Issue 2, 2016-2017 by The Lancer

the

LANCER

Volume LV, Issue 2 » October 18, 2016 » Thousand Oaks High School » 2323 N. Moorpark Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 » www.tohsthelancer.org » thelancer.tohs@gmail.com » Circulation 2,304

SQUARE UP AMERICA

With election day less than a month away, The Lancer weighs in on the heated debate. pg. 02, 10, 11 PHOTO » BLAKE SAARI » THE LANCER

SHOOTING FOR THE STARS

CHANGING THE CHANNEL

THE DOCTOR IS IN

Students and faculty pair up with the dance program to fundraise.

Student Youtubers on campus showcase a variety of skills and interests.

Counselor Elizabeth Dee recounts her journey from Venezuela to TOHS.

pg. 05

pg. 09

pg. 20

EDITORIAL

STAFF EDITORIAL

Hits and Misses

Three’s a crowd

What’s Up and Down with The Lancer Miss: California Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez dabbed on live television at the request of a 9-year-old. It was quite a dabate if you ask us.

Hit: Spongebob season 10 has not been canceled as it was originally announced. Cheers to 17 years without puberty.

Miss: Recent clownings. Remember when the ALS Ice bucket challenge was the hot trend?

GRAPHIC » REBECCA HEINZEL » THE LANCER

In light of our current presidential election, are third party candidates worth our votes?

EDITORIAL BOARD

yes

abstain

If you agree with most of the general population, and concur with the fact this election cycle’s two primary party candidates are the most disliked and distrusted in American history, you may be considering a third party candidate as the most rational choice. If so, you are being unwise. In states like California especially, our votes are so one-sided towards the Democratic nominee that the last time California delegates voted in the majority for a Republican nominee was in 1988. Allow for a demonstration: So, if you’re voting for a third party candidate like Jill Stein or Gary Johnson, it probably means you do not want Hillary Clinton to be president. With all of the third party candidates combined polling at 13 percent, however, your vote will not go to Jill Stein or Gary Johnson, but your vote will go to Hillary Clinton. The question then is this: is your vote better spent on a candidate you don’t want to see in office or on a candidate with less than a 0.2% statistical possibility of winning. Your decision is understandable. You want to impact the election and make your vote heard, and the best way to do that must be to vote for a candidate that would otherwise receive such little support that you would leave the polls with a satisfaction that your vote was counted and made a difference. California has not had a majority vote in favor of a third party candidate since 1912, when Theodore Roosevelt ran as an independent. Chances are that we won’t support one this year. Now that we have accepted a third party candidate

will not win the presidency this year, we must accept one more thing. Vote. For Heaven’s Sake, vote for a primary party candidate! Do not be responsible for wasting any vote this election. Even keeping the reasonable assumption neither Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton are desirable candidates, if you do not vote for either, you are directly feeding into the majority’s (in our case, Clinton’s) victory. Speaking realistically, one reason third party and independent candidates fail so often with general elections is because they can’t get enough elected officials to believe that they aren’t wasting political opportunity by affiliating with them. You haven’t heard any two-term senators endorsing Stein, have you? If our own officials choose not to support them, why should we? The election is Nov. 8 — time is up. Yes, the progress the third party-ers made this cycle is an incredible statement and testament to what can be done to overthrow the often corrupt two-party system. And, yes, their relatively large poll numbers are likely an omen for a third party president in the (hopefully) near future. But, nonetheless, this is not the election to vote third party. Polls open in a mere three weeks and even a miracle couldn’t prevent either Clinton or Trump from taking office. We’re open to the idea of a third party President, but do not waste your vote on a candidate without a chance; you’re only helping the one you don’t want to win.

Hit: It rained. The drought is over! Just kidding, that was a joke. But the drought still isn’t a joke. *Cries*

Miss: The Anti Defamation League deemed the Pepe the Frog meme as a hate symbol. Feels bad man.

Hit: This year’s Red Ribbon Week theme is YOLO. Teen 1: OMG this week is going to be swag baller Teen 2: It’s pretty boss

Miss: Samsung’s replacement for the recalled Galaxy Note 7 catches on fire. Lightning does strike twice.

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

11.5% of people who celebrate Halloween will also dress up their pets.

The average amount of money a person spends on Halloween is

$93.42.

Dressing up in costumes was originally a method to hide from ghosts .

41.2 million

people across the globe trick-ortreat.

Jack-o-lanterns were originally carved into turnips.

THIS IS HALLOWEEN The one day of the year where it is acceptable to walk around in costumes of anyone or anything and ask strangers for candy. Halloween is on the same day as Reformation Day, which celebrates Martin Luther’s 95 theses.

Halloween is the second largest commercial tradition behind Christmas.

Trick-or-treating began in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Consumers spend over

$2.5 billion during Halloween.

71% of people hand out candy on Halloween.

69 percent of people around the world celebrate Halloween.

Most Popular Halloween Costumes Last Year Top Adult Costumes for 2015 1. Witch - 9.0% 2. Animal - 5.0% 3. Batman Character - 4.1%

PHOTO » CREATIVE COMMONS » WITH PERMISSION

One quarter of all the candy sold annually in the U.S. is purchased for Halloween.

More than 157 million Americans will be celebrating Halloween this year.

Top Kid Costumes for 2015 1. Princess - 7.2% 2. Batman Character - 5.9% 3. Action/Superhero - 5.3%

The average amount spent on a Halloween costume is

$31.52.

SOURCE » WWW.HISTORY.COM SOURCE » WWW.HOLIDAYINSIGHTS.COM SOURCE » WWW.STATISTICBRAIN.COM SOURCE » WWW.NRF.COM SOURCE » WWW.THEBALANCE.COM SOURCE » WWW.CNN.COM

GRAPHICS » CREATIVE COMMONS » WITH PERMISSION

NEWS

The Power of Money As income grows tighter and tighter, programs have to find alternate ways to gain the amount of money they need to properly run their events and buy supplies through boosters and putting on fundraisers NATE SWANSON

“Any money we need for the ASB room or events that we put on we fundraise ourselves.” - ASB President Julia Wright

News Editor

The year is 2016, and almost everything costs money, even the activities in school. Especially the activities in school. The school is fueled by the district and if there is only a very small amount that can be given to the programs on campus, basically everyone will have to fundraise to reach goal amounts for their budgets. Whether it is a booster club or students themselves, fundraising occurs in every way it can. ASB is one of these self-funded programs raise money thoruhg events put on by the students to make money for their classmates. “Any money we need for the ASB room or any events that we put on we fundraise for ourselves. It’s put into a large account that’s called the ASB budget that also can be given to any club like Link Crew that could ask for money.” senior ASB president Julia Wright said. ASB funds the clubs on campus if any money is needed to be given out for events or supplies. Although ASB covers the entire school, each class has their own budget which carries over year after year. This is the reason for the aggressive fundraising seen by each separate graduating class on campus. “The only account that doesn’t carry over is the senior account because at the end of the year we decide what to do with it. So in years past, the senior class has decided to divide it up and give it to the other classes as a boost or they give it as a gift.” Wright said. Senior year is by far the most expensive year for students with events like senior ball and senior picnic in addition to anything graduation related. ASB is not the only program that has to fundraise for their goal amounts. Athletics all have separate accounts for the different sports, funded by little amounts of money from the district and their booster clubs. The booster clubs are run mostly by the parents of the players and they, like ASB, put on events and sometimes have the players fundraise themselves. “The booster clubs do all the heavy lifting when it comes to finances,” Athletic Director Gary Walin said. Thousand Oaks High School is under the Title IX guidelines to treat every sport equally, especially in financing. The amount of money given to the sport from the school is dependent on the amount of teams in the program. For example, baseball has three teams and boys soccer has three teams, meaning that those programs get the same amount of money from the school. This money is never enough to fund the sport through the entire season or year, and this is where the booster clubs kick in. The district does cover any cost for equipment that is used for safety purposes, like pads and helmets for football. Transportation prices can cover a wide range depending on the distance and number of players that need to be transported to the event. There is a reoccurring theme here. Booster clubs rule the financial world of activities in school with the occasional student run organization like ASB that puts on

their own events with their gradually raised funds. One of the most expensive sports on campus that has some of the best athletes on campus is dance. And dance needs all the money they can get. Dance does not receive any money from the school for dance team. They are under the same guidelines with the district covering any equipment used for safety, but they only receive little amounts of money for the dance class, Team is a whole different story. The average cost per year for one varsity dance team member can vary from three to five thousand dollars depending on the solos and performances that the dancers make. “Performances can vary from the whole team to only six dancers, so the cost can depend on which performances the dancers are in.” Dance Team Varsity Coach Jaleen Murphy said. The cost can vary on the entry fee and whether or not the team stays overnight at a hotel in somewhere farther than two to three hours away for a tournament because scheduling could make driving up and down very inconvenient for parents and dancers themselves. Transportation is almost always handled by the parents of the performers because they all want to see their kids play which is very understandable. This can also help save money on transport costs if there is no need to pay for a bus. “I prefer to stay in state, but I would not be opposed to going out of state for a competition. California does tend to have the best competition for dance in the country, making it easier on us,” said Murphy. This is perfect for dance, because the best competition pushes the need for the most skilled dancers, overall benefiting Dance at a lower cost than an out of state team from Florida who would have to travel all the way over here. With all this said, all this information gathered, one factor remains constant throughout sports, activities and dance. Fundraising is the biggest factor of finances in Thousand Oaks High School whether it is student run or parent run. There have not been cuts, the money just really is not there. The booster clubs and fundraising events that help make the goal amounts of money.. Money drives everyhting and always has all over the world, so why should it stop at the schools? It is not just the activities that have trouble making money either. The school itself has trouble raising funds for items like new textbook, unless there is a change in the subject where a change is needed for success of students. The other key of fundraising for programs is the unity of the community in and around Thousand Oaks High School. Fundraisers can only work if there are participants willing to give to the school. As long as the boosters can continue to provide for their activities and as long as students can continue to support fellow students by going to thier events, Thousand Oaks will be okay for the time being. The “time being” could be short lived or last a very long time because of the inpredictability of money and its lasting power.

BY THE

NUMBERS At least

states provided less state funding per student in the 2014 school year than in the 2008 school year In at least

states, local government funding per student fell over the same period

46 %

of K-12 spending nationally comes from state funds

Federal Revenue 9%

State Revenue 46%

Local Revenue 45%

STATISTICS » WWW.CBPP.ORG GRAPHIC » NATALIE PAGAN » THE LANCER

NEWS

Dancing with the TO Stars On Oct. 15, seventeen couples comprised of dance team members and TOHS students and faculty competed in different dance styles in a competition judged by a TOHS administrator, a Dancing with the Stars professional, and a NATALIE PAGAN

News Editor

Every season on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” couples get to compete for the coveted mirrorball trophy. On Oct. 15, couples made up of dance team members and TOHS students and faculty had the same opportunity to compete in the fifth annual Dancing with the TO Stars. Once each couple was assigned a dance style along with a song, they began to choreograph and rehearse before the show. “We prepared for about a month before the show, practicing at lunch and after school whenever we had the chance,” junior dance team vice president Riley Harris said. Many of the “stars” had no previous dance experience before and the “professionals” had to take on the challenge of not only choreographing the minute-anda-half routine, but also find ways to teach their partner. Many, like Harris did not know much about their style beforehand, which added the extra challenge of learning the basic dance moves. “I didn’t know anything about [the tango], and the process took a lot of experimentation to figure out what steps we could do and what looked good,” Harris said. On the night of the event, all seventeen couples took the floor and were judged by TOHS’ Dean of Activities Kristi Hronek, dancer and choreographer Robert Schultz and “Dancing with the Stars” professional competitive dancer Jenna Johnson. Each couple performed a minute and a half routine and then was judged and given a score out of 30, just like “Dancing with the Stars.” Although this event was structured to be just like the show, there still were several differences, mainly in the atmosphere and support. “The actual TV show is very intense and there’s a lot of pressure,” Johnson said. “Everyone here is more supportive. Everyone tonight was amazing.”

PERFECT JUMP—Senior dance team Captain Kayleen Murphy jumps over senior ASB member Kyle Cornell while Krumping.

After a show filled with entertaining dances and several guest artists, the crowned winners were senior all-male captain Zac Mundwiller and English teacher Heather Austin for the 90s Hip Hop routine that earned a perfect score. “I cannot express what I felt when I got the trophy. Seeing everyone cheering with their phones in the air and raising the trophy above my head was a whole new experience,” Mundwiller said. “Mrs. Austin is a phenomenal and dedicated partner, not to mention she’s also a natural dancer.” Austin is the first ever two-time winner of Dancing with the TO Stars. Although there was only one winner, all the couples felt they did their best and were proud of all the work they had accomplished. “I think we did a really great job, especially with the amount of time we had,” junior dance team member Kayli Fennel-Lyman said after she danced the Charleston with sophomore Will Robertson. Crowd favorite dances included Disco, performed by senior all-male captain Cooper Huelsman and Spanish teacher Terin Carvalho; Afro Jazz, performed by senior dance team captain Alison Safa and senior ASB member Mateo Althaus; and 80s Rock Jazz, performed by sophomore dance team member Delaney Rond and her father, history teacher Craig Rond. “We really fed off of an energetic crowd. I think the crowd really got us pumped up,” Craig Rond said, who also received a perfect score. The crowd did play a big role in the energy and performance the couples gave while they were onstage. “It was really cool having our friends in the audience to support us,” Harris said, “it felt like all our hard work paid off.” The night was filled with new experiences for everyone involved in the competition, even the judges. “I 100 percent have a new appreciation for all of the

CELEBRATING THE STARS—Judges Jenna Johnson, Robert Schultz, and Kristi Hronek praise Cooper Huelsman and Spanish teacher Terin Carvalho’s Disco rountine and give them a perfect score.

judges on “Dancing with the Stars” because it’s a very stressful job to have to critique somebody who’s trying their very best to perform for you,” Johnson said. As the night came to an end, everyone celebrated their success.

HOEDOWN THROWDOWN— Senior dance team member Elly Snyder does a Country Line Dance with Computer Graphics teacher Richard Bateman.

For more interviews and behind the scenes rehearsal footage, visit our website: » tohsthelancer.org or our YouTube channel » The Lancer TOHS Footage from DWTTOS can be found on our Twitter » @tohsthelancer

WE WANNA ROCK—Sophomore dance team member Delaney Rond rocks the spandex with her father, history teacher Craig Rond.

PHOTOS » CARISSA LO AND NATALIE PAGAN » THE LANCER

The Top Five Couples and Their Scores Mrs. Austin and Zac Mundwiller

90s Hip Hop

Mateo Althaus and Alison Safa

Afro Jazz

Kyle Cornell and Kayleen Murphy

Krump

Mr. Rond and Delaney Rond

80s Rock Jazz

Mrs. Carvalho and Cooper Huelsman

Disco

ADVERTISEMENTS

Master of Science in Higher Education Administration Bachelor of Science in Management Associate of Science in Exotic Animal Training and Management Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts

Mandy Stangeland, M.S. Independent Education Consultant & Personal Branding Coach

Contact at: mandy@wiseowlcollegeconsulting.com (805) 807-9451 www.wiseowlcollegeconsulting.com

ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS NOW

ENTERTAINMENT

COSTUME Annex A new costume store, Costume Annex, opens in Thousand Oaks on Thousand Oaks Blvd, offering a variey of unique and comfortable costumes right in time for Halloween.

ALL PHOTOS » SEBASTIAN MAYA » THE LANCER

SHRAYA BLAISDELL

address 850 Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks

hours Sunday-Monday Closed Tuesday-Friday 10AM-6PM Saturday 10AM-2PM

phone (805) 444-1012

most popular costumes Star Wars Great Gatsby Mobster

price range $$

Entertainment Editor

It’s almost Halloween. If you’re sick of all the cheesy, mass-produced Halloween “costumes” sold at every pop-up store or you’re too lazy to DIY your own (like me), check out Costume Annex on Thousand Oaks Blvd. While small and a bit hard to ﬁnd, the store offers an exciting opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and into another time — or rather, a time period costume. Costume Annex specializes in vintage costumes, but also has non-vintage options available for rental or purchase. It has a wide array of incredible hats on display, the perfect accessory for any costume. Halloween will arrive sooner than you expect, so the store should be on your list of costume shops to visit. It is open year-round, its costumes suit any occasion, like plays, cosplays, or Renaissance fairs. The costumes, even the vintage ones, seem durable and are made of good quality materials. No costumes seemed too short or tight for the sizes offered. All options would suit any age; the choices ranged from a Lightning McQueen “Cars” costume to Gatsby-era garments. The option to rent some costumes is nice as well, because, who really wears a Halloween costume twice? The owner knows a lot about historical attire and offers helpful advice on what to choose if you’re not yet decided on what to get. A lady even came in asking for bridesmaids dresses and the owner still helped her look for options. Even if she doesn’t have a particular costume in the shop, she’ll order it for you.

I was impressed by the wide variety of options. If you decide to delve into the 1910’s, you can try on a long, lacy dress with a matching hat and boots, like I did. Like the 20’s better? Be sure to check out the bright flapper costumes. If you’re more of a Disney nut, check out the Anna costume from Frozen. A definite upgrade over those found in retail stores. There’s also a ton of pieces that could work on their own or that you could incorporate into a costume of your own design, like a pink, fluffy cape I saw or the masks hanging on one of the walls. Most costume shops won’t have era-specific pieces or the vintage selection that Costume Annex does. Seven versions of the same Harley Quinn and Joker costumes are unnecessary, but still provided at your average place. With history being such a great source of inspiration there’s no reason not to borrow from it for Halloween. The store makes me excited to completely transform into another person — someone believable. Nobody would think that I cleaned for a living if I put on the oh-so-popular French Maid costume. Halloween is about expressing yourself in whatever way you feel like. There is nothing wrong with costumes like the French Maid, but we should at least have the option to dress up purely for the sake of dressing up. An option that is not really provided in many costume stores. Options aside, my one complaint is that the dressing area was cramped and really small. The entire shop is small in general, but it would be nice if a bigger space was created. When I was trying

one on, I almost felt like I was going to fall out. That’s probably just because I’m a klutz, though. The prices of the costumes range from as low as $30, depending on what you’re looking for. Compared to other costume stores, the costumes seem slightly pricy, but definitely manageable. Costume Annex is a refreshing shop that isn’t like the corporate Halloween stores around town. It offers many costumes that aren’t too risque in looks or prices for any occasion.

CLOTHES ENCOUNTERS — (Above) Men’s vests and suits hang on the rack, and brightly colored hats and vintage bags are on display. (Below) A mannequin head presents a vintage blue hat.

ENTERTAINMENT

Jojo’s Return SEBASTIAN MAYA

Entertainment Editor

Jojo is a comeback queen. After a decade-long hiatus and precious memories of dancing to her previous songs “Leave (Get Out)” and “Too Little, Too Late,” I was scared that the new album would shatter her teen sensation reputation. Instead, we got some of her most memorable, emotional, and raw songs that offer insight on her growth and maturity. She dabbles in cliché modern pop hooks and lyrics but manages to inject her own personality. Mad Love, her second album, drives away from her innocent songs in the 2006 album The High Road and gives a risqué and bad girl edge. Jojo is unrecognizable in Mad Love. She distances herself so far from her sophomore album it’s hard to believe that she’s the same artist—which isn’t bad because as an artist you want to change and grow. Jojo does exactly that. Maturity is the main focus of Mad Love. Jojo shows that she has fully grown into herself and her body and she’s not afraid to ﬂaunt it. She experiments with

After recording her last album as a 15-year-old in 2006, Jojo released her long awaited album: Mad Love. The album definitely has its highs but also has its lows. We just hope Jojo never leaves (or gets out) again. modern beats and drops to reveal her own personality and also marks each song title with a period — distinguishing each song as its own. “F*** Apologies.” displays a modern, experimental beat on how she’s “not perfect, [she’s] got pride.” In this 2k16 era, Jojo connects with the modern #BeProudOfYourself person. Self-assuredness and success are continuous throughout the album. And overflowing with dance music. The song “Vibe.,” carries an irresistible dance beat. At first, the cringe worthy lyrics caused me to laugh out loud, but after a few listens I was doing body rolls and bobbing my head. My opinion on the lyrics hasn’t changed but that bop is too hard not to dance to. In Mad Love there seems to be randomly placed songs. “Music.” opens the album with a very personal and sentimental tone; an open letter of her emotional journey to anyone willing to listen. “Music.” is completely different and out of place with the rest of the album. While each song in Jojo’s album does stand by itself, “Music.” knocks the flow in a different

Fabs and Drabs 3. F*** Apologies

6. Vibe.

ALL PHOTOS » OFFICAL FACEBOOK PAGE

4. FAB.

12. Clovers.

5. Mad Love.

15. Good Thing.

direction. It shows Jojo’s insecurities and fears rather than strengths but she can overcome those fears. It’s a great stand alone song to reﬂect on life, but sets the album to an off-beat ﬂow. The only songs I hated and couldn’t take seriously are “Clovers.” and “Good Thing.” The lyrics mean absolutely nothing and have no depth. “Clovers.” is a plummet back to 2011 songs with a weird disconnect between lyrics and music. “Good Thing.,” is an even bigger disappointment taking the listener back to 2006 electro workout music. Ignoring “Clovers.” and “Good Thing.,” the album captures a changed-for-the-better Jojo. With Mad Love sitting at number two in the top 100 iTunes chart, Jojo clearly still has a big audience. But her fan base isn’t the only reason she’s a comeback queen — her vocals and care-free attitude songs catapulted her back into our hearts after a ten-year hibernation. There are holes and melancholy songs you want to skip over, yet, there is enough of her killer vibe for everyone. Although most of the songs were a hit for me, this album is a stream rather than a buy.

ENTERTAINMENT

student

YOUTUBERS

From its beginnings in 2008 YouTube, has been a leading source of media for students and others nationwide. Here are some of TOHS’ very own YouTubers and their channels to check out. Maddienicole7 Maddie Scott Maddie Scott features her and her friends’ lives through her videos and hopes to capture people’s attention with every single one. “I enjoy being a youtuber because I get to showcase what I love to do,” Scott said.

Claudia Alarcon Claudia Alarcon Claudia Alarcon creates lifestyle and do-it-yourself videos on her channel. “[I want] to share some of my experiences and make poeple happy while watching my videos.” Alarcon said.

Kayla Jean Kayla Hoeflinger Kayla Hoeflinger makes vlogs and channels on her channel. After high school, she wishes to continue her channel and focus more on content. “As I’ve gotten into film and videography. And I’ve really enjoyed being artsy,” Hoeflinger said.

Anna’s Dream World Anna Randall Anna Randall uses her channel as a creative outlet and hopes to talk about subjects that she is passionate about. “I like that I’m able to reach a bigger audience than people I know,” Randall said.

AileronRC Christian Fetch Christian Fetch showcases his projects like RC aeromodeling or aerial cinematography through the YouTube media. “I think the thing I enjoy most [is seeing] the amount of community feedback and support on videos,” Fetch said.

NTS:

RESE P N A I BR STUFF I HATE

I am a fairly moderate, nice guy, so I try not to hate anything in particular. There are however, a few things that I extremely dislike which include but are not limited to: • When it’s cloudy outside but also steamy humid • How it’s freezing cold in the morning but 90 degrees in the afternoon, making it nearly impossible to optimize my outfit • When I go to take my mini tacos out of the toaster oven but I forget that they’re really hot and drop the first one when I try to move it • When my taquitos fall through the grate of my toaster so they’re pretty much gone forever, • How hard it is to drink water from a cup in a moving car • When people always ask me if I hate them • How disgusting regular Cheetos are • Dorito fingers • Communism • When someone’s hair looks wet, but you know they don’t shower and it’s actually just grody • How hard it is to untangle my earbuds • Clowns, now more relevant than ever • When I take a nap in class and no one bothers to wake me after the bell rings • When I put too much water in the rice cooker so it just comes out as mush • How early school starts • Sam Pettus • How college apps take so long, I just want to go to college, why does this have to be so hard • Thinking about the taste of salty milk • That song “Black Beatles.” I recognize that it’s lit, but overall, it’s a terrible, terrible song, • When I go to brush my teeth but the toothpaste slides off my toothbrush after I wet it • When you help your friend with a bunch of things but when you need help they’re nowhere to be found • When people brag way too much — we get it dude, you’re cool • When I’m in bed trying to sleep but my feet are sweaty and it feels really gross • How Cameron King is always breaking random stuff and eating my food • Growing up and having real responsibilities • Copious amounts of ants in my kitchen • When friends come to my house and eat all my chips, and give me no compensation • When my shoes come untied right after I just tied them • When I’m getting a haircut, and the barber is talking on their phone • When an adult tries to talk to me while I’m waiting in line • V-neck t shirts • When I have a pen that clearly has a lot of ink left, but it just decides to stop working • After taking a really long test like APs or the SAT and my eyes are so tired I literally can’t see anything Despite this monumental list of hate and evil, there are in fact things that I like, such as baby penguins, those things are so cute, but that’s about it for my list of things that I find tolerable. -Brian Lee

OPINION

Trump

clinton S PHOTOS » WIKIMEDIA.ORG

The upcoming presidential election is extremely important since the winner will likely appoint four supreme court justices so the repercussions of it will last not just the next four years, but for the adult lives of students. Candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are battling it out, and each one has obvious downsides that have been criticized by adolescents and adults at large. Both voters and candidates seem unable to reconcile their differences and to compromise with one another on various key issues. Who is the best fit for the President of the United States?

TRUMP

CLINTON

Donald Trump is the only trustworthy option for office

Hillary Clinton is the most qualified candidate running

GAVIN P. NORTON

Opinion Editor

I admit Donald Trump will not be the greatest President in modern American history; there is no way he can be anything above mildly adequate. All I can say is his methods for riling up a crowd and improvising a political message with minimal prep work are astonishing. But, we cannot focus on Trump and his many flaws, we need to focus on realizing Hillary Clinton is a villain. Hillary Clinton would easily be the worst president in United States History. The argument she is in any way qualified is flawed by the extent of her experience, or, rather, the fact she was one of the most counterproductive political leaders in modern history. Even though she was at one point a First Lady, a two term Senator from New York and the Secretary of State, she is not qualified. She is only experienced. Benghazi and emails are all I need to mention. The country under the administration of Hillary Clinton is a hellish nightmare. Her poor judgment has not only led to the tragic death of four United States embassy members in 2012, but also the deletion of 30,000 emails from a private server deemed by the FBI as containing critical information when she was Secretary of State — all because it was “convenient.” I find it amusing how Democrats are now using the experience argument against Trump. Yes, Trump is lacking previous government affiliations, but that wasn’t something the DNC cared about in 2008. Barack Obama only had experience as a junior senator in Congress, yet he was able to use his charm and local vernacular to rile up the voters. (Sound familiar?) Furthermore, not holding public office allowed Trump to grow his multi-billion dollar real estate industry. As one of the most successful businessmen in history, Trump knows how to make money for himself and whatever he may be running. Even though those with little to no financial knowledge see his interpretation of tax codes and bankruptcy as corrupt or stupid, Trump is familiar enough with the rules and regulations of business to go about bending the rules to establish enormous wealth for himself. The facts of his business history agree, he has never gone bankrupt, but, instead, filed his company for federal bankruptcy in order to relieve immense and unnecessary taxes. Trump, for one, believes that his plans will help the future of our economy. He isn’t running for himself and he certainly isn’t running for the Republican Party or special interests, he is running for you. All Clinton is running for is her donors. She has proven, in every office she’s inhabited, her horrific judgment and selfish view for the future of America. “I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created, I tell you that,” Trump said. Even though his reign would inevitably last a single term, Trump’s positive views and clear morals will set America in a productive, safe, rich and great direction again.

SIERRA WATERS

Opinion Editor

Let’s say you have to hire someone for a really important job. Would you hire someone with legitimate experience or someone who just says they do? Any logical person would hire the person with experience, right? So it only makes sense to vote for Hillary Clinton and not give Donald Trump the job. Hillary Clinton is a good leader. She was the first lady, a two term New York senator, and a secretary of state. She knows the political scene front, back, inside and out. That makes her the most experienced of the candidates and therefore the most qualified, hands down. Plus, with a job that can make or break the nation, experience should be the first thing that the citizens should be looking for. Now of course we can’t base it just off of experience, but also the quality of their performance. One of Clinton’s biggest accomplishments was the Global Health Initiative in 2010, which pushed for medical reform. Through it, she brought awareness to the spread of HIV and improved health facilities. Clinton wants to see change happen. We don’t need a president that just talks; we need a president that does. Clinton is pro equal rights for everyone, and has devoted her life and career to fighting for that. Any candidate who is not so should not even be considered in the election. We should never support a candidate who supports inequality and doesn’t support individual freedoms. Also, Clinton’s policies aren’t just “women policies.” She understands, as should we, that issues like child care, equal pay and paid leave are economic issues for the entire nation. It’s not a matter of feminism. It’s a matter of doing what’s best for our country. Whoever wins the election has the power to nominate new supreme court justices. If Donald Trump wins the election, the possibility of conservative Republicans being nominated is almost certain. Human rights cases would be turned away immediately, which prohibits change. The most important thing we, as the youth of America, have to realize is that whoever wins the election determines not just the next four years but the next forty. But what would this be if we didn’t talk about the emails. Honestly, people need to let it go. The FBI broadcasted the details of their investigation, saying that they usually don’t do that, but they felt like they needed to so people would understand. She wasn’t convicted, therefore she’s not guilty. If that’s the only thing anti — Hillary supporters have to say, then there’s hardly an argument. Besides, Trump is one of the biggest liars in the nation. He’s been denying benefits to his employees but refuses to admit it. One example is when he talked about his daycare program “Trumps Kids” for his employees’ children, but it was soon found out that the daycare was only for guests of the hotels. Trump may speak his mind but he is not honest. Hillary Clinton has proven time and time again that she is the right choice for the job. She doesn’t just promote change, she takes action to make it happen. A president with that mindset and the policies she has will inevitably lead to great things for our country.

OPINION

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GRAPHIC » ANDREW CHAU » THE LANCER

Election: meme edition Or sometimes, they satirize the death of a certain gorilla, taking a story that the media initially overRemember our old friend the Zodiac Killer? reacted to and completely blowing it out of proporMe neither. tion by keeping it relevant for months on end. The last I heard of Ted Cruz was that he’s not It’s important to note that memes tend to be biimportant anymore. After May 4, when he dropped ased and indecent, using obscene language and ofout of the election, Cruz practically vanished off the ten downplaying the importance of events. face of the earth. Well, the face of Reddit and iFunThe media, however, can be just as one sided. ny — pretty much the same thing. Fox News and MSNBC are notorious As soon as Cruz was no longer for their conservative and liberal tenpolitically relevant, he lost his inter“Maybe it’s a little dencies, respectively. This is because net fame. It makes sense, right? Why they’re sponsored — it’s as simple as shouldn’t newspaper headlines and scary to think that that. If someone gives a news station Reddit’s front page match? money, they’ll produce confor every one person enough In many ways, the two are similar: tent to praise that individual. legitimate This doesn’t really happen with they offer information about current watching events and happenings in the world. For whatever reason, Demnews, there are 10 memes. One main difference, according to ocrats and Republicans have yet to Reddit Trafﬁc Stats and Nielsen, scrolling through me- associate with places like 4chan. I is that Reddit receives 3 to 5 milwonder why. lion page views per day whereas mes. But I don’t think Instead, memes are biased be300,000 – 400,000 people watch that’s nearly as bad as cause a huge diversity of people CNN a day. that create and access them, but But before I get ahead of my- it sounds. ” that has an interesting effect: self, I’ll ask the opposite: why everyone across the board is should they match? By all means, harassed. Trump and Clinton, sources of legitimate news shouldn’t resem- blacks and whites, and men and women are ble meme generators. I watch ABC News to all targeted indiscriminately. learn more about society and I scroll through That’s the beauty of it all. The internet is Imgur for laughs. One is professional and so aggressive and hostile that everyone is the other is strictly unprofessional. attacked equally. It doesn’t favor certain Maybe it’s a little scary to think that candidates: it slanders all of them, their for every one person watching legitimate benefactors, and their constituents. news, there are 10 scrolling through meIt’s comforting to think that a huge mames. But I don’t think that’s nearly as bad jority of us are invested in sources withas it sounds. out such blatant editorial bias. Maybe For one, it keeps us young’uns updat- it doesn’t quite match up to legitimate, ed with the real world, more or less. In fact-checking news, but considering our terms of presidential candidates, me- current election, who cares? mes (or a lack of them) have told users The election is already a huge slugwho is and is not left in the running, fest of insults and lies, so in many albeit through very crude methods. ways, a place where far left and right In terms of current events, they often slander are all haphazardly interhave links to both uplifting and ap- mixed isn’t as harmful as we might palling stories. otherwise think. Opinion Editor

Election memes have influenced

22.0% of students’ political opinions

22.0% more than 5 elections ago*

28.6% do NOT have the same political party as their parents

38.0%

would NOT vote for either of the two major party candidates

Main source of election coverage: 60 80

% of students

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ANDREW CHAU

“I consider everyday we don’t die a success.” — Fear, “Inside Out” If you were a cool child, you watched a movie about a high school for kids with powers called “Sky High” (shoutout to when Danielle Panabaker was still relevant). Well the villain in that film, Royal Pain, scared the living daylights out of me. She wore a scary mask and had this gun called, “The Pacifier,” which, when shot, would turn the victim into a baby. I was convinced that Royal Pain was living under my bed, and if I let my arm hang off the bed while I was sleeping, she would pull me under and turn me into a baby. But the nice thing about monsters under your bed is that they stay under your bed. Every fear you had as a kid could fit under the bed. Or in the closet (happy belated National Coming Out Day). However, in case you hadn’t noticed, we’re not little kids anymore. All our problems and fears found their way out from under the bed into our everyday lives. I would love to put things like Donald Trump and being broke all back under the bed. But, nope. I wake up and I still don’t have a sensible person running for president or money in my wallet. Don’t get me wrong though, getting older is great. Each year presents new opportunities that wouldn’t mean as much if I were younger. But it also means more responsibility and things to be afraid of. Let’s look at a conversation Life and I had a while back. “Sierra,” Life said. “you can drive soon!” “That’s awesome!” I exclaimed. “I can’t wait to drive away my problems!” “Oh yeah, about that. With your license comes being self-conscious around cute boys and making self-deprecating jokes to cover up your insecurity!” “...” I won’t continue because the rest is embarrassing, but I’m sure we can all relate. It seems like life is just a give and take. You give up a little bit of innocence and a little bit of dependence for a little more responsibility and a lot more fun. Some people hate getting older because they don’t want to give up what they have, not understanding that the reward is much bigger. That makes sense though, because after a certain point you start to realize life’s patterns. Even though you get more freedom when you get older, you get a lot more things to be afraid of. Relationships, school, friends, work, the future … these things are all scary. And these things unfortunately can’t fit under the bed. Everything that life throws at us is out of our control. It’s up to life what it gets to throw at you. If it was up to me, it’d be money. Instead it’s fear. You can let those fears hold you back, or you can say some colorful words to it and move on. It’s okay to be afraid of being afraid. It’s the next step into adulthood and into maturity. If you’re afraid of something new, something real, then you’re doing it right. If the election scares you, awesome. If college applications make you shudder, then you’re on your way. It’s hard to deal with, trust me, I get it. But we do have to deal with it, it’s just apart of the wonderful process. I don’t think a society with a bunch of Spongebob’s running around is a productive society. However, the one thing that’s great about these fears is that you never have to worry about going through life alone. Every single one of us is taking this journey together. Everyone’s afraid of something, and unfortunately we can’t shove it under the bed anymore. We’re getting older and that should be celebrated, not ignored. Even more so, we should celebrate and accept the fear and uncertainty that comes with it. It’s a beautiful life! We have to love every part of it for what it is. — Sierra Waters

IN-FOCUS

The future of EDUCATION

Peggy Buckles

Betsy Connolly

Sandee Everett

Was first elected to School Board in 2008 and served on the California State Board of Managers for PTA for the past 10 years.

Was first elected to School Board in 2008 and served on the PTA district advisory council as well as marching band boosters.

Completed training to be a school counselor and has 3 kids currently in the district and 2 who graduated from NPHS.

Julie Freedman

Angie Simpson

Marlon Williams

Has spent the last 14 years working on multiple CVUSD school councils. She hopes to help teachers improve in using new technology.

Has served as traffic and safety commissioner for Thousand Oaks. She is currently president of the Village Homeowner’s Association.

Currently majoring in Liberal Studies at Channel Islands and aims to preserve the environment and promotes respect among peers.

PHOTO » CARISSA LO » THE LANCER

In the midst of the general election, shift your attention to the more local fight for seats on the CVUSD School Board.

IN-FOCUS

Q&A with the candidates: “I have experience as a classroom teacher, so I am going to focus this on children with learning disabilities. For parents who have higher education and know how to advocate for their child, their outcomes are elevated compared to the learning outcomes of a child with the same disability who has a lower socioeconomic background.” — Angie Simpson

“We’re working toward it. We have lots of families with different opinions, and it’s hard to strike a balance. We have more boys involved in extracurriculars than girls, and we’re looking for ways to involve more girls. A few years ago some parents wanted lacrosse. The coaches were against it because they didn’t have enough time on the field and couldn’t share the field. I asked for a report on when we can fit these kids in. Now, we have boys’ and girls’ lacrosse, and we need to continue looking for opportunities that kids are interested in.” — Peggy Buckles

“I think every one of us has unconscious biases, and those biases sometimes affect the services and treatment certain students receive. I’m not sure that we can get rid of our unconscious biases, but we can become aware of them and stop them from having a bad affect on others. We need to know what our biases are doing in order to start correcting them. It is the responsibility of the district ofﬁce and the school board to be watchful for that possibility, so we can all learn to be better at getting past our unconscious biases and making sure that we are actually protecting the rights of students.” — Betsy Connolly

“Teachers are doing their best to accommodate for all students in the district. Certain ideas are still alive from ﬁfty years ago, that don’t exactly work with our daily lifestyles today. I think that the teachers are aware of that, and they’re doing the best they can to accommodate for any differences students have as far as learning styles and learning environments. I think they’re doing a great job.” — Marlon Delano Williams

“Well that’s hard to say, because some populations require more funding in order to ensure that they are able to have the education they need. Some kids require more than others, but I think the focus should be on ensuring that all students feel comfortable and safe at school and that school is a place where they want to be and where they don’t feel singled out.” — Sandee Everett

Do you feel all students receive equal opportunities regardless of gender, race, sexuality, or financial status?

“They do if the students speak for themselves, their parents speak for them or a counselor or teacher speaks for them. There are opportunities for every single student. I really do think we have done a good job providing different programs. However, we haven’t done a good job of letting exist.” people know these programs exist. — Julie Freedman

IN-FOCUS

The Lancer joined with The Panther Prowler from Newbury Park High School to interview the two incumbents and four challengers for the upcoming School Board elections because the students wil be directly affected by the winning candidate’s decisions. “I think a proper education should be the main focus of our schools. I don’t think it really matters who has what type of idea about themselves as far as who they are going to be in life. They will ﬁgure that out at some point in life. As far as going from K-12, there’s certain things that we need to learn. In my mind, it’s how to be respectful to ourselves, to our fellow people, and to our environment. It’s all about respect.” — Marlon Delano Williams

What is your opinion on sexual health and HIV prevention education specified by Assembly Bill 329?

“It was a state-mandated curriculum. We as a school board, do not have the ability to not adopt it. I always let parents know that they do have the right to opt in. If a parent is uncomfortable, and they want to teach it at home or have their church leader or someone else teach it, then I’d encourage them not to opt in and to use that right that they have.“ — Julie Freedman

“I think the more you know, the better off you are. I would also like to say that school boards don’t make the law. The state legislature and federal government does, but we have to obey the law whether we believe in it or not. You can’t bring your own personal agenda to the school board because when you sign up for school board, you sign an oath to obey the constitution of the state of California and the federal government. You can’t choose the laws, you have to obey them.” — Peggy Buckles

“Those [laws] are made at the state and the federal level. Every school board member takes an oath to follow the law. I think that human biology, evolution, and sexual health are all reasonable things for high school students to be learning at school. I don’t want anyone’s religion or politics to interfere with the materials students are exposed to and taught at school. The curriculum for sexual health is science and fact-based. It acknowledges the existence of homosexuals and transgender people and that state and federal law protect people with these orientations. That’s something everyone should know before they go into the workplace or college. I don’t want to send [students] off ignorant.” — Betsy Connolly

“I am a woman of science. I’ve worked in the pharmaceutical sector of Amgen for over ten years, and I believe in clinical outcomes-based sex education being delivered by trained and trusted teachers of our school district. I support sex education and the modifications to the curriculum, because it’s the world that we are all living in. It may not have been the same when I was your age, but it is our reality now. STDs are on the rise in Ventura County specifically, you can look it up on Ventura County Health Department’s website. I hope this new program can bend the curve back down, because those infections could be prevented with education. Also, I do think it’s important that parents have notification, and that we respect parents and families. With proper notification, everybody’s comfortable, and we could provide the best possible outcomes for our students and families.” — Angie Simpson “We have to be compliant with the laws, so when there is a new law that comes down, the school district has to comply. Something our district decided to do, that I liked, was they left the opt-in for parents. I really think that parents should have a say in that particular subject. That’s something with a lot of differences [between] family values, so I like that there’s an opt-in. Therefore, I would have voted for that.” — Sandee Everett

FEATURES

16 PHOTO » RYLEE HOOPER » WITH PERMISSION

INKTOBER— (Top and bottom) Animal ink pieces from Hooper’s drawing set.

KYLIE PATTERSON

Features Editor

Most high school students search high and low for their niche during the extent of their four years, but fortunately, junior Rylee Hooper was able to ﬁnd her calling early on. Hooper has been putting her pencil to paper since she was little, gathering inspiration from her now graphic-designer dad. “He didn’t teach me much, but I deﬁnitely saw a bunch of his work and wanted to draw like that so I started sitting at my desk and sketching and practicing,” Hooper said. Having never taken lessons, Hooper didn’t let that stop her and dove into the world of art at full force. She started out drawing animals, and eventually found herself drawing people. An array

of her drawings draw inspiration from and include the two famous bandmates, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun of the band Twenty One Pilots. “I am obsessed with Twenty One Pilots. The first song I heard by them was in 2009, and then they got bigger and I started loving them again,” Hooper said. “I love their music and they’re such an inspiration.” Although some of her work include attempts at cartoons, Hooper’s main focus is realism. “I’ve tried to do original character drawings, but that’s actually really difficult. You have to look off of a real picture and try to make it your own, whereas when you’re doing an actual portrait of someone you’re just following a template,” Hooper said. Hooper has been working on improving her talent as an artist since her freshman year. Flipping through her sketchbook, the amount of change she sees is immense. “From my first realism drawing to now, it’s crazy to think how much I’ve improved, even on my doodles,” Hooper said. Touching on the stigma of artists, Hooper explains that creating art

helped her gain a whole different level of perspective on the world. “Usually the stereotype for artists is they’re actually typically the deepest people, the most depressed,” Hooper said. “Honestly I feel like that’s true because artists over analyze everything due to the way they look at the world.” For Inktober, she has drawn some spooky-looking animals, but emphasizes that her favorite thing to draw is people, which causes her to approach her view of people differently. “I feel like I appreciate the human face a lot more, I study people’s mannerisms, their movements and their facial expressions,” Hooper said. Drawing portraits of people she knows isn’t something Hooper is prone to. She primarily sticks to artwork of favorite celebrities and inspiring photography found on Tumblr. “People sometimes ask me to draw them and I don’t really say yes,” Hooper said. “Especially people that I don’t know because it’s such a personal thing and kind of intimate.” Hooper, along with many other artists, ﬁnds that creating art is a platform on which she can vent and express emotion. “Whenever I am stressed out or sad, I draw. Typically when I’m the saddest is when I’m the most artistic,” Hooper said. Gifted with a natural talent, Hooper realizes that many people don’t posses the same ability. “Sometimes I don’t even realize that a lot of people can’t do it. It’s weird for me to think about that, because it comes so easy to me,” Hooper said. Completing a new project encourages Hooper to keep going, and potentially pursue a career in becoming a tattoo artist or graphic designer. “When I’m proud of myself it gives me a lot more conﬁdence in myself and everything I do,” Hooper said. “I inspire myself to keep going because I love the way they turn out.”

See more of Hooper’s work on her twitter art account: @roseistance

WEB BASED ARTWORK— (Top) Hooper’s first oil painting and her workspace. (Bottom) Graphite drawing of two actresses from “Carmilla,” a web series that gives Hooper inspiration. SCANS » RYLEE HOOPER » WITH PERMISSION

FEATURES

17 PHOTO » MADDIE SCOTT » WITH PERMISSION

Ain’t No Party Like a

T.O. Party A Lancer Q&A with this year’s Green Hole leaders*: Andrew Berard, Ben Matrz, and Zach Schuberg.

*Coral Cataldo, the first female Green Hole leader, was unable to participate

CLARISSA KANO

Features Editor

THE LANCER: How were you chosen to be the Green Hole Leaders? Ben Martz: The green hole leaders last year chose us, but it’s kind of a mysterious process. You kind of prove your worth throughout your years being an underclassman and then if you perform well and you’re super loud and energetic with people, they see that. Then they come up to you. Zach Schuberg: There’s typically four leaders, so the four leaders last year all got together and chose four of us this year. They even sent a tweet out asking who should be the next Green Hole leaders. Andrew Berard: You have to be hyped so that other people can recommend you to become a leader. And we will get to choose the leaders for next year as well. We don’t know who yet, though. TL: How would you describe the Green Hole at the homecoming game this year? AB: It was insane. BM: I heard that that was the biggest Green Hole that [principal] Lou Lichtl had ever seen. It was crazy. I watch videos of it and it’s kind of mind blowing that I was leading, and that I was in the front of it. ZS: A lot of people came out and everyone wore black, so that was good. We even got shown on the “Top Student Section Goals” page on Twitter. BM: That page is like a Twitter account that features the top student sections in the country. They post a lot of schools on there but it’s kind of cool to be recognized. It was just so much fun. TL: How have the other games been? BM: They haven’t been quite as big but they are still pretty good. Apparently, we kind of resurrected the Green Hole. It had been sort of falling down for a couple years and now it’s alright. TL: Since it’s still pretty early in the year, are you hoping for anything in particular for the future games? AB: I hope the excitement doesn’t die down so we can keep the intensity. BM: I hope we can get a little more organized too. Just because it’s kind of hectic out there right now.

AB: Yeah, in the front, it gets crowded a lot and it’s hard to stand on the poles. BM: You have to balance yourself and it hurts really bad and you have to use your inner knees. BM: People are jumping around and you get pushed, so you almost fall over, but we’re working on it. AB: It’s not a bad problem to have because it means people are into it and getting hyped, but it gets kind of crazy up there in the front sometimes, so we just have to organize that a little bit more. TL: What have you personally gotten out of being a Green Hole Leader? BM: I was in the paper the other day on the front page of the Acorn which was cool. My mom went outside to go pick up the newspaper and there was a picture of everybody running and I was in the front and my mom was like, “You were on my driveway today,” and I was like “Whoa.” AB: I think it’s an awesome experience just to do it. We’re each one of the only guys able to do it this year. ZS: It’s a lot of fun. All these people are responding to us, and it doesn’t even feel like a big responsibility, it’s just a lot of fun and I really like it. BM: I’ve been waiting a long time to have the opportunity to do this. Ever since my freshman year, I’ve known older people and they were always like, “when you’re a senior you’ve got to step up and make the green hole good again!” AB: It’s a big honor. TL: How much planning did you do before the year started? AB: We had a couple meetings, sort of, but I don’t know how productive they were. We were supposed to meet up to discuss things in the Green Hole, but we kind of just met up and hung out instead. We didn’t get a lot accomplished. BM: I felt like we should have planned when I was thinking about it. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal during the summer because I was thinking. The Green Hole game is the first week of school and we have got to get prepared and stuff. But time just kind of ticked and we never really did anything. I was really nervous about it, but I didn’t do anything about it. So we got together and

intended on having this meeting where we talked about it. ZS: We just went over all the cheers and steps and decided who would do what during each game. AB: We talked about it a little bit I just feel like we could have done a little bit more. But it seemed like it worked out. BM: A problem that we are currently having is that the three of us are baseball players. We all play on the same club team and we all play on the same high school team. So when we go out of town, we will all be gone. So there are going to be people like Coral Cataldo and a couple other people that fill in for us. AB: People like Kyle Cornell and Ryan Schrillo. They have helped us out a lot this year. They can’t help out during basketball season, but then we’ll be there for that. TL: Does the Green Hole do things other than cheer at the football and basketball games? BM: We have tailgates before the games, which is fun. It’s mostly the senior class, because there are usually only a few juniors out there. But there’s music and everybody just kind of hangs out. AB: We try to include all the classes but it seems to be only the seniors that come. Everyone gets prepared for the game and paints their faces and do what they want to get ready. At the end we all walk together to the game, and it’s really fun. ZS: We would also like to attend other games like volleyball or something just to show support, too. We’ll tweet about it on the Green Hole page, and say if there’s a volleyball or waterpolo game today, just to get it out there. L: Do you have any tips for the students to help make an even better Green Hole? ZS: Just listen to your leaders and when we’re gone, listen to the people that are in front. If you’re a freshman, you’ve got to be in the back, if you’re a sophomore, you’re in the back. That’s just how it works. You can’t try to scoot up unless you’re a senior. TL: How would you define the Green Hole? AB: Insane. BM: Mammoth. I say mammoth. ZS: Lots of fun.

FEATURES

A CAREER OF COMPASSION

Counselor Dr. Elizabeth Dee’s generosity, altruism and experience allow her to create a life and career devoted to helping others at TOHS. ABBY KAWAI

Staff Writer

Education and helping others has always played an important role in counselor Dr. Elizabeth Uzcategui Dee’s life. From a young age, she was taught to be thankful for what she had and to give what she could to those in need. Dr. Dee grew up in a multicultural home in Caracas, Venezuela. Her father was the main influence in her attitude toward service. As a pediatrician, he treated patients without charge every day after six o’clock. “I get my love of helping people from my parents who, even though they were privileged, were never mean spirited. They believed that because we were privileged, we needed to help those who didn’t have as much,” Dee said. When she was younger, she and her brother taught and tutored kids that were poor or orphaned. “I’ve been loving education, counseling, and psychology forever,” Dee said. She always admired her father being a doctor and aspired to be one herself. “I wasn’t into bones and body parts and blood,” Dee said. “I wanted more of the spiritual side, helping the people that really need it.” When Dee told her father that she would like to study psychology, he responded by saying that he was proud and she would become a doctor of the soul. After graduating high school early, she graduated college at the age of 20 with a doctorate in Philosophy from La Sorbonne in Paris, France. Dee returned to Venezuela after college to start teaching. Her students were older than her, but Dee impressed them and gained their respect with her intelligence. Because of her efforts, she was awarded a scholarship from the Venezuelan government. “After a couple of years, they realized that I was somebody that they wanted to invest in,” Dee said. “They sent me to get a PHD in education of psychology and my other doctorate degree in philosophy.” At first she attended Michigan State University, but, the cold weather was quite unbearable for someone from the tropics, so she decided to apply to a school in California. Dee applied to University of Southern California (USC), University of California at Berkeley, and University of California at Santa Barbara because they had great educational psychology programs. USC flew Dee out for an interview and accepted her on the spot. The same day of that interview Dee met the man who would a year later run into her again and, after dating for seven months, became her husband. Being married and eventually having a daughter convinced Dee to stay in California instead of going back to Venezuela like she previously planned. After her daughter started attending elementary school, Dee earned a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Psychology from California State University Los Angeles and a Pupil Personnel Counseling Credential. She then moved to Thousand Oaks in 1991, getting a job as a counselor at Oxnard High School. Dee was invited to be a counselor at Thousand Oaks High School in 1995 and has worked here ever since. “I am in love with Thousand Oaks High School. I really feel honored to be a part of the faculty here because this is a fantastic school,” Dee said. “It has stayed the same in the fact that this is the heart of our community. We don’t say no to anyone. We are versatile. We are the school where everybody finds a niche-everybody has a place to fit.” The one thing that Dee has seen change in the 21 years she has been teaching is the types of problems that students bring into her office. She has seen an in-

PHOTO » CARISSA LO » THE LANCER

crease in problems such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and stress disorders. “I feel bad for you guys for being young in this day and age, because what you’re facing in society I didn’t have to face when I was young,” Dee said. “I think at this point our school is going to have to work with more emotional problems and we need to start getting more programs to help you guys because it’s the truth. It’s happening.” Dee’s advice to students who are struggling with these kinds of problems is to be exceptional and passionate in their work. “Be the best at what you do,” Dee said. “Whether you are the best hairdresser, the best neurosurgeon or the best mechanic, I don’t care. Be the best, and give it all you have because there is a place for you.”

WORKING FOR A CHANGE— (Above) Dee stands in the quad. She has been a participant in many school events for over 20 years. (Below and left) Printed newspaper pictures from 1996 show Dee speaking at an Aids Week awareness event at TOHS. Two students walk past an Aids Week poster on their way to class.

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