2023-24 March Issue - The Lancer

Moreno heads to Washington

TO senior wins $27,000 after advancing to the top-40 of nationwide Regeneron Science Talent Search

AANDREA PINEDA-DOMINGUEZ NEWS EDITOR

It was finally over.

The bell gave its shrieking cry and off went hundreds of students to enjoy their freedom, at least for a moment.

For one student, it was short-lived.

Ramon Moreno was once more inside an intimidating classroom known infamously as E8 during his nutrition break, observing and experimenting with expensive yeast samples, only to find a major disturbance in his equipment that could have very well destroyed his research.

The dreaded “uh oh” moment had finally come.

At stake for Moreno: thousands of dollars, nationwide recognition, and, most importantly, a chance to impact science before his 18th birthday.

Moreno’s yeast samples needed the support of the cold, isolated incubator and tempo-steady shaker to keep them alive. Ideally, yeast is incubated at 30 degrees Celsius and kept on a shaker.

But, with the incubator off and the shaker taking a long overdue break, the potential for error was high. The only things surrounding Moreno? Empty tables and the comforting presence of friendly pipettes, test tubes and probing devices.

Moreno was at a fork in the road, with a choice to make: restart his project from scratch or continue, hoping that his endless hours of research and study could be rescued.

“Ultimately, I turned it on, let it grow another night, and kept going,” he said.

This decision would ultimately lead him to become the first AP Research student at TO to reach the top 40 in the Regeneron Science Talent Search competition, earning him a trip to Washington DC and a cash prize totaling $27,000.

Unexpected La Reina closure leads to transfers

Regent students welcomed for TO campus tour

behind soon-to-be former Regents who may soon become Lancers.

“I want to make sure that [TO] is providing as much information as possible to those families to determine if TO is a school where they want to send their kids in the future,” Bergmann said.

One La Reina student-turnedfuture Lancer who wished to remain nameless said she feels prepared for the transition.

“I believe that La Reina has done an exceptional job of preparing me academically for TO, although I believe that it might be difficult to transition from small classes and an all-girls learning environment to a large school like TO,” she said.

Shocked is an understatement when describing how La Reina families felt upon receiving the news that their school, which opened its doors in 1964, will be closing at the end of this year.

With families sent into a panic about where to send their children next year, local high schools, including TO, have offered tours and support for families in need.

Principal Dr. Eric Bergmann is rallying

Dr. Bergmann came up with ideas such as a special orientation for joining 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students from La Reina and other Conejo Valley schools.

Dr. Bergmann stressed that any other students joining TO at the same time will have the same opportunities as La Reina students.

“They would mean to me the same that every other student who enrolls in this school does,” Dr. Bergmann said. “I want to be a caring neighbor who is happy to help.”

*****

The Center for Advanced Studies and Research is a prestigious capstone program, designed to give students the opportunity to receive hands-on experience with research at an advanced level. It gives achieving students the ability to prepare for their research through mentors and advanced classes like AP Seminar and AP Research.

Aside from personalized support, every student in STEM is under the guidance of Dr. Nikki Malhotra, one of the AP Research teachers who helped start the program. The Center credits her for much of what it is today.

“AP research is a rigorous course which is a daughter or son of the class known as scientific research,” Malhotra said.

Center students undergo a year-long process to complete a capstone project. To divide and lessen the workload, Malhotra meets with students every month to discuss next steps of their projects. One of those important details is the research question itself.

Moreno’s question moved Malhotra.

“His question was well-written, and we didn’t have to refine it a lot,” she said.

During their junior years, AP Research students are tasked with finding at least one mentor who specializes in the student’s topic of research.

Moreno had three, including Dr. Jessica Smith, a researcher at the National Institute on Aging.

“In his email, Ramon told me he had read my research, he had read other research on yeast, [and he was] a little informed but he still had plenty of questions,” Smith said. “He really clearly said, ‘This looks cool, I would like to involve you in it.’ [But] he was the driving force in this research. He was the one working toward the goal himself.”

Lancers lose a forever friend

Former TO grad Brett Taylor was a regular presence on campus and at other local Ventura County institutions

JAKE BRADLEY SPORTS EDITOR

Bill Gemberling has worn many hats at Thousand Oaks High: student, teacher, coach, sports announcer.

But taxi driver?

“I was one of (Brett Taylor’s) many taxi cab service people, because essentially, we’d go out and have dinner sometimes, which for Brett was Del Taco, Taco Bell, that kind of thing,” Gemberling said with a smile. ”It was probably horrible for my cholesterol, but then there’d be times he’d call up and say I need a ride to such and such, and I’d say, ‘I’m not your taxi, Brett.

‘Well I just need this ride. ‘OK, it’s the last time, Brett, and it’d just repeat repeat and repeat.”

Gemberling tells the story with a smile, despite his pain.

Taylor, a TO class of 1976 graduate with special needs who became a decades-long presence around the school and other local high schools and civic organizations, died on Monday, March 18, at the age of 66.

His impact has not been left just on TO, but also Westlake High, where he began working a half-decade ago. Following his passing, an outpouring of love came in from the entire community, including the local fire and police departments, where he often volunteered. Taylor was a fire volunteer for more than four decades.

The community is particularly reeling because Taylor was excited to have been named Grand

Marshall of the re-booted Conejo Valley Days parade.

“When he was a campus supervisor here, everyone knew him on campus and he was just a positive force,” Gemberrling said.

Taylor was a regular presence on Lancer football and basketball sidelines, as well as the swim team and other programs. Following his passing, teams all over the county shared their thoughts and memories. But he remained a loyal Lancer.

“He’d always come over at the end of the game to the group and (give a) pump-up speech and it was fun to hear him do that,” Gemberling said.

“He just was Thousand Oaks High School.”

CAPITAL GAINS — Senior Ramon Moreno’s Center for Advanced Studies and Research project earned him nationwide acclaim.

PHOTO » RAMON MORENO » WITH PERMISSION

GEMMA SPRAGGINS ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

GOODBYE GIRLS — La Reina will shut its doors at the end of the school year.

TAYLOR MADE — Lancer legend

Brett Taylor was a 40-year Ventura County Fire Department volunteer.

PHOTO » TO ACORN » WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO » RILEY KEELER » THE LANCER

Time T.O. Vote

Seniors, are you on the fence about voting? Read some of ASB President Maya Campo’s insight on the democratic process

KAILAH SPENCER THE LANCER STAFF

Senior Maya Campo turns 18 in April, and she is ready to make her voice heard this November.

As the presidential primary election nears, seniors are starting to fill out their ballots and vote for the first time as legal adults, and they have the ability to vote as soon as they’re eligible.

“I’m excited to [vote],”

Campo said. “I think that it’s something that everyone should participate in. I feel really strongly about that.”

The 2024 election will likely be a rematch of the 2020 election, in which Democratic candidate Joe Biden beat Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump. There is a lot of concern regarding both candidates’ ages and their abilities to serve as president.

This election season is also filled with tension due to the concerning political climate between the two main parties, and the back and forth as to whether to allow Trump to run with his

criminal record.

“I hope that in the future, there will be more younger candidates,” Campo said.

Lancer-to-Los Robles volunteer system stays strong

Despite CEO Natalie Mussi leaving her post at Los Robles hospital, students remain eager to offer their time and help

GEMMA SPRAGGINS ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Los Robles Regional Medical Center benefits from the varied talents and experiences that volunteers offer, ranging from high school students hoping to pursue a career in medicine to retired nurses. Although student volunteers usually work in the background, their contributions are crucial to raising the standard of care given to patients.

“It depends what department I’m in,” student volunteer Serene Panga said. “On Sundays I do float, which is just whatever nurses need, usually discharging patients or bringing them food, chargers, clothes and more. Mondays I do ER, which is just sitting at the emergency front desk checking in visitors.”

Junior Gwyneth Harris spoke on her average work day at Los Robles, saying, “A typical day is just discharging people, delivering food, doing specimen and blood runs, but that’s just float pool; other units have different jobs.”

Many volunteers see Los Robles as a launching point for their medical career.

“I want to either be a [Labor Delivery] Nurse or an ER nurse.” Harris said about her aspirations for the future.

Furthermore, giving back to people in need not only improves the lives of those who receive it, but it also promotes a compassionate and supportive community.

Natalie Mussi, who held the position of first female CEO of Los Robles Regional Medical Center for more than 10 years, has announced her retirement to take a new position as vice president of

Local socialite found guilty

In 2020, a car crash in Westlake Village caused the death of 8-year-old Jacob Iskander and his 11-year-old brother, Mark. In a recent trial, three years after the murder, socialite Rebecca Grossman, co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation, was convicted of two counts each of second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and hit-and-run resulting in death.

Sentencing was originally scheduled for April 10 but has been delayed to June 10. Grossman could face up to 34 years to life in prison.

While awaiting sentencing, Grossman was accused of encouraging illegal conduct from within jail and attempting jury tampering. Though the prosecution pushed to revoke her jailhouse phone and visitation privileges, Judge Joseph Brandino only issued a warning to Grossman.

She believes that a younger president would better represent the general population and the struggles facing young adults. They also wouldn’t be at such high risk for age-related problems or other medical issues that come with age.

Campo is also ASB president, giving her a natural path towards working in government, but when asked if she desired to take up a career down that road, she said she wasn’t interested.

“Personally, no, but I definitely think that something leadership-oriented is something that I’m interested in,” Campo said.

Campo wanted to close by urging her fellow seniors to exercise their right to vote both for the primaries and in the official presidential election this November. “In an area like Thousand Oaks, we have such easy access to polling places,” Campo said. “So everyone should take advantage of that.”

TO NEW LEADERSHIP — Los Robles Medical Center CEO Natalie Mussi is stepping down, but Lancer volunteers don’t anticipate heavy changes.

operations at Surgery Ventures.

Even though this is the case, some volunteers would prefer little change.

“There’s nothing I would really change, it seems to run really well,” Harris said, when asked about the preferred change under new management.

It seems as though the change upcoming for Los Robles has nothing to do with the volunteers more the employees and larger executive decisions. Under the management of Mussi there have been many accomplishments for Los Robles such as the purchase of the Thousand Oaks Surgical Hospital, the establishment of Los Robles’ Trauma Center, and many expansion initiatives.

Both the volunteers and the long term employees are hoping that whoever replaces Mussi will be able to maintain the beautiful ecosystem she created.

Teacher shortage

Though the entire nation is currently facing a teacher shortage, the issue is especially present in California, which ranks 47th among all states for its student-teacher ratio. In order to combat this, Democratic Senator Steve Padilla has proposed Senate Bill 995, the High-Quality Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act. The bill would create a fiveyear pilot program that would facilitate easier transfers between community college and California State University schools for students studying to become teachers and allow students to get their teaching credential in four years, instead of the typical five years. The bill would also require CSUs to conduct marketing and recruitment at California high schools to encourage students to pursue a career in teaching. The pilot program would start at select CSUs and community colleges and will eventually expand to all CSUs and community colleges if successful.

THE LANCER NEWSPAPER

EDITORIAL TEAM

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Momo Sonoda

MANAGING EDITORS

Alyssa Kiszczak

Abigail Tripp-Bullough

NEWS EDITOR

Aandrea Pineda-Dominguez

OPINION EDITOR

Joseph Goodnight

FEATURES EDITOR

Riley Keeler

SPORTS EDITOR

Jake Bradley

PHOTO EDITOR

Tyler Lappin

ASSISTANT EDITORS

Abigail Kerns

Gemma Spraggins

Nikolas Walter

Becca Glaubke

Kevin Starr

THE LANCER STAFF

Kimberly Jerez

Austin Mead

Roman Mead

Kailah Spencer

Christian-Isaiah Aguilar

Charlene Bonilla

Gabriella Muller

Julia Pineda-Dominguez

Guy Albert

Jasmine Bernal

Elijah Brown

Riley Brown

Cole Howard

Jackson Kurtz

Cory McEnroe

Natalie Rodriguez

Lilah Swaving

Anusha Ghosh

Harout Kilejin

Nazir Yilmaz

ADVISORS

Tasha Beaudoin

Jon Gold

EDITORIAL POLICY

The Lancer is the official school publication of Thousand Oaks High School, created and produced by students in Journalism.

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.

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Court rules Trump can stay on ballot

Amid controversy over his presidential candidacy, the Colorado Supreme Court removed former President Donald Trump from the state’s Republican primary ballot for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. An appeal from Trump brought the case to the Supreme Court of the Unites States, where the judges ruled unanimously that the states cannot disqualify candidates from their ballots because the Constitution only grants this power to Congress. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote a separate concurring opinion, while Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Kentanji Brown Jackson wrote a joint concurring opinion that maintained that the ruling should’ve been narrower without the specification for congressional enforcement of Section 3 of the Constitution. Trump had been disqualified from the ballot in three states and challenged in many more.

Around the Business Table

Students in the Majors program relfect on what they learned about a plethora of career paths from the professionals

JULIA PINEDA-DOMINGUEZ THE LANCER STAFF

The Majors program provides students with the opportunity to speak with mentors in many different careers. The program consists of monthly meetings in a career of your choice.

With careers ranging from business and health, to cosmetology and video game design, not to mention film, public service and engineering: More students can gain insight into multiple careers and pursue their passion.

“At the end of the day, you can be getting a high pay check but be miserable in what you are doing.

MONSE SIXTOS SOPHOMORE

The program works hard to not only bring regular speakers into their meetings but also to coordinate after-school events, one of which is the Career Mentorship Expo, which took place in late February.

The Majors program worked with the Kiwanis organization to bring more than 20 mentors to talk to students from a variety of ages at this event. Everyone who attended this event was given the chance to talk one on one with the

mentors and ask questions freely.

“I liked how I could ask anything about their job,” freshman Dawn Baker said. “[Architect Christine Cano] gave me a lot of information about her day-to-day life and what to expect [in] a career in architecture.”

The event also allowed students to engage with the mentors in a comforting environment where they were confident to talk deeply about their interests.

“We spoke about his history with Biotech and Amgen, a place I admire, and about his career and my dream career,” sophomore Sierra McDemas said. “He gave me a lot of good advice. It made me realize that the path I’m choosing is definitely the one for me.”

PROFESSIONAL OPINION — The Majors program [stationed primarily in the College and Careers Center] organized the meeting of students and professionals in their occupations

Students are able to connect with the mentors on a professional level, and understand what the career they want to major in truly consists of. With the help of the mentors, students were able to truly put into consideration all the pros and cons of the career before college.

“At the end of the day you can be getting a high pay check

but be miserable in what you are doing,” said sophomore Monse Sixtos, who met with several mentors, including business mentor Shawn Moradian. “He had very good advice in general and stated how important it was to like your job and [that your] not just doing something for the money.”

Going Digital: The SAT’s New Normal

From paper to computer the SAT is following the changing times. Juniors and seniors are putting down their pencils and beginning to type out their answers for the tech-savy Scholastic Aptitude Test.

KAILAH SPENCER THE LANCER STAFF

Many Lancers students are familiar with the SAT; a paper test with over a hundred questions of varying difficulty. Now, CVUSD is introducing the Digital SAT (DSAT); an online test where the difficulty of the questions is dependent on the students’ performance throughout the exam.

The DSAT will be available to the United States in March 2024, and is said to be an hour shorter than the traditional SAT. Each section of the test -- Reading, Writing, and Math -- consists of two “modules.” The first module is an assessment of the student’s prior knowledge. The questions in the second module are then based on the student’s performance in the first. If the student does really well on the first module, then the second module will consist of harder questions. If the student does poorly on the first module, then the second module will consist of easier questions.

Audrey Li, a junior who had previously taken the paper version of the SAT, was interviewed on her opinions of this new method of testing.

“I think because the DSAT is shorter and the English and Grammar sections are now merged together, I think it’ll be a little bit easier,” Li said.

Compared to the written SAT, which has been offered to students around the world for nearly a century, the DSAT brings forth a new experience for high school students. Since the test becomes more personalized as the student progresses, and all students have different levels of knowledge, the DSAT doesn’t force everyone to answer the same questions.

Based on Li’s prior experience and what she knows

The future of IVF in the U.S.

Embryos were given the rights of extrauterine children in an Alabama Supreme Court decision, forcing fertility clinics to stop services after the ruling threatened the legality of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments.

about the DSAT, she expects the digital test to be easier than the paper test.

“I think [the paper test is] a little bit harder in terms of content as compared to the digital PSAT,” she said. “The traditional paper test is longer than what I took on the digital PSAT, and I think the DSAT is going to be similar to that.”

She believes that with the shorter test, there will be a lack of burnout among students and the test will feel easier to get through.

One struggle that Li has faced in anticipation of the DSAT is studying. Since the DSAT is new, many platforms that students typically use to study for the SAT haven’t updated their study materials to be more fitting for the new test.

“When the DSAT was first announced for this year, many other places that I’ve used [didn’t have] practice tests that [were] formatted around the digital SAT,” Li said. “I’ve kind of just tried to find individual tests for content itself rather than the whole test because I don’t really know many places that have full-length practice tests that have the Digital SAT formatting.”

Besides having a hard time studying, Li is confident as she prepares to take the DSAT.

“I feel more confident because when I first took the paper SAT, that was my first time taking the SAT or any other standardized testing, but now, going into the digital SAT, I’ve kind of familiarized myself with how the SAT process works. I’m not too nervous,” Li said.

While the paper SAT is often a dreaded test among students, the introduction of the DSAT is intended to offer a slightly less stressful experience for test takers all around the world.

This decision prompted protests from women all over the country who attributed the threat to IVF treatments to the takedown of Roe v. Wade. As Republicans push to give embryos the rights of people — including the Life at Conception Act and Kentucky’s Republican bill that would allow people to claim fetuses as dependents on tax statements — doctors and patients have raised concern of diminished access to health care and worry for a future where family planning services, such as contraception, is made illegal.

In the wake of this decision, many states, including Alabama, have begun to pass legislation to protect IVF providers. However, it is worth noting they blocked federal legislation has twice before blocked federal legislation to profect IVF.

COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

OUT WITH THE OLD — A new era has arrived for the infamous SAT in a tech-based society

Where is Princess Kate Middleton?

For weeks, conspiracy theories and memes have surfaced with one question in mind: Where is Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales?

Though the Kensington Palace had repeatedly stated that Middleton was recovering from a surgery, edited photos fueled an online frenzy of conspiracy theories, including an alleged BBL (Brazilian Butt Lift).

However, many expressed regret after it was revealed that Middleton had been diagnosed with cancer and has been absent because of her chemotherapy treatments.

“Disgusted with the internet and even disgusted with myself because I fell into the trap,” said Reshma Saujani, CEO of nonprofit Girls Who Code, in an Instagram post. “This is a classic example of what we do to women, of how when a woman takes time to prioritize her health and take care of her family.”

Congress sounds the alarm on TikTok

The daily routine of more than 170 million TikTok users in the U.S. may change as Congress pushes for a TikTok ban. Citing privacy concerns, U.S. officials claim that Chinese company ByteDance could take the personal information of the millions of Americans who use the app. However, opponents of the bill see the TikTok ban as a violation of free speech and blatantly Sinophobic.

By storing the data of American users on U.S. servers, TikTok has already taken steps to protect American data. However, proponents are concerned because, if ordered by Chinese authorities, ByteDance would be forced to hand over the data. The bill that would ban TikTok from operating in the U.S. unless the Chinese-owned company sells the app passed in the House of Representatives in a 352–65 vote and heads to the Senate for another vote.

On the Right Track

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Through Zoom, Moreno and Smith met regularly to discuss the reality of Moreno’s project timeline, how to access yeast and how to determine if certain experiments were even doable.

Unlike most graduate students that Dr. Smith mentored who had roughly 40-50 hours a week to work on research, Moreno only had a designated hour or so per day to work on his project, followed by his academic and athletic responsibilities as a runner for the TO track and cross country teams. Being her first high-school student mentee, Dr. Smith had many kudos to share.

“He is just amazing, so driven, he does so much, he balances things so well, and just the ability that he is demonstrating in this Regeneration Talent Search competition and all the stuff he has done for his AP research class — it’s amazing.” she said. “ I would say he is one of the best students I have ever mentored.”

Moreno’s exceptional project on the influence of isonicotinamide on the chronological lifespan of saccharomyces cerevisiae strains not only earned him accolades from his mentor but also showcased his dedication to pushing the boundaries of scientific inquiry. The Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS), known for attracting the brightest minds in both mathematics and science, recognized him as a standout participant from an applicant pool of approximately 2,162 applications from 712 high schools across 46 states. It granted him a trip to Washington for the Regeneron STS competition; not only was this an opportunity of a lifetime but it was one in which Moreno would finally be able to meet his mentor.

“Throughout the whole experience, it was a great motivation for me to know someone was not just doing this to look good but that there was someone who actually believed in me,” Moreno said.

In an unfamiliar state far from home, Moreno was able to find comfort in a familiar face, especially with the week-long activities the Regeneron STS Competition offered.

The Regeneron STS Competition Washington trip consisted of panel judging, project judging, public days and a tour of the nation’s capital.

Panel-judging focused on checking the student’s understanding of science in general. This was one of the hardest moments of the competition — PhD level professionals in their field of study would ask abstract questions in face-to-face interview increments.

“They would come up to you and ask you weird questions like what are the properties of water, and they would bring out slime and ask you if it was a solid or liquid,” Moreno said. “They wanted to know your way of reasoning even if you didn’t really know. The most memorable one was the Legos. I was given five 2-by-1 Legos and was told to make a human. I had like five minutes, but I didn’t get it.”

Following two days of panel judging was project judging. If something seemed incorrect, this is the moment where all judgment was assessed.

“My actual poster was outdated; I remembered that there was something incorrect on my board so I had my computer out with the actual correct information and one of the judges asked me, ‘Why isn’t this on your poster?’ And all I could think was ‘Oh, because I was actually working on it last night,’ but I didn’t say that of course,” Moreno said, laughing away any embarrassment he might’ve had in that moment. “They just wanted to know your knowledge on your topic, and I think my hands-on experience with my research really helped me.”

Throughout the competition, dinner and breakfast events were held often. At each event, contestants were given the opportunity to sit side-by-side with scientists working at Regeneron or board members of Society of Science.

“At most dinners, they tried to have us sit next to scientists who were somewhat related to the projects we did, so that we could ask genuine questions,” he said “A lot of them were really nice, and I got to eat this really scary fancy food. Their salads were like a chunk of lettuce not cut up or anything with ranch dressing on top.”

The Regeneron STS competition essentially has four terminating rounds. It started with initial applicants that consist roughly of over 2,000 applicants, and from those applicants, the top 300 are chosen. In the second round, the top 40 from around the country were selected and granted $25,000. From the top 40, only 10 progressed to the finals and from there the top three were awarded amounts of money ranging from $150,000 to $250,000 dollars for educational purposes.

Although Moreno knew what he was signing up for, he did not expect to meet the kindness of other competitors.

“Some people already knew each other,” Moreno said. “I thought they would be really introverted, really scary. If anything, really I was an introvert.”

He found that, like him, they too had projects they were passionate and serious about. And for Moreno, that was a focus on aging. He believes aging is the future and a problem that needs to be recognized by the public.

“Aging is the greatest risk factor for disease, so as you age you become more vulnerable to diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s,” Moreno said. “The line of reasoning is [if] instead of targeting these diseases, we can focus on aging and ways we can make ourselves healthy for longer, we can reduce the risk for these diseases.”

As people age they become more reliant on big pharmaceutical companies that can sometimes be inaccessible to the average person. If people were healthier, society wouldn’t have to be slaves to medicine. This was the core argument behind Moreno’s research.

“Every time I would talk about my project, the more mature audiences always seemed really excited,” Moreno said. “I went to [Meadow Arts and Technology Elementary School] for a field trip to talk about my project, and this one lady was really hyped about it. She took a picture of my project with her kid. It’s really wholesome and encouraging seeing strangers actually believe in what I’m doing.”

However, it wasn’t always like this.

Like many seniors who spent their freshman year on zoom, he first heard about The Center through an email and later a call from one of the AP seminar teachers.

“It’s a funny story,” Moreno said. “I didn’t know what The Center was. I received the email, and not too long after that, Mr. Haar had called my house to talk to me and was trying to recruit people and said ‘Hey, are you interested in doing The Center?’ After he explained what it was, I said ‘No.’”

As a freshman starting to find a standing in school and life in general, Moreno believed it would be best to prioritize other responsibilities he was just beginning to take on.

“I was just starting to volunteer at the Westminster Clinic and track, but [Mr. Haar] wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Moreno said. “After the call, he put me in a group chat with other students doing The Center, and they were the ones who finally talked me into applying,” Moreno said.

Now, almost three years later from that exact moment, Moreno doubles as the president of the Environmental Club and shines as a student-athlete track star. A well-rounded academic weapon: Smart. Influential. Athletic. Even under the stress of his research project, he managed not to crumble.

“It was a little difficult to balance work,” Moreno said. “I had to skip practice a lot and sacrifice lunches, but at the end of the day I knew what I was doing was beneficial for not only me but the community as well and that made it worth it.”

Months, days, hours dedicated solely on his work has all led up to the moment where the unpredicted becomes reality.

“I never thought I’d make it this far,” Moreno said. “It’s crazy how far I got with little experience.”

As Ramon follows the obscure path that is life, he keeps all his doors open feeling some stability under the roof of science.

“I mean who knows,” Moreno said. “Maybe I’ll end up hating aging in the next three months?”

Center standout Ramon Moreno breaks boundaries as a gifted student scientist

ZOOMING IN — Moreno spent months working in Dr. Nikki Malhotra’s classroom, focusing on the process of aging.

COMBING THROUGH THE NUMBERS — Much of Moreno’s work included sorting through and categorizing data.

MENTOR AND MOM — Moreno travelled to Washington, D.C., along with his mother, Josefina (right), where he had the chance to meet his mentor, Dr. Jessica Smith. Smith, a researcher at the National Institute on Aging.

PHOTO » RAMON MORENO » WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO » RAMON MORENO » WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO » RAMON MORENO » WITH PERMISSION

Celebrities catastrophic effect on the environment

JOSEPH GOODNIGHT OPINION EDITOR

With our current understanding of the climate crisis, it’s safe to say that everyone is trying to be more sustainable for the sake of the environment, whether that be through replacing single use plastics in your life with reusable alternatives, thrifting clothes instead of contributing to clothing waste, or even driving an electric vehicle.

However some people have a carbon footprint far beyond that of the regular person, specifically celebrities and higher-class individuals who use private jets to replace commercial flights.

Although many of us use air travel for long distances, commercial flights have an infinitely smaller carbon footprint than that of a private flight.

“According to [a] report, a passenger on a private aircraft is responsible for emitting roughly 45 times the amount of carbon dioxide as a commercial aircraft passenger on the 210-mile flight,” said Emma Tofu, with Capitol News Service.

Carbon emissions are released with the burning of energy, mostly through coal or natural gas, and are especially harmful to the atmosphere as they have the ability to stay within the atmosphere for hundreds of years, as such they are the major culprits of climate change.

“Aviation accounts for 8% of carbon-related emissions in the United States,” said the BBC’s Lola Mendez.

Based on usage of their private jets alone, celebrities are said to be producing “1,100 times the amount of [carbon emissions as] the average person,” according to Mendez.

However, some celebrities are causing more damage than others. Myclimate, a nonprofit based out of Switzerland, uses public information about private jet paths and social media to calculate the amount of carbon emissions being produced by specific celebrities. They found that in the year of 2023, Travis Scott was responsible for releasing 13,362,879 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere, making him the celebrity with the

highest CO2 emissions in the world, according to their calculations. This number is absolutely unimaginable, as the average person releases only 8,000 pounds of CO2 within a year, meaning that Travis Scott releases the same amount of CO2 as 1,670 people, according to The Nature Conservancy.

This is made especially despicable when you look at the distance of some of these flights. One of Travis Scott’s flights from Spa to Liege, Belgium, “could have been accomplished in a 40-minute car ride,” Tofu said.

Scott is not the only celebrity under fire for their reckless use of private jets; Taylor Swift has also recently been brought to the spotlight for her carbon emissions. During 2022, she was believed to be the single person with the highest carbon emissions due to private jet flights, but Swift’s team fought back against this, claiming that she had removed double the amount of CO2 from the atmosphere than she had put into it through the use of carbon credits.

Carbon credit programs promise to reverse unavoidable carbon emissions by corporations or individuals by allowing them to pay for a certain amount of CO2 consuming trees or algae to be planted proportional to the amount of CO2 they have produced.

Though this may seem like the perfect solution, it’s not as amazing as it seems. In reality, “carbon offsets do not capture or reduce real emissions, and they have a dismal record when it comes to actually averting future emissions,” the New York Times’ Kit Dillon said.

So, what are these billionaires supposed to do? The answer is simple: avoid flying when possible.

Private car carbon emissions are minimal in comparison to that of a private jet, especially if making the choice to use an electric vehicle over a gasoline powered one.

That’s really just the minimum they can do. When these people have so much expendable money, we should not just expect them to cut back on flights where they can but to donate heavily to environmental charities and the communities most affected by climate change. It’s time we start holding celebrities accountable for their carbon footprint, because not only should we be focusing on recycling and doing the best we can for our environment, so should they.

Another unremarkable Tesla

JOSEPH GOODNIGHT OPINION EDITOR

The Cybertruck, Tesla’s most innovative prospect so far, was announced in November 2019 with a multitude of fascinating claims tied to it. On the Cybertruck’s website, it claims that the truck could get 340 miles on a full charge, that the stainless steel body was highly damage resistant, and that the truck’s off-roading ability was so strong it could one day be used in the project of terraforming Mars. Tesla used these claims to justify the car’s absolutely enormous price tag, with their starting model being slightly under $80,000.

Though we wouldn’t be able to test out these abilities until Tesla was able to begin producing these cars in late 2023, two years after they had hoped to release the car. This two-year delay was due to repeated issues with the car’s design and multiple iterations having to be made.

Now, as the first group of Cybertrucks make their way to consumers these amazing claims that Tesla had made about their new futuristic truck are falling flat.

The flaws that first edition Cybertruck owners noticed were near immediate, though little testing has been done professionally on the cars, Cybertruck owners immediately began reporting that “corrosion was forming on the metal” said user vertigo3pc to the Cybertruck Owners Club Forum.

This corrosion came in the form of small orange spots developing over the unprotected metal body of the car. Most modern day cars are covered with a protective clear coat that protects the paint and body of the car from dirt and rain, but the Cybertruck, which Tesla made sure to inform us was bulletproof, has no such coating, leaving its stainless steel body to quickly age and corrode with even a light rain. This reality of the car’s resistance does not fall in line with the ultimate new age truck idea that Tesla was trying to present with the Cybertruck.

The next complaint of many Cybertruck owners is a small one, but could be a major safety hazard to the driver. JerryRigEverything, a YouTuber testing the Cybertruck immediately upon driving noted that “both the A and B pillars are pretty large and view

obstructing on either side” the A and B pillars are the pillars connecting the body of the car between the windshield and the front seat windows, normally these pillars on an average car create a small blind spot that the driver can easily account for, but the blind spot created on the Cybertruck is much greater, within the video we can visibly see that the pillar could cause the driver to miss an entire car only two lanes over. This creates major safety concerns for the driver and other cars on the road.

The visibility of the Cybertruck is not the only cause for concern when it comes to safety, the crumple zone, or the lack thereof, is equally as worrying. Cars are meant to have a crumple zone, or an amount that the car is able to crush in on itself in order to absorb the force of the impact in the case of a crash, but due to the Cybertrucks unbelievably strong stainless steel body the crumple zone is near non existent, meaning in the case of a crash, the entire force of the accident will be put on the driver, raising the fatality of an crash in a Cybertruck significantly.

Beyond just the major safety concerns, the truck isn’t even able to perform its job as a truck, towing large objects, it can only tow a max of 11 thousand pounds, which may seem like a lot, but the Ford F450, which is only half the price of the Cybertruck, can tow 40,000 pounds. The 340-mile range also decreases dramatically when weight is being towed, when being tested, the Cybertruck got “90 miles of range while towing 11,000 pounds” JerryRigEverything said.

This Truck is a catastrophe, not only is it sub-par for the price tag it’s actively a danger on the road and to the driver.

The car has been out for less than six months and has already shown a multitude of problems that Tesla has avoided addressing. The car not only falls flat on its spectacular promises, but rarely performs against trucks with a fraction of the price tag. The Cybertruck is absolutely not the truck of the future that Tesla wants you to believe it is.

For the safety of all those on the road, and for all of those who put their hope and nearly six figures into the Cybertruck, Tesla needs to go back to the drawing board and make some dramatic changes.

Apple Vision Pros (and Cons)

On Feb. 2, 2024, Apple introduced the Apple Vision Pros and made them available in store for $3,499. These virtual reality headsets are taking the world by storm and causing plenty of controversy. They are something of the future, with access to apps and digital content at your fingertips at any time and any place.

But is this really a positive advancement?

The Apple Vision Pros are foreshadowing a lonely future and making it difficult to enjoy every moment to the fullest. Walking around with a computer in your face at all times is only going to make you miss out on the little moments life has to offer. Would you rather be busy scrolling through apps or busy watching your friend blow out their birthday candles? The Vision pros make it impossible to even have a conversation with someone including eye contact, making it feel like you’re talking to a robot. With the high price tag, these headsets are only available to the higher classes Apple wants them to be. With the control of these headsets’ availability expanding mostly to those with extra money to spend, the unavailability to lower classes feels more like a dystopian power trip then the real world.

These Vision Pros have plenty of amazing features, some being such high quality video that it competes with TVs, film options, and the immersive 3D environment it creates. Watching technology advance in front of your eyes is something never thought to be possible. Now that these headsets are being made, it’s unclear if watching these advancements is a good thing. This advancement is setting back society as a whole and creating a new future most weren’t ready for.

With these headsets, once the price eventually drops like the rest of Apple products, they will become more available. This will cause the use of them to grow within homes and in public places, only isolating society from one another even more. With these headsets comes the ability to take photos and even film videos. Unlike phones, it’s not noticeable when someone would be filming since their is no camera to look for. This option can quickly become creepy and easily be used in the wrong way.

Walking around with a headset on your face also is not the best choice for your health. You may have heard growing up never to sit to close to the TV or it ruined your eyes, so how could putting this much strain on your eyes for any duration of time not affect your health? Using these often or once in a while would take you out of the real world and eventually lead to feelings of detachment or loneliness. Shutting out the world around you and walking with these in popular areas is a disaster waiting to happen.

Walking with regular headphones in already puts you at a higher risk for things like kidnapping, let alone walking around with an entire immersive headset. Even when used at home, these headsets can lead to potential danger. If you’re searching up videos with your headset and are fully surrounded by digital content, that is a big distraction in situations where someone in your home may need help.

In all, the Apple Vision Pros are not as good of an advancement as people are making them out to be. These headsets open up a whole new world of trouble and potential dangers, leading to harmful outcomes. Although this new technology is something fresh and new, it’s not worth it. We are already used to people being addicted to their phones, but with a headset like this available, it seems like phones will be the least of people’s problems.

GABRIELLA MULLER THE LANCER STAFF

PHOTO » NIKOLAS WALTER » THE LANCER

DANCE TEAM HEADS TO NATIONALS

Lancers find both team and individual success at national dance competition in the Anaheim Convention Center

BECCA GLAUBKE ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR

At the Anaheim Convention Center, the varsity dance team wakes up in their hotel rooms before the sun rises to get ready for two long days full of dancing.

The dance team will compete seven dances all day, large contemporary, prop, character, medium hip hop, medium pom, small jazz and small lyrical, along with three soloists: senior Elsie Maravilla, junior Riley Speed and senior Sofia Munoz. Throughout the

days, they will practice until it is their time to go on stage and compete in front of hundreds of people and, most importantly, the judges.

“We really come together as a team and connect on a deeper level,” Speed said. “I think it really benefites us on stage and leads us to an almost flawless performance.”

After their final performance at 10:30 at night, they get ready for awards to find out the results.

“Awards might be my favorite part of the day because the energy is high even after the long days,” junior Ruby Ferguson said.

Following the long anticipation, the team’s prop dance ends up being awarded first place as well as their character dance and large contemorarty dances. This is a huge deal to the team and coaches. They worked so hard all year to achieve this goal and although it involved blood, sweat, tears, and hours of practicing, the team earns a wins big.

DAIGNAULT DOESN’T SAY NO

Well-traveled TO geography/psychology teacher caters to his culinary interests

ABIGAIL KERNS ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Jordan Daigneault walked into a small conservative dumpling house in Shanghai, China with a few adventurous students. Going to that dumpling house turned out to be one of the best decisions he made on his journey to discover the secret of unknown flavors within food.

“It was phenomenal,” the TO geography and psychology teacher said. “I didn’t really care for dumplings before going to China and it just opened my eyes to like this whole different level of what they could be.”

Daigneault has been teaching AP Human Geography and AP Psychology for more than five years while still following his passion for cooking, learning the culture of different places through food and just traveling in general.

All the places he has been to include China, Costa Rica and several countries throughout Europe, including Spain, Greece, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. And, of course, culinary hot spots all over the United States.

Throughout his traveling endeavors, good old fashioned pizza is still in his top rankings, even if he has a new appreciation for dumplings. Daigneault appreciates the way pizza and new foods in general can bring people together. What makes

pizza special to Daigneault is the fact that you can customize almost everything -- the crust, toppings, sauce and even how long it’s cooked for -- in order to get the perfect mix.

“I put different toppings for different people and make something everyone can enjoy,” he said.

He spends his nights after long stressful days of teaching by cooking in the kitchen with his wife for their young daughter.

Starting from his youth, the Daigneault family was together cooking dinner almost every night, no matter the circumstance. Daigneault shared that his family almost never did anything together, but cooking was different; they would all sit around the table and enjoy the meal they labored over for hours.

While pizza remains on the top of his list, the best individual dish he eaten was from the Savoy Theater in London, owned by the infamous chef Gordon Ramsay.

He ordered a baked chicken breast with mashed potatoes.

“The way that they used sauces and cooked it so perfectly, it was wild to see that they could take such a simple dish and make it taste ridiculous,” he said.

“It’s still one of the best things I’ve ever had.”

Daigneault has been traveling and cooking for 20-plus years, and yet his passion has never died out. He is what many would call a true food connoisseur.

YOUTUBERS QUITTING IN DROVES

A handful of prominent YouTube stars have left the platform in recent months for a variety of reasons, mostly citing burnout as a major factor

Many admired content creators have made the decision to end their journey on YouTube or change their known reputation over the past few months.

MatPat, a YouTuber who specializes in game theories, has been making videos since 2011. His channel, The Game Theorists, has gained a following of 18.8 million subscribers. MatPat stated that he will be handing his channel off to someone else on March 9. The reason for his departure is to spend more time with his family, especially with his son, Ali.

He will continue to make videos, just ones that aren’t entirely focused on Minecraft. Lots of CaptainSparklez’s subscribers have grown up watching his videos and are sad to see him leave what he is most known for. Maybe this is a way of CaptainSparklez maturing in his career.

Moo is another YouTuber who will be retiring full-time commitment from video making. He is looking for personal growth outside of YouTube by focusing more on family and different career opportunities.

Another content creator who has been on YouTube for many years, Tom Scott, has also made the decision to take an indefinite break from YouTube. Over the course of 10 years he has uploaded a video every week. Scott stated that it’s “not goodbye forever” but it will be for a while. However, he will still be continuing his podcast, Lateral, during his YouTube hiatus.

After 13 years of creating Minecraft-related videos, CaptainSparklez is deciding to pull away from this game.

Joel Haver has been a well-known creator since 2010. He has created many short animations that have helped him gain about 1.9 million subscribers. He won’t be leaving YouTube, but it is expected that he won’t be doing his weekly uploads anymore. Haver wants to focus on more lengthy videos rather than the usual skits.

The reason so many YouTubers have decided to make changes in their careers is because of the burnout and the pressure of keeping up with their viewers’ interests

Some have also found that their videos may not be relevant anymore due to the shifts in what’s trending or what people are interested in now.

SECOND TRIMESTER MEETS SECOND SEMESTER

Choir teacher Janna Santangelo welcomes her third child with a class full of students who were her eighth grade students during her last pregnancy

ABIGAIL KERNS ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

While in her second trimester of pregnancy, choir teacher Janna Santangelo is on her feet for up to five hours a day, teaching A, 1st and 2nd period. When she was a teacher in a middle school choir class, she had several students who are now seniors, and she is still teaching those students.

“Some of them have been with me for seven years at this point, so they have seen all three of my pregnancies,” Santangelo said. “Many of them came up and spoke to me about the news the day I told everyone. They were super supportive and very, very excited.”

“The seniors are very close with Santangelo. They are there to pick things up when she drops them and they are always treating their favorite teacher to her favorite order from Starbucks: a pink drink plus a birthday cake cake pop.

Santangelo has been teaching for 12 years and is 25 weeks along in her pregnancy, with two young children at home, as well. That’s a lot of running around.

Some of them have been with me for seven years at this point, so they have seen all three of my pregnancies.

JANNA SANTANGELO CHOIR TEACHER

Carly Cooperman, Annika Ekenstam, Dahlia Gonzalez, Summer Hayes, Skylar Perry, Helen Reveles and Bianca Scally are the lucky seniors that have been around for all three of Mrs. Santangelo’s pregnancies.

“During the first trimester, I had to be really intentional about eating small meals and snacks regularly to manage both my hunger and my nausea, and I took naps as often as possible,” she said. “The fatigue during that first trimester is usually the biggest struggle for me. Otherwise I basically go about my life as per usual – I am careful not to lift things that are too heavy, and I ask my husband for help a lot more with bringing my things over once I am sitting down and comfy. He is a wonderful and supportive partner, so I am really lucky in that way.”

Santangelo knows the drill by now and has an amazing support system that consists of a loving husband and students she’s known for years.

BIG WIN — The Lancers pose with their awards after winning first place for their character dance.

KIMBERLY JEREZ THE LANCER STAFF

WORLD TRAVELER — Mr. Daigneault and his wife, TO College Readiness Counselor Kelsey, are avid travelers, enjoying international cuisine.

DANCING QUEENS — Dance team competes their prop dances in front of the judges and audience.

PHOTO » JORDAN DAIGNEAULT » WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO » CARLOS GARCIA » WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO » TO DANCE TEAM » WITH PERMISSION

Waging a war for higher minimum wages

What is AB No. 1228?

AB No. 1228, which replaced the FAST Recovery Act, introduces a $20 an hour minimum wage for fast food workers, which will be administered by the newly established Fast Food Council. The provisions of the legislation are set to end in 2029, unless extended by future legislation.

In a historical move, the minimum wage for fast food workers rose to $20 an hour in California

MOMO SONODA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

After several months on the picket fence, working Americans across the nation celebrated on Jan. 1, 2024 as higher minimum wages went into effect in 22 states. These increased wages will serve as an economic boost for an estimated 10 million workers nationwide, and as one of the largest occupation groups in America, fast food workers also have a lot to celebrate.

In California, the fight between fast-food chains and worker unions is over as Assembly Bill No. 1228, which was originally passed on Sept. 28, 2023, officially went into effect during the new year. The new law will require all restaurant chains with more than 60 locations nationwide, with the exception of restaurants in airports, hotels, event centers, theme parks, museums, gambling establishments and bakeries, to pay all workers a minimum wage of $20 an hour by April. Though $20 an hour still does not keep up with the cost of living in California (e.g., the living wage in LA is $25.25 an hour for a single adult with no children), AB No. 1228 also introduced a Fast Food Council to administer and gradually raise the minimum wage. Through 2029, the Fast Food Council can annually raise the minimum wage by a maximum of 3.5% of the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. Outside of managing the minimum wage, the council can recommend labor, health and safety standards for working conditions in fast food restaurants. The council expects to appoint its members on March 15, 2024, and will consist of 10 members made up of fast food restaurant franchises, franchisees, and employees.

Chipotle are turning to automation through digital ordering kiosks and robots. Pizza Hut let go of 1,200 delivery workers by cutting its house delivery program. Fatburger is implementing hiring freezes and cutting employee hours. But despite the restaurant chains claiming that these are necessary and pervasive responses to the new minimum wage, Michael Reich, economics professor at UC Berkeley, believes that the effect of increased wages is low, stating that when wages rise 10%, costs go up by only 2-3% on a one-time basis, rather than annually.

“Other food-services companies will likely have to increase wages in order to retain workers in a sector in which chronic understaffing, and the stress and burnout that causes among remaining staff, is already a problem,” John Logan, labor studies professor at SFSU said.

“ Rent is high, food is high, everything is high. It’s been a long time coming.

JANICE MCDONALD

And though much of the focus has been on the fast food minimum wage, workers in many industries can expect to see a pay raise in the near future. A new law (Senate Bill No. 525) will increase the minimum wage in the healthcare industry, with minimum wages of $18, $21 or $23 an hour, depending on the type of facility. As workers across California experience an economic boost, other sectors are also fighting for a minimum wage increase. In LA, proposed ordinance would institute a $25 an hour minimum wage that would increase to $30 an hour by 2028 for the tourism sector, in anticipation of the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.

Despite its critics, the bill is set to increase wages for over half a million people statewide. By setting a new precedent for the state, many consider the economic tradeoffs to be worth it.

SO, WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH BREAD?

MOMO SONODA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Panera-gate.

Critics have tied the bakery clause to billionaire Greg Flynn, whose company, Flynn Group, owns and operates 24 Panera Bread restaurants across the state. Flynn attended high school with Newsom and has donated several times to Newsom’s election campaigns, including a $100,000 donation during Newsom’s re-election campaign.

However, both Newsom and Flynn have pushed back against claims of political favoritism. Flynn claims to have never met with Newsom regarding the drafting of the bill, but did meet with Newsom’s staff and other restaurant owners.

Furthermore, further investigation has shown that Panera Bread restaurants are not exempt from the required $20 an hour minimum wage because the bread dough they use is mixed off-site. Though Flynn has not commented on these new findings, he has come out with a statement that he will be paying his employees the $20 an hour minimum wage.

“At Flynn Group, we are in the people business and believe our people are our most valuable assets,” Flynn said. “Our goal is to attract and retain the best team members to deliver the restaurant experience our guests know and love.”

In fact, he later stated that even with an exemption, he would still pay his employees this minimum wage in order to attract and retain workers.

Whether or not Newsom had pushed for the exemption for his own political gain is still unclear; because the bill was negotiated with non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), it is unclear how the bakery clause was included in the legislation.

Now, California Republicans are pushing for a bill that would invalidate any laws negotiated with NDAs. Leading this effort is Bakersfield’s Republican Assemblyman Vince Fong.

“Transparency in government is the foundation of our democracy,” Fong said.

“Rent is high, food is high, everything is high. It’s been a long time coming,” said school teacher Janice McDonald in an interview with KRCR-TV.

However, many opponents of the law are concerned about the potential for inflated fast food prices. In response to the new legislation, many fast food chains are anticipating worker cuts and price increases. Citi analyst Jon Tower estimates that restaurant prices could go up by at least 5% and statements from Chipotle CFO John R. Hartung and McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski echo this sentiment. Already, many restaurants have geared up for the new law by getting rid of jobs previously occupied by fast food workers. Burger King and

However, under new controversy, the bill is starting to unravel. Amidst the many exemptions within AB No. 1228, one seemed unlike the others: the bakery clause, an exemption for restaurants that “operate a bakery that produces for sale on the establishment’s premises bread.”

Bloomberg News pointed out that this carve-out benefited one restaurant in particular — Panera Bread. They continued to report that Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom had fought for this clause to be included in the legislation.

Now, people have begun to question Newsom and the bills’ integrity.

Though Newsom claims that he did not require the use of NDAs in the negotiation process, this blunder could jeopardize not only the future of AB No. 1228 but also Newsom’s own political career.

KEY FIGURES

State-wide Minimum Wage Increase is Still Not Enough

Both workers and wage experts agree that the new $16 per hour Californian minimum wage is not enough to live off

STUDENT SOAPBOX

I work part-time after school to help pay for my car and save up for college, but it feels like no matter how many hours I put in, I’m still struggling to make ends meet on minimum wage.

ALEX LOPEZ SENIOR

I don’t think it’s fair that I have to work just as hard as someone who’s been in the workforce for years, but they get paid more just because they have more experience. We both deserve a living wage.

EDEN BOSSE SENIOR

I feel like I’m being taken advantage of sometimes, especially when I see my boss driving around in a fancy car and I can barely afford to put gas in the mine.

ANABELLA MELENDEZ SOPHOMORE

Effective the first of this year, California raised the statewide minimum wage to $16 an hour, regarded as a major win for labor rights activists and approximately 1 million minimum wage employees. This 50 cent increase in pay was made to account for the dramatic increase in inflation that has been hitting minimum wage employees across the state the most.

But labor rights activists say it isn’t enough.

Working an average 40 hour work week an employee would be making roughly $33,000 a year on minimum wage. MIT’s wage calculator says “A person must earn $44,175 a year before taxes — or $21.24 an hour — to make a livable wage in California.” This number only accounts for a singular adult and nearly doubles if you have a child. Though $16 an hour is absolutely an improvement in the quality of life for many Californians, it just isn’t enough to match California’s constantly increasing cost of living.

The MIT wage calculator only accounts for the bare minimum to live, calculating annual grocery costs to roughly $4,500, median rent to $23,000 and child care to a little over $12,000 a year. These three basic expenses total to almost $40,000 yearly on their own, without accounting for gas, savings, any type of dental or other medical expenses not covered by insurance or any non essentials. Minimum wage does not cover even a single person with a child’s basic needs, let alone afford them even basic luxuries like new clothes.

To expect minimum wage employees to live off of this wage is ridiculous, especially since the amount that they’re making does not afford them the money to take on things like student loan debt that could afford them more job options, and the hours required to even reach $33,000 a year does not afford the time to take on college courses.

Though we should absolutely advocate for the state minimum wage to rise more dramatically, that’s not the only thing that can be done to improve the minimum wage in our area. Cities and Counties also have their own minimum wage requirements above that of the state of California. Los Angeles County has a minimum wage of $16.90 an hour, whereas West Hollywood has a minimum wage of $19 an hour, the highest of any city in California.

Ventura County only abides by the $16 an hour minimum wage that was set by the state, but that doesn’t have to be the case. By participating in local government, people within Thousand Oaks and the surrounding communities can advocate for an increase in the minimum wage within the borders of Ventura County much more easily than fighting for the state minimum to increase.

Students in Thousand Oaks, and other community members can get involved in their local government by attending Board of Supervisors Meetings, which you can find more information about through the County of Ventura website. You can also choose to voice complaints about the County minimum wage by emailing them at clerkoftheboard@ventura.org.

I’m grateful to have a job, but it’s frustrating to know that no matter how much I improve or how much extra work I take on, I won’t see a significant increase in my pay. Minimum wage might have been enough to get by back when my parents were in school, but the cost of living has gone up so much since then. It’s time for the minimum wage to catch up.

PAISLEY NICHOLL GRADE LEVEL

MARISOL MUNGINA SENIOR

JOSEPH GOODNIGHT OPINION EDITOR

GRAPHIC » JOSEPH GOODNIGHT » THE LANCER

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

ALAN KO GUEST WRITER

Outdoor school counseling might not sound like the best thing to do with a packed schedule but it is arguably one of the best experiences that you can do in high school. Taking a week off from strenuous school work to connect with nature, meet counselors from other schools and to leave an everlasting impression on a group of sixth graders is priceless.

I was never able to experience the grace of outdoor school as a middle schooler because of the pandemic. I joined the Outdoor School program this year hoping to get a sense of what I missed out on, and I left satisfied.

After a strenuous bus ride to Camp Ramah, a tornado of eager sixth graders excitedly poured out of the bus. As soon as we touched down, counselors were separated to create their “camp name,” which I had no idea about and didn’t give a thought to beforehand. I fell upon the name Lil’ Muddy. I managed a cabin of 15 boys, which they named the “Skibidi Cabin.” Outdoor School Counseling should be something that everyone partakes in. Leaving a lasting impression and receiving time

away from schoolwork from January to March with little to no breaks from school helped with mentally pushing through the second semester. I highly suggest participating when you are offered the opportunity as an upperclassman.

Here are some of my top highlights...

Best Moment: Reading the Magic Tree House in the cabin to the kids after lights out was the highlight of the four-day, threenight trip. They loved listening to me read and would be dead asleep after 10 minutes and would ask about what happened in the book after they fell asleep.

Most Stressful Moment: Having my Center science poster due the Friday that I return. I was stressing about finishing the poster with one bar of cell service and being in a cabin that did not have any WiFi connection.

Worst Moment: My cabin ate 86 pancakes on the second day and a kid was getting hot sauce in his eye all during breakfast. Reflecting on it was funny how it went downhill so quickly.

AROUND T.O.WN

Mountains 2 Beach Half-Marathon

April 28th, 6-11 am, 37 Casitas Vista Rd, Ventura, CA 93001

A fast, beautiful, point-to-point, 13.1 mile course. The race starts near Foster Park just outside Ventura and runs to the Ventura beach front finishing just past the Pier with the Marathon finishers.

Calabasas Earth Day Festival

April 13th, 2-5pm, Las Virgenes Creek, Calabasas, CA 91302

Earth Day marks the beginning of the modern environmental movement. Calabasas Earth Day/Green Expo sets a clear example for people and businesses how simple lifestyle changes can make a difference.

38th Annual California Strawberry Festival

May 18th-19th, 10am- 7:30pm, 10 W Harbor Blvd, Ventura, CA 93001

Since its inception, the non-profit California Strawberry Festival has donated over $5 million to Southern California charitable organizations. Admission is $15, ages 5 to 12, $8, children 4 and under, free.

Emo Night 805 @ Tarantula Hill

March 30th, 8pm, 244 Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

Join Tarantula Hill for a night filled with nostalgic tunes, emotional lyrics and an incredible atmosphere. Let your inner emo shine as we take you on a journey back to the early 2000s, when emo music dominated the airwaves.

Maggiano’s Breakfast With The Bunny

March 31st, 9am, 6100 CA-27, Woodland Hills, CA 91367

Join Maggiano’s Little Italy for a delightful morning on Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 9:00 AM. It’s time to celebrate the joy of Easter with this in-person event, Breakfast With The Bunny!

Italian Gnocchi - Cooking Class

March 24th, 5pm-7pm, 8953 De Soto Ave, Canoga Park, CA 91304

Join Classpop! for “Everyone’s Favourite Italian Gnocchi” with Chef Cici and learn how to craft amazing food! No cooking experience necessary: feel free to sit back and watch or get hands-on.

Tiny Porch Concerts

May 12th, June 9th, July 14th, August 11th 5pm, 30000

Mulholland Hwy, Agoura Hills, CA 91301

Admission is free for everyone but a $20 donation would go a long way for the Santa Monica Mountains fund, different bands will be playing on all of these dates, food and drinks will be sold at the event.

TOUCHING GRASS — Junior Alan Ko and his campers pose in front of and hike the trials of the various landscapes of Camp Ramah.

Junior Alan Ko recounts his joyous days as an Outdoor School counselor

PHOTOS » ALAN KO » WITH PERMISSION

FAMILIAR FLAVOR

TO mainstay Greco’s New York pizzeria welcomes back an old friend as the son of former owners, Riccardo Ranucci, has returned to flip dough

Greco’s New York Pizzeria, located inside Janss Marketplace, is now under new management. But what’s old is new again.

“Exciting enough as change is, new owner, Riccardo Ranucci, surprisingly has a history with Greco’s New York Pizzeria. Ranucci’s parents owned Greco’s from 2005 to 2014 and worked together with other family members to help the business achieve its potential.

“As an Italian family, I grew up helping my parents when help was needed,” Ranucci said. “My main focus was to help them with the administration of the business. My brother was more of an operator in the pizzeria with my parents and my sister also gave support. The family always unites.”

owners comes new opportunities, ideas and morals. After high school, Ranucci worked in many sections of the business industry from being regional manager of Jersey Mike’s for Ventura County and supervising five stores to owning several restaurants such as Stella’s Gourmet Restaurant, The GreenHouse Cafe and Roma Italian Deli. Currently, Ranucci does not own any other businesses besides Greco’s.

I’m class of 1982. A long time ago I used to go to Thousand Oaks and I’m a proud Lancer.”

To this day, Ranucci’s mother, a past owner of Greco’s, helps around the restaurant, giving the restaurant a homey and family-friendly touch.

Greco’s has been in Thousand Oaks for about 24 years, opening in the year 2000. Although the past owners of the business seem to have left a good impression on the people, many are also excited about the new ownership. With new

Ranucci is originally from Rome, Italy, and came to Thousand Oaks in 1977 when he was around 13 years old. During his time in Thousand Oaks, he attended Redwood Middle School and TO High. It is at TO where Ranucci met many teachers who throughout the years and to this day support his business. Ranucci graduated in the class of 1982 and has since worked in the business industry for many years.

“I’m a proud Lancer, and I enjoyed my four-year stay at Thousand Oaks High School,” Ranucci said.

So what differentiates Greco’s from other popular Pizzerias around the area, such as Toppers or Pieology?

“We focus a hundred percent on this business and focus on three main ingredients that make the business successful: great service, great product, and a clean environment,” he said. “These three ingredients, if put to play over time, will keep the business up float.”

THOUSAND OAKS LUNCH BRACKET

With March Madness in full effect The Lancer turned to TO students to find out which local lunch options are the Lancers’ favorites. Nearby Starbucks takes the cake (pop), but McDonald’s put up a good fight. But come on, guys. What about Taco Bell?

Saying Goodbye to Amy’s Drive-Thru

After only eight short months of being open, TO already says goodbye to Amy’s Drive-Thru for reasons we may never know.

RILEY KEELER FEATURES EDITOR

On June 15, 2023, Amy’s Drive-Thru opened in Thousand Oaks on Moorpark Road. The first all organic vegetarian fast food restaurant in the United States, Amy’s has multiple locations across the United States, as their plant-based milk shakes, and healthier versions of other fast-food classics has brought Amy’s its fame and fortune.

But as of Feb. 9, Amy’s Drive-Thru permanently closed its doors after only eight short months of being open. Amy’s did not give any sort of warning to its employees nor customers before closing its doors. Multiple students from Thousand Oaks had a job at Amy’s Drive-Thru, and they are disappointed how it went down.

“I worked there from before it even opened,” junior

Julia Conti said. “I was like one of the first people to get hired, and I worked there until its end in February. Me and my co-workers would have a lot of fun.”

Amy’s had a very welcoming atmosphere, and the employees liked to do their job. During the first months that Amy’s opened it was very busy, Conti said, with lots of foot traffic.

“My favorite memory was when our soda machine exploded,” sophomore Matthew Anderson said.

“I really liked the staff, the managers were really nice, and everyone else like my co-workers were really nice as well,” senior Liam Deprisco said.

Amy’s Drive-Thru came from Amy’s Kitchen, a business that started in the 1980s. Amy’s Kitchen is the leading maker of vegan frozen meals.

Towards the end of the business, things got slower, and less customers started coming into the restaurant.

JULIA PINEDA-DOMINGUEZ THE LANCER STAFF

FEAST YOUR EYES — Greco’s New York Pizzeria homey and traditional New York Pizzeria style is showcased to everyone passing by.

DRIVE-THRU MOVING — Amy’s employee hard at work just before closing down.

PHOTO » JULIA PINEDA-DOMINGUEZ » WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO » SIENNA SHEATH » WITH PERMISSION

JULIA PINEDA-DOMINGUEZ THE LANCER STAFF

AFilm For The Peacemakers

Legendary Reggae singer Bob Marley was an inspiring musician who throughout his life worked to bring people together. This year we are presented with a film that represents his life and the impact he made on the world. Did the film honor his legacy?

THE LANCER

“Bob Marley: One Love,” directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, tells the tale of how one singer -Marley -- and his band, The Wailers, brought together an entire nation of people to share the message of peace and love through their songs.

The film focuses on who Marley was, the music he created and the band’s rise to fame from 1976 to 1978. The viewers are sent back into the time from when Marley was a child, long before he changed the world, survived an assassination attempt and finally his eventual battle with skin cancer.

We can see throughout the film how important sharing the message of love was to Marley and the lengths that he went to do so. Marley selflessly put his health aside to help those around achieve tranquility.

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worked endlessly to achieve this dream.

Marley’s sons Ziggy and Stephen Marley, as well as his widow, Rita, helped Green with the production of the movie, with the desire of ensuring that Marley was accurately presented to the audience, and to capture his essence through the way actor Kingsley Ben-Adir talked, sang and walked while recording the film.

Live for your self and you will live in vain; Live for others and you will live again.

BOB MARLEY

“Sometimes the messenger has to become the message,” said actress Lashana Lynch, who portrayed Rita Marley.

The lyrics in their songs were something that they not only took very seriously, but was and is still something that offers comfort to those around them. We can see this in the ways that he thoughtfully spent hours creating his music. The band sang what they felt using not only their own personal experiences to inspire their songs, but also the experiences of others, and the struggles that were caused by the political violence happening in their homeland. Marley and the Wailers wanted to send a message of peace to ease all the tension that was created by local politics and

When Ben-Adir was given the role, he was discouraged on his abilities because he didn’t sound like Marley in any way, and didn’t know how to play the guitar. However at the end of the road his performance was extraordinary.

At the end of the film there were video clips showing the true Marley on stage preforming, doing interviews and more, showing just how accurate the actor was and the hard work that was put in the representation of Marley.

During Marley’s time on this earth he did so many impactful, and what some would say impossible, to bring people together. Green tried to incorporate these events at the end of the film by showing brief videos. However they should have prioritized screen time to those events, such as Marley bringing Norman Manley and Edward Seaga, the two political leaders of the time during the One Love Tour, to shake hands.

This event brought together so many people, showing political unity between the two opposing sides, however this event was not shown for more than one minute at the end of the film.

The film itself is well-presented to the audience in terms of portraying Marley, however it lacks important pieces of Marley’s story. But it still worth seeing.

WE JAMMIN’ — Kingsley Ben-Adir portrayed the iconic Jamaican singer Bob Marley in the biopic, which premiered in mid-February.

PHOTO » BOB MARLEY OFFICIAL MOVIE WEBSITE

JULIA PINEDA-DOMINGUEZ

STAFF

Morge returns to mound after roadtrip of a lifetime Senior back on the bump after season-ending injury last year

LILAH SWAVING THE LANCER STAFF

It finally became unbearable for Daniel Morge when the Thousand Oaks High baseball team went to go sing the national anthem, and he couldn’t put his hand behind his back.

He’d known he was hurt for a while, but there’s a difference between hurt and injured. And Morge knew it.

Even though the later part of his junior year would be a showcase for college coaches, Morge knew he would be no good to the Lancers. And no good to himself. So midway through last season, he shut it down.

Morge eventually learned the severity of his injury: a micro tear in his labrum and a shoulder impingement.

Morge was scared because his dream to play college baseball was in jeopardy.

“I tried to play through for as long as I could, and I tried to hold out because thought it was better for the team but realistically it was me being selfish,” Morge said.

“I tried to play through for as long as I could, and I tried to hold out because thought it was better for the team but realistically it was me being selfish.

DANIEL MORGE Lancers senior pitcher

Morge knew what was at stake by missing so much of his junior year and subsequent summer.

“Junior to senior year summer is a lot of summer ball tournaments in front of coaches and a lot of getting out in the college world and actually getting recognized,” he said. “At first, there was disappointment that I couldn’t play. Then I don’t want to say there was joy, but there was relief that I didn’t have to go do that and I could go and live that junior summer.”

With his pitching future on hold, Morge was free to focus on a summer trip with his best friends.

Since November of 2022, there had been talks about doing a big trip with his long-time friend group. With most of his friends and teammates graduating seniors, they would soon be off to college. It was their last time to do so. Morge and his friends decided to take a road trip to New York. They started out in California on July 5, driving three days and 14 hours

PUTTING THE OH! IN OHIO — Senior pitcher Daniel Morge took a summer road trip with memories that will last forever.

a day to Buffalo, New York, where they picked up another friend and promptly started the drive back.

After every state sign, Morge and his friends would stop and take a picture with the sign, not knowing after stopping at one state sign they would get their car stuck in a ditch. After about three hours they managed to push it out and start their journey back home.

“One of the best moments of the trip was definitely actually getting to New York,” Morge said. “Spending the day in New York with (my friend’s family) and seeing Niagara Falls was very cool. The day we spent on the lake in Michigan with family was very nice. But one of my personal favorite things of the trip that continued to happen was the family dinners with everyone’s families throughout the country and having a home-cooked meal and bed to stay in rather than a hotel and drive-thru food.”

Kirby pulls off rare double play for TO Lancer junior stars in various roles, including leadership

RILEY BROWN THE LANCER STAFF

Junior Claire Kirby leads the TO softball team as not only an elite pitcher but also as an elite hitter.

But she plays a third role that is pivotal to the team, as well, long-time teammate and friend Morgan Casillas said.

Kirby also takes on a big role as one of the team’s top leaders.

“Claire is definitely one of the people that hypes everyone up,” Casillas said. “She always cheers and is always trying to pick up the teammates that are always down. She probably has her moments when she is in her head herself but she is definitely able to realize all of that in the moment and become the better teammate.”

Even though Kirby is an elite pitcher and hitter, Kirby prefers pitching over hitting because of the control she has of the ball.

“I like pitching better because I feel like I put way more effort into my pitching,” she said. “I still put a lot of work and effort into the hitting. Just not as much as pitching,

PRO AT THE PLATE

— Lancer dualposition threat Claire Kirby is one of the team’s top batters. Since joining varsity, her powerful bat has left a positive impact for the team, each season.

and I feel like when I’m the pitcher, I’m more in control than when I am hitting,” Kirby said.

Kirby’s pitching career started when she was new to softball. She liked how she gets to touch the ball every play.

And even though Kirby plays two important positions, she is able to improve at both positions at the same time.

“I have lessons for pitching and hitting and I do a lot of snaps on my own,” she said. “Pitching, I’m usually with my dad and for hitting, I usually go to the cages every day.”

Everything clicked for Kirby during her freshman year. Right before she started high school, she was on a high level travel team. When Kirby started her freshman year, she put a lot more work into softball.

“She has been pretty decent at both and when she got to middle school and high school, she definitely improved well on both accounts,” Casillas said.

Who would win in a match-up between Claire the hitter and Claire the pitcher?

Both Kirby and Casillas said Claire would strike Claire out.

Going Mad: A guide to March

Sports editor Jake Bradley on why March Madness is flawed

JAKE BRADLEY SPORTS EDITOR

From buzzer beaters to upsets and Cinderella Runs, March Madness provides a thrill to sports fans across the country that is rarely met.

March Madness is one of if not, the best postseasons in all of sports, from college and all the way to the pros

But despite the greatness this tournament has provided and all the iconic moments that will live in the minds of millions forever, there are a few parts of the tournament that can be easily fixed that would make the already spectacular tournament nearly perfect.

The first of those few things can be easily placed is just the committee’s deadline for releasing the brackets. The last Division 1 women’s game that had an impact on the bracket was played on March 13th, however the womens bracket did not get released until four days later on Sunday,March 17. If the women’s bracket was as heavily focused on as the mens was, the womens bracket could have been finished on March 13th, 14th or 15th, which would have allowed the committee to go all hands on deck for the mens bracket on March 17th.

Another problem that I believe is wrong with the tournament is how the First Four play-in games play out.

For example with this year’s bracket, two of the first four games gave two winners a 16-seed, whereas the other two were for the last two 10 seeds, meaning the two teams that lost those games, Boise St. and Virginia, were eliminated before the round of 64 even started, despite being seeded higher than 24 other teams.

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There are a few parts of the tournament that can be easily fixed that would make the already spectacular tournament nearly perfect.

JAKE BRADLEY Sports Editor

There are multiple ways that this can be fixed or adjusted, one of which being that the two 10 seeds that lose their first four in games, simply get the task of a 16 seed, and another fix could be that the committee seeds the first 15 seeds as the straight up 60 best teams in the country, and after that they take eight teams and divide it up into four games, and those four winners simply get the four 16 seeds.

Another issue with the bracket, is not much of an issue but rather has a solution that will benefit the teams that worked all season to get a high seed.

That solution would be for the mens bracket, and it would be to simply copy the format that the womens bracket for its round of 64 and round of 32 matchups, which is to give the top-4 seeds in each region a home-court advantage, for example UCLA womens are the 2 seed, and will host the round of 64 and round of 32 (with a win) at Pauley Pavilion on campus, same goes for all of the 1,2,3 and 4 seeds, in all four of the regions.

“ She always cheer and is always trying to pick up the teammates that are always down. She probably has her moments when she is in her head herself but she is definitely able to realise all of that in the moment and become the better teammate.

MOUND MASTER — TO pitcher Claire Kirby stares down the batter ... with a smile.

COURTESY DANIEL MORGE

MORGAN CASILLAS TO Softball Player

PHOTO » JACKSON KURTZ » THE LANCER

Lancer hoops makes a State-ment

After cruising into the CIF semifinals, the Lancers qualified for the state playoffs, where they defeated Serra in the first round for their first win in state tournament history. Here’s a look at some most memorable moments from the win.

ALL PHOTOS » JACKSON KURTZ AND TYLER LAPPIN » THE LANCER

Compiled by Jake Bradley, Jasmine Bernal, Kevin Starr and Christian-Isaiah Aguilar

BOYS TENNIS

Coach: David Dewing

2023 Record: 2-5

2024 Record: 6-1

Top Players: Senior Nachiappan Muthukumar, junior Adam Drori, sophomore Aiden Mueller

Notable: The last two seasons have both began with 0-2 and 0-3 starts, but this season is different as the Lancers came out the gate very hot at 5-0, and show no signs of slowing down. They have their eyes set on the league title.

Quotable: “We’ve been feeling great so far, we’ve had a lot of confidence, and we’re happy about how we’re playing and we’re just satisfied and hungry for more,” Muthukummar said.

Inside Story: The last couple seasons have seen the workload reliant upon a few top guys, but this season is different as everyone on the team has been winning their matches. Both singles and doubles have been on top of their game this year.

SWIM

Coach: Craig Rond

2023 Record: N/A

2024 Record: N/A

Top Players: Sophomore Zara Dragoi, junior Sean Henry, senior Hannah Denson

Notable: Around 95 percent of all the school’s water polo players have decided to swim as well in an attempt to up their game, so this swim season has benefited the swim and water polo programs. Quotable: “We all just love the water. I think the overall reason we do water sports aquatics is to be in the water. That’s probably the best thing is the love for water and the compassion when playing the sport and how much they work together as a team,” Rond said.

Inside Story: After having only one boy swimmer qualify for CIF last season, there are already eight boy swimmers that have qualified for CIF and will swim past the completion of the regular season.

GIRLS BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Coach: James Park

2023 Record: 8-5

2024 Record: 5-2

Top Players: Sophomore Leah Curtin, sophomore Alexa May, sophomore Lexi Miles

Notable: The fun and friendly spirit of the team has already lifted them to three sets with Newbury Park and Oaks Christian, these signs of competitiveness will take the Lancers to high places this season and years to come.

Quotable: “Everybody gets along really well so practices and tournaments are really fun,” Miles said.

Inside Story: Following one of the team’s practices, Coach Park surprised them all as he brought every player a Slurpee to celebrate their effort and hard work.

STUNT

Coach: Amanda Caldwell

2023 Record: 6-3

2024 Record: 6-3

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Coach: Seth Burnham

2023 Record: 12-22

2024 Record: 7–7

Top Players: Junior Bryson Saint, junior Soren Klem, senior Daniel Plascencia

Notable: After a rough start, the Lancers were able to win the first five games of league play and gained a bit of a rebound from the hole that was formed in the beginning of the season.

Quotable: “Our chemistry has been great. Everyone gets along very well so that has been fun,” Saint said.

Inside Story: With a young roster and only having four seniors, the Lancers are looking to build off of the season and improve for the future.

Top Players: Senior Athena Gonzalez, senior Katrina Humphrey, junior Andrew Frank

Notable: The Lancers have been working on higher level routines all season they can further their game and jump above and beyond the opponents all season long.

Quotable: “This season our team has worked super hard. Everyone is constantly going and trying to gain new skills and work on new routines,” Humphrey said.

Inside Story: The Lancers are only hosting one match throughout the entirety of the season, however that might be a good thing as it is giving the Lancers many opportunities to be the villain on the road.

BOYS GOLF

Coach: Ryan Geisler

2023 Record: 3rd in League

2024 Record: 3-0

Top Players: Senior Matthew Fisher, sophomore Merrick Jacobus, senior Jimmy Darwin

Notable: Under new head coach Ryan Geisler, the Lancers were able to open up their season with a record of 4-0, with two of those wins coming against Rio Mesa. The Lancers have their sights set on being league champions.

“

The mood of the team is great we are all happy to be here and we are all looking forward to finishing the season and not take a loss.

Quotable: “The mood of the team is great we are all happy to be here and we are all looking forward to finishing the season and not take a loss,” Fisher said.

Inside Story: The Lancers now have a high level practice facility on campus as they have a golf top-teir simulator. The Lancers are allowed to continuously practice and improve their game without having to go to golf courses all the way in Simi Valley and Moorpark .

FLYING HIGH — The Lancers opened thier season strong against Agoura.

SERVE AND STRIKE — Junior Kane Lum practices in warm-ups amidst the Lancers winning streak.

DRIVING HOME — Senior Matthew Fisher has been leading the boys golf team all season long.

STRIKE — The Lancers started the season hot at 5-0, and have shown no signs of slowing down.

PHOTO » JACKSON KURTZ » THE LANCER

PHOTO » JACKSON KURTZ » THE LANCER

PHOTO » COURTESY » MATTHEW FISHER

PHOTO » COURTESY » KAILAH SPENCER

The Hammondiest Place on Earth: TO math teacher makes regular trek to Magic Kingdom

Hit or Miss?

What’s up and what’s down with The Lancer?

We list the hits and misses of the month.

Compiled by Alyssa Kiszczak

ALYSSA KISZCZAK MANAGING EDITOR

Disneyland is known to be “The Happiest Place On Earth”, and to math teacher Zachary Hammond, it is just that.

Hammond went to Disneyland a couple of times when he was younger, however, the Magic Kingdom magic sparked when he went with his wife for their first wedding anniversary. They decided it was something they wanted to do all the time, which led to them getting season passes. Five years later, they go almost every other weekend and are considered Disneyland experts.

““Disney is all about the experience.” Hammond said. “We will go sometimes and maybe go on one or two rides, but we really go to try whatever new food they have because it is usually pretty good. The new Chili Relleno Burrito came out recently and that was awesome.”

don’t have kids but we will be sitting there and when a family walks by with crying toddlers, we’re like, ‘At least that’s not us.’

Even though Hammond and his wife have been on each of the rides many times, they love looking for the small details they might have missed previous times. These details include trying to find all of the hidden Mickeys on “Pirates of a Caribean,” or following along the storyline of the little angry crab on the new ride, “Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.”

I’m not gonna lie, people-watching is a lot of fun at Disneyland, “We don’t have kids but we will be sitting there and when a family walks by with crying toddlers, we’re like, ‘At least that’s not us.’

ZACH HAMMOND MATH TEACHER

That’s not the only reason they go, of course.

“I’m not gonna lie, people-watching is a lot of fun at Disneyland,” he said. “We

Hammond’s advice to those looking to do a Disneyland Day is to get the Genie+ service that they offer. This feature lets you skip lines saves extra standing time and waiting.

Disney can never get boring in the eyes of Mr Hammond and his wife. Even if someone goes as often as they do there is always something new being offered.

“Is it as magical?” Hammond said. “I wouldn’t say it doesn’t have the same magic, but it’s still fun and has new experiences every time.”

Every Lancer Has a Story

Throughout the year, The Lancer selects students at random to answer whatever is on their minds.

Which celebrity would you choose to be your bestfriend?

“I would say Adam Sandler because he is funny and I enjoy his movies. Even though he has a lot of money, he still dresses like a child and I think he is really cool for that.”

If you could be any age for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

“Twenty-one, because you can go out and party, you’re like a genuine adult, and you can do anything you want at that age. Your young enough and old enough to do anything. In your prime.”

Hit: After winning her 13th Grammy Award, Taylor Swift announced her new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” is releasing on April 19. Get ready Swifties!

Miss: Some students thought it would be funny to release fart bombs at the spring rally in the gym. And some of us couldn’t get away from it fast enough.

Hit: The TOHS cafeteria has started to bring in new food items to the menu.

Hash browns and French fries are starting to appear in some lunch meals.

Yum!

If you could be any character in a movie, who would you be?

“I would be the frog version of Tiana from Princess and the Frog because she showed me growing up that if you face hard challenges you will eventually overcome them.”

Miss:

After only being open for six short months, organic vegetarian fast food restaurant Amy’s Drive Thru has shut down permanently. Should’ve tried hash browns.

Hit:

Rappers Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign collab to make a new album, VULTURES 1. Some may say this new album revived Ty Dolla $ign’s career.

Julia Steinburg, Freshman

Lexi Lewis, Junior

Gavin Berigan, Freshman

DISNEYFIED — Teacher Zach Hammond is regularly Mickey Mousing around.

PHOTO » TYLER LAPPIN » THE LANCER