Time to get awayETHAN LYONSPhotographer

For the last three years, students from the En-gineering Major have visited the Agoura Hills offi ce of Teradyne. Developers of automatic test equipment for electronic devices and systems, Teradyne engineers were able to explain to the students what they do in an average workday and the aspects of engineering.

The fi eld trip on Dec. 5 began when one of Teradyne’s head engineers contacted the School-to-Career offi ce and offered to help students ex-plore their future career options.

“The engineers seem to enjoy the day as much as the students do,” School-to-Career coordi-nator Jane Carlson said. “They can remember when they were in high school and were explor-ing what to do with their future, so they would like to help our students.”

Beginning with a brief overview and followed by a tour of the facility, the students heard from various engineers about their work throughout the day. Then, once split into three groups, they learned about a specifi c fi eld—either electrical, mechanical or software engineering.

Senior Daniel Minami joined the mechanical engineering group.

“It was interesting because it was my fi rst time looking around companies and seeing what an engineer does,” Minami said. “I have learned a lot of people have degrees in mechanical engi-neering and I learned what they do.”

JOYCE TANNews Editor

For four hours, the students became mentors to a classroom full of elementary schoolers.

Working in conjunction with Glenwood Elemen-tary School in the Teach for a Day program, the 11 students spent the morning teaching the fourth and fi fth grade classes a series of fi ve 45-minute Junior Achievement-curriculum based lessons using a JA kit of teaching materials.

“It was amazing teaching elementary schoolers. I’ve never done anything like it, and while it was a challenge, it was such a rewarding experience,” par-ticipant junior Nicole Cvjetnicanin said. “The kids were so eager to learn and loved the activities and looked up to us so much.”

Organized by School-to-Career coordinator Jane Carlson and offered each semester, the program gives students interested in teaching as a career an opportunity to explore the education fi eld and to im-prove their leadership skills.

Glenwood’s teachers also served as mentors for the high school students by providing additional guidance, instruction and tips.

“I assisted [sophomores Juan Ventura and Dallas Garcia] in relating to English Language Learners because some of the terminology was challeng-ing, but other than that, they did a wonderful job for sophomores and not having a great amount of teaching experience,” fi fth grade teacher Cathy Hocutt said. “I wish them well in their future teach-ing endeavors.”

The students presented the lessons with various standards-based, hands-on activities from the JA kit with their team of two to three peers.

“Each volunteer was tired at the end of the day and gained a new appreciation for how their TOHS teachers feel,” Carlson said. “They learned that teaching requires preparation, energy and pa-tience, and with it comes great rewards—such as the knowledge that they have helped to inspire their pupils to become lifelong learners.”

ALEXANDRA RANDALLCopy Editor

EThOS students received a chance to display their entrepreneurial talents at the California In-ternational Trade Show in Bakersfi eld. Twenty-nine seniors attended the trade show that lasted two days, Nov. 28 and 29.

Students won awards for their virtual enter-prises Sunset Wax and SeCo in the categories of salesmanship, marketing and best commercial.

“It felt great to be recognized for all the hard work that we had all put in since the beginning of the year, and even better that it was on such a large stage,” senior Jeremy Vandenberg said. “This year we took home more awards than all of the other past EThOS classes combined, so we are very proud of our accomplishments.”

This third annual trip provided a unique op-portunity for students to use the skills they ac-quired in the classroom.

“It was amazing to be able to work with my classmates in a non-classroom setting, as it makes it much more real when you are actually putting those skills you’ve learned in the class-room into practice,” Vandenberg said. “I really learned about being fl exible, working on my feet and being innovative.”

The opportunity for students to gain real-world experience impressed School-to-Career coordinator and trip organizer, Jane Carlson.

“It was an incredible opportunity for students to come together as a group and to put to good use the skills they learned in the classroom,” Carlson said.

TEEN TEACHING—Sophomore Juan Ventura explains the origins of everyday products to Cathy Hocutt’s fifth grade students alongside teacher aid Magda-lena Simonini at Glenwood Elementary School in the Teach for a Day program.

ENGINEERING THEIR FUTURES—Sophomore Caroline Paules and students from other schools listen to a Teradyne’s mechanical engineer explain what he does at the test equpiment center.

Students step into teaching roles

Teradyne passes test with Majors

EThOS sweeps at competition

JANE CARLSON » WITH PERMISSION

DENISE BROWN » WITH PERMISSION

Students travel across Southern California to participate in a variety of field trips ranging from entrepreneurship competitions to tours of electronic test companies in order to focus on their interests and futures

Volume LI, Issue 5 » December 19, 2012 » 2323 N. Moorpark Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 » www.tohsthelancer.org » Circulation 2,500

theLANCER

THOUSAND OAKS HIGH SCHOOL

Connecticut. Nevada. Alabama. Oregon. Okla-homa. California.

Originally, this staff ed was supposed to be about our safety procedures. However, in light of recent events in the tone has shifted. We feel it is necessary to expound upon the causes behind, and

reaction to, the shootings. As an all-call went out on Friday, Dec. 14 in regards

to the situation in Connecticut, our safety procedures were under review, although the district did not give specifi cs on how itwas improving upon them.

//cont. on pg. 4 » Fixing the system

Shootings prompt school safety discussion

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S T A F F E D I T O R I A LDISASTER RELIEF—Police officers stand at the entrance to the street leading up to Sandy Hook Elementary on Saturday, Dec. 15 at the scene of the Newtown, Connecti-cut shooting.

//cont. on pg. 2 » Memories

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT » WITH PERMISSION

Santa Barbara

Los Angeles

Bakersfield

Thousand Oaks

California Science Center The Robotics ROP class toured the Endeavour Space Shuttle and its companion exhibit on Nov. 2.

Solstice CanyonAP Environmental Science students took a tour of the national recreation area in the Santa Monica Mountains on Nov. 30.

UC Santa BarbaraEThOS students toured the university campus on Dec. 12 to learn about college life.Bergamot Station Arts CenterAP Art students studied the various contemporary and classical art galleries on Dec. 12.

Agoura

page 7

Thousand Oaks

Santa Monica

“

newswireASB holds toy drive

ASB held a U.S. Marine Corps Reserve-sponsored Toys for Tots drive Dec. 6–18 col-lecting new, unwrapped toys to benefit local underprivileged children.

Students dropped off their donations into des-ignated boxes throughout campus.

ASB signed up on the Toys for Tots website for 100 boxes, hoping to get at least 80 for all the campus classrooms; however, it only re-ceived 20. As a result, they bought about $90 worth of boxes from Home Depot as a way to ensure that students still had the opportunity to donate toys.

—Jessica Ashcraft

College Board grants TOHS AP funding

College Board recently awarded TOHS a grant to support and fund new AP math and sci-ence courses.

The school’s PSAT/NMSQT grant-qualifying scores have revealed that a number of under-represented minorities and female students are academically prepared for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) coursework. In an effort to encourage students to participate and pursue careers in those fields, the grant will also provide funding for new resources and ma-terials. TOHS is among 500 schools receiving part of this $5 million grant.

—Joyce Tan

Band concludes its season with victory

The Lancer Marching Band concluded its competition season with a first place victory at the Moorpark Battle of the Bands on Nov. 17. Their field show, “On Cloud Nine,” won Sweepstakes against the schools competing in its division, also taking away awards for Best Music, Best Visual and Best General Effect.

Band members also set the record with their score of 92.76—the highest score in the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association circuit for the 2012 season.

—Joyce Tan

Students compete in dodgeball faceoff

From Dec. 10–14 eight teams competed at a dodgeball championship hosted by ASB during lunch. On the basketball courts and in the gym, the teams of six squared off to raise school spirit and get students motivated.

—Jessica Ashcraft

Students give back in form of letters

With the holidays approaching, Key Club has found a way to give back.

The club provided students an opportunity to write letters to Santa on the quad. For each of the 398 letters, Macy’s donated $2 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The event lasted three days, beginning on Tuesday, Dec. 11 and ending on Thursday, Dec. 13.

—Jessica Ashcraft

2 NEWS issue 5december 19, 2012

TOHS Participants» Casinos

Junior Kreider Dane

» Short NoticeSeniors Zach Caldwell, Arielle Komie, Grant Phil-lips and Tommy Suwara

» The Daniel Velarde Band

Freshman Sean Alexander Sophomore Sarah Hag-gerty, Matt Fichter, Neil Reed and Daniel Velarde

for more on

Battle of the BandsSee phoTo eSSay

page 16

joyce TaNNews Editor

Ringing in holiday cheer, jazz band performed its annual winter concert in the decorated PAC on Dec. 13.

Following a guest performance by Los Cerritos Mid-dle School’s jazz band, the TOHS AM Jazz Ensemble performed three jazz songs, featuring solos from every performer, and four holiday-themed jazz pieces.

“In previous years, only four to five people got to solo because they were comfortable with it,” tenor sax junior Isabel Sublette said. “This year, the solos are taking people out of their comfort zones.”

Performers were able to showcase their individual instruments and talents, while still harmonizing with the rest of the band.

“The soloist makes the tune and the tune makes the soloist,” band director Marty Martone said. “The solos

alexandra raNDallCopy Editor

Beating drums and strumming guitars filled the Teen Center as local bands played to outperform one anoth-er. The annual Battle of the Bands competition, held on the evening of Dec. 1, hosted five acts, each of whom performed a 25-minute set.

After auditioning in front of Teen Center staff, local bands Short Notice, Casinos, The Daniel Velarde Band, The Krooks and Hey Suburbia made the cut. Three of these bands include students from TOHS.

One of the bands, Short Notice, composed of all se-niors, rehearsed for weeks in advance to prepare for the competition.

“We thought it would be a good opportunity to have fun, wear funny hats, make music together and show off to our friends,” guitarist senior Zach Caldwell said.

At the end of the night, a panel of music industry professionals awarded first place to the Casinos, second place to Short Notice and third place to The Krooks.

“I don’t really know what I was expecting, but we were really happy with getting second, ” Caldwell said. “I would’ve been upset if we got first because Casinos was just that amazing.”

Casinos’ successful night came as no surprise to the members or to their audience.

“We came into it knowing that we had a good chance of winning and it ended up proving true,” Casinos’ gui-tarist and lead singer, junior Kreider Dane, said. “It was a pretty significant moment for me and the whole night was just a great experience.”

Although it was a competition, participants appreci-ated the opportunity to hear local music.

“It was nice to share music with the community and

//cont. from pg. 1 » eThoS sweeps at competitionThe memories of the trip have continued to impact

students long after they returned home.“To be completely honest, this competition really

changed the pace for my educational pursuit,” senior

Jazz band performs for holidays aren’t short, so I’m very impressed that they’re playing like professionals.”

The jazz band members, most of whom are also a part of the concert band, find more independence in the first period jazz class.

“Jazz band is quite different than concert band be-cause it relies more on the musicians,” percussionist sophomore Stevie Karukas said. “Students have the responsibility to keep time and play what they think sounds good. Mr. Martone hardly ever has to conduct the band or tell us what notes to play in solos.”

With 12 new members and eight returning ones, the band finds plenty of learning opportunities.

“We’re gaining a lot of experience as younger mem-bers and it’s not a judgmental group,” Sublette said. “We support one another and we learn and make mis-takes together.”

It’s not a judgmen-

tal group. We sup-

port one another

and we learn and

make mistakes

together.

–junior

Isabel Sublette”

connect musically and in turn to be inspired by all the musical talent in the area,” Short Notice’s bassist senior Arielle Komie said. “This really wasn’t about the com-petition aspect.”

For both the audience and performers, the night was a memorable experience.

“The crowd was very nice and supportive,” Caldwell said. “It had a really great atmosphere and felt like a party on and off stage. People were jumping around and dancing everywhere you looked. It was an amaz-ing night.”

Local bands battle it out

ben mueller-leclerc » the lancer

MakiNg MuSiC—freshman Sean alexander and sophomore Sarah Haggerty, two of the five-member The daniel Velarde Band, perform at the Teen center.

eTHan lyonS » THe lancer

Julian Pratt, collaborator of the Sunset Wax company, said. “I now strive to improve my mental capability and expand myself to be the best person I can be.”

Now strapped with additional knowledge gained from the trip, the students hope to continue this success in other competitions in the future, including one in the Bay Area in a few months.

“We are really looking forward to polishing up our presentations,” Vandenberg said, “and hopefully we will win some more awards.”

Dear SaNTa—junior Shelby Shankel kneels down to write a letter to Santa in an effort to raise money for the make-a-Wish foundation.

eTHan lyonS » THe lancer

JaZZy JiNgleS—from left, senior alex Karukas, juniors Sam Klein and Isabel Sublette, sophomore andrew Sattler and senior Kingsley Hickman perform at their concert. “It was difficult to adjust to the acoustics of the Pac,” Sattler said, “but in the end, we sounded great.”

Memories made at EThOS competition

Awards» Sunset Wax

first place in salesmanshipsecond place for best commercial

» SeCofifth place for impact marketing

3NEWSissue 5december 19, 2012

jeff stolze » with permission

BOYS BASKETBALLAt westlake

07

GIRLS BASKETBALL home v. westlake

WINTER BREAK

24–04

SATBring i.D. card and registration; arrive by 7:45 a.m.

26

Dance program leaps into an abstract worldWith an abundance of the abnormal, advanced classes and dance team take their art form to an abstract level in the annual winter performance

eDwin ChIKuWAKAContributing Writer

Someone asked the student what she wanted most for Christmas. Although her family was going through a tough time, she wrote nothing for herself. What she did write was what her little brother wanted most—In-credible Hulk boxing gloves.

Touched by her situation, Project Concern’s Adopt-a-Family made it happen.

After already adopting 16 families for Thanksgiving, the club aims to adopt 30 more who are struggling to get by during the holiday season.

“The work that this club does is too important,” club adviser Eileen Moore said. “We take care of all those people who often go unnoticed.”

Project Concern is not the only club providing joy and the spirit of the holidays to these families. Other groups on campus, including National Honor Society

Project Concern adopts families

jessicA AShCRAfTNews Editor

Pikachu, Princess Leia, Harry Potter and an architect all presented themselves throughout this year’s annual winter dance concert, “Abstract.”

The concert’s emcees began each night with an ab-stract plot, thrusting the audience into another dimen-sion. Seniors Alex Karukas, Malissa Marlow, Julie Greiner, Roman Curiel and Annalea Fusci transitioned the dances with various hijnks while traveling through their imagined world.

“ ‘Abstract’ was a really cool theme to structure dances around,” senior Erin Sheridan said, “even

though it did make the choreographers think outside the box more than usual.”

Fourth and fifth period advanced classes performed with dance team throughout the several nights of per-formances from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, which also included guest appearances by alumni and visiting dance teams.

“Every show gets a little better than the one before it; once we’re used to the craziness we can focus more on doing well,” Sheridan said. “Every dancer made an effort to make each show equally spectacular.”

Ticket sales went towards the various costs of the night, as well as towards future dance expenses.

“This concert is one of our biggest fundraisers all year and it helps immensely with all of our costs,” se-nior Ariana Persico said. “It gives all of the dancers an amazing experience to talk and think about.”

Dance coach Jaleen Murphy began planning the show before the school year began. Many dance mem-bers attribute the concert’s success to her.

“I think I speak for everyone when I say that Murphy truly makes winter concert what it is. She and the other choreographers put in so much time to make the show the best that it can be,” Sheridan said. “They can be de-manding, but it pays off by making the show fantastic.”

and sports teams are also participating. Boys soccer, even though some were on the Adopt-a-Family list themselves, had 100 percent participation and boys la-crosse adopted ten families.

“T.O. is a remarkable community; I saw that when the Special Ed Department adopted me [last year].” Moore said. “To see these other students do the same thing because they know what it means to take care of one another is absolutely the best feeling in the world.”

every dancer

made an effort to make each show equally spectacular.

–Senior Erin Sheridan

“”

GIRLS SOCCER home v. westlake

WRESTLINGAt simi Valley

10

BOYS BASKETBALLhome v. calabasas

11

GIRLS SOCCERhome v. royal

16

calendar of events

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januaryS M T W TH F S

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6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

dEcEMbEr

S M T W TH F S

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31

* dates with an event

SAT REGISTRA-TION DEADLINE

for jan. 26 test

28

uGLY SWEATER DAY

20

WINTER RALLYhow the Grinch stole winter Breakclass themes and colors:freshmen– “snow” (blue)sophomores– “candy canes” (white)juniors– “presents”(red)seniors–“lights” (green)

21

IT MAJORS MEETING

lunchtime location tBA

19

fAShION MAJORS MEETING

lunchtime in c–2

ChOIR CONCERT6:30 p.m. in the pActickets:$8 for students$10 adults

jAne mirAnDA » with permission

MAJORS ADVISOR APPRECIATION LuNChEON

COLLEGE VISITharvard college

AP REGISTRATION STARTS

register with i.D. card and fees in the student store or the college and career center

fINANCIAL AID NIGhT

6:30–8:30 p.m. in the pAc

23

nE

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jan

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–19

jan

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26wednesday

thursday

friday

friday

monday

thursday

friday

wednesday

wednesday

saturday

fINALS WEEK

22–25

ABSTRACT ANGLES—(above) Advanced dance class members extend their arms and gaze upward on nov. 29 during their performance to Gungor’s “Beautiful things.” (left) senior erin sheridan arches her back in the senior piece to starálfur’s “sigur rós” on Dec. 1.

ask aboutone free hour

arrive instyle:

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//cont. from pg. 1 » Shootings prompt

Our current safety precautions (with the exception of a few things) are fine. As of now, we lock students in classrooms with the lights turned off. Students hide under desks, and any stragglers proceed to safe locations such as the office.

One of the few ways we can improve our system without drastically altering it is to change the alarm. Instead of a vari-ety of alarm tones and an announcement, some unassuming music should be played. “More Than a Feeling” by Boston should play in case of an emergency. As of now, it is too obvious when we are locking down.

Changing our safety procedures too much, however, is only treating a symp-tom of the problem. The causes of these shootings aren’t a lack of safety measures in schools. They are complicated and mul-tifaceted issues.

The first of these is the ease of access to guns in this country. Assault weapons are available with few restrictions, ammuni-tion is unaccounted for and background checks vary widely across the country from extremely lax in states such as Wyoming to very strict in Massachusetts.

In America, there are nearly 90 guns per 100 people according to figures provided by the Small Arms Survey. That’s 30 more

guns per capita than the next leading coun-try, Serbia. This ease of access to assault weapons combined with America’s poor mental health infrastructure makes for a di-sastrous combination.

The mentally ill have a difficult time get-ting the help they need. Without affordable access to mental facilities or reliable social safety nets, the mentally unstable are left either unattended or improperly cared for in prison.

This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the media provides a cycle of day-and- night coverage regarding the incidents.

There is no rest from the coverage. All day, news networks bombard us with statis-tics, pictures and firsthand reports. Victims’ faces are plastered across the Web and the perpetrators are given romantic nicknames, such as the “Trench coat Mafia” that car-ried out the Columbine Massacre.

There have been six shootings in less than a week’s time. This is no coincidence. Our rabid devouring of the morbid infor-mation helps to publicize shooters as per-verse anti-heroes worthy of attention on a national scale.

These tragedies aren’t only caused by poor school emergency procedures. Im-proving them is just treating a symptom of the problem.

Kelly WiSneSkiEd/Op Editor

Hello, Emily. My name is Kelly and I’m a human.I pride myself on staying away from the cult that is

the Apple consumership. Granted, seventh-grade me wasn’t able to withstand the purchase of an iPod. But when it comes to smartphones, I’d prefer to stay off the bandwagon.

I do, however, applaud Apple on its ability to take outdated technology, slap on a shiny cover and make an insane profit off of it—simply because it’s the self-proclaimed “latest and greatest.”

Android, on the other hand, takes a leaf out of Adam Smith’s capitalist book. It encourages diver-

sification by allowing individual manufacturers to edit its platform. The result: over 70 different An-droid phones with diverse functions.

Apple’s Gestapo-level policing of their app store is more of the same. Though some argue that it ensures greater quality for Apple apps, it instead inhibits diversity.

While Apple consumers have to wait for the company to fix glitches, I can easily find seven

other improved Android versions of an app.I’m not a proponent of the different paths that the

technology war presents, even if the competition is beneficial to a certain extent.

The competition factor doesn’t change the fact that Apple could sell a bedazzled banana to its

zombie consumers with the right marketing.As long as Apple continues to abide by

Steve Jobs’ “I am going to destroy Android” policy, and the “us vs. them” mentality contin-

ues, Android will prevail.

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Fixing the system Should we improve our emergency

procedures?

4 ED/OP issue 5december 19, 2012

H ts and M ssesWhat’s Up and doWn With the lancer

yes

no

abstain

editorial board

07

02

09

Kate Middleton getting pregnant. she’ll be

having royal pains.

no internet in syria. that’s definitely a

syrious problem.

basketball’s back in season. they’ll

definitely do better than the lakers.

Kim Kardashian’s kitten, Mercy, died.

lord have Mercy.

“the hobbit’s” release. nothing can bring in

the dwarf gold better than the sleeping dragon that is tolkien nerds.

the nFl has been talking about

eliminating the kickoff because of head injuries. that’s bad.

the supreme court ruling on

the constitutionality of gay marriage. that’s good.

spotify ads. Good thing torrents don’t

have them.

H T

M SS

H T

M SS

H T

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ali WireEditor-in-Chief

The daydream has been engraved in my mind since my first day of senior year. June 13: graduation. Parents sit in the stadium, their eyes flooding with pride and nostalgia as they spot their children on the field.

As the ceremony concludes, hundreds of graduation caps fly into the air. Friends embrace each other in joy; their required years of education are finally over.

And then we will always be remembered as the Class of 2013: the class that looked like park rangers.

Upon receiving cap and gown order forms in late

November, seniors discovered a slight change in ward-robe. To honor TOHS’s 50th anniversary, all gradua-tion robes are now a shade of forest green (more like wilting clover), instead of the traditional kelly green and white.

While it is important to celebrate this occasion, the change is obnoxious. Students will be unidentifiable in a sea of grunge green robes.

It also proves to be a financial problem. Students planning on using robes from alumni now have to put a hole in their wallets. It’s an inconvenient waste of money, especially for those who are lacking the green

to get the new green.Another factor is the amount of time and money the

school has already put towards the fiftieth. Almost ev-ery sport uniform is branded with the anniversary em-blem and extravagant events have taken place. Another celebration is unnecessary and annoying.

It’s also a cosmetic concern. No one—and I mean no one—will look attractive in this new color. I don’t want to look at my graduation photos and see a field of stomach-turning greens.

On the most important day of my educational ca-reer, I want to look as proud as I feel. Not like moss.

Not so green

with envy

eMily evirSGuest Writer

My name is Emily, and I’m a Mac.Lately, I’ve been facing the question of whether our

beloved Apple company will be able to hold its ground against the recently popular Android (as well as other tablets), now that the head of the company has passed away. Being a faithful user, I’m convinced Apple can withstand the loss of Steve Jobs and keep on keepin’ on top of the U.S. markets.

To help stay afloat, the company recently announced the movement of all product manufacturing to the United States. Ten points to us for bringing it home. And if that isn’t enough, the release of the iPhone 5 is still booming.

Apple knows how to appeal to our con-sumers, who desire the newest and most updated model of a product. Recently, the company chose to extend the variety of colors for the iPod Touch and to shrink the size of the iPad.

I can explain through example. The second I heard the iPhone 5 was be-ing released, I was dying to update my “lousy” 4. As soon as my dad discovered the release of the new iMac, he preordered it. We as a family demonstrate the ad-dicting nature of having the newest and greatest models of a product, and intend on further investing in Apple.

The Apple company has too much of a hold on the consumer market and an ar-ray of appealing products to be knocked out by some copycats.

conPRO

H T

Androids fight to keep freedom alive

The Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree

M SS

Current Lockdown Emergency Procedures

» one long, low-pitched bell sounds or announcement over PA system

» If already in classroom, close blinds, lock door, turn off lights, get on the floor and stay away from windows

» Stay as quiet as possible and don’t do anything unless instructed by authorities

» If outside classroom,proceed to nearest open classroom or office

It’s a battle over the free market—and it’s down to

the core

issue 5december 19, 2012

Opin

ions

brief

5ED/OP

FOR MORE ON

TEDxSEE SPOTLIGHT

PAGES 8&9

Thousand Oaks High School2323 N. Moorpark Rd.Thousand Oaks, California 91360Phone: (805) 778-0947Fax: (805) 374-1165www.tohsthelancer.org

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

The Lancer is a member of the Journalism Education Association (JEA), National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), Columbia Stu-dent Press Association (CSPA) and NSPA All-American Hall of Fame.

Call (805) 778-0947 for advertising rates and information. 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.

NE

WS

PA

PE

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Jason GardinerAli Wire

centerNola AdedigbaShaini Rodrigo

entertainmentEric HatlandSara Wilson

Ian DohertyLee McPherson

sports

featuresCortni KaufmanKendell Snow

copyAlexandra Randall

website editors-in-chiefMegan BowserHenry Chou

I’m about to use the “C” word. Are you ready? Here it comes. It’s on its way. It’s coming in

hot. Brace your-selves.

Censorship.Dirty

words are nothing to snick-

er at anymore and they’re certainly not the

taboo they used to be. We’re all mature here. We can handle it. I’ve graduated out of my Pampers and into my Pull-Ups.

Currently, I’m reading The Grapes of Wrath in my AP English class. In it, a line says, “If a seed dropped did not germinate, it was no skin off his ass.” It’s an important line in terms of the story and message John Steinbeck presents. However, in my book and numerous other school copies, the line in question is changed to “It was nothing.”

Thanks for that. Without that unneeded and ri-diculous censorship, I would have gotten the vapors and my little heart might have beaten out of my poor chest. Oh my stars, lil’ ol’ me han’t been this fl ab-bergasted since nineteen-aught-seven. Deary me.

High school students are mature enough to handle a few curse words and some explicit depiction. Like sex or something. Not to mention the fact that we hear and see much worse on the evening news.

Books like, The Catcher in the Rye or 1984 aren’t meant for wee ones and the authors never intended for them to be a merry romp through Tinseltown. The author has created that book for a purpose and it’s insulting to think that it’s protecting anyone by changing what they wrote. Books shouldn’t be ed-ited for the sake of offending fewer people. Because that would be censorship. Right? And we wouldn’t want that, now, would we? No, of course not. What are we, Stalinist Russia?

Books are a platform for the author’s ideas just as much as entertainment for the readers. We’re expected to read literary classics, but the force of the book is taken away when “fi ddlesticks” and “dagnabit” are used in lieu of stronger words.

Imagine Bruce Willis saying “Yippie kay yay melon farmer” or Samuel L. Jackson yelling “Eng-lish, moose fi nger! Do you speak it?”

All the power of the original phrase, everything that made it quotable, is gone. When a book is retroactively changed, nobody gains anything from the edit. The original meaning is changed and the author’s voice silenced in place of a watered down version deemed more politically correct.

This also sets a nasty precedent in terms of the future of edited books. If we allow this one issue to slip through the cracks, what would we allow to change in the future?

How much can an author’s work change before we draw the line? What’s to stop a parental watch-dog group from subtly changing a writer’s political or religious views if we become complacent to this?

This isn’t sensationalist liberalism, nor is it the faux-rebellion of teenage angst talking. It’s more of a discussion on what should be allowed in schools.

And maybe that discussion should include a more open-minded approach.

—Casey Sigelakis

STAFFadvertising managerLauren James

Ethan HeathcoteEthan LyonsBenjamin Mueller-LeclercEddie RiceDane Swanson

advisersTasha BeaudoinJo Zimmerman

Casey SigelakisKelly Wisneski

opinion

newsJessica AshcraftJoyce Tan

writers

technology managerEddie Rice

editors-in-chief

EDITORS//////////////////////////////

theL

AN

CE

R

///////////////////////////////////

financial managerParis Rhodes

Ethan LyonsBenjamin Mueller-Leclerc

photographers

TEDxYouth exceeds expectations

There ain’t no party like a pajama day party

Coziness and comfort are all well and good, but too much of a good thing makes for a poorly thought out execution. Everything in moderation, ASB.

While I do enjoy theme days, and I do think they are a good way to let people express themselves, they should be more diverse and less frequent.

On Tuesday, there was “Pajama Day” and Wednes-day is “Warm and Fuzzy Day.” There isn’t much of a difference between these two.

It’s nice that we have special days to be more cre-ative, but the impact is lessened when you could show up one day in one outfi t, and wear the same one the next day.

—Casey Sigelakis

CASE POINTIN

**** *** ******

website editorsEthan LyonsAlexandra Randall

KELLY WISNESKIEd/Op Editor

I trek up the damp steps of the Newbury Park PAC, Bent on Coffee latte in hand.

Saturday afternoon, 12:42 p.m.—at this janky campus preparing to spend three hours I didn’t have listening to kids my age talking about their enviable projects and ideas.

Saturday afternoon, 12:57 p.m.—scorching my throat as I down my latte before entering, because I’ll need every last drop if I’m going to make it through TEDxYouth@Conejo.

Saturday afternoon, 1:06 p.m.—wishing I had grabbed a donut from the lobby as the lights dim on stage. Sweater-clad senior Adam Protter walks on stage.

Three days earlier he addressed me about attending the event. I wasn’t planning on going. But for whatever reason, I ended up there on that Saturday afternoon, and I ended up having one of the most enjoyable after-noons of my life. No sarcasm.

It made me laugh, made me cry, and I walked out of that PAC feeling like I should change the world—like it was my responsibility to change the world.

Protter talked not of his impressive scientifi c reper-toire, but of skydiving and running a marathon with his grandmother. Michael Costigan nonchalantly ex-plained how he sold a successful web design business at age 15, and Daniel Lacey broke out the easel to map out a thoroughly developed philosophy that reiterated the event’s theme: seize the moment.

I went into it expecting a sub-par satellite program, because how could I expect anything to top TEDxCone-jo (a similar but larger-scale and adult-focused event held at the Civic Arts Plaza in the spring)?

But it was refreshing. It was relatable. It was more inspiring to listen to passionate kids than

overly-impressive adults. I witnessed people in the pro-cess of achieving their dreams instead of hearing adults preach about their past success.

Kudos to the speakers and organizers, including our own school to career coordinator Jane Carlson.

The only disappointment was the half-full auditori-um; I understand teenage apathy, but this event should be sold out the fi rst couple days.

Inspiring young adults took to the TEDx stage to present their mature short speeches surrounding the event’s theme, “seize the moment”

Owens stepped onto the red carpet in her pink dress shirt and commanded the stage in style strangely reminiscent of Lindsay Baffo. She delivered a relatable message about active listening, about actually focusing on conversing with the person beside you in lieu of looking at your phone.

KATIE OWENS

State legislature ruins classic school bus fun

I remember the days when bus rides were better than the fi eld trips themselves. But no more, my friends.

I boarded the bus to my fi rst season basketball game several weeks ago and found it fi lled with seat belts, abnormally tall seat backs, an inconveniently narrow aisle and zero leg room between the seats.

These changes are a result of recent California leg-islation, including a 2010 law requiring seat belts on all new buses.

The renovations aren’t the cheapest either—an esti-mated $10,000 per bus. Let’s fi nd a safety solution that doesn’t cause excessive discomfort and doesn’t inter-fere with my childhood.

—Kelly Wisneski

Costigan’s presentation praised the nonconform-ist—the hipster, if you will. He himself started his own

company at age 13, which he sold at age 15. His message was relevant and unconventional:

Don’t strive for “brick and mortar institu-tions”; we should be following our pas-

sion, not a path.

MICHAEL COSTIGAN

When she walked out in a onesie, nobody ex-pected her to speak about the loss of her father and then several months later, the loss of an-

other father figure. She revealed a dress shirt and bow tie below the onesie and delivered a powerful and tear-jerking message about how to overcome difficult obstacles.

CHEYENNE MOREAU

Chang challenged the long-accepted phrase “knowl-edge is power,” claiming instead that knowledge

is potential. Not only did he refute Sir Francis Bacon, but he connected it to journalism. My hero. Chang made it clear that we need to seize the moment and put our knowledge to work by informing others.

BRIAN CHANG

Honestly, I was confused by this presentation. I think her speech was about overcoming childhood

adversity, but it was vague and therefore hard to internalize and connect with emotionally. I guess on the plus side, she really took Costi-gan’s idea of nonconformity to heart; she was the only non-youth there.

MELINDA CROWN

6 FEATURES issue 5december 19, 2012

KENDELL SNOWFeatures Editor

As she waits beside her parents at the airport, sopho-more Haley Moss wonders what the exchange student she will be living with over the next year will be like and how her arrival will change her life.

The exchange student staying with Moss, junior Julliette May, is from Geneva, Switzerland. Although there were many changes that came with moving to California, May is enjoying living with her host family. She especially likes teaching them about Swiss culture and learning about America from them.

“They’re really funny and they’re inter-ested in learning about Switzerland and the culture,” May said.

In Geneva, May lives with her parents, two sisters and one brother, but here she is accompanied by only Moss and her parents.

“I have my own room here,” May said. “It’s a lot more quiet.”

Moss is also experiencing a change in lifestyle and is happy having someone her age in the house.

“I’m an only child, so it’s nice to have a sister in the house and to learn about her culture,” Moss said.

As May settles into her temporary Ameri-can home, she is discovering the many differ-ences in the American and Swiss societies and misses some of the privileges that she had in Swit-zerland.

“I feel like I’m treated like a kid here,” May said. “Not by my host family, but by society.”

Besides this, May is enjoying her time with the Moss famly and hopes to learn more about American society as the year goes on.

“I want to enjoy this year as much as I can,” May said. “I’m looking forward to learning more about American culture.”

CORTNI KAUFMANFeatures Editor

Coming to a new country was as nerve wracking as it was exciting for junior Jules Jolivot. For senior Zach Hougardy, it was just as thrilling. Jolivot, originally from Saint Sauver D’Annis, France, came to the US as part of an exchange student program, and joined Hou-gardy’s family for the 2012-2013 school year.

Arriving in August, Jolivot found himself embrac-ing the American lifestyle and schooling.

“The school[ing] is very different than in France,” Jolivot said. “[It’s] much nicer. The

opportunity to take classes like theater is very unique, and I was used to work[ing] from eight AM to fi ve or six PM, which gives me a lot of free time.”

Jolivot has also grown so familiar with his host parents as to call them mom and dad.

“I love them,” Jolivot said. “The more time we spend together, the more we act like a family.”

Hougardy, who had considered himself an only child after his two older siblings moved away from home, now fi nds him-

self with a new brother.“I like not being the only kid in the house,”

Hougardy said. “I like having someone close to my own age there. Not all of the focus is on

me anymore.”Hougardy enjoys the conversational topics his

family has taken to now that Jolivot is a member of their family.

“A lot of the conversations aren’t about our lives, but more about different cultures,” Hougardy said. “It’s pretty interesting.”

Like most Americans, Hougardy notices that Jolivot has many quirks that set him apart from those origi-nally born in the US.

“With Americans, I think we’re reserved,” Hougardy said, “whereas he is a lot more out there.”

Forging family ties

One girl to another

As exchange students settle into theirtemporary homes, their hosts are learning about their culture and teaching them their own

connecting with the WORLD

JULLIETTE MAY

JULES JOLIVOT

HALEY MOSS

ZACH HOUGARDY

GRAPHIC » KENDELL SNOW

7issue 5december 19, 2012 FEATURES

KENDELL SNOW Features Editor

Leaning in to light the candles of the me-norah, sophomore Paige Sternberg looks behind her to the glow of her family’s Christmas tree.

Each year, Sternberg and her family partake in the celebrations of both Hanukkah and Christmas. Her parents come from different religious backgrounds and decided to celebrate both rather than choosing one over the other.

“My mom grew up celebrating Christmas and my dad grew up celebrating Hanukkah,” Sternberg said of her mixed upbringing.

In their home they have both a menorah and a Christmas tree and even decorate the outside of their house with both Hanukkah and Christmas decorations.

While she enjoys celebrating both holidays, she’s partial to Hanukkah because of her family’s role in the festivities.

“I prefer Hanukkah because my family is bigger on my dad’s side and it’s more of an event,” Sternberg said. “And the food is really good.”

Although she favors and enjoys the celebration of Hanukkah, she does not necessarily follow the daily aspects of the religion.

“I’m not actually very religious,” Sternberg said. “I celebrate it for my family.”

The holiday season gives Sternberg a chance to visit with her extended family, celebrate her various cul-tures and make new memories to keep with the old.

“My whole family gets together,” Sternberg said. “We usually don’t see each other throughout the year so it’s really nice.”

Living two cultures

Celebrating happiness

ETHAN LYONS » THE LANCER

ALI WIRE » THE LANCER

Double ballingEDDIE RICEStaff Writer

He watches the batter at home plate thinking of a pitch that will strike his opponent out. Figuring out—if the batter does hit—what defense will be best to back him up with to get this person out.

All the while, at the very edge of his mind, he is ready to play some basketball the day after.

Freshmen Tyler Whetstone is an athlete that partici-pates in both baseball and basketball. But he doesn’t do it for recognition, for popularity or even for college. Whetstone plays two sports purely for the love of the games. This love pushes Whetstone to better himself at both of the sports through practice, practice and more practice. He plans on trying out for the Lancer basket-ball team next year, but is currently in off season base-ball as a pitcher and outfi elder.

“When I’m not practicing at baseball,” Whetstone said, “I’m over at the community center playing bas-ketball.”

His passion for sports began at the age of fi ve, and blossomed into what he does today.

His idols in baseball and basketball provide him a platform for the future. His two favorite athletes are baseball player Mike Trout of the Angels and basket-ball player Steve Nash of the Lakers. He looks up to these players not because they are the best, but because he considers them to be really good team players who

do whatever it takes to push the entire team to full po-tential, even if it means sacrifi cing fame and glory. This inspires him on a daily basis to push himself to greater heights in his passion to play better every game, wheth-er in baseball or basketball.

Whetstone is rejuvenated when playing sports. Even when he is sore, tired or overwhelmed from one sport, all of that fades away as he starts to play the other. His spirits are lifted when he begins to play.

Whetstone wants to attend the University of Lou-isville after high school, and play sports at a college level.

“I would like to go there because of the great base-ball program,” said Whetstone. “I also hear that St. Louisville is a beautiful place to go to.”

Whetstone does not care where he attends, as long as he was able to play sports for the school. Unsure about what he wants to do in life, he has considered running a business of any kind, just to be able to make his own hours so he can fi t time for sports into his schedule.

As an avid player of his favorite sports, Whetstone puts his sweat, hard work and passion into his game.

“I heard a quote by Derek Jeter one time,” Whetstone said. “I don’t remember it exactly but I do remember what it meant to me. Play the game not for fame or recognition but play it for the love of playing it.”

“Every Lancer Has a Story” is a recurring feature on a randomly selected student.

ETHAN LYONS » THE LANCER

ETHAN LYONS » THE LANCER

EVERY LANCER has a STORY

freshman Tyler Whetstone

WINDING UP—(above) Freshman Tyler Whetstone warms up his pitch before practice at the baseball field. (bottom) Whetstone works on his free throw while practicing during lunch on the outdoor basketball courts. Although he is not on the school team he plays in his free time.

CORTNI KAUFMANFeatures Editor

There are students that celebrate Christ-mas, Hanukkah and even Kwanzaa. Students

like junior Dylan Rubic, a Jehovah’s Witness, however, don’t celebrate any holidays at all.

Rubic has been a Jehovah’s Witness for his entire life and has never celebrated Christmas, Halloween or even his own birthday. Instead of receiving gifts on these holidays he receives gifts year round.

“I prefer getting gifts year round,” Rubic said. “That way I don’t have to wait a whole year to get them.”

During winter break, rather than getting together with extended family, he and his immediate family head up to Big Bear.

“It’s become kind of a tradition with my family to go up to Big Bear and snowboard,” Rubic says.

The only holiday his family and other members of his religion celebrate is the Jehovah’s Witness Memo-rial Day, which takes place on the night of the be-lieved date of the death of Jesus Christ, and celebrates the actual death of Jesus.

“We get together with other Jehovah’s Witnesses to appreciate Jesus’ sacrifi ce,” Rubic said.

Although Rubic has not celebrated or experienced any holidays other than the Jehovah’s Witness Memo-rial Day, he would not trade his lifetime of being a Jehovah’s Witness for any other religious experiences.

“There’s just so many things I enjoy about being a Witness,” Rubic says. “I guess I’d say that what I enjoy most is the hope it gives me for a better future.”

Rubic hopes to use his religious experiences to fi nd his happiness, and make the most of living.

Double or nothingCelebrating happiness

ETHAN LYONS » THE LANCER

ALI WIRE » THE LANCER

There are students that celebrate mas, Hanukkah and even Kwanzaa. Students

like junior Dylan Rubic, a Jehovah’s Witness, however, don’t celebrate any holidays at all.

Rubic has been a Jehovah’s Witness for his entire life and has never celebrated Christmas, Halloween or even his own birthday. Instead of receiving gifts on these holidays he receives gifts year round.

“I prefer getting gifts year round,” Rubic said. “That way I don’t have to wait a whole year to get them.”

During winter break, rather than getting together with extended family, he and his immediate family head up to Big Bear.

“It’s become kind of a tradition with my family to go up to Big Bear and snowboard,” Rubic says.

The only holiday his family and other members of his religion celebrate is the Jehovah’s Witness Memo-rial Day, which takes place on the night of the be-lieved date of the death of Jesus Christ, and celebrates the actual death of Jesus.

“We get together with other Jehovah’s Witnesses to appreciate Jesus’ sacrifi ce,” Rubic said.

Although Rubic has not celebrated or experienced any holidays other than the Jehovah’s Witness Memo-rial Day, he would not trade his lifetime of being a Jehovah’s Witness for any other religious experiences.

“There’s just so many things I enjoy about being a Witness,” Rubic says. “I guess I’d say that what I enjoy most is the hope it gives me for a better future.”

Rubic hopes to use his religious experiences to fi nd his happiness, and make the most of living.

or or nonothing

Leaning in to light the candles of the me-

Each year, Sternberg and her family partake in the celebrations of both Hanukkah and Christmas. Her parents come from different religious backgrounds and decided to celebrate both rather than choosing one over the other.

“My mom grew up celebrating Christmas and my dad grew up celebrating Hanukkah,” Sternberg said of

In their home they have both a menorah and a Christmas tree and even decorate the outside of their house with both Hanukkah and Christmas

While she enjoys celebrating both holidays, she’s partial to Hanukkah because of her family’s role in the

“I prefer Hanukkah because my family is bigger on my dad’s side and it’s more of an event,” Sternberg

Although she favors and enjoys the celebration of Hanukkah, she does not necessarily follow the daily

“I’m not actually very religious,” Sternberg said.

The holiday season gives Sternberg a chance to visit with her extended family, celebrate her various cul-tures and make new memories to keep with the old.

“My whole family gets together,” Sternberg said. “We usually don’t see each other throughout the

Living two

ETHAN LYONS » THE LANCER

Doublee or

ETHAN LYONS » THE LANCER

or or

98 SPOTLIGHT

Spreading XTED We are the first school district to hold an independent TED event. Al-though, most students on campus

don’t seem to realize what an honor that is or recognize the opportunity

that has just fallen in our laps

NOLA ADEDIGBACenter Editor

It was the breakfast after the monthly ACT, Area Coor-dinated Team, meeting, when Jane Carlson, Don Levy and Kate Anderson came up with the idea.

The ACT is where the Thousand Oaks, Westlake and Newbury School-to-Career counselors meet to discuss the various events and guest speakers that will happen later and throughout the year, along with representatives from Moor-park College and Cal State Channel Island.

The biggest event at that point was the district-held Ca-reer Fair, where people in the community spoke about their careers and jobs. But, the committee felt that the fair wasn’t the best thing for the students.

“We felt that some of the careers and jobs wouldn’t be as available when they graduated from college.” Carlson said.

One of the benefi ts of having a TED membership is not just going to various talks, but also getting to hold a TED-like event, called TEDx. So when committee member, Don-ald Levy, went to the offi cial TED conference held in Long Beach, they had found their solution.

“We had just become the fi rst school district in the world to have an independent TED conference,” Carlson said.

In order to hold the TEDx event, they had to follow many rules and regulations.

“TED is extremely protective of their image. There are strict guidelines for who can speak on stage and what the topic is about,” Carlson said, “We even had to send a video

of the event to them for approval.”Nevertheless, their TEDx was successful and Carlson was

eager to have another TEDx specifi cally designed for stu-dents to be in control of everything, from the speakers to the video production.

“We wanted our students to not just be passive observers of the talks, but to engage in deep discussions about those talks, Carlson said “and what they mean to us.”

Carlson ultimately plans to register as a member so that she may be able to hold the TEDx Youth more frequently.

“I hope to reach a bigger audience, and engage the com-munity as much as I can and have more students experience the TED videos and the TED talks to spark new ideas, new discussions outside the classroom.” Carlson said.

Sophomore Marley Del Olmo also wants to spread TEDx to his fellow schoolmates. He is planning on starting a TED club on campus.

“When I was in seventh grade, my dad and I started watch-ing the TED talk, and I was hooked. I want other people to enjoy them, too.”

Carlson also believes that it will take much more market-ing to get students more involved in TEDx, through the new club, posters, word of mouth, and TOday.

“The marketing part is the hardest, it takes time for the word to get out,” Carlson said, “but when it does I believe TEDx will be amazing.

Carlson hopes the next TEDxyouth@conejo to be at Thou-sand Oaks High School, around February/March of 2014.

SHAINI RODRIGOCenter Editor

TEDxYouth@Conejo is no simple production. The program takes months of preparation from adults and students alike. Un-fortunately, few from TOHS took the opportunity to receive the TEDx experience. Each job contributes to the overall experience that is centered around and entirely created by CVUSD’s own.

Senior Summer Shafer, got a fi rst hand experience.“All the ideas and work came from the youth which is impor-

tant because none of the other TED events do that,” Shafer said.Shafer was on the Publicity and Volunteer Commission, a divi-

sion of the planning committee. For the past year, she met with the group for over two hours once a week.

“It was defi nitely rewarding after working on it for such a long time,” Shafer said. “I wish more people understood what an amazing event it is.”

She was also one of the several hosts at the event. Shafer had the privilege of announcing the speakers and interviewing them backstage.

Shafer was not the only student involved. Senior Jorel Balaba-la also volunteered to be head of the production crew, managing the cameras and other equipment to record the talks for TEDx. With the ambition to pursue a career in fi lm production, Balabala gained new skills about the industry from working behind the scenes.

“It was a really good experience. I worked with a producer from CBS and she really liked my commitment to the work I did,” Balabala said. “I was working with a real producer and in an environment that’s close to the real thing.”

Working together with the rest of the crew, Bala-bala managed to help run the show smoothly, without any mis-haps.

The crew and committee, however centered the focus on the speakers them-selves in order to bring the production to the stage. Speak-ers had training and rehearsal ses-sions to review and critique their speeches before the actual con-ference.

Senior Christine Smith exercised her public-speaking skills in her speech “True Life: I Have Curly Hair.”

“It’s so much different to lay your feelings on the line in front of a bunch of strangers,” Smith said.

Smith wanted her speech to be about fi nding one’s true iden-tity, regardless of what others might think. She was impressed by her fellow speakers’ take on the theme, “Seize the Moment.”

“For me, the biggest impact was seeing other people’s stories. At the end, you see such a transformation that people were proud of themselves and you see that people heard what you said,” Smith said.

The crew of high school students and supervisors and set up the whole event, in order to make TEDx available for the Conejo Valley. With Balabala and Shafer, they handled concessions, announcements and fi lming.

After a year’s worth of preparation, the effort falls into four hours of emotion, comedy, truth and achievement. All those from TOHS who spoke, organized or attended, gained both a new in-sight and experience.

TEDxYouth@Conejo: Start of something new

Volunteering at TEDx

TED by the numbersThe key facts and statistics on TED

Conejo Valley was the first school district to have an independent TEDx event

1st

When there are around 154,000 peo-

ple residing in the Conejo Valley

Only 250 people came to the

TEDx youth event

FACE THE CROWD—Senior Christine Smith talks about self-discovery in her

speech, “True Life: I have Curly Hair” at the

TEDxYouth@Conejo conference. Despite such stu-dent involvment, the Perform-

ing Arts Center at NPHS was not filled to its full potential

that Saturday. (left) The student planning committee receives an applause at the

end of the event.

ETHAN LYONS » THE LANCERNOLA ADEDIGBA » THE LANCER

React

You have to be a TEDster, having gone to the TED conference,

to hold a TEDx event

What do you think about TEDx ?

“The themes don’t look like the most interesting thing, to be honest. It’d be better if it’s more broad, or even more specific, or just an interesting topic. I would probably go.” — junior Alison Cervelli

“It was overall a pleasant experience. I enjoyed the fact that they had free food at NPHS. Perhaps get more speakers from TOHS. A couple of the speakers were touching subjects that I thought were interesting.” — junior Tim Mosher

“It was overall a pleasant experience. I enjoyed the fact that they had free food at NPHS. Perhaps get more speakers from TOHS. A couple of the speakers were touching subjects that I thought were interesting.” — sophomore Irene Jang

“I was very unaware of what TEDx was about. I’ve seen the posters around, but I was really busy on that day. But if they had changed the date or advertised it more, I probably would have gone.” — senior Iana Smith

There are 1034 world-

wide TED events in

2013

and around

1300 people attend each

of those Members have to

pay $7,500 per year for standard membership

the x in TEDx stands for

independent

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment

and Design.

10 FEATURES issue 5december 19, 2012

ETHAN HEATHCOATEStaff Writer

Scholarships are one of the most widely misunderstood aspects of the college applica-tion process. The general misconception is that students with a 4.6 GPA and a 2360 SAT score are the only ones eligible for scholarships. However, this isn’t the case. There is a plethora of scholarship opportunities and for the most part, applying is considered simple.

Almost every scholarship can be applied for now with the use of the Internet. Senior Gun-nar Tijerina has applied for several scholar-ships and is familiar with the process.

“I started off by typing college scholarships into Google.” Tijerina says. “They want to know your SAT scores, background, ethnicity, eyecolor...it’s basically just a long checklist.”

Tijerina explained that while the process may be monotonous, it is also very straight-forward and easy. He warns that students may not want to use their main email account when applying for scholarships though.

“Its defi nitely something you are going to want a spam account for, because they’ll send you a million emails every day,” Tijerina said.

Many scholarships available are set up in a manner similar to contests. Essay contests are one of the most common ways to receive a

scholarship. The topics for these essays differ with some being profound life experiences to more trivial topics. In addition to other scholarships Tijierina applied for the Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship. The essay requires that applicants use up to 250 words to explain where they would hide and fi ve things that they would bring along in the case of a zombie apocalypse. The applicants with the best sub-missions will be awarded anywhere from $500 to $1500.

There are also scholarship opportunities that have more unique requirements such as photographs, paintings, and other creative sub-missions. One such example is a scholarship that is awarded to a couple that wears the best duct-tape outfi t to their school prom.

The amount of scholarships available to students is steadily growing. Although it holds true that typically the larger the monetary value, the more competitive it is, there are a surprising amount of less competitive ones available for several hundred dollars.

Senior Cortez Capell has also submitted a scholarship application.

“Paying for college without assistance can be a long struggle for anyone,” Capell said. “I can only hope that I can get any fi nancial sup-port as I compete against thousands of others.”

Scholarship opportunities:Students are offered further chances to attend college through looking into scholarships

KENDELL SNOW Features Editor

As most students are fi nishing fi lling out college ap-plications, a few students have already received their acceptance letters through early decision programs.

Among these select students is senior Noah Fields who was recently accepted into Brown University.

“I had to submit my application by November fi rst,” Fields said. “Instead of hearing from them in March, when regular decisions come back, I heard back this week.”

While Fields is pleased with the results of his early decision, he does think the early decision program has negative aspects.

“One downside of early decision is that you’re com-mitted to that one school,” Fields said.

When a student is accepted to a school through early decision and chooses to attend the school all of their applications to other schools are void.

The alternative to early decision programs are early action programs, in which the student is not bound to attending that particular college.

“With early action you get in but you’re not required to commit to that one school,” Fields said, “You can apply to other colleges during regular decision later and just know that you got in early so you’re guaran-teed to go to a college.”

Students use the early decision program to show col-leges that they are their top choice. Although some stu-dents do not get accepted through early decision it can be helpful. Early decision allows the students to look into different college opportunities if deferred rather than putting all of their hopes into their top school. For example, senior Chris Lees applied to his top school, Harvard, through early decision and was deferred.

“I already knew that Harvard was my top choice, so it was a no brainer to apply.” Lees said. “Plus, the chance of being accepted into college three to four

months earlier would be a great relief for the rest of senior year.”

Early decision programs allow students to spend their senior year with less application stress and is a way to demonstrate interest to a particular school.

Early decision

COLLEGE

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS » WITH PERMISSION

Early decision

Early action

months earlier would be a great relief for the rest

Early decision programs allow students to spend

corner

The Blog of Mormon:I like writing college essays. Don’t crucify me, please.I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but it’s out now. I thoroughly

enjoy college essays. The key, I think, is to pop the stereotypical college essay bubble. Or any other bubble.

I compared BYU to “1984,” I wrote an extended metaphor comparing journalism and war, I wrote an essay about North-western’s typeface (that’s a font) choice, I commented on toe socks, and I quoted “The Hobbit.”

And I’m just getting started.No, really. I need to stop procrastinating.

» blogs

So go out on a limb—visitwww.tohsthelancer.org

»Polls, picture of the day, and moreexclusive content

Brown University»

Students utilize early decision programs

—Allows stu-dents to ac-cept an admis-sion offer from another school, even if accepted through early action.

—More restric-tive than early action; if ac-cepted through early decision, students are re-quired to attend the school.

11ENTERTAINMENTissue 5december 19, 2012

As soon as I hear the ring of silver sleigh bells, I’m in the zone. My fi ngers fl ex, legs lengthen, sinuses strengthen. I press my debit card into my hand so hard, the corners break my skin. The blood doesn’t even faze me as it drips down my hand.

After months of mental and physical preparation, I’m ready to begin the fi ercest game of the year: holi-day shopping.

And, I really suck at it. Before I go any further, I would like to state that I am

an excellent shopper. My fashion sense is immaculate, although a bit bizarre. I capture clothes like a Venus fl y trap and bargain like an old grandmother. But when it comes to buying Christmas gifts, I crash and burn like a kamikaze.

sophomore

From the very start, any chance for success is eliminated by my typical choice of venue. Shop-ping malls. It’s like locking a recovering alco-holic in a liquor cabinet. With such a wide va-riety of stores (the list is honestly endless), it’s impossible to leave without spending a few dol-lars on myself. Especially when huge “SALE” signs plaster the windows, beckoning me towards an incredibly seductive pair of Jeffrey Campbells.

Which leads me to my next obstacle in present purchasing: buying for other people. Not only am I a raging egotist, my friends also have amazing taste. As soon as I buy gifts for them, I always begin to re-consider their purpose. Maybe I do need another band T-shirt; 13 just is not quite enough.

Of course, I have my dear friends in mind and heart when I buy their presents. But, as the holidays get closer, the primly wrapped packages begin to taunt my inner shopping demon. Another $50 right down the drain.

In an attempt to spend less, I decided to shop on-line. By recommendation from my friends, I went to Etsy: the ultimate webstore for the crafty mom, artsy individual and pretentious hipster.

After putting a $50 dent in my bank account (plus additional shipping fees), I realized that I had yet to cross off a single name on the list of people who still needed presents. Luckily, I managed to order a few thirty cent necklaces. Mass gifting is my specialty.

However, it was still really embarrassing to explain to my mother that half of the packages shipped to our house were for me.

Holidays, I’m done. It’s not you, it’s me. All I ask is that my friends and family have a wonderful winter break, my father gets me an iPad mini and that some-one I actually fancy asks me to Senior Ball. Seriously, can he do it already? I’m going insane over here.

Ahem. Anyway. Happy holidays, kitties.-Ali Wire

COOLEST

on campus

CAT

Holiday shopping for the greater good: Me.

the

JASON GARDINEREditor-in-Chief

My favorite movie is anything directed by Peter Jackson and shot in New Zealand.

Jackson has brought Middle-Earth and its inhabit-ants back with a vengeance in “The Hobbit:

An Unexpected Journey.”This is the movie I’ve been anticipat-

ing for almost a decade. And, it met every one of my expectations. The

concept art and scenery are breathtaking, Martin Free-man’s performance as Bilbo is

spot-on—he captures comical to inspiring and most every-thing in between. The score combines familiar favorites from “The Lord of the Rings” with lovely new material in-cluding a full and rich (dare I say luscious?) theme and variations based on the dwarves’ “Misty Moun-tains” song.

“The Hobbit” is the story of Bilbo Baggins,

Frodo’s uncle. He, Gandalf the wizard and 13 dwarves travel to the Lonely Moun-tain to reclaim the dwarves’

home and riches from the dragon Smaug.

And, of course, they get into a giant portion of malarkey along the way.

There’s been a bit of controversy over director Peter

Jackson’s decision to stretch “The Hobbit” into

its own trilogy. Obviously

this will bring in more revenue, although I don’t think that’s Jackson’s motivation. He went to the trouble of getting the rights to use the appendices of The Lord of the Rings; clearly he intends to use them.

And he has: Jackson brilliantly incorporates the pale orc Azog (The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A) into the fi lm. Thorin, the leader of the dwarves, bears a grudge against Azog. In the appendix, Azog is killed (and not by Thorin), but Jackson brings him into the movie to provide a valuable subplot. As much as I appreciate the integrity of the novel, this is really a necessary change. “The Hobbit” is less of a continuous stream of events than it is a series of confl icts that leads up to the climax. Especially with a three-part production, Azog gives the story direction.

Jackson takes some other liberties—Galadriel and Saruman in Rivendell, the Radagast sequence—but they all cinch “The Hobbit” together with “The Lord of the Rings.” They’re really the same story. Galadriel and Saruman’s presence helps people who don’t read the appendices (I can’t imagine why not) get that—Rada-gast’s story even more so.

Radagast, a wizard like Gandalf, is a quaint hermit who prefers the company of animals to that of people. A disturbance in his forest leads him to an abandoned fortress that the Necromancer—pre-creepy-eye-on-a-tower Sauron—has made his own. I can’t wait to see where Jackson will follow this storyline.

This is exactly what the appendices are for. They provide the entire backstory for Tolkien’s master-pieces. They are the threads that connect the blanket of Tolkien’s work—and oh, would I love to wrap myself in that blanket.

Another worrying trilogy problem is where and how to end it. Dividing a movie like this can be problem-atic, but the ending was actually quite well-done. It was a cliffhanger in that you know there’s plenty more coming, but it’s still as satisfying as any happy end-ing. And ,it features the juiciest dramatic irony I have ever heard: “I think the worst is behind us,” Bilbo says. Guess he didn’t read the book.

Needless to say, “The Hobbit” was a very long ex-pected party for me and it didn’t fall short. Yeah, I went there. And back again, for that matter.

I can’t wait for the extended version.

Not justanothertall tale

PHOTOS » OFFICAL MOVIE WEBSITE GRAPHIC »ERIC HATLAND

Eric and Sara’s Best of 2012

(Drumroll, please)

ANNA SUN, WALK THE MOON Walk the Moon’s first single brings the house

down. Its simple, yet deliciously catchy, lyrics kept

us rocking out all summer, fall and now into the

rainy days of winter. With vocals and instrumen-

tals reminiscent of early The Killers, “Anna Sun”

was the perfect song to drive with, to chill with or

even to make a newspaper with.

»JAM

»close seconds

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Summit Moonrise Kingdom, Focus Features Wreck-It

Ralph, Disney Pictures Chronicle, 20th Century Fox

Some Nights, fun.Thrift Shop, Macklemore

Radioactive, Imagine DragonsEverything is Embarrassing, Sky Ferreira

ARGO, WARNER BROS. Taking us to the America-Hating Iran of 1979,

“Argo” is thrilling, yet refreshingly poignant. Not

only does it revive history, it had us on the edge

of our seats. Its portrayal of one of the most

dangerous CIA operations of the time is both

suspenseful and satisfying. “Argo” shows how

Ben Affleck continues to construct enthralling

movies that leave a lasting impression.

FILM

»

PHOTOS » OFFICAL WEBSITES

12 ENTERTAINMENT issue 5december 19, 2012

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU

LEM NS...

ETHAN HEATHCOTEStaff Writer

The moment I heard the rumor that “The Killers” were going to be in town, I knew I was going to be at their performance. Simple as that.

It wasn’t until later that I learned that they were performing at the 23rd annual KROQ Almost Acous-tic Christmas concert at the Gibson Amphitheater. I was shocked to fi nd that Imagine Dragons, Alex Clare, Of Monsters And Men, Grouplove, Passion Pit, Neon Trees, M83, Jack White and fun. were go-ing to play as well. If your jaw didn’t just drop from reading that line, then I recommend you stop read-ing this article and Google “music.” You’ll thank me later.

Imagine Dragons kicked off the concert and set the tone with its hits “It’s Time” and “Tiptoe.” All of the artists at KROQ were great performers, but Imagine Dragon’s stage presence was easily the most energiz-ing of the night. One of the highlights of the night was when the lead singer, Dan Reynolds, emphati-cally pounded the drum alongside each pulse of bass during “Radioactive.” The raw energy was physically tangible. That song alone made the night a success in my book.

Fortunately, the electricity within the ampitheater didn’t disappear along with Imagine Dragons.

Nate Ruess, fun.’s lead singer, brought the crowd to its feet as “One Foot” boldly heralded his entrance onto the stage. With his recent success and confi dent style, it was easy to tell that he knew he was a star and was proud of it. I must admit, he put on a great show, concluding it perfectly with “Some Nights.”

The fi nal band to take the stage was The Killers. Lead singer Brandon Flowers walked on stage, shout-ed “Hello!” and then the band spontaneously burst into song. While fun. may have caused near frenzy, I must say The Killers incited full-blown hysteria as the opening guitar riffs of “Mr. Brightside” fi lled the Gibson. They started strong and kept up the tempo throughout the night, fi nishing on a high note with “When You Were Young.”

I came with high expectations and wasn’t disap-pointed in the slightest. It was everything I had hoped it to be and more.

Imagine: KROQ brings fun and passion to a neon white concert; also M83

» Ra Ra Riot “Beta Love” January 22

» Free Energy“Lovesign”

January 15

» Black Veil Brides “Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones” January 8

» Muse @ STAPLES Center January 23

» Rebecca Black

@ House of Blues December 23

» Django Unchained December 25

» Les Miserables December 25

Upcoming Releases

Movies

Music

» Gangster Squad January 11

Concerts

Video Games

» DmC: Devil May Cry Xbox 360, PS3 and PC January 15

SARA WILSONEntertainment Editor

...open a cafe that beats the notion of healthy eating to a pulp.

I went to Lemonade expecting a sunny restaurant that delivers exceptional food with a simplistic vibe. After all, the loads of Instagram pictures my friends posted of its food led me to believe it was. However, all I got was snarky attitude from the employees, a fl ashback to grade school cafeteria lines, and a $30 check. In short, Lemonade was a tad sour.

The cafe opened over a month ago in the Westlake Promenade, replacing California Pizza Kitchen near Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Already operating in a speckling of Southern California locations—Venice, Brentwood and Pasadena, to name a few—Lemonade is yet another attempt at making healthy food appeal-ing and hip.

Its website claims that the restaurant “aims to create something new and original, rather than simply update versions of more traditional ideas.”

While I consider myself culinarily ad-venturous, some of the menu options

seemed a little bit too risky for my taste buds.

The “watermelon, radish, ahi tuna, snap peas, sesame” dish (I also don’t understand how they label their creations—noth-ing makes grammatical sense) sounded like an interesting op-

tion, but turned out to just taste like a summer picnic gone awry. On the

other hand, their “grass fed piedmont

skirt steak, balsamic onion” was deli-cious, despite my hesitation of eating a salad with meat usually reserved for barbecue.

I guess it’s a little bit of a guessing game at Lemonade, with an overabundance of op-tions for whatever weird little craving one has, each equally pe-culiar and seemingly random.

Lemonade is set up like a caf-eteria; albeit considerably more posh and expensive than the average slop-serving elementary school. You grab a tray, order your dishes per portion and a worker in a clean, white apron and an intentionally preppy ponytail scoops it out.

If that doesn’t tickle your taste buds, you could also opt for one of their fancy-shmancy sandwiches. That is, if you’re willing to fork over $15 for it. Essentially a wealthier (and snootier) version of Whole Foods, Lemonade is just another wedge in the collection of overpriced Promenade storefronts.

On the bright side, their actual lemonade didn’t dis-appoint; it was fresh, tangy and full of fl avor. There was no shortage of variety either, considering the di-verse fl avors of the drink available, from Blueberry mint to Apple jalapeno.

Not sure how pepper fl avored lemonade would taste, I ordered the Old fashioned, which made Min-ute Maid and Crystal Lite seem like silly drinks for lemonade stands.

But, despite its zesty ambitions, Lemonade proved to be a disappointing glass half empty experience.

BEAUDOIN—to have the journalism room be, and stay, clean

MRS. Z—a white Christmas

JASON GARDINER—“The Hob-bit”: Parts 2 and 3

ALI WIRE—to be a cat

MEGAN BOWSER—good financial aid and customized Nike cleats

HENRY CHOU—a rice farm

JESSICA ASHCRAFT—men

JOYCE TAN—Joseph Gordon-Levitt

CASEY SIGALAKIS—to meet my “real” parents

KELLY WISNESKI—Vitesse

CORTNI KAUFMAN—a 2010 Dodge Charger, in black

KENDELL SNOW—Beatles concert tickets and a bunny

NOLA ADEDIGBA—for the chil-dren who died in the Connecticut Massacre to come back

SHAINI RODRIGO—car insurance

the LANCER’s Holiday Wish List

ERIC HATLAND—to sleep more in all of my classes. Plus Emma Stone

SARA WILSON—cashmere, a latte maker and Santums. Plus Emma Watson

IAN DOHERTY—a well-mannered three-toed sloth with a 401(K), a monocle, a top hat and a pearly white smile

LEE MCPHERSON—‘stache comb for the Schmex

ALEXANDRA RANDALL—a ukulele

LAUREN JAMES—a year supply of free Coffee Bean

PARIS RHODES—a kitty cat

EDDIE RICE—fuzzy socks soaked in caffeine. That’ll put a zip in your step.

ETHAN LYONS—a fish-eyed lens

BEN MUELLER-LECLERC—more shoes to match my shirts

DANE SWANSON— iPhone 5

ETHAN HEATHCOTE—a Russian mail-order bride, Canada

IN NEED OF SUGAR—Lem-onade opened in the Westlake Promenade near The Grill and Bristol Farms. It offers a wide variety of healthy options in cafeteria-esque portions.

BEN MUELLER-LECLERC » THE LANCER

“Locked out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars. It’s got a good beat to it, and I listen to it when I’m doing home-work, because it gets me focused. I usually listen to weird music, and this is pretty different, so I like it a lot.

Wh

at

are

yo

u l

iste

nin

g t

o?

Want to be featured in the next issue? Let us know what you’re listening to! Email us at thelancer.tohs@gmail.com.

PHOTOS » ETHAN LYONS » THE LANCER

»Nick Jacobsjunior

»Madison McCurdyfreshman

“Dig” by Incubus. I particularly like this song, not only for the soothing melody but also because of the message that it conveys within its lyrics. It talks about asking for forgive-ness despite mistakes made in the past. I have done things in the past I regret, but I don’t let those things dictate who I am today.

13SPORTSissue 5december 19, 2012

lee mcpherson Sports Editor

In many sports a direct defense is the last line an opposing team must cross before they score points. However, in a select few sports, when all of the field players fail, there is one final hope. That hope lies with those few players who do not score the goals; they stop

the shot from scoring. These individuals must lay their personal reputations, and often their bodies, on the line in the name of their friends, team and school.

“I like to be that guy who makes the stop and shuts the player down,” soccer player, senior Pedro Hernandez said.

Often the entire game may rest on the performance of the goalkeeper. If he or she does not perform, the team

does not perform. “It is exciting to have all of the pressure on me

not to mess up,” ice hockey player, senior David Norick said.

Some goalies may become the verbal punch-ing bag of the team, but for the most part, they are the heart and soul of the squad, even when they have an off night.

“[My team] supports me and encourages me no matter what, even when times get tough,” Norick said.Like most athletes, they must learn to ignore

the talk on the sidelines and find motivation within themselves in order to strive for excellence. “It pisses me off to get scored on. I want to be perfect.

[Missing a save] drives me to not get scored on again,” Norick said.

When things do go bad, though, the worst ridicule a goal-ie may face can come from themselves.

“It feels terrible to let a [shot] in, you feel like you let the team down,” lacrosse player, junior Tyler Lestak

said.Usually goalkeepers are put in charge of the de-

fense, calling certain moves in order to re-spond to the offense and managing the morale of the unit.

“It sort of feels like you are the captain of the defense, it is a lot of responsibility,”

Lestak said.Although playing goalie may not be the most

sought-after job in sports, those brave enough to accept the challenge are more often than not happy with their experience as a goalkeeper.

“At the end of the day,” Norick said,” It is a very rewarding position.”

on YoUr Toes-(Bottom left) Junior Tyler lestak makes a cross-body save in a shoot-around practice. (Bot-tom right) Senior John Allawos waits, ready for the shot during practice.

sTone WALL-(Top left) Senior

Pedro Hernandez makes a high-flying

snag. (Middle left) Junior Alli-

son Olney reaches upward to deflect

a high-arched shot. (Middle right) Ju-nior Kristen Spear

rolls the ball to her teammate during

practice.

makeor

break

BeN MUelleR-leCleRC » THe lANCeR

eTHAN lYONS » THe lANCeR

eTHAN lYONS » THe lANCeR lee MCPHeRSON » THe lANCeR

DAVID NORICK » WITH PeRMISSION

eTHAN lYONS » THe lANCeR

Senior David Norick executes a split save in a game for his ice hockey team, the Channel Islands Riptide.

» Heisman Trophy winner as a junior.

» Led Auburn to BCS Cham-pionship in 2010.

» Drafted first overall in the NFL draft.

14 sports issue 5december 19, 2012

Do not let this sea-son’s record fool you, the Panther’s quarter-back is still for a few main reasons the real deal despite setbacks.

Firstly, a player doesn’t just receive the Heisman as a junior, win a Bowl Champion-ship, a Series champi-onship and get drafted into the NFL first overall only to run out of steam his second year in the league. Cam Newton is too much of a prolific player for that to happen; when the going gets tough he gets tougher.

Furthermore, he possesses the talent to recog-nize when it is time to step up and play as hard as possible, which he displayed in the Panther’s recent 30–20 win over the then one-loss Atlanta Falcons. In that game, Newton boasted nine carries for 116 yards with a touchdown and 23 completed passes that accounted for 287 yards and two touchdowns.

For example after he transferred to Auburn in 2010, Newton had a charismatic ability to rally his team around him: this skill proved invaluable in the Tigers’ undefeated run which resulted in a BCS national championship.

“For a guy to come in and only be around one year,” Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof said, “and develop those kinds of relationships and that kind of leadership ability, I think that speaks volumes about Cam Newton.”

I think that Roof’s conclusion on Newton sums up my thoughts on how the traits that he possesses separate him from other quarterbacks quite nicely.

-Lee McPherson

sports to thetremeX Who is a better quarterback,

Robert Griffin III or Cam Newton?

Lee MCPHerSoN

ian DoHerTySports Editor

After an offseason full of hard work, boys wrestling is looking to make an impact on the mat.

The Lancers are off to a great start after a win over Moorpark 50–30 on Dec. 6.

“Moorpark was tough for me. It was my first match back from my surgery and I had to go against Matt Thompson, who was last year’s league champion,” Se-nior Evan Marshall said.

Following Moorpark came Westlake, who last year beat Thousand Oaks for the first time in 10 years.

“Westlake went very well for me, I pinned the kid in the first round. And the team showed what we can do when we really want to accomplish something,” Mar-shall said.

The only change in the Westlake match from the rest was that they decided to start out with the 220 pound

weight class.“[Everybody] was really fired up to win,” heavy-

weight Marshall said. “A majority of our wins came from pins. It’s unusual to have the majority of your wins by pins instead of just by points.”

Aside from the wrestling, members of the team no-ticed that the crowd was bigger than usual.

“I think that was to help our confidence during the match. Having that many people cheering you on can have a major effect on your performance,” Marshall said.

The team emerged victorious with a huge win of 60–11.

The Lancers have also had success in tournaments this season. They finished fourth at a 10 way dual meet in Camarillo and second place in the Eagle Invitational in Lancaster.

Its next meet is today against Agoura.

Wrestling dominates early on the mat

THOUSAND OAKS

ROOSEVELT

SAINT LOUIS

KAPOLEI

DAMIEN

LEILEHUA

SAINT FRANCIS

KAMEHAMEHA

KAUAI

KAMEHAMEHA BIIF

PUNAHOU

KAHUKU

CAMPBELL

KALAHEO

FARRINGTION

FOOTHILL

QUARTER FINAL SEMI–FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Lee MCPHerSoNSports Editor

The Lancers will depart for Oahu on Christmas day-for the Saint Francis Merv Lopes Hoops Classic held in Honolulu.

The team has been preparing for their trip as the ex-citement before the tournament builds.

“We are just practicing our plays and making sure our defense is up to par so we can shut down teams de-fensively,” senior Adam Espinoza said. “Defense wins championships.”

Thousand Oaks’ offense, however, has been gelling, averaging 65 points per game in 10 games this season.

As a result their record stands at 9–1, with their only loss coming at the hands of Damien in the champion-ship game of the Arroyo Grande tournament.

To add an obstacle to the Hawaii challenge, the Lancers face the possibility of playing Damien in the tournament; they do have a game plan though, for de-feating the currently 7–2 Damien.

“We will calm down in the second half because we were up 16 at the half and tried to coast but let them back and eventually lost, instead this time we will up the tempo and try to extend our lead,” Espinoza said. Like coach Endres says, ‘the most important part of the game is the first three minutes of each half’.”

Basketball prepares for Hawaii

PiN iT—Junior nick Riemen, 120 pounds, tries to pin his Moorpark op-ponent in the first league match of the season.

ben MueLLeR-LecLeRc » the LanceR

Coming off of his stel-lar senior season in both football and track, Rob-ert Griffin III (RGIII) turned his focus on conquering the National Football League.

Even though he was not drafted number one overall, he trumps all double threat quarter

backs. So far this year, RGIII has led the Washington Redskins to a 7–6 over-all record and is on the verge of making it to play-offs, which would be the first time since 1945. He brought revival to a struggling franchise.

RGIII and the Redskins were able to pull out a one point victory against the conference-leading New Yawk Footbawll Giants. Following that game was the AFC powerhouse Baltimore Ravens, out of whom they were able to squeeze out a thrilling overtime victory 31–28.

Compared to Cam Newton, RGIII has almost the same resumé. Heisman Trophy, top NFL draft pick and he’s new face of a struggling franchise. The only major difference is their records this year. The Panthers are 4–9, while the Redskins are 7–6, and the Panthers’ chance of making playoffs is slimming as the season winds down.

RGIII is definitely the new face of the Redskins franchise and is here until he’s a Hall-of-Famer.

He was also offered the chance to try out for Team USA, but couldn’t because he wanted to fo-cus on playing football. This just further proves that RGIII is a superior athlete and quarterback. RGIII is hands down the best dual-threat quarter-back in the league.

-Ian Doherty

ian DoHerTy

dane SwANSoNStaff Writer

The winter season has not gone as planned for boys soccer so far. They currently hold a record of zero wins, two losses and three ties. Their first tie, however, came against Channel Islands, who is the defending CIF run-ner-up and is currently 6–0–1 with the one tie coming against the Lancers on Nov. 29 at Channel Islands.

They tied Moorpark in a home game on Dec.10. The Lancers also drew a 2–2 tie against Saugus on the road

on Dec. 14 in a game which the Lancers held a two goals to zero lead at halftime, but their lead slipped away in the second half with two Saugus goals.

“[Saugus] adjusted their formation at halftime and we didn’t make a counter adjustment and they made us pay,” sophomore Cole Maki said.

The team also took on Ventura at home on Dec. 4 and fell to a Ventura team that is in the top fifteen in the state rankings and is still currently undefeated entering league play.

Thousand Oaks also found itself on the losing end against Oak Park at home.

“It’s [the 1st win] right there, there is a time when it’s going to come, we just have to be patient,” Maki said.

Possibly the most important thing this season from, the player’s perspective is the possibility of this year’s seniors getting a third straight league title which would be a rarely seen feat for the seniors on this team.

Their next game is tomorrow at home against New-bury Park .

Boys soccer

stumbles at the start

» Heisman Trophy winner.

» Associated Press Player of the year in 2011.

» Manning Award winner in 2011.

WikiMedia coMMons » With peRMission

Wrestling’s road to the postseason »

» Feb. 15 @ CIF Finals

Mar. 1 &2 @ State Meet»

Dec. 19 vs. Agoura

Jan. 30 vs. Newbury Park»

Jan. 17 @ Calabasas»

Jan. 10 @ Simi Valley»

» Feb. 2 @ League Finals

RGIII’s Accomplishments Newton’s Accomplishments

Who is the better quar-

terback? Vote on our

website! www.

tohsthelanc-er.org

» Feb. 9 @ CIF Dual Div. II Finals

15sportsissue 5december 19, 2012

defense— (above) Senior Nicole Kudlinski pushes her Malibu opponent after she passed the ball. (top right) Senior Cassie Raymond passes the ball. The Lancers beat Malibu 12–4.

PhoToS » eThaN LyoNS » The LaNCeR

daNe swansonStaff Writer

Girls water polo is looking to improve in the upcoming year.

“We have more experienced and talented players this year and just more players in the general program,” sophomore Jessie Andrews said.

Recently, they made some progress on their goal of building up their record this season by finishing the tournament with 2 wins and 3 loss-es at the Mistletoe Classic at TOHS picking up wins against El Segundo and San Luis Obispo, but they sustained losses against Righetti, Bue-na and Rio Mesa.

The girls kicked off their league season with a win against Calabasas 15-2. Improving their overall record to 4-4. They also added an ad-ditional win over Malibu 12 to 4.

Their record has potential for a few more

wins; since five of their games were lost by just one goal. When they have won their matches they have won by larger margins.

By season’s end they are hoping to have a winning record against rivals Newbury Park and Westlake

“We beat Newbury last year and beating them and Westlake would be a big sign of im-provement,” Andrews said.

Their next game is tomorrow against Agoura.

Water polo even at start of season

iaN dohertySports Editor

With the girls soccer team working hard during the offseason and preseason, they were able to get accli-mated to each other and forge bonds for the season.

“Preseason was a great chance for the coaches to start scouting players and to see each player’s potential. It also helped us get to know the new players which makes it easier during the season to play as a team,” junior Emilee Johnsen said.

The Lancers’ first game was a non-league matchup against Dos Pueblos on Nov. 30. The girls were unable to pull out a victory with a final score of 0–4.

“They’ve always been a pretty good team but they are definitely beat able. Even though it was only one of our first games as a team, we should have come out

harder than we did. But we learned from that game and it showed us what to expect from our opponents this season,” Johnsen said.

The girls then played La Reina on Dec. 14. “They had a stronger midfield than we had anticipat-

ed. They took advantage of their chances and countered on our mistakes,” junior Natalee Dueber said.

La Reina capitalized on the Lancers mistakes and that proved to be the end as the girls lost in a close, 0–1 loss.

“They took more long range shots that proved to be very effective,” Dueber said.

The 0–3 lancers meet Newbury Park on Dec. 20.Check www.tohsthelancer.org for scores.

From left to right, seniors Carolyn Ruffino and hilary Chuh fight to get open, while senior Sydney Perry receives the inbound pass from senior Sarah dempsey. The Lancers lost this game to Moorpark 65–69. Girls basketball head coach Gary Walin sat the starters for a majority of the second quarter and on, while Moorpark was making a comeback, and didn’t put them back in until the start of overtime.

Girls soccer trips out of the gates

chip it, chip it good — Senior midfielder Laurelle Field clears the ball against La Reina on dec. 14. They lost 0–1.

beN MueLLeR-LeCLeRC » The LaNCeR

beN MueLLeR-LeCLeRC » The LaNCeR

Girls basketball stumbles from start

16 PHOTO ESSAY issue 5december 19, 2012

CROWD CON-TROL—Sopho-

more Sarah Haggerty cheers

on a band while hers, The Daniel Verlarde

Band , is off stage. Senior

Jason Chulack (second from

left) also looks on. There was a number for fans

to text to have messages show up on a screen.

ROCKING THE SWEATER—Casinos lead

singer and guitarist Kreider

Dane belts out a tune at Dec.

1’s Battle of the Bands. The

Casinos won first place in the

competition, taking home a

digital recording mini-box valued between $500 and $600. The

second place band, Short

Notice, received a Shure micro-phone and the

third place band, The Krooks,

won a $50 gift certificate to Instrumental

Music.

STONE AGE STRUMMING— (above) Short Notice guitarist senior Zach Caldwell shreds some strings dur-ing the band’s set. Seniors Arielle Komie, Grant Phillips and Tommy Suwara made up the rest of the group, and each wore silly hats like Caldwell’s. The event gave them a chance to showcase their talent.

MAYHEMmusical

On Saturday, Dec. 1, five bands—three with members from TOHS—competed in the Teen Center’s annual Battle of the Bands. The four judges were professional musicians, including a former competitor on “The Voice”and a multi-platinum producer.

CONCENTRATION—(above) Casinos members Rafe Noonan and Reed Kanter are both from WHS. (right) The contestants pose with prizes after the competition.

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