long, arduous journey ahead of them. Good luck, FCEVs. You’ll need it.

Hydrogen

The future of transportation is on the way: hydrogen, the most abundant element on the planet will soon power our very own cars, with no emissions except water vapor. It’s the perfect solution to our environmental woes. It’s everything anyone could’ve asked for from a car, right? Well no, no it’s not. Not quite. First Element Fuel Inc. will add a hydrogen fueling station to the 76 Station on the corner of Hampshire Road and T.O. Boulevard. They plan to have it up and running by spring 2017. Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are also available for purchase and lease from Toyota, Honda and Hyundai. The station is an important ﬁrst step towards expanding the existing infrastructure of FCEVs. But there’s a lot more to creating a framework that supports the cars than just installing refueling stations. FCEVs sound great on the outside and have many qualifying factors. They have a 200-300 mile range and refueling takes less than 5 minutes, which makes them very comparable to traditional gasoline cars. Gas leaks pose virtually no threat; the hydrogen diffuses into the atmosphere and leaves no lasting hazard. The cars also reduce our reliance on foreign oil because hydrogen is available everywhere. Hydrogen itself has many different sources: water electrolysis, biomass, natural fertilizers and, of course, fossil fuels. Try and guess which is the most common. I’ll give you a hint: it starts with “f” and ends in “ossil fuels.” TrueZero, a major supplier of hydrogen fuel, uses renewable resources for only one third of their fuel — 33 percent. That’s an F in my book, and a low one at that. But put that into perspective: in 2015, about 10 percent of all gasoline was from ethanol, which is renewable. So it’s safe to say that hydrogen cars win by a solid 23 percent, right? It’s easy to think that this percentage will rise in the future. It makes logical sense to think that we’d make progress, but that’s not the case. If we somehow, impossibly made an immediate transition to FCEVs, what would happen? To keep from going out of business, oil companies would likely transition from creating petroleum to creating hydrogen fuel cells. It is probable that even less than 10 percent of the hydrogen supply would originate from renewable resources. Regulate hydrogen production? In our capitalist society, that’s much easier said than done, and the oil and auto industries would ﬁght a long and hard battle to prolong its execution. PHOTOBIOLOGICAL PRODUCTION The truth of the whole endeavor This method uses microorganisms that photosynisn’t that FCEVs aren’t possithesize to break down water or organic materials, ble, but that they’re not practical. In an ideal world, producing hydrogen that can be collected. As a we’d make the switch: biological process that is powered by sunlight auto companies alone, this process has practically no emissions. would develop

Renewable sources of Hydrogen

ELECTROLYSIS

BIOMASS

Electrolysis uses electricity to separate water into its base elements of hydrogen and oxygen.

Many types of organic wastes and residues are classified as biomass. These are heated to temperatures over 700°C and react with other gases to create hydrogen.

SOURCE » ENERGY.GOV

ALL GRAPHICS » ANDREW CHAU » THE LANCER

Seas The Day “It’s because I like you I don’t want to be with you. It’s a complicated emotion.” —Marlin, “Finding Nemo” Disclaimer: I am the girl who wore a reindeer costume for Halloween (Comet, more speciﬁcally). I love making Christmas-themed crafts, giving gifts, watching “Elf,” listening to Holiday music, the parties, Jesus and UGH! I LOVE CHRISTMAS! And it’s because I love Christmas so much that I was disappointed, no wait, furious when I walked into Dollar Tree to get Halloween candy and saw Christmas decorations everywhere. I couldn’t even think about Halloween anymore when I saw the variety of fuzzy and holiday-themed socks out for display, along with,candy canes and scarves. Scarves, I tell you! Do they even know how hot it is around here? It took all my might to buy just one pair of reindeer socks. I went home feeling miserable. We still had another month until I could truly start listening to “Sleigh Ride.” Even now, as you’re reading this, there are still a few more weeks until you can start making a list and checking it twice. Isn’t that depressing? And these stores are just dangling the Christmas spirit right in front of us. Apparently there’s a name for stores putting out their Christmas decorations super early. It’s a concept called “Christmas Creep.” I love Thanksgiving, I really do. The food’s awesome and it’s a good opportunity to chill out and appreciate life. But I can’t appreciate Thanksgiving if the rest of consumer-America isn’t. I could barely enjoy Halloween when all I could see was the holidays. How am I supposed to enjoy fall when society is forcing me to think about candy canes? It’s too early. That’s it. I want to be spooky, I want to be thankful, but I can’t drive past the mall without seeing that largerthan-life Christmas tree. I’m sick of being taunted and bullied. I feel like a little kid who just wants his candy back but the big bad business bullies are holding it above my head. I want Christmas, but I can’t have it yet because it’s still Thanksgiving! You’ve got to be thankful for what you have before you can get more stuff. But right now I’m not thankful for having to wait for the most wonderful time of year. What’s worse is that stores are always reminding me of that everyday. I understand that Christmas is a big time for moneymaking in the business world and everyone wants to compete with one another but honestly this is just ridiculous. And if all the stores are competing with one another for money, then that’s hypocritical. That’s not what the Christmas spirit is all about. Richie Rich learned it, and so should the rest of the supporters of the Christmas Creep. This puts a lot of pressure on us as consumers because businesses are forcing us to buy everything early and advertise like it’s the end of the world if we don’t. They put out layaways and discounted items and you feel guilty because you know if you don’t buy the item now, it’ll be gone! And as we approach the holidays, we need to feel better, not worse. Christmas should be associated with happiness, snow (not here though), love and fun movies. Not stress. I want the stores to ﬁll their walls up with turkeys. I know most people don’t decorate their houses for Thanksgiving but we should start so we can stick it to the man and force stores to put out Thanksgiving decorations during the month of November. Be gone, Christmas Creep! Be gone I say! The bottom line is that my heart yearns for Christmas, but society isn’t letting me enjoy the journey there and the holidays that come with it. — Sierra Waters

IN-FOCUS

G P

PHOTO » CARISSA LO » THE LANCER

After only four years in the U.S., senior Taylor Nguyen can fully appreciate the equal opportunity education system in California. She came from Vietnam when she was 13 years old, and she has since assimilated into American culture.

Geometry teacher James Park first migrated to the U.S. with his mother and younger brother when he was 12 years old. His family moved from Korea to Mexico before coming to Southern California in search of an American education.

Instead of having a traditional quinceañera, Spanish teacher Sandra Martinez traveled from Mexico to California to visit her siblings and celebrate her 15th birthday. She has since then dedicated herself to school — completeing a Master’s in Spanish.

Fascinated by American culture and language, junior Ludwig GroBe left his life and parents behind in Germany to attend a year of high school in the United States. He quickly realized Germany and the U.S. contrast in many areas.

L Sophomore Alina Lipova came to the United States from Russia when she was just 8 years old. She spoke only Russian and didn’t know much about American culture, but soon enough she became well adapted to her new life in the U.S.

Local TOHS immigrants faced many hardships throughout their journeys, yet managed to adapt and find success.

IN-FOCUS

The movement JOYCE HUCHIN

In-Focus Editor

With over 10 million immigrants, California is home to more foreign born residents than any other U.S. state, according the the Migration Policy Institute. Even though Thousand Oaks is notorious for being a predominantly White community, each immigrant on campus had a unique experience transitioning between cultures. Despite vast differences, their individual journeys brought them all together to TOHS. “I’ve been in Thousand Oaks forty years, and there hasn’t been a time where I’ve thought that I need to get out of here,” geometry teacher James Park said. “This community is an area where people are more accepting than anything else. Diversity is accepted really well in this state as a whole.” Many generations of immigrants experience the inviting Californian culture.

World scholar JOYCE HUCHIN

In-Focus Editor

Spanish teacher Sandra Martinez found her strengths in education. Before coming to the U.S. she was the top student at a small school in northern Mexico. Despite the various challenges she faced when moving to a new country, Martinez managed to defy stereotypes by becoming an impressive college graduate and compassionate teacher. “School was always enjoyable for me. My mom was always encouraging me to do well,” Martinez said. “In Mexico, I used to do academic competitions. I like competing, and I like winning. When I came [to the U.S.] I transferred that to my new surroundings, to my new language, to my new school.” The change made it difﬁcult for Martinez to adjust in her new environment, but she remained motivated. On her path to academic success, she faced many more obstacles than the typical high school student. “I always had my textbook and

Sophomore Alina Lipova proves this true with her observations upon coming to the U.S. from Russia when she was eight years-old. “People are nicer, and everyone talks to each other as if they are already friends,” Lipova said. Even in a welcoming state, newcomers face various challenges when trying to assimilate American culture. One common obstacle that is troublesome for many is the language barrier. “I didn’t realize that the language was going to be so difficult,” Spanish teacher Sandra Martinez said. “Even though I was immersed in the language, I wanted to learn it faster, and it took me a while to learn.” The path towards English proficiency is different for all people. Park found his way towards learning the language through athletics. “I play a lot of sports, so it was easier for me. A sport is a language of its own,” Park said. “The language barrier changes when you start playing sports, so I wanted to learn English a lot faster.” Along with learning English, teenagers face the complication of slang. Many find it necessary to understand the informal

vernacular of their peers in order to have conversation. “The culture here and there are totally different, so I did my best to catch up with the internet and social media,” senior Taylor Nguyen said. “I checked Twitter all the time to get all the new words like ‘beef’ and ‘salty.’ It took me a while, but I tried to get into the norm.” Understanding slang makes it easier for people to blend into their new community. Many who adapt to the American lifestyle merge it with values from the communities they lived in before. Martinez introduces progressive American values to her native culture. “I’m more ﬂexible with my values. I have some traditional values that are very strong, but there are other things that I don’t really like,” Martinez said. “In Mexican culture, women are sometimes seen as less than men. I’ve adopted a lot of the American values, like women’s rights and education.” The U.S. is an attractive country to many, which encourages immigration from an array of places. This variation creates a one of a kind environment. “We don’t have so many different ethnicities in Berlin,” junior Ludwig Grobe said. “There are also so many different churches here. We just had a Protestant church and a Catholic Church, and that’s it.”

my dictionary,” hhMartinez said. “I would read for my history class using the dictionary to look up words back and forth.” Martinez’s dedication to school allowed her to attend California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and graduate with honors. Regardless of her achievements, she faces stereotypes because of the diverse cultures she is a part of. “Sometimes people think I don’t know as much because I speak with an accent,” she said. “I’ve been here for many years, and it’s not going to go away. It’s just the way I speak. Having an accent is good because it means I can speak more than two languages.” Rather than getting irritated by situations in which she feels stereotyped, Martinez uses them as chance to make another person more open minded. “Getting angry doesn’t accomplish anything, so I try to educate that person,” Martinez said. “I tell my students not to get offended or confrontational. [Instead,] I tell them that’s not right, and hopefully they’ll learn from that.”

Higher expectations JOYCE HUCHIN

In-Focus Editor

Before attending Cal Lutheran University, geometry teacher James Park traveled from his hometown Seoul, Korea to Mexico City to Los Angeles. His father remained in Mexico as the coach for the national Mexican volleyball team, and Park came to the U.S. with his mother and younger brother. “I feel so blessed that I ended up here,” Park said. “The society accepts you much better. I know right know there are a lot of things going on with race and our society, but this is a very accepting country.” Looking back, he is thankful to have migrated to a country that gave him the opportunity to be successful. Even before arriving to the U.S., Park and his younger brother felt fortunate about the move. From their viewpoint, the U.S. is exceptional. “I’m an immigrant from Korea, and I’m teaching

American kids. I can’t see any other country accepting somebody like that,” Park said. “For my brother and I, that’s like heaven. When we heard that we were going to move to the United States, we were excited. I mean, how can you go wrong? You have everything here.” The U.S. met and even exceeded his expectations. However, Park still experienced the general stereotypes that exist in the U.S. “A big thing some of my buddies and I struggled with was when we didn’t do well in school people thought something was wrong,” Park said. “Even the teachers had high expectations for Asian children. Not just Koreans, Asians in general.” Park also noticed some key differences between the culture of his Korean family and his American peers. “The biggest difference between my family was that we respected our elders,” Park said. “We were more

obedient with teachers.” In Park’s native culture, young people show more respect for their elders than people in the U.S. do. He continues to pass down that value to his own children.

IN-FOCUS

Cultural exchange In-Focus Editor

Kids typically protest against moving to a new place, but junior Ludwig GroBe decided to come all the way to the U.S. from his home in Germany all on his own. Leaving his life and parents behind, he decided to spend this school year living with family friends in the U.S. “I was born in Woodland Hills, but I left when I was three,” GroBe said. “I wanted to just do one year of high school here to learn about the culture and the language.” Although GroBe has always been intrigued by American English, learning and speaking the language was one of the biggest difﬁculties he faced when he got here. “I don’t like talking to strangers in a language that isn’t German, which is my mother tongue. My old school only had a few hundred people, but this school has a few thousand or something,” GroBe said. “There are just so many faces, and I liked it more small.” When it comes to religious and ethnic diversity, America and Germany contrast greatly. “There are many religious people here and they go

to church, but in Germany most people have one religion,” GroBe said. “We also don’t have so many different ethnicities in Berlin.” According to GroBe, schools are structured completely differently in Germany than in the U.S. At TOHS, schedules consist of the same six or seven subjects every day, but in Germany, students learn 30 subjects every year. “School is very different,” GroBe said. “You have blocks of 1 1/2 hours or 55 minutes, but we have an A and a B week and we have different subjects every day. So Monday it’s English, German, math, and music, and Tuesday you have PE, history, and geography or something like that. It changes every day.” Despite having to adapt to the contrasts between Germany and the U.S., GroBe has adjusted. “It’s difﬁcult to communicate with everyone in Germany because they are nine hours ahead,” GroBe said. “Sometimes I miss my family, but I’m used to it.”

American education HANNAH MERCER

In-Focus Editor

The United States is a melting pot of countless different religions, ethnicities, and races, which can come as culture shock for someone coming here from another country. For sophomore Alina Lipova; however, moving to the U.S. from Russia provided an opportunity for her to witness the diversity in America, speciﬁcally in Thousand Oaks. Before moving to the U.S., Lipova, had a preconceived notion that the United States is depicted accurately in the entertainment industry. “I expected good food in the cafeteria because in the movies they always have good food,” Lipova said. She recognizes the two countries contrast socially. “People are nicer to each other here. Everyone talks as if they are already friends,” Lipova said. “Over there, it’s like no one knows each other.” Another thing she noticed

was the distinction between the way she and her peers are raised. “My family is more strict than my friends’ families,” Lipova said. “My parents are Russian, which means they are way strict.” Lipova also discovered how much easier both school and life is in the U.S. compared to what she experienced in Russia. “There are like 15 classes there, but there are fewer classes here and they are much easier,” Lipova said. “It’s easier to get through life here. I mean, I stress out, but then I think about how if I was in Russia I probably would have dropped out of school by now.” Picking up a new language is something most adults even struggle with, so imagine having to transition from speaking only Russian to learning English as an eight-year-old made Lipova realize the beneﬁts of being bilingual at such a young age. “I went to school and then I learned English in a year or two,” Lipova said. “I want my kids to speak both Russian and English because I think it’s good to know more than one language. It can be helpful in life.”

Free to learn JOYCE HUCHIN In-Focus Editor Feeling accepted in school is hard enough. It’s even harder when someone is a new place with a different language and distinct culture. Senior Taylor Nguyen faced many social barriers when she ﬁrst came to the U.S. in eighth grade. “I was 13 when I came in 2012, and it was lonely,” Nguyen said. “I didn’t know anybody, so eighth grade wasn’t that great for me.” After graduating from middle school, Nguyen moved onto ninth grade and faced another new environment. Despite the adjustment, she was determined to make the most of her high school experience. “When I came to high school in ninth grade, this was a new year, in a new school, with new people,” Nguyen said. “If you want to enjoy your time at high school you have to be involved in things, so I tried my best to go to a bunch of clubs, and I broke out of my comfort zone. That’s how I became friends with a bunch of people. I tried to the things that the other kids would do, instead of staying in my own social bubble.”

Nguyen assimilated into her new social environment, and found more success in the structure of her American education. It suited her more than the instruction she received in Vietnam. “The different environment helped me learn. The way we learn in Vietnam is really framed, and we don’t get to break out of that frame to explore ourselves and how we learn,” Nguyen said. “It was so hard. I couldn’t keep up with everything because it was moving so fast. Once you stop studying you start to slip because it’s too fast.” In Vietnam Taylor found that educational success depended on economic status. In contrast, the U.S. provided equal opportunities for her to emerge. “Here they offer extra help. Over there, extra help costs extra money,” Nguyen said. “Parents would bribe teachers to bring up the grades and give favoritism. Here, I get help.”

ALL PHOTOS » JOYCE HUCHIN » THE LANCER

HANNAH MERCER

FEATURES

ONLY WORLD Senior Madelyn Paley gives us an in-depth look at the creation of her awardwinning short film, “Only World,” for an environmental awareness competition. KYLIE PATTERSON

STILLS FROM “ONLY WORLD”— (Above) A panning shot capturing an upwards view of tree branches against the sky. (Below) This scene at the middle of the film follows a bee as it crawls across a flower. Paley edited her video to switch between shots portraying the beauty of the Earth and the harmful actions caused by humans.

Features Editor Staff Writer

The film industry caught senior Madelyn Paley’s eye from the second she could understand the concept of a movie. As a three-year-old, her fascination with moving pictures blossomed into something she wanted to do for the rest of her life. “When I was little I would never talk about the actual movie, I would go and look up behind the scenes footage so I could get to see how it was made,” Paley said. “Ever since, I’ve been more interested in the creation and the background of it.” Paley’s cinematic interest was piqued by an extra credit opportunity offered in her Environmental Science class. The assignment was to enter an environmental film contest called Green Shorts, offered by UCLA. Having only found out about the contest 10 days prior to the deadline, Paley rallied her talents and created and edited her submission in two days. “It’s more like a commercial honestly, than a film,” Paley said. “It’s like an ad for television. There’s no talking, it’s just music.” Paley’s two and a half minute video is presented without dialogue, yet it’s theme and purpose come across clearly to the audience. “It’s about how much we’ve affected the environment and how much we’re killing it and destroying it,” Paley said. “But at the very end it gives hope that we can still do something.” Making it into the final three of the entries in her category, Paley was invited to attend the awards ceremony on October 20th for the filmmakers at the Earth Now: Earth 2050 Conference at UCLA. “The three runners up all appeared on the screen in short little previews of their videos.” Paley said. “It

was so cool, it was like the Oscars. I felt so famous.” Unlike the other competitors, Paley had no outside help or production team. Despite this, she won first place in her category. When Paley received her award, her video played for the convention audience, filmmakers and UCLA students alike. She was asked on stage to answer questions about the creation and meaning of her film. “I’m good at public speaking,” Paley said. I don’t really get that nervous talking in front of large crowds.” After the ceremony, she was invited to attend an after party with the other filmmakers on the UCLA terrace, giving her the opportunity to meet renowned filmmakers and UCLA professors. She also connected with the other high school students who competed, most of whom came from environmental science charter schools and specialized cinema schools. “Some people were really nice and outgoing, there were a lot of really crazy people there. They were awesome,” Paley said. “I got to meet LA kids. There’s a really different vibe that they have at their schools.” She plans to take her passion for film with her to college and explore all the avenues’ that the industry has to offer. From set design to directing, her current plan is to major in Film Production and double minor in Environmental Studies and Political Science. She has come to understand the unfortunate reality of the limited number of careers offered behind the scenes in the entertainment industry for women, but doesn’t let that hold her back. “It’s really hard for women to be directors, but I’m not going to let that stop me,” Paley said. “Especially right now, there’s actually a want for women directors because people want new ideas and change. I want be the creator, I want it to be mine.”

A MESSAGE ABOUT ENVIRONMENT— (Above) Paley roamed around Southern California in order to capture scenery to show the variety of humanity’s effects on the environment. This scene was of power lines encroaching upon nature. (Below) In the final scene of the film, Paley filmed a dying bee struggling on the beach, capturing the fleetingness of life and sending a message for environmental action to the audience.

SCREENSHOTS FROM “ONLY WORLD” » MADELYN PALEY » WITH PERMISSION

FEATURES

MUSICIANS ON CAMPUS

The Lancer takes a look at various student artists around campus. They specialize in instrumental and vocal talent for individual expression. Staff Writer

At 6-years-old, Cole Supple found his passion in music. Ever since, he’s been dedicated on discovering his unique style and began looking into pursuing it for his career. “It wasn’t anything serious back then,” Supple said. “But that was just kinda where the passion developed.” Supple has already released two albums, but he still aims to write one song a day. While brainstorming, he finds himself writing music as much as he can with any type of inspiration. “If nothing is quite hitting me, then I just write to explore something random,” Supple said. “It’s kinda weird, but it helps out a lot in understanding and writing better songs about yourself.” Supple is optimistic in his ventures in the music, and hopes to further his musical ability. “I try and do things my own way, because I think the way to changing people and progressing is through finding your own unique way of doing things,” Supple said. “I’m really trying to find a unique style, path, and perspective so that I can try and live my dreams.”

COLE SUPPLE

SAMANTHA SHAPIRO

RYAN FERRARI & NICK DITTO

KYLIE PATTERSON

The band Revolution’s genesis took place when four out of the five band members came together to perform in their eighth grade talent show. “We all just started to learn instruments, like one person just got drums, the other started bass. So we decided to get together, learn a song and play it, that’s how the band began,” sophomore Ryan Ferrari said. The band gathers their inspiration from modern and classic rock bands alike. Although they are still in their early days and only performing covers, they hope to perform originals in the near future. “We play a lot of different things. We just started playing more classic rock. We also play more modern,” freshman Nick Ditto said. The band’s upcoming gigs include playing at St. Paschal Baylon Catholic Church’s 2016 Fall Fest and a local Italian Catholic Federation Dinner. “We mainly get gigs through our old school,” Ferrari said. “Most of us went to St. Paschals. That’s where we played in the talent show and started catching other people’s eyes.” Both Ferrari and Ditto hope they get the chance to pursue music professionally after high school. Features Editor

Junior Jake Clark found his interest for music after getting the lead in his elementary school play. “I went home crying to my mom because I was upset with the part and nervous,” Clark said. “After rehearsing, though, I fell in love with singing and continue to do it today.” Along with singing, Clark has learned the ukulele, piano, and some guitar. “It’s been hard to come up with my own songs but I’m getting a little better,” Clark said. “It’s hard to find the right chord progression and content for the song.” Clark finds inspiration in his music through the work of Country artists. “Although I don’t have the right voice for country music, I admire the meaning behind the songs and how they put soul into it,” Clark said. Although the music industry is extremely competitive, he would still love to do something with music in the future. “A lot of people say it’s unrealistic and I agree,” Clark said. “But if the opportunity presents itself, I’d be more than happy to take it.”

JAKE CLARK

CLARISSA KANO

Features Editor

PHOTOS » COLE SUPPLE,

REVOLUTION, AND JAKE CLARK INSTAGRAM » WITH PERMISSION

MUSIC TO YOUR EARS— (Top) Screenshots from Junior Cole Supple’s videos from his Instagram and Youtube channel. He covered “Sweet Wind” by The Beatles and posts videos of improvised guitar solos. (Above) Revolution bandmates from various schools pose side by side. Ditto and Ferrari are second and third from the left. (Right) Junior Jake Clark and a still from Clark’s cover video posted on Instagram of “Cold Water” by Justin Bieber.

FEATURES

CONDUCTING THE MELODY— (Above) Roberts leads the students in TOHS orchestra during their Fall Concert. (Below) Roberts stands onstage during their performance in the Performing Arts Center.

ORCHESTRATE Professional violinist Benjamin Roberts offers a wide variety of musical talent and experience in performance to the TO orchestra program. KYLIE PATTERSON

Features Editor

At the age of five, Orchestra teacher Benjamin Roberts picked up the violin and hasn’t put it down since, leading him into a life full of passion for music. Wanting to spread this appreciation to others, he has taken on the role of teacher for the past 10 years, teaching everything from choir to band. Roberts has let his professional experience from being a violinist all around the country shape the way he teaches his students. “I do have a very big professional background as a player and that helps me as a teacher,” Roberts said. “I have a high expectation of how the music should sound, that’s what I’m pushing for.” Roberts has not only taken on the responsibility of conducting Thousand Oaks High School’s two orchestras, he is also the orchestra teacher for Redwood Middle School. He looks forward to transitioning his Redwood Students to TOHS, giving the Orchestra program a solid foundation. “I would like the orchestra to maybe join with other ensembles, and get people more involved with the program, starting in the middle school and then continuing on into the high school,” Roberts said. “That’s the long term goal, to make the program bigger.” Recently, Roberts led the Orchestra in their first performance of the school year, the annual Fall Concert.

“It was a very successful concert, we played a wide variety of challenging music and the students did a great job,” Roberts said. Although he’s been a teacher for many years, Roberts explains that the community w offers is unique to that of other schools he’s worked at. “Thousand Oaks, the campus as a whole is full of really friendly kids and they get along well with each other,” Roberts said. Roberts feels that his orchestra students this year set a high standard for the class for years to come. There’s a lot of wonderful musicians in the group, and the students are really interested in learning,” Roberts said. “That’s been a welcomed experience, to teach students that are interested in learning and really want to improve themselves.” Although, most of his time is dedicated to inspiring students with music, Roberts considers his teaching career just as important as his professional roles in the music industry. “I consider being a musician and teacher the same thing. Being involved with music, making music is what it’s all about,” Roberts said. Presently, Roberts is preparing his students for their upcoming Winter Concert. “I like to have them play a wide variety of music,” Roberts said. “Right now we’re working to improve our playing abilities and musical abilities.”

Come support TOHS Orchestra and go to the Winter Concert on December 12th at 7 pm in the Performing Arts Center.

PHOTOS » FANG-TSAO HONG » WITH PERMISSION