LANCER
the
Thousand Oaks High School
Volume LVI, Issue 1 | October 30, 2023
www.tohsthelancer.com
2323 N. Moorpark Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
QB Taylor plays all the right notes
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PHOTO » TYLER LAPPIN » THE LANCER
AANDREA PINEDA-DOMINGUEZ NEWS EDITOR Jackson Taylor has spent weeks, months, even years preparing for the concert of a lifetime. All of his classmates are hanging out in a small room, practicing and chit-chatting their nerves away, waiting for the ominous curtain call. The tension and stress are both so heavy he can feel it weighing him down. Taylor should be especially jittery and overtaken by nerves but he is not; he’s doing what he does best — practicing. Unexpectedly, the group begins to sing and play along to a fun song he knows all too well, “Riptide” by Vance Joy, and he can’t help but be overtaken and jump right in, too. It’s moments like these that make Taylor, Thousand Oaks High School’s very own starting varsity quarterback, fall into rhythm with the
world of music. For many who know the name Jackson Taylor, seeing him at the center of an ensemble is quite an unusual sight for the football player. Normally you can see him out on the field leading the offense. What many don’t know is the Jackson Taylor after the tiresome game days and practices. The Jackson Taylor who takes on the responsibility of first violin in orchestra. Taylor has played the violin with almost five years’ worth of skill and passion, though, like most punk sixth-graders, Jackson’s starry eyes were first on the rebellious drums. It wasn’t long until his booming dreams were shortly silenced when his school’s drum elective was full. It was then he figured he’d give the violin a try and ended up falling into a rabbit hole of fascination and joy. Now in his sophomore year, he’s a core part of the Thousand Oaks High School Camerata Orchestra as a
first violinist, preparing for the Fall concert. “I get nervous the same as when you get [nervous] in football,” he said. “Those butterflies. If you don’t get those nerves it’s almost like you don’t respect the moment.” With a football in one hand and a violin in the other, he’s found, from a young age, that his two passions are not as different as they appear. In both, he said, it’s all about doing your “oneeleventh.” As he explains, you have to do your part as one of the eleven on the football field and trust that everyone else is also doing their part. Whether in a team practice or a group recital, both require support, adjustment and that team aspect. FOR MORE ON
TAYLOR’S MUSICAL JOURNEY
SEE PAGE 13
I get nervous the same as when you get [nervous] in football. Those butterflies. If you don’t get those nerves, it’s like you don’t respect the moment.
JACKSON TAYLOR SOPHOMORE
Science rooms get a facelift
BEFORE
GEMMA SPRAGGINS ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
PHOTO » COURTESY » MICHAEL FLORES
AFTER
PHOTO » COURTESY » MICHAEL FLORES
On the first day of the school year, TO forensic science teacher Michael Flores watched his class experience science in a whole new way. As his mostly shy students got used to their completely new science classroom, they wouldn’t interact as much with their pods. But just days later, Flores watched those same students get comfortable with their peers. As the head of the TO science department, Flores was able to see the process of remodeling the science buildings from start to finish. The process began June 16, soon after the 2022-23 school year and was completed the day before the 2023-24 school year began. Planned for a year, it took only a few months to get the plan in action, with the main purpose, Flores said, “to make the classrooms a little more flexible and allow students to work collaboratively.” Previously, the old tables filled the science classes in rows, not allowing the teachers to interact with students in the middle. The new science tables now allow teachers to check and help any students in need. They specifically help students assist each other and
become more interactive with one another while doing different activities such as labs. Making it easier on the students and the teachers, the tables, Flores said, “[allow] me to walk around, and allows the students to drive their own instruction.” It’s not just the teachers who are happy about the new layout. “It’s a nice fresh start, but at the same time, it’s something to get used to,” senior Melissa Navarrete said. Having been in the old science building and now experiencing the changes, she is able to observe and interact with the students adjusting. Not having had all of these new televisions, charging stations and lab tables available at all times, students and teachers appreciate it making everyone’s lives easier. “I think it’s preferred this way,” Navarrete said. “It’s a whole new learning experience for them to learn [in] a different way, and it could have a bigger impact on the kids learning to make it more educational.” For Riley Pink, one of those students Flores observed on the first day of school just getting used to it, she’s become more close with her classmates . “I met so many people that I thought I’d never be friends with,” Pink said. “With everyone feeling more comfortable with the seating arrangements everyone’s personality has the potential to come out 100 percent.”