3.28.17 by The Westlake Arrow

Volume XXXIX Issue 5 28 March 2017

theArrow 100 LAKEVIEW CANYON RD WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA 91362

Local hiking trails Flip to pages 6 and 7

PHOTO COURTESY OF JACOB MOSCOVITC

DRAMATIC PAUSE: Katie Jones ‘17 and Sobotka act as the Players, Starveling Girl and Nick Bottom, respectively. Jones and Sobotoka participated in the fictional play Pyramis and Thisbesbe for the Duke and his wife at the wedding, inside the world of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Drama springs to life in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Elliot Kim Opinion Editor WHS Theatre Arts will perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare in the Carpenter Family Theater from March 30–April 1. The show will be unique in that it is set in the 1920s instead of the traditional Shakespearean era of the production. “I am very excited [because] we are going to do it 1920s style, so it will feature the Roaring ‘20s and the effects of the Roaring ‘20s, and we’re making … Shakespeare’s words applicable to a different time frame,” said director Dede Burke. In order to capture the true essence of the 1920s, theatre made adjustments to its costumes and set. “We have a lot of flapper dresses and accessories,” said co–head costumer Autumn Wagner ‘17. “Many of the women’s costumes

are masculine to characterize the feminism movement.” The iconic story is about four lovers tangled in an extremely complicated “love triangle.” The play is beloved by many for its comedic nature and entertaining storytelling, which are common aspects of Shakespeare’s writing. “[In the show, there are] three different worlds happening at the same time,” said Alexa Kasparian ‘18, who plays the role of the hopelessly romantic and desperately jealous Helena, “so the leads ... are all equal.” In the story, there are four main lovers: Demetrius, Lysander, Helena and Hermia. At the beginning of the story, Hermia and Lysander love each other and Helena loves Demetrius. However, Egeus, Hermia’s father, wants Hermia to marry Demetrius, who is in love with her. Things get complicated when Puck, a mischievous fairy, gives Lysander “love juice” and makes him fall in love with Helena. One of the most iconic characters in

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is Bottom, the clumsy weaver whose head is turned into that of a donkey when he is put under a spell. Bottom provides comic relief throughout the show. “[Bottom is] very dramatic and theatrical,” said Josh Sobotka ‘17, who plays Bottom. “I enjoy playing him because I’m also a dramatic person, and being able to be dramatic onstage is very fun.” The show includes double casting, when two people are casted for the same role, for the first time this year in the WHS theater program. “We’re double casting in order to get more people involved in the show and to let students gain experience of what it’s like to be part of everything,” said Burke. In preparation for the show, the cast and crew typically rehearsed two to four hours a day for a month and a half. “Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse … It’s a concentrated rehearsal schedule … and that’s really difficult for Shakespeare,” said Burke. Due to the difficulty of Shakespearean

language and plot and the sheer scale of the show, the cast had to overcome many obstacles to perfect their performance. “English is not my first language, so that’s already a challenge, and Shakespearean English is even more challenging, so vocabulary [was] the main challenge [for me],” said Pierre Depre ‘20, who plays Lysander. Despite these obstacles, the cast looks forward to the show and feels that all the hard work invested will pay off. “It is a bit overwhelming, but overall it is very fun,” said Jason Juarez ‘20. “I’m playing a Lord, which is a pretty small part, but the people and the overall experience is very fun.” Pre–sale tickets are available online. The cost is $12 for general admission and $10 for senior citizens and students. Tickets will be available at the door for $15 and $12. For more information, visit the theatre website at http://www.conejousd.org/whs/ Academics/D epar tments/English/Burke/ PerformingArts.aspx

28 March 2017

News

Mock Trial secures second Marc Choi News Editor PHOTO COURTESY OF JERRY SONG

PHOTO COURTESY OF RITIKA IYER

WHS Mock Trial’s Blue Team and Orange Team placed second and fourth respectively in their Ventura County competition on March 6. Every year, Mock Trial teams across the state receive the same case to present to judges. This year, teams presented People v. Awbrey, a court case in which Lin Stark, an immigrant from Tanterra, tried Cameron Awbrey for human trafficking. “It is a more modern issue because human trafficking was not a law until 2012,” said Blue Team pretrial attorney Amari Huang ‘19. On March 2, the Blue Team lost to La Reina in the championship as the prosecutor, attempting to prove Awbrey guilty, with a final score of 167–164. The Orange Team lost to Newbury Park in the third place match–up. “La Reina has won [last year] and we really wanted to win because we put in a lot of effort. To see it go down in those few seconds [was demoralizing],” said Huang. WHS started preparing for the Mock Trial competition in September. They met everyday during Presidents’ weekend and received coaching from professional attorneys. As a result,

KISS THE CUP (left): Huang and Blue Team witness Ritika Iyer ‘18 kiss their second place trophy in celebration of their victory. The last time WHS went to the Finals was seven years ago. KEEPING THE TRADITION (right): Mock Trial points at defendants Grace Fratello–Hakim ‘17 and Claire Nitzsche ‘17. It is a Mock Trial tradition to point at the defendants before a trial.

the team improved its fluidity and knowledge of the law. “We’re practicing with real attorneys … to not only understand the law that concerns this year’s case, but also to present our argument about the law in the best way possible,” said Jerry Song ‘17, co–captain and lead prosecutor attorney. Unlike previous years, Mock Trial is a class instead of an after school club. This schedule gave members more opportunities to practice and bond, which translates into a better understanding of the law

and stronger relationships between teammates. “We bonded together, and we have a really good connection,” said Blue Team attorney Johnny Victor ‘18. “When anything goes astray, we know what we can do, and we trust each other.” Mock Trial is not only about learning the law and winning, but is also about improving public speaking skills and delivering a strong, persuasive argument. “For the longest time, my goal in Mock Trial was to win, win and win,” said Song. “After four years,

I’ve come to appreciate more than just the competitive aspect. I am grateful for the public speaking skills I’ve learned, the ability to formulate persuasive arguments and of course, the irreplaceable teams I’ve been a part of.” Mock Trial will continue to work on improving its skill set and delivery with the goal of winning the Ventura County competition in the future. “This year’s team showed such growth in this area,” said Mock Trial adviser Ashley Tomkins. “They all gave excellent performances at competition. I am so proud of them.”

Boyd nominated for Life Changer of the Year on Holloway’s website and I thought of her when I saw that one,” said Barclay. “[I] thought it was a perfect fit for her because she’s changed so many lives.” One of Boyd’s biggest impacts Jennifer Boyd, AP Environmental Science and Honors on WHS is having her Environmental Environmental Field Studies teacher, Field Studies class carry out action was nominated for the 2017 Life projects throughout the year. Examples of projects include Changer of the Year. Life Changer of the Year is an doing trash audits, creating a compost award given by an organization of the bin, growing oak trees and collecting e–waste. same name. “I was very honored and It recognizes a school’s staff member who has made a positive surprised ... It feels good to know that I’m making a impact on the difference,” said lives of students. do see the students Boyd. Nominated make better Boyd has by her student had a positive Grant Barclay choices ... just their impact on both ‘17, Boyd is conversations; I can see how the lives of her competing with they see things differently.” students, her co– other teachers workers and the nationwide. WHS campus. The grand –Jennifer Boyd “ S h e prize winner will definitely makes receive $10,000, people think with half the winnings going towards the winner’s twice about their lifestyle and people school and half to the winning teacher see the broader impact of their actions,” said Barclay. as a personal reward. Boyd encourages her students to “[I nominated Boyd because] I was going through a list of awards be environmentally friendly, ranging

Kay Lim News Section Editor

“I

from recycling to composting to practices what she teaches. reusing items and much more. She composts, utilizes the solar “[As a teacher, I plan to achieve] panels on her house, packs zero– the maximum amount of impact I waste lunches and reuses water possibly can,” said Boyd. bottles. In addition Students to impacting and staff are he definitely the school, encouraged makes people to Boyd requires comment think twice about on how Boyd her APES class to help the their lifestyle, and people has positively community and their see the broader impact of impacted environment. lives on Boyd’s their actions.” profile on the Life E a c h s e m e s t e r , Changer of the Boyd assigns website –Grant Barclay ‘17 Year’s a community to increase service project. her chances Not only does of winning. the project help out the community, Because comments do not have but it also makes the students a deadline, students and staff can aware of what is happening in their continually show their support. community outside of school. “[Being nominated] motivates “When we involve the me to keep doing what I’m doing community as well as schools ... and I feel it is impacting people,” and the parents, you can get a lot said Boyd. “I do see the students accomplished outside of WHS,” said making better choices ... just their Boyd. “I think we are making an conversations. I can see how they see impact here. It’s not just our campus; things differently.” it’s already off campus too.” Results will be released in late Boyd not only lectures students spring 2017. Representatives will about the environment, but also surprise the winner with the award is environmentally conscious and during school hours.

“S

In brief Rotary club essay competition Rotary Club of Westlake Village is hosting an essay contest called “The 4–Way Test and Me.” The topic focuses on how the participants apply the principles of cooperation, honesty, fairness and compassion found in the “4–Way Test,” a guide for decision making. All students in grades 1–12 are eligible, and there will be three winners chosen from each school level. The first place prize is $300, second place is $200 and third place is $100. Essays must be submitted by April 20 to stephaniebelleagle@earthlink.net.

Reflections winners The annual PTSA Reflections Awards Ceremony was held on March 9. Nine WHS students received awards in various art categories: dance/choreography, literature, photography, film production, music composition and visual arts, all relating to the 2016–2017 theme “What Is Your Story?” The finalists from WHS are Ruby Liu ‘17, Melaina Leung ‘17, Audrey Kao ‘18, Julianna Gin ‘19, Juliet Balkian ‘18, Jackie Cacciarelli ‘17, Annika PabloCowen ‘19, Milena Radovich ‘19 and Marlon Blanquart ‘17.

Class change deadline The last day to change levels or drop a class is March 31. If students do not drop before this date, classes dropped afterwards will result in a fail. Students can receive the forms to drop a class in the counseling office.

Gold Ribbon evaluators visit WHS WHS has been selected to advance to the next stage in the procedure for the 2017 California Gold Ribbon Award. On Thurs., March 30, the official Gold Ribbon validation team will be on campus for a site visit and evaluation. The WHS Academic Support Center and a department panel will be evaluated on their efficiency.

Penny Wars

ASG is hosting a penny war for all grade levels from March 22–April 6. Students can bring different coins into their English class to help their class or sabotage others. Pennies are worth one point, and nickels, dimes and quarters are worth negative five, ten and 25 points respectively.

Compiled by Sona Bhargava, Katie Reul and Milla Wu

28 March 2017

News

Mock Trial secures second Marc Choi News Editor PHOTO COURTESY OF JERRY SONG

PHOTO COURTESY OF RITIKA IYER

WHS Mock Trial’s Blue Team and Orange Team placed second and fourth respectively in their Ventura County competition on March 6. Every year, Mock Trial teams across the state receive the same case to present to judges. This year, teams presented People v. Awbrey, a court case in which Lin Stark, an immigrant from Tanterra, tried Cameron Awbrey for human trafficking. “It is a more modern issue because human trafficking was not a law until 2012,” said Blue Team pretrial attorney Amari Huang ‘19. On March 2, the Blue Team lost to La Reina in the championship as the prosecutor, attempting to prove Awbrey guilty, with a final score of 164–167. The Orange Team lost to Newbury Park in the third place match–up. “La Reina has won [last year] and we really wanted to win because we put in a lot of effort. To see it go down in those few seconds [was demoralizing],” said Huang. WHS started preparing for the Mock Trial competition in September. They met everyday during Presidents’ weekend and received coaching from professional attorneys. As a result,

Kay Lim News Section Editor

“I

“S

Penny Wars

Compiled by Sona Bhargava, Katie Reul and Milla Wu

Opinion

theArrow

Reality of the working woman Lo Yarnall Sports Editor In an attempt to restore pay protection that was negated by the Supreme Court’s decision in the 2007 Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. case, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act on Jan. 29. The Act sought to eliminate workplace discrimination realities and it restored principles of American law. Unfortunately, the Act has not made monumental progress in closing the gender wage gap since its introduction. With a recently elected president who has been accused of shameless misogyny, wage gap issues have resurfaced with new supporting evidence. In a study done by the National Partnership for Women and Families, the average woman makes 80 cents to the average man’s dollar in a full–time, year–round job. The median annual pay for a woman is $40,742 while the median annual pay for a man holding the same type of job is $51,212. That makes the annual gender wage gap an astonishing $10,470. When you look at the gender wage gap in terms of race, the numbers become even more concerning. African–American women get 63 cents to the white man’s dollar and Latina women get 54 cents to the white man’s dollar. While the wage gap has existed ever since women joined the workforce, the rate of closing it has slowed tremendously. From 1985–1994, the gap closed by 8.1 percent. From 1995–2004, the gap closed by 4.9 percent and most recently, from 2005–2014, the weekly earnings gap only closed by 1.5 percent, and that same pace has continued all the way into the present. A study done by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research predicts that women will be paid

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF PUBLIC DOMAIN

the same amount as men in the year 2058. But even that slow progress is creeping to a halt; a study by the American Association for University Women also shows that if the pattern continues as it is currently, the gap will not close until 2152. So no worries, our granddaughter’s granddaughters have a glimmer of hope! Some argue that women make less than men on average because they take time off for the duties of motherhood. With the United States being the only wealthy first–world country left in the world that does not offer paid maternity leave, this absence of earnings is logical. However, there is a discrepancy in the employment and wage rates for parents in America. In 2010, a University of Massachusetts study concluded that fathers earned 11 percent

more than non–fathers. In the same study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research previously mentioned, for every child a woman has, she received about a five percent wage penalty. Statistically speaking, a mother is monetarily punished while a father is instead rewarded. When the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was signed, women were ignited with hope for their future. A year later, a 2010 study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research found that 62 percent of women in the private sector felt strongly discouraged from discussing wages or feared serious repercussions for doing so. A 2007 study by the same organization found that bosses perceived a woman who openly discussed her wages or asked for a raise as “demanding,” thus threatening her job.

Leveling the playing field

theArrow

Editors–in–chief

Jaisen Lim, Amanda Yao

Managing Editor

Steven Huang Opinion Section Editor I don’t consider myself knowledgeable in the field of sports at all. If you were to ask me how many touchdowns Stephen Curry missed to blow the Warriors’ 3–1 lead or how many free throws you need to win a game of baseball, I wouldn’t know the answer. But when it comes to sports, there’s one thing that even I know: for the most part, men seem to be receiving all the attention. Unfortunately, that is the sad reality of sports culture. Star male athletes like Lebron James or Tom Brady are plastered all over the media while female athletes such as Hope Solo and Serena Williams only appear in times of competition or scandal. Whether they are the big men clad in uniform playing in the Super Bowl or the tall 6’11” behemoths who compete in the NBA, men are the face of sports. Why are male athletes getting all of the attention while female athletes are being ignored? In a world that is rapidly progressing towards gender equality, (starting with the revolutionary 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote) women still seem to be disproportionately unequal compared to men in the sports industry. Although women have come a long way since pre–19th century America, where they were deprived of formal education and completely tied to their marital status, women have yet to balance out the playing field when it comes to athletics. One of the major factors that causes men to dominate the sports scene is the imbalanced media coverage that favors male athletes. In a study conducted by the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation, women’s sports received only seven percent of media coverage in comparison to the 93 percent received by males. Take for example, the NBA Finals where the Cleveland Cavaliers faced off against the Golden State Warriors. The Finals saw upwards of 44.5 million unique viewers and media attention boomed, headlining innumerable stories and fueling tweets for weeks. However, the Women’s National Basketball Association finals, which saw the rise of the Los Angeles Sparks and the

Another argument against the validity of the wage gap is the discrepancy in the type of jobs held by both men and women and the difference in wages based on the career. Yet the study done by the National Partnership for Women and Families shows that in all major areas of full–time year–round employment like sales, production, management and office and administration support, women are paid less than men. When it comes to sales, women receive 63 cents to the man’s dollar. And when it comes to production and management, women receive 72 cents and 76 cents respectively. The area with the smallest gap is office and administrative support, where women earn 87 cents to every man’s dollar. As a female who will soon be a part of the work force, it is extremely frustrating and discouraging to know that because of my gender, I, along with 165 million other women, will be paid less than our male counterparts. I believe wage should be based off of merit, dedication, organization and success. Take Congress as the perfect example of perfectly executed equal pay. Regardless of gender and ethnicity, members of Congress receive the same amount of money and the Capitol building has yet to crumble with women making the same amount as men for performing the same jobs! It is hard to conjure up an argument against the existence of the gender wage gap with the studies, research and fact sheets written by multiple creditable organizations. While everyone is entitled to his own opinion, each opinion should be developed on the foundation of facts, rather than speculation. The more attention that is called to this issue, the more pressure those who are responsible for the gender wage gap will feel. So much progress has been made this year already. Nothing is holding us back from closing the divide except ourselves.

Helen Shi

Web Editor Isra Din

Graphics Editor Caelyn Pender

News Editors Marc Choi, Kay Lim, Milla Wu

Opinion Editors Steven Huang, Michelle Hang, Elliot Kim

Feature Editors Sona Bhargava, Megan King, Katie Reul, Sydney Rosinski, Connie Shi, Albert Zhang

Sports Editors GRAPHIC BY STEVEN HUANG

fall of the Minnesota Lynx (two teams that I’m sure most of you have never heard of), didn’t even break mainstream media and only peaked at 700,000 viewers, 2.1 percent of the total viewer base for the male NBA finals. The media is fundamental in determining the public opinion and reception of sports; therefore, it is no surprise that women’s sports leagues, such as the WNBA or the National Women’s Soccer League, tend to be less popular than the NBA, the NFL or even the MLB, as they’re not given anywhere near the same amount of coverage that male sports leagues receive. This creates a catch–22 where female sports don’t have the viewers necessary to increase their coverage, but they also don’t have the coverage to increase their viewership. Many critics of female sports cite the physical differences between the two genders as a key reason for why people do not watch female sports. Surveyors found that male sports tended to be more exciting, upbeat and thrilling than their female equivalents. However, according to another study conducted by the WSFF, they found that 61 percent of viewers believed that females performed at the same skill level as their male counterparts, hinting that anatomical differences aren’t the only reason that women’s

sports tend to be unpopular. In order to change society’s perception of female sports, we must first change our bias towards a male–dominated sports culture. As I said earlier, the media plays an important role in highlighting and popularizing athletes, thus in order to make women’s sports more relevant and popular, we must break the endless cycle and give women’s leagues like the WNBA a shot. The result of more coverage was already seen in the 2016 Rio Olympics, where we saw the rise of many female athletes in mainstream media such as Katie Ledecky, who won gold nine times, and Simone Biles, who captivated the world with her athleticism and elegance. These women gained international coverage and as a result, their popularity skyrocketed and women’s sports became a trending topic. With the introduction of Title IX, females are becoming more and more influential in the field of sports. Women have been making breakthroughs in equality in economics, as the number of female entrepreneurs and business owners have increased exponentially in the past decade, and politics, as more and more women run for local, state and even national government offices. It’s about time women are treated equal in athletics.

Andy Xia, Lo Yarnall, Matt Zhang

Adviser Karie Lynch The Arrow is written, designed and run by the students of the Advanced Journalism and Journalism 1CP classes at Westlake High School. The opinions expressed in these publication are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent those of the Conejo Valley Unified School District, Westlake High School administration, faculty or student body. We welcome feedback. Letters must be signed by the writer. Please send submissions to westlakearrow@gmail.com or our website at www.westlakearrow.com.

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28 March 2017

Opinion

5 ODD or StEVEN

PHOTO BY MICHELLE HANG

The beginning of the end Steven Huang Opinion Section Editor

Coping with the college craze

GRAPHIC BY HELEN SHI

Helen Shi Managing Editor Yes, it is that time of the year, seniors. The weather is warming, the giant trees on our front lawn are starting to glow green and spring is knocking on the door. However, even the nearing prospect of spring break cannot assuage the looming cloud of anxiety and unnerving tension that hovers persistently over the class of 2017. After all, we are knee–deep in the annual college frenzy. We are all too familiar with the symptoms that follow the release of college decisions: the stomach butterflies that feed off of any remaining shreds of self–confidence we might still have, the hair–pulling, the face–squishing and the sporadic relapses into unearthly screaming or groaning. And what’s worse: it is contagious. With this year’s enormously large and high–strung class of seniors, we can’t help but infect each other with the college frenzy. In fact, we are so good at spreading the anxiety that we managed to get the underclassmen worried and anxious for our upcoming results, not to

mention fretting over their own future. So while the consoling sayings of “college does not determine your worth” or “you are the one who makes the college” are very true, they fall short when addressing the current situation. Because, like it or not, we all have a bad case of the jitters. In actuality, these jitters may not be completely bad. It is these shared and unshakeable heeby jeebies, butterflies and collywobbles that bring us together. It makes us one very big and very anxious family, but a family nonetheless. And isn’t that what we are looking for in a school after all? However, there is an end for everything. As the last few college decisions are filing in, maybe it is time to put to rest this perpetual state of nervousness. And so, whether you are in the midst of deciding your future or still waiting for the decisions to finally roll in, here are some personal tips in regard to coping with the symptoms of the college frenzy. First, dance it out. Be it in your room, in school or in your backyard, take a moment to enjoy the silliness of the whole situation and get those jitters out. After all, that is what the ‘40s jitterbug dance is named for.

Second, spend more time with your friends and family. No matter where you go or what your future holds, this school year is coming to an end. For many of us, we will be parting with the many people we hold close in just a few months. So, now is the best time to appreciate what you may have to leave behind on your upcoming adventure. And my last piece of advice is no different from my first or my second. While worrying about the future is something we can all relish in, let us not forget that it is the present that we are living in. I have learned the best way to heal “poor nerves” is not to fight, suppress or ignore them. Instead, like the witty Mr. Bennet in my all–time favorite novel once did, we should befriend them over the years. By acknowledging and accepting the anxiety, we make room to enjoy, appreciate and focus on all the wonderful things that are happening to us right now. After all, seniors, it is that time of the year. The cloud of college frenzy jitters and excitement is upon us. But, right now, even that is not enough to put a damper on the warming weather, blushing green trees and springtime knocking on our door.

Living a meme–ingful life Elliot Kim Opinion Editor Memes, memes and more memes. Memes are everywhere. Nowadays, an average person cannot check his or her social media or even have a simple conversation in a group chat without encountering dozens of memes. The concept of a meme is difficult to define because a meme can be anything: photos, videos, challenges, jokes and comments. But simply put, a meme is a form of self–expression which has some sort of connection to today’s culture or happenings. In other words, memes are cultural art. Memes are known for their fun and humor, and they are usually passed on as a joke. However memes can also reference political quotes, ideas and events in the news, such as “alternate facts” or the still–controversial 45th presidential election. One meme that rose to prominence was the “Success Kid” meme, which was a picture of a young boy making a triumphant face and pose. People who make memes, or “memers,” have given this picture various “success” captions including: “Thought today was Thursday. It’s Friday” and “Mom took my nose. Got it back.” However, a consequence of the comedic nature of memes is that it often causes people to joke about controversial topics. At times, memes can be racist or provocative, and there have been instances of offensive memes negatively affecting the lives of others. Memes can also make very serious issues seem insignificant. Topics like terrorism, political scandals and human rights are made fun of constantly and as

a result, people often forget the severity and consequences of these actions, promoting a negative popular opinion on memes. One of the biggest memes of 2016 was the “Harambe” meme, in which Internet users joked about, made songs about and even worshipped a gorilla named Harambe who was shot and killed in the Cincinnati Zoo when a child fell into his enclosure. This meme became so popular that in the 2016 presidential election, a rumored 11,000 people wrote “Harambe” as their candidate of choice on the write–in ballots. But this seemingly harmless meme did have consequences: the Cincinnati Zoo received tons of hurtful comments from Internet “trolls” for an act meant simply to protect the life of a three–year–old boy. However, despite the controversy, there were also many positive effects to the Harambe craze.

The rapid spread of the meme prompted discussion regarding the zoo’s action of taking down the gorilla. Many cited that there was no imminent danger to the boy and called for stricter guidelines on human–animal interactions. Memes are not only vessels for self– expression, but also catalysts for discussions on essential topics, as many are introduced to ideas that would have otherwise been ignored. Whether it’s political satire, animal rights, or day–to–day humor, memes are a vehicle for discussion. No matter how much controversy they generate, memes are not going anywhere. Memes are a way for people to express themselves. New events will ignite different opinions amongst individuals, thus triggering the creation of more and more memes in response, regardless of whether they are offensive or amusing. In the past month alone, countless memes such as “Cash me outside, how bow dah” or “Salt bae” were created and shared throughout the world. So instead of shunning memes for the damage they can cause, people should embrace them as facets of culture, and recognize the good they can do, whether it’s bringing an issue to light or making someone’s day brighter through humor. Despite the controversy that they can bring, society should learn to embrace memes as a contemporary art form of the people. As our modes of communication continue to evolve, so do our memes of expression. Memes speak to us, and PHOTO COURTESY OF PUBLIC DOMAIN they’re here to stay.

March 16, 2017 It’s been 119 days since the outbreak started and I’m writing this message to any survivors who may find this. I am unaffected but I am not immune. I know that there are only a few of us left. WHS has been hit with an epidemic and everyday I watch in horror as those around me drop like flies, fallen victims to this mysterious disease. Investigators determined the origin to be Everbrook Zhou ‘17, patient zero. It started just like any other school sickness; he went missing for a day, then two, maybe even three, but no worries, right? It was probably just a common cold, perhaps even the flu, but soon others disappeared too. Five students were absent, then seven and then 26. Classroom tables and seats lost their inhabitants and homework was left incomplete. Soon, I found myself in one of those generic horror movies, where every time I opened my eyes, another person was missing. Joint research conducted by the College and Career Center and the school nurse has shown that this pathogen isn’t airborne nor is it spread through person–to–person contact. There are no signs of any insect or animal transmission and as of now there is no visible cure. The CCC and WHS administration have stressed that survivors need to stay in school or risk being infected. Not much is known of how potent this disease is, but this endemic only appears to be targeting one group of students at WHS, the seniors. Thus, the CCC dubbed this disease “Senioritis.” This disease has spread faster than anticipated, decimating entire classroom populations. The school has had to reinstate Saturday schools just to maintain a stable and healthy student population level, but even those are beginning to falter. Emergency notifications have been sent to every infected student and extreme cautions have been put in place to ensure the safety of the young freshmen and sophomores who also inhabit WHS. March 28, 2017 It’s day 131 and if you’re reading this message, it’s too late. It seems that no one is safe anymore. The senior population has fallen into complete anarchy with the rise of senioritis. Attendance rules are ignored and tardy policies have been forgotten. The disease has caused all law and order within WHS to crumble, and every student is in a state of paranoia. Groups of seniors, both infected and immune, have begun to roam the surrounding community hunting each other for sport. The class of 2017 has fallen into complete barbarity, waiting outside homes and under cars to mercilessly slaughter their prey through the use of chemical warfare. There have even been accounts of seniors taking selfies with their recent kills and posting them on social media. Moreover, law enforcement discovered that dihydrogen monoxide, a toxic chemical also known as water, is the weapon of choice for these roaming death squads. Local police and law enforcement have taken all necessary steps in stopping these so–called “water assassins.” Everyday, countless bodies are added to the fatalities. I even killed a man, maybe even two. I forget. No one is safe. If you’re reading this message … It is too late …

Feature

Adventure

is out there...

WHS Honors Envrionmental Field Studies class impacts campus

Jennifer Boyd’s Honors Environmental Field Studies class is working on year–long projects to improve WHS. “They have to do a community action project to help benefit the sustainability of the school, so just improve it somehow,” said Boyd. “The students picked their own topics and they formed their own groups. They have been working on it since the beginning of the year.” In addition to the community action project, the students work on many other projects, exploring all areas of the field. “The purpose of the class is to help students kind of delve more deeply into topics that we’ve learn about in AP Environmental Science and also give a career aspect to it,” said Boyd. This is the first year the class has been offered, and the students’ projects are funded by WHS’s Environmental Pathwa far the number one thing [the students] are afraid of is failure,” said Boyd. “As I told them, not trying to fix a problem is more of a failure than trying and it didn’t go as you thought it would.” Compiled by Megan King

Solar chargers in the

Rain barrel and vegetable garden

Cans for Crayons

Two groups are working together to create and sustain a vegetable garden. Grant Barclay ‘17, Matthew Edelman ‘17 and Joseph Holliday ‘17 installed a rain barrel to collect water from the gutters, which is then used to water the garden. “We talked a lot about water and usage last year,” said Edelman. “We’ve been in a drought in California for a while.” The 50 gallon barrel is currently full due to recent rainfall. Utilizing the runoff will benefit WHS. “It’s important because not only are we educating people, but we’re also not putting any water to waste,” said Holliday. “We’re saving money at the same time.” The garden is located behind building four, where Lizzy Lippel ‘17, Ben Lang ‘17, Grace Mazzeo ‘17, Ally Parmele ‘17, Samantha Seaton ‘17 and Larissa Tawil ‘17 hope to work with special education students to grow vegetables. “A garden teaches a lot,” said Tawil. “It teaches responsibility [and] we’re going to teach them sustainable growing.” Before opening the garden, the group spent months planning and setting it up. “We’re building planter boxes, and then we’re putting in already growing vegetables and seeds to see how they grow,” said Lang. The garden will not only increase awareness of growing crops, but will also have community benefits. “By starting a garden, that’s a way to also contribute to the environment,” said Tawil. “It will reduce greenhouse gases and also benefit the special needs community.”

Shaylyn Jaffe ‘17 strives to collect 20,000 bottles and cans by May to fund her nonprofit organization Cans for Crayons, which she started last year. “I collected school supplies [and] stuff that was thrown off the building for the senior prank,” said Jaffe. “Then I fundraised to buy backpacks to fill [and] donate them.” Collecting water bottles not only funds Cans for Crayons, but it also helps WHS reduce its waste. “This year, I wanted to make [my project] more environmentally friendly,” said Jaffe. “I started collecting recyclables to fund my project.” Jaffe continues to spend the money on more backpacks, which she stuffs with used school supplies and donates to Many Mansions, a local affordable housing organization, to distribute to the community.

New waste bins for WHS Jaylee Kellar ‘17 and Sara Nguyen ‘17 installed a multi–bin trashcan outside of the cafeteria. The can contains spots for compost (organic waste), recycled materials and trash. “The idea is that during lunch, students will put their fruit in it, and then we can put it in the compost bin,” said Kellar. “It will break down, and in a couple of months, we’ll be able to use it for the garden as a fertilizer.” Kellar and Nguyen empty the collected compost into WHS’s compost bin, located behind building four and give the recycled bottles to other members of the class. “The whole point is our earth is getting more and more trash, but if we repurpose and recycle, then we’re reducing,” said Nguyen. “So, we’re reducing our ecological footprint, and we’re just helping the environment basically by emitting less trash and waste.”

Humans of Westlake “I’m part of a group called Boys Team Charity, and we do multiple events like helping with [the] Manna [food bank] or beach clean ups.” Brendan Soules ‘20

Parker Clemons ‘19

Collaborating with Dr. Peter Parri engineering at Moorpark College, P Marissa Huang ‘18 and Hailey Ng ‘17 constructing solar–powered phone char “It’s a charging station that you can in the quad,” said Huang. “You hook it on who are eating lunch can charge [their p The charger will be equipped with so students can use their personal ch charge all types of phones. “It’s solar–powered so there’s no car emissions or anything that comes from normal chargers,” said Goodwin. Implementing such a device enables students to become more aware of alternative energy sources and their impact on the environment. “It’s important to learn about how there’s different ways to do things instead of how we’re currently used to doing, like using natural gas to produce electricity and then als using gasoline for fuel,” said Huang. “ shift towards solar technology in the we’re able to reduce our greenhouse em hopefully reduce global warming in gen

Question: What do you do “I’m always sure that I do my little part like recycling and picking up trash, but on a big scale ... helping host events or even campaigning against fracking.”

Zoie Zhu ‘18

theArrow

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ish, a professor of solar Preston Goodwin ‘17, 7 are in the process of rgers for student use. n put onto an umbrella n, and then students phones].” h a USB cable hargers to

California is known for its clear skies, warm summers and undeniably prime weather all year round. Hiking is a great way to stay active and experience the fresh air. Save Open– Space and Agricultural Resources maintains the hills, mountains and greens of Ventura County. With hundreds of different trails, Southern California has an adventure for everyone.

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4 5 6

4. Malibu Creek State Park Park hours: Dawn to dusk Location: Off Las Virgenes Rd. 4.5 miles round trip 7,000 acres of land Trails leading off the initial path

2. Newton Canyon Trailhead Park hours: Dawn to dusk Location: Malibu 9.6 miles 2,096 feet elevation View of the Santa Monica Mountains

5. Solstice Canyon Park hours: Dawn to dusk Location: Santa Monica Mountains 3.0 miles Waterfall and ruins Relatively flat paved road

3. Topanga State Park Park hours: 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Location: Los Angeles 140,000 acres Easy trail, 3.0–7.0 mile trails View of Los Angeles

6. Lang Ranch Ridge Trail Trail hours: Dawn to dusk Location: End of Lang Ranch Pkwy. 3.0 miles Easy trail 360° view of T.O. and Simi Valley

Compiled by Isra Din

PHOTOS BY ISRA DIN, STEVE HARDY, MEGAN KING, OLIVIA MCBRIDE AND PUBLIC DOMAIN

PHOTO BY MEGAN KING

so “If we e future, missions and neral.”

1. Point Mugu State Park Park hours: 8 a.m.–10 p.m. Location: Malibu Over 70 miles of hiking trails Easy trail, not too rigorous Trails to beach, rivers and sand dunes

o to help the environment? “[I created] Project Regrain ... to distribute native drug tolerant plants in order to help restore the native ecosystem and help reduce the drought in California.”

Trever Odell ‘17

“I hold these monthly beach cleanups that I run through Heal the Bay [with] 30 kids and adults helping, and we go one Saturday a month to a local beach.”

“I work with Mrs. Boyd on recycling the batteries in the school. I collect them and put them in little bags, [and] she deposits them to the city.” Greg Hronek Math Teacher

Compiled by Michelle Hang

Feature

theArrow

Spotlight on spring festivals Coachella Valley Festival

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival presented by Goldenvoice takes place over two weekends, April 14–16 and April 21–23, at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. The xx, Travis Scott and Empire of the Sun take the stage on both Fridays, with the headliner, being Radiohead. Both Saturdays feature Bon Iver, Future, DJ Snake and Two Door Cinema Club with Lady Gaga as the headliner and the most anticipated performance of the weekend. Finishing off each weekend on Sunday are artists such as Lorde, Justice and Future Islands, featuring Kendrick Lamar as the headliner. To give back to Coachella Valley, the festival offers a recycling program called the Recycling Store. Visitors can collect points based on the amount of recyclables they pick up, which can be cashed in for festival merchandise. For more information, visit the official Coachella website at www.coachella.com.

Stagecoach Music Festival

From April 28–30, the Stagecoach Mu s i c Festival in Indio

highlights a variety of country artists and is available to all ages. Friday’s artists include headliner Dierks Bentley and other popular singers such as Cole Swindell, Randy Houser and Jerry Lee Lewis. Shania Twain will take the spotlight on Saturday, followed by Brett Eldredge, Kip Moore and Dan + Shay. Kenny Chesney will head on Sunday, and the night will feature other artists such as Thomas Rett, Tyler Farr, Cyndi Lauper and Travis Tritt. Other attractions at Stagecoach include the Honkytonk Dance Hall, where guests can dance to live bands, as well as a ferris wheel. Tickets are free for children 10 and under and $299 each for general admittance.

Desert Hearts Festival

The Desert Hearts festival occurs at the Los Coyotes Reservation from March 31–April 2. Performers from the San Diego area include Mikey Leon, David Leon, Matthew Marabella and Lee Reynolds. There will also be vendors and street artists such as

extravagant stilt walkers and fire throwers. When the festival was created in 2012, it gathered a small crowd of about 300 people, but since then it has expanded to a larger audience of about 3,000 people.

For a spiritual journey, guests can visit the Temple of Benzaiten to find inspiration and confidence.

Lucidity Music Festival

From May 18–21 at Joshua Tree National Park, the 15th annual Joshua Tree Music Festival offers a global music experience for all ages. Artists showcased on Friday include KRAAK & SMAAK from the Netherlands, Liberation Movement from Santa Cruz, Marques Wyatt from LA and La Inedita from Peru. On Saturday, Orgone from LA, House of Hamsa from the Bay Area and Jambinai from Seoul will take the stage. Performing on Sunday are Mokoomba from Zimbabwe, Dirtwire from the Bay Area and Yak Attack from Portland. Guests can also enjoy the campgrounds, yoga classes and the world market. The Joshua Tree Festival partners with Joshua Tree Living Arts, a non–profit that benefits the community through hosting various programs. To raise awareness for their organization, these programs will be offered to the public.

“When we become lucid in our dreams, we realize ourselves as infinite potential, we let go of fear and we are free to create that which we want to see in the world. Bring those visions, those possibilities and that delicious conscious energy with you to Lucidity and wake up in the dream,” states the official Lucidity Festival website. At the Live Oak Campground from April 7–9, Lucidity presents a one–of–a–kind festival experience featuring seven villages such as the Goddess Grove, Warriors Way and Nomads Nook, as well as multiple stages. The attractions at this event are diverse: artists performing at the Lucid Stage include Random Rab, Sixis and KLL Smth, while Delhi 2 Dublin, Dirtwire and Butterscotch take the Nest stage. At the Nook Stage, Christian Martin, Frtitz Carlton and Kevin Anderson will perform.

Joshua Tree Spring Festival

Photo courtesy of public domain Compiled by Sona Bhargava and Katie Reul

What’s in your ear? Britney Calderon ‘20

“Uma Thurman” Fall Out Boy

Milena Radovich ‘19

“Waving Through a Window” Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack

Logan Cuccia ‘18 “Welcome to the Machine” Pink Floyd

Jackie Cacciarelli ‘17 “Shape of You” Ed Sheeran

Photos by Katie Reul Compiled by Sona Bhargava and Katie Reul

Lady Gaga to headline Coachella in 2017 Sona Bhargava Feature Editor On Tues., Feb. 28, Lady Gaga announced her replacement of Beyoncé as the headliner of both weekends at the 2017 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Beyoncé is unable to play the festival due to her pregnancy, but this setback has not affected her ambitions for the future. “Following the advice of her doctors to keep a less rigorous schedule in the coming months, Beyoncé has made the decision to forgo performing at the 2017 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival,” said festival promoter Goldenvoice and Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment. “However, Goldenvoice and Parkwood are pleased to confirm that she will be a headliner at the 2018 festival. Thank you for your understanding.” Gaga informed her fans, or “Little Monsters,” of the replacement five days after the news that Beyoncé is unable to perform via Twitter and Instagram, where she posted a flyer for the lineup.

The flyer featured herself heading the two Saturdays of Coachella, April 16 and 21, with the caption, “Let’s party in the desert!” Coachella coordinators wanted a woman to head Coachella, as the last time a female was the main attration was in 2007 with Björk. Recent past headliners have included Calvin Harris, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC and Drake. Gaga will only be the second female lead in the festival’s history and will play at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. According to the Coachella website, the festival is promoting female equality and “committed to efforts that contribute to the betterment of the Coachella Valley.” The announcement of Lady Gaga’s Coachella takeover has received positive feedback from fans due to the popularity of her newest album Joanne which was released in October 2016. According to Billboard, Joanne was ranked number 32 out of the 50 best albums of 2016. The album features hit singles such as “Million Reasons” and “Perfect Illusion.” For more Gaga performances, catch the star on her Joanne World Tour this summer at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

Vinyl records resurge in popularity Sydney Rosinski Feature Editor Before the days of Spotify and Apple Music, there was a time when it wasn’t possible to stream an album the day it came out, and people had to wait for their favorite songs to play on the radio or go to the local record store and wait in long lines to purchase the record, hoping that the store would not sell out of the coveted album. It was a time known as the 20th century. While those who grew up in this time may have complained about access to music and the struggle of not having crystal–clear sound quality, vinyl is making a comeback with today’s younger generation. The resurgence of the beloved vinyl record began in 2013 and its popularity continues to grow. With mainstream chain stores such as Urban Outfitters selling a wide variety of LPs, a type of record, and Amazon’s growing online selection, the vinyl record is officially back in style. The addition of Record Store Day, held every April 22, allows artists to release special edition LPs specifically for this day and multiple record stores across the nation participate as well. Every record released on Record Store Day is complete with a unique design specifically for the day and are associated with the rise in sales each year. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, vinyl record sales are at an all–time high since 1988. In contrast, according to Nielson Soundscan, a statistical radio monitoring

website, the sales of digital downloading of albums has dropped by nine percent and has dropped 12 percent for songs in the year 2014. As these figures continue to decrease, vinyl records continue to be an increasingly prominent part of pop culture. The resurgence of vinyl records with millennials may not only be simply due to the trends in pop culture, but also the influence of family members who collected and kept their vinyls. “My mom talked about having a record player and I feel that I take a lot from my mom ... I like the sound of it; it sounds more real,” said Sydney Schlesinger ‘19. The appeal of having something collectible and the unique sound are factors that make vinyl records desirable. Some people are drawn to the idea of having the physical copy of an album, as opposed to having it on an electronic device. “I feel like the sound you get from the vinyl is raw, almost,” said Maija Lynch ‘20. “It’s the most natural sounding form of music.” Some claim that the vinyl record has a warmer sound; it’s the only format of music that’s completely lossless, meaning the record lasts forever. “There’s a nice sound when you put it [the record] on, it cracks,” said Isaac Berger ‘18. The appeal of the sound of vintage records contributes to their resurfacing at flea markets and some record stores, and higher quantities of records are being produced to be sold at mainstream stores as well. New creative and unusual records designs are on the rise, with features such as non–traditional shapes, colored prints and different color combinations. Some are made of wood and glass, embedded with colorful thread or even filled with liquid.

28 March 2017

Feature

Custom pizzerias gain popularity

Recently, many new and innovative pizza places have emerged in and near the Westlake community. This new type of pizza place, known for its signature create–your–own pizza options, was made to tailor the pizza industry to current trends in the food industry. Not only are these pizza places convenient for students looking for lunch in a hurry, but they also offer quality food for an affordable price. Each pizza place offers a wide variety of options, serving both custom pizzas and unique, predesigned combinations. In addition to pizza, these restaurants serve salads and desserts; some also offer vegan and gluten–free options. No matter the students’ tastes, these local pizza places will have something to satisfy the students’ pizza cravings.

Pieology Pizzeria

Students’ favorite pizzas

With the rise of create–your–own fast food like Chipotle, eating pizza seemed boring in comparison. Because of this, the first Pieology Pizzeria opened in Orange County in 2011, applying the concept of customized food to the pizza industry. Since then, the restaurant has gained popularity, and today there are over 100 locations across the U.S. Pieology takes pride in allowing customers to have unlimited creativity. Guests can make unique pizzas by choosing from over 40 different toppings. There’s no limit—customers can load as much cheese, meat and vegetables on their pizzas as they wish for no additional cost. All pizzas are $8 or less. Besides customization, Pieology offers fresh ingredients for each pizza. The dough is prepared daily at each location with a special blend of flour. After the toppings are added, the pizza is fired in a stone oven before the customer’s eyes. The wait time is usually between three and eight minutes.

6% 7%

22%

PizzaRev Founded in 2012, PizzaRev is based in Southern California and recently opened near Muvico at the Thousand Oaks Mall. Like Pieology, PizzaRev offers a variety of sauces and ingredients, along with a vegan option. Additionally, the shop proudly provides three different types of dough—signature thin, double dough and gluten–free. While customers can personalize their own pizzas, PizzaRev also offers a menu of favorite combos ranging from Cauliflower Power to Skinny Margherita. The pizzas have a set price of $8.75 no matter how many toppings customers choose. Aside from pizzas, PizzaRev also serves salads and desserts. Though it is classified neither as a restaurant nor as fast food, PizzaRev sports a casual and clean environment. Employees are friendly, polite and willing to help customers out.

Urban Pizza

Urban Pizza, yet another pizza parlor fulfilling the trend of create–your–own food, has locations in Westlake Village and Simi Valley. With all of their pizzas featuring the option to choose between classic hand–tossed crust, gluten–free crust or flatbread, pizzas can be completely personalized with a wide array of toppings, which range from the usual to the unique. Urban Pizza also offers its own signature creations that focus on flavors from various U.S. cities, featuring pizzas such as the “Big Apple,” “Windy City” and “Bay Area.” The shop also features an “International Import” each month, bringing in flavors from around the world. Personalized pizzas cost $10.88 and come with the choice of sauce, cheese and unlimited toppings. In addition to pizza, Urban Pizza serves create–your–own salads, kids meals and desserts.

8% 15% 9%

17%

According to a poll of 179 WHS students, Toppers is the students’ favorite pizza place, earning 22% of the total votes. “Toppers has the tang, the tartness, the sweetness that other places don’t have,” said Ben Harris ‘17. Domino’s Pizza and Pieology Pizzeria followed closely behind with 15% and 17% respectively. Fresh Brothers, Papa John’s, Winners Pizza, Urban Pizza, Costco and Ameci Pizza are also in the top nine pizzerias.

Graphic by Caelyn Pender Compiled by Michelle Hang, Megan King, Caelyn Pender, Albert Zhang

Sports

theArrow PHOTOS COURTESY OF JACOB MOSCOVITCH

Girls beach volleyball continues to dominate Andy Xia Sports Section Editor

CATCHING AIR (left): Sarah Finegold ‘18 leaps through the air while performing her solo. CALM AND READY (middle): Mandell poses during her performance in front of the students at the Winter Showcase Rally. DEATH STARE (right): Taylor Magon ‘18 twists and awes the audience during her solo.

Dance team leaps into Nationals Michelle Hang Opinion Editor The WHS competition dance team qualified for the USA National Dance competition, which will take place in Long Beach from March 30–April 2. In preparation for the event, the team attended the West Coast Elite (WCE) Dance Nationals competition from March 17–18. Each member performed a solo, and the team competed all of its group dances from previous competitions. The girls had a strong finish at the competition, bringing home the title of Grand Champions. “WCE is a little more stylistic whereas USA [Nationals] is based on structure,” said head team captain Ava Mandell ‘17. “They’re both based on performance, but USA has been running longer; WCE is relatively newer, so they value different things in dancing but they’re both amazing.” The dance team placed first for each of its dances at various competitions. At a recent competition on Feb. 4 at Thousand Oaks High School, the dancers received the Grand Champion award for overall achievement. The

top four scores of the teams are averaged and the team with the highest score receives the award. “This season for dance team has been very successful,” said head coach Kristen Volk. “We hope to continue down the same path for our last two national competitions.” In the last two national competitions, the dancers performed on the floor, also known as “The Arena,” where the best scoring dances at the competition compete for the highest title. “[The scores have] been pretty good, but we’re looking forward to getting more numbers on the floor,” said co–captain Paige Higham ‘18. The team hopes to win, and the girls also hope to enjoy their time at Nationals. Being a strong team and working together is important to them. “I think our goals are to go out on the floor and remember the work we have done together,” said Higham. “Ultimately, we want to have fun and do our dances to the best of our ability. Of course we want to win, but we also want to have fun and be together.” In order to qualify for USA Nationals Dance competition, the team must receive a score of 85 or higher on each of its group dances at a previous competition. WHS dance obtained an average score of 90 on the dances, and they qualified for the championship category.

“This year we’ve placed really well,” said co–captain Mia Mormino ‘17. “We won Grand Champions and we haven’t done that in 11 years.” The girls are performing in various categories: Small Dance, Small Jazz, Medium Dance, Prop and Medium Hip Hop. Courtney Park ‘17 is competing with a solo in the Super Dancer division, and Mandell is competing in the Solo Champion division. “I’m excited to perform with my team and hopefully make it to the final arena floor,” said Mandell. “We have this really good energy when we’re at Nationals, and all the girls really connect even more than we do throughout the year.” The team practices throughout the week and over weekends to prepare for the competition. “We’re preparing by cleaning our dances through practice,” said Higham. “[We are] working on our technique and building our strength, so we come out on the floor looking like strong dancers all together.” Volk has high hopes due to the team’s past performances. “My goals for this season have been achieved as far as regional competitions go,” said Volk. “In regards to Nationals, the team deserves to get multiple routines in the finals, and ultimately we should take home a title.”

Stunt sparks debut with success Matt Zhang Sports Editor A new competitive seasonal sport has emerged at WHS branching off from the traditional cheerleading team: stunt. While regular cheerleading focuses on the more crowd–pleasing aspect, stunt cheerleading targets team competition and execution. “In stunt, we compete against other teams performing the same routine, like a guideline that we have to follow,” said head coach Missy Zuckerman. “There are judges and referees that will score the team based on performance.” Additionally, rather than numerical rankings, stunt consists of six individual skill levels that each team is assigned to. The team’s primary goal for this season consists of working diligently to achieve level six. “We’re working hard at practice and being captains of the team,” said co–captain Melissa Kern ‘18. “[Co–captain Lexi Valdovinos ‘18 and I] enforce uniformity and make sure everyone is doing what they’re supposed to be doing.” As an addition to the list of high school sports, stunt competes against teams in the Marmonte League during the spring season. “My initial thought was that it was going to be an exciting sport and something new to try out,” said Ashton Valdovinos ‘19. Unlike cheerleading, stunt revolves around much more extreme moves such as pyramids, tumbling, basket tosses, etc. Also, stunt performs independently, not alongside other sports. “Stunt focuses more on the athletic aspect as opposed to regular cheerleading,” said Zuckerman. “What makes stunt different is that it’s CIF sanctioned.”

PHOTOS BY MATT ZHANG

WHS has had a beach volleyball team since 2013, but this is the first year the Conjeo Valley Unified School District will recognize beach volleyball as an official sport. With approximately 50 high school teams in the Interscholastic Beach Volleyball League IBVL, WHS will look to stand out among the best. The WHS girls beach volleyball team is currently undefeated at 3–0 overall under head coach Ernest Rittenhouse. Also the coach of the WHS girls indoor volleyball team, Rittenhouse led the team to four consecutive Marmonte League championships, and has the team striving for a fifth. “We want to win the Marmonte League and would strive to keep playing on Championship Saturday,” said Rittenhouse. “Only the final eight teams advance to Championship Saturday and Westlake is the only Ventura County school that has ever made it that far.” WHS is currently tied for 1st in the Marmonte Division with Newbury Park High School. WHS started the season strong on March 18, beating out Royal High School 3–0. The team kept things rolling with another 3–0 victory over Agoura High School. “Our team just wants to keep the wins coming” said Paris Short ‘19. In addition to playing beach volleyball, Short is also a libero on the indoor girls volleyball team. Many of the girls playing beach volleyball are also participants of indoor volleyball. However, there are many differences in learning to transition between the two sports. “The two are very similar, but the main difference is that in beach volleyball, there are only twp players on the court playing with each other while in indoor volleyball, there are six players,” said Ashley Webb ‘19. Webb is a setter on the WHS girls indoor volleyball team, where she leads the indoor team in assists. The inherently different natures of indoor and beach volleyball has presented a dilemma for the team. Conflicts between the schedules of offseason indoor volleyball and beach volleyball have prevented the WHS beach volleyball team from reaching its full potential. “One of our weaknesses is that many of our players have to balance their club and beach schedules, so they can’t always be at the practices,” said Jenny Ferrin ‘17. Despite the schedule concerns, the team has many talented players that have helped the team come together quickly to play well. WHS’s diverse array of returning players gives the team a lot of experience that is beneficial in this young sport. “Talent is a strength,” said Rittenhouse. “Peyton Sper and Jen Trephan were 1st Team All County indoors players, and they’ve been scary good for the beach team.” Peyton Sper ‘17, a beach volleyball commit for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Jen Trephan ‘19 make up WHS’s number one pair. The talented duo have been a part of a strong volleyball program that has helped improve the team in many ways. “At practices, we will often have challenge matches to determine our top teams for competition,” said Rittenhouse. “The girls will work hard to try and earn those spots.” The intersquad competition between the players help make each player better. As they practice against one another, each player gets better through competition and perseverance. WHS will put their skills to the test as they travel to play NPHS and Thousand Oaks High School on March 30.

LENDING A HAND (left): Lola Mormino ‘20, Emily Kinsbruner ‘19 and Presley Garlock ‘20 coordinate with each other in order to keep their teammate Demitra Wedgworth ‘20 balanced. TRUSTING TEAMMATES (right): Alexis Allen ‘18, Karina Salon ‘20 and Melanie Plutsky ‘20 prop up Isabella Marek ‘20 during a practice in preparation for a game against TOHS.

As a new sport at WHS, the stunt team practices on the football field. During practice, the team continues to cycle through intensive routines, concentrating on aspects such as technique and endurance. “For preparation, we are primarily focusing on one routine,” said Valdovinos, “and it’s really fast–paced.” The team had its first competition of the season on March 17, traveling to compete against Newbury Park High School and coming out on top with a score of 10–9. “Everyone has to practice routines themselves,” said Kern, “If someone doesn’t review the counts at home, then we won’t be able to win at the game.”

Moreover, since stunt is a team–based sport, an important factor of competitions is team chemistry. “If we’re not working together on one stunt, then our performance will not turn out as well,” said Kern. “So all of us working together in unison is really important.” The team’s next game will be on March 31, where they compete against Thousand Oaks High School. WHS stunt hopes to start off its history by winning Marmonte League and placing in CIF this year. As the team heads into the season with profound preparation, Zuckerman said, “I am very excited for this season and to coach the new sport.”

28 March 2017

Sports

Volleyball sets the season

Marc Choi News Editor

IN LINE (above): Johnson, Reagan Cutler ‘18 and Crisp line up against TOHS on March 24. SERVING IT UP (right): Archish Anand ‘17 tosses up a serve against Thousand Oaks High School. Anand’s serve was an ace that scored the matchpoint for WHS. KILLING IT (far right): Troy Magorien cocks back his arm to go for the kill.

player has a lot of volleyball experience. During the offseason, players join their respective club teams and play numerous tournaments. In these tournaments, players compete against high–level competition where players have the opportunity to experience and learn how to finish close games. “I feel like we have a lot of experience,” said Troy Magorien. “We have a lot of guys playing in club [teams] like myself, AJ and the other kids. They all play on top–level teams, so we have the experience of winning, and I think we will go far.” WHS’s biggest strength is its lack of injuries and the ability to finish points and hit hard. With a 15 kill in their last game, Troy Magorien leads their offense. Although the team has two players who are about six feet nine inches, overall, the team is undersized, and they struggle to keep up with taller, more athletic teams. “We have to be faster overall,” said Crisp. “[For example,] instead of being able to put up a high slow ball where someone

PHOTOS BY ANDY XIA

WHS varsity boys volleyball aims to be a top ten team in county despite the loss of many graduating seniors last year. “This year’s team is more [focused] on winning this year,” said head coach Doug Magorien. “Last year they had distractions ... and we are more committed.” As of March 28, the team has a 16–4–1 record, with its last game on Fri., March 24 against Thousand Oaks where WHS won in three games and is currently undefeated in Marmonte League. “It went well, we won in three [games] and was a good example of how the starters need to play against weaker teams in order to help get our subs in who don’t get to see the court often which is what we did last night,” said co–captain and libero AJ Faille ‘17. Even though the team is composed of only juniors and seniors, most of its key players were previously seniors. Because they only have three starting seniors, they are currently a younger team, so next year they will be stronger and more experienced. “We are a lot younger in some places, and we only have three starting seniors,” said co–captain and outside Troy Magorien ‘17. “I feel like we have a young core, but I feel like we are really going to take it this season and finish in the top ten.” The team has found early success as they head into league play with a 16–4–1 record. Before entering Marmonte League play, WHS ranked third in CIF. Nevertheless, the team is not satisfied with its performance and members strive to perfect their game. “Two of [our] losses came from the same team,” said Faille. “We knew how to beat that team … [so] we need to make sure we execute when we play that team. [One of] our other loss[es] came from a team in the finals, who is ranked number one right now. It was a really close match.” Although the team is young, teammates have a close relationship with each other and their chemistry translates well on the court. As team captains, Magorien and Faille make sure that everyone is involved during warm–ups and stay focused. “We’re all in the same grade, and we are all a lot closer,” said starting setter Blake Crisp ‘18. “It was kind of weird when I was the only freshman on the team … I was not able to hang out with the guys as much because they all left after fifth period.” Even though the team consists of mostly juniors, each

has to hit against a blocker, I need to set a faster ball, so we can beat them with our speed instead of hitting against a blocker.” WHS’s biggest rival is Newbury Park High School. In their first encounter last year, they fought in five close games where WHS fell short. They quickly recovered and were able to win their next matchup against NPHS, splitting the series 1–1. “The last couple years, we got swept each time,” said Magorien. “But [last year] we took it to five and we competed, but we kinda choked. We beat them the next game, so this year, we want to take it to them.” Currently, co–captain Magorien leads the team in kills, Faile leads the team in digs, Crisp leads the team with assists and Outside Devon Johnson ‘18 leads the team in aces. In their game against TOHS, Magorien had 15 kills, five digs and two aces, Johnson had 12 kills, two aces and 12 digs, Crisp had 30 assists, two digs and two blocks and Faille had three aces and 15 digs. WHS will play their rival NPHS next on March 29 at WHS.

Baseball wins the final inning Megan King

Caelyn Pender Feature Editor Feature Section Editor

PHOTOS BY LO YARNALL

WHS’s boys varsity baseball team currently stands with a 5–7 record, after a mixed beginning to its season. The team is working towards winning Marmonte League and advancing in CIF. “For the most part, we have been strong defensively, and we have been able to get enough runs together to win a couple of games,” said catcher Jack Ingles ‘18. “So, we’ve been doing pretty well.” To prepare for the season, the team practices two to three hours a day, working on defense, hitting and executing plays. “[For] defense, we work extremely hard on a daily basis,” said coach John Burtzloff. “The team knows where it’s supposed to be at all times, so it plays defense really well.” While the team excels in pitching and defending, the players agree they need to work on hitting. “We just [have to] hit more right now,” said catcher Jonhnny Victor ‘18. “We have a lot of team unity. Sometimes it doesn’t go in the right direction, but we’re getting there so far.” The team has a lot of strong players, many of whom have committed to colleges for baseball. Pitcher and first baseman Edward Kutt ‘17 is committed to Ohio University, shortstop Kyle Froemke ‘18 is committed to the University of Oregon, pitcher Caden Gustafson ‘17 is committed to Colorado Mesa University, pitcher and outfielder Bo Jelinek ‘17 is committed to the University of San Francisco and pitcher and outfielder Keefer Meehan ‘17 is committed to Loyola Marymount University. “We have five or six really good arms; five

HIT AND RUN (left): Jelinek takes off for first base after making contact with the ball. Currently, he is batting .333 this season. FEEL THE HEAT (right): Meehan quickly pitches the ball to the Calabasas batter, forcing the opposing team to strike out. Meehan’s pitches often reach speeds of over 90 mph.

of them are going to play college baseball as pitchers,” said Burtzloff. In order to beat its biggest competition, the team practices to overcome its weaknesses along with improving its strengths. “I know that this year Oaks Christian and Newbury Park are going to be tough rivals because they’re both really strong defensively, and they’re very solid teams all around,” said Ingles. “Hopefully, we can play defense well and pitch well. We can work together some runs and hopefully win.” The team is very close as many of the players have known each other and played together for years. The camaraderie creates a positive atmosphere at practices and games. “I love the team bonding,” said outfielder Kevin Bleier ‘19. “It’s fun to be around all the guys.”

According to third baseman Connor MacLea ‘17, the best part of the team is “being with my friends and just having a good time playing a sport.” In previous years, players enjoyed team dinners before games. Although these are no longer held before every game, the team hopes to have at least one before the end of the season. The players also bond before games with time in the locker room. This helps them loosen up before heading out to the field. “We listen to music in the locker rooms before our games,” said Jelinek. “We’re all relaxed, just dancing and singing.” On March 24, the team lost to Thousand Oaks High School 1–0. “Losing always sucks, and it feels even worse knowing that you were just one big hit away from winning the game,” said first

baseman Cade Kritsch ‘19. “For the most part, I thought the team played well. We were fired up the whole time and our defense kept making big plays to get us out of tight situations.” On March 29, WHS will play NPHS at home and again on March 31, away. The team faces Oaks Christian on April 19. “I think we’ll come out on top against them,” said Jelinek. “We’ve started off a little rough, but I think we’re going to get our energy up and beat [our rivals].” Over the rest of the season, the team hopes to continue to strengthen and hopefully make it to CIF. “It’s one of the best team chemistries I’ve ever seen,” said Burtzloff. “I do see us having opportunity with the talent we have to make it all the way to the CIF finals.”

Sports

theArrow

Girls lacrosse hones in on Marmonte

PHOTOS BY MICHELLE HANG

GOING FOR THE GOAL (top right): Three year starter and captain Julia Feinbloom ‘17 rushes forward to score. “As a whole, [the team is] very close to each other, so when we’re on the field we know each others’ strengths and how to pass the ball to each other,” said Feinbloom. “We are all team players.” GAIN POSSESSION (above middle): Midfield Shelby Tilton ‘20 waits in anticipation for the referee to blow his whistle, signaling for the two players to toss the ball in the air and battle for possession against Oak Park. Tilton committed to USC for lacrosse and is a key player on the team. “During games, I focus on playing good defense and fixing any mistakes I make,” said Tilton. PROTECT THE BALL (top left): Captain Amanda Jones ‘18 narrowly avoids a defender from Oak Park during the team’s game on March 22. Despite a valiant effort, the Warriors lost with a final score of 10–6. STOP THE OTHER TEAM (bottom left): Alexa Mushovic ‘18 and Bethany Reader ‘19 sprint down the field to cut off the advancing Oak Park player. “Our goal for this season is to win the Marmonte League title,” said Mushovic.

WHS spring sports summary

DIVE IN (left): Hayon leaps off the starting block for the 100 yard freestyle to help WHS win 111–45 over Agoura. Hayon placed second with a time of 49.42. PULLING WITH INTENSITY (below): Kaitlyn Crowley ‘19 comes up for air during her 100 yard breaststroke event. She placed second with a time of 1:16.80.

(as of March 27)

Boys Baseball Record: 5W–7L Next Game: March 29 vs. Newbury

PHOTOS BY LO YARNALL

Girls Lacrosse

Record: 2W–5L Next Game: March 29 vs. Agoura

Boys Lacrosse

Record: 3W–3L Next Game: March 29 vs Newbury

Girls Softball

Record: 2W–5L Next Game: March 30 vs. Calabasas

Boys Tennis

Record: 2W–1L Next Game: March 30 @ TO

Boys Volleyball Record: 16W–4L–1T Next Game: March 29 vs. Newbury

Swimming Record: 1W–0L (Boys and girls) Next Game: March 31 vs. TO

Track and Field Record: 1W–1L (Boys) 2W–0L (Girls) Next Game: March 30 vs. TO

Girls Beach Volleyball Record: 3W–0L Next Game: March 30 vs. Newbury and TO Compiled by Andy Xia

Swim makes waves in league Connie Shi Milla Wu Feature Editor News Editor After WHS girls and boys swim placed ninth and tenth respectively at Division II CIF finals last season, the team is looking to surpass previous records and dominate at CIF. “We approach our season committed and knowing that it will take hard work,” said head coach Shannon Breese. “[I am proudest of the team] realizing what they are really capable of doing.” The team has an overall record of 1–0 in the Marmonte League. A win early in the season at the invitational Spartan Relays set the precedent for the team. “We feel confident about [our momentum],” said boys co–captain Kye Daniels ‘17. “There was a lot of everyone contributing … Some people had to step up and take on new roles, so it was very much a team effort.” After placing sixth and ninth out of 43 total teams for boys and girls respectively at Mission Viejo, WHS hopes to continue their momentum into its league meets. “WHS always carries good momentum,” said Sarah Clarke ‘18. “It’s nice to have that confidence in your team because going against bigger [and faster] teams is a little bit easier [when] you have a good feeling and trust in your teammates and the ability to win.” The atmosphere, in addition to the outlook of the swimmers, helps fuel their competitive attitude. The team supports each other through team cheers before races. “We had a really good team cheer to start [Spartan Relays] ... and that just got the momentum rolling,” said girls co–captain Emily Platt ‘17. “It was really hyped [and] really cool.” Despite the loss of last year’s strong senior class, the team has grown more tight–knit as it works to improve. “Everyone feels like a family [this year] and everyone’s connected to one another,” said Daniels.

The overall goal for the team is not only to have as many swimmers qualify for CIF as possible, but also to improve team unity. “I really want the team to be more united but also to just have fun … because that’s the most important part of the whole sport,” said boys co–captain Daniel Hayon ‘17. The team’s cohesiveness, as well as its established routine, reinforces its strength. “[The dynamic] is really smooth; everything flows really well,” said Rebecca Ioffe ‘20. “[We] have set practices and everything has a place.” Breese utilizes tough practices to motivate the team to improve quickly and efficiently. “Breese pushes us every day at practice to get the most out of every practice,” said Jeremy Marcin ‘19. “She helps us focus on the smaller things like technique, turns, starts and finishes.” This is the first year Breese is requiring morning practice for all varsity swimmers. Morning practice is held Monday, Wednesday and Friday every week from 5–6:15 a.m. “Morning practice is always a challenge, but I think right now we’re doing pretty well,” said Platt. “We’re just trying to roll through some pretty tough training right now.” A substantial strength of the team is the versatility of the swimmers to score in various strokes and races. Many swimmers consistently swim multiple stroke events, including JR Marquez ‘17 (butterfly and breaststroke), Elena England ‘17 (backstroke and freestyle) and Andrew Tsui ‘17 (backstroke and individual medley). “One of the biggest strengths that you notice, especially at meets, is the depth that our team has in all the different strokes,” said Clarke. “We have kids that can swim pretty much everything and kids that can fill up all the events, all super fast at whatever stroke.” The seniority of leading members also contributes to the overall strength of the team. This year’s team has 25 seniors. “I think we’re in a good position, especially this year,” said Hayon. “Last year our relay teams were really young, ... but this year we’re all seniors so it tells us that we’re … a lot stronger than we were last year.” Additional practices give the team an advantage over many other schools both in Marmonte league and among CIF rival schools. “We do a lot of extra work that the other teams don’t necessarily do,” said girls co–captain Karly Gonzalez ‘17. “We’re ahead of the game.”