Four Year Review

A look back on the last four years...

FRESHMAN

Written by Natalie Venable & Tanner Patterson

On Aug. 23, 2017 the Class of 2021 walked on to the TOHS campus for our first day of high school. To the quad we walked to get our schedules — the last year they printed schedules on paper — and off to class we went, many of us waltzing into the wrong classrooms and trying desperately to navigate so many more buildings than our middle schools. Eventually we got our bearings, enough so to be the first freshmen class in quite some time to win the homecoming rally. As our sports seasons started, the buses filled with Drake’s God’s Plan and we took out our airpods (we don’t speak broke here) to listen to the school board come after our beloved core novels. When we weren’t too busy resisting the urge to eat TidePods, we were begging our friends not to spoil the ending of Infinity War. Then, second semester hit, and sparking animosity in the Class of 2020, every one of us received a Chromebook. Although intended for essay writing in our English classes, they quickly evolved into a multi-tool: Functions including an umbrella, a frisbee and a hockey puck. This is why we can’t have nice things, people.

Sophomore year we walked on to campus in our greatest style-trend yet: Big shirts, running shorts, Crocs and Hydro Flasks with more stickers than you could count. It was also the year the new HVAC system made its debut. For many of us, lanyards donning our first set of car keys joined us on the long walk from parking at Korea to our first period classes. At homecoming we witnessed the stampede of teenage boys running into the gym to shout their uncensored version of Mo Bamba. However, the rest of our fall semester brought harder times. Twelve lives were lost in the Borderline Bar & Grill shooting, which was quickly followed by the devastating Woolsey Fire. After our two week hiatus, we returned to school to the Westboro Baptist Church standing on the street holding signs saying things so ridiculous we won’t even repeat them. In our typical Thousand Oaks spirit, our counter protest preached love and acceptance for all, and we outnumbered them by a landslide. Finally, we slowly fell in love with the funny dances and trends on TikTok (We downloaded it as a joke, promise!).

SOPHOMORE

What is your high school legacy?

making Mr. King laugh blue chips selling wares im smart being tohscantpark

being quiet enough to be mistakenly considered smart hosting virtual trivia nights Making the @ realistictohscouples account

The beginning of junior year brought more improvements to campus,as the CORE Lab and brand new Lancer Library were unveiled, but unfortunately, we were too busy playing Mario Kart Mobile under our desks in class to notice. School board meetings were plagued by raging members of the public, troubled by the Health Curriculum (have they even picked one yet?). At the Lancer, we sat in I4 on deadline day waiting for the House to vote on impeaching President Trump (the first time). We dressed to the nines for ourfirst winter formal. Then, on March 11, COVID-19 went from being something we joked about to a national emergency. We sat in class as sport after sport, event after event, got postponed indefinitely. CVUSD admin deliberated for hours on how long school would be closed, but little did we know that our junior year as we knew it had come to an end on one fateful Friday the 13th. From our homes in quarantine, we witnessed the murder of George Floyd, sparking protests across the globe. Many TOHS students took to the streets, specifically the corner of Westlake and Thousand Oaks Blvd, showing their support of the Black Lives Matter movement. To finish off our junior year, we sat down for the best AP exams ever: 45 minute essays.

While many of us had visualized walking into our senior year, we instead logged on. In contrast to the cushy, no-harm grading and lack of attendance, this year was full-on school… well sorta. For three hours a day we logged onto Zoom and adjusted to the confusing new schedule (never did we think we’d say “cohort” so often). At least professional football, basketball, and baseball had returned. Los Angeles went wild when the Lakers won the NBA finals and the Dodgers won the world series. Meanwhile, students went wild ordering the Travis Scott McDonalds Meal. Many of us voted in our first election, and what an election to witness. Tensions ran high, especially on the Lynn Road overpass as the fierce election ran its course. Dr. Swanson had never seen a senior class so engaged in AP Gov discussions about voting rights and election law. We quickly became familiar with California’s county tier system and the science of mRNA vaccines. As we teeter-tottered between tiers, talk of returning to school increased and sports returned to practicing. Just as it was looking like we’d never have an on campus class again, blended students returned to campus almost a year after we’d left. Thankfully, we’ll get to enjoy a traditional, in-person graduation to finish off our year.

JUNIOR

SENIOR

can’t disclose it, what happens in metal shop stays in metal shop my friends the school flooding when it rains winter formal

all the friday nights I spent in the green hole at football or basketball games with my friends

What is your favorite high school memory