Sports

Entertainment Why Are Tampons So Taboo?

A New National CompetitorBy Alex Appelrouth,

News Editor

O c t o b e r • V o l u m e I V • I s s u e 1 • 8 9 9 N . K a n a n R d . , O a k P a r k C A 9 1 3 7 7

Oak Park HIgh School TALON

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This year’s foot-ball team is the best that Oak Park High School has witnessed in years. With a winning record of 5-1 this season, the Varsity the team seems unstoppable. The only loss that the team has accu-mulated thus far was the first game of the season, where they suffered a 41-35 defeat at our home field by Agoura High School. Since then, Oak Park Varsity football has dominated every other opponent. The next game played, after the crushing loss to Agoura, was a 41-6 win against Channel Islands. Six days later, Oak Park tri-umphed over Simi Valley in a crucial 34-33 win at home. In the next three games, the Varsity team accumulated a

Events:Homecoming Football Game vs. Santa Paula, 7:30, TONIGHT

Homecoming DanceOctober 12, in the Oak Park HS Gym, from 7-11 p.m.

Blood DriveFriday, October 31

Annual Food Drive“Santa Comes to West-lake/Agoura and Be-yond,” November 12 -15

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School Life

News

Kanan Shuttle

By Zainab Pixler, Managing Editor,

Carlo Cruz-Albrecht,Staff Writer

From a relatively young age, every girl gets her gift from Mother Nature, or, more commonly known as, her period. As a pre-emptive strike against heavy blood flow and excessive leakage, girls are supplied with dia-per-like appendages called ‘pads.’ Up to a certain age, pads are effective and safe, however, each girl must de-cide whether to continue wearing these pads or switch to a less diaper-like alterna-tive known as tampons.

On August 5, Ven-tura County launched a shuttle service open to Oak Park and Agoura, students and residents. This service works hand in hand with Dial-A-Ride, which has been serving seniors, the handicapped, and Agoura Hills’ residents since 1985. Together, these services are meant to pro-vide ready transportation in an increasingly metropoli-tan area. The 24-seat shuttle, with its leaping mountain lion logo, is intended to ease traffic congestion on both sides of Kanan. The shuttle runs be-tween Thousand Oaks Blvd.to Lindero Canyon, with 14 stops along Kanan. The ser-vice will operate from 6:40 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on major holidays. Shuttles will run every 30 minutes regu-larly, but during peak hours (6:40 - 9:00 am and 2:30 - 4:00 pm) they will run every 15 minutes.

By Adella Katz, Co-Editor-in-Chief

In high school, a majority of young women shift to using tampons be-cause they are convenient, easy to use and less of a mess than pads. Unfortunately, all ‘feminine products’ have been deemed embarrassing. It’s as if women are shamed for their natural bodily func-tions. “Shield your eyes, chil-dren! It’s…. it’s… a tampon!” As exaggerated as that may be, people really do attain sudden and disgusted looks at the sight of tampons or pads, as if having a period is unnatural. Why should girls and women hide their femi-nine products from public

view? The lack of accep-tance of these products and of the menstrual process eludes many. Why is it that grown women are some-times seen clutching their bags as they go into the re-stroom, never daring to re-lease even a glimpse of their tampon, shifting their eyes to make sure the coast is clear? As embarrassing as it is for grown women, the shame for teenage girls is much greater. Girls are sometimes seen whispering to each other and discreetly Continued on page 3 Continued on page 2

total of 157 points, scoring at least 50 points in each of these games, except for a 49-35 against El Segundo, ac-cording to MaxPreps. The combination of a potent offense and de-fense has given Oak Park the necessary tools to become a threat against any opponent.

In addition, the team chem-istry is profound, as defen-sive end and wide receiver Justin Green insinuated. He noted, “The desire to suc-ceed emitting from each and every one of us [as] an obvi-ous difference between this year and last. Our team is much closer.”

When asked what to attribute the profound suc-cess of the team’s defense to, Green replied, “We got a new defensive coordinator and we have been coached by Mike Puopolo, and so with our line being the best

James McFadden and Greg Kalbfeld take down Village Christian running back. Also pictured, Shawn Green, Justin Green and Zach Fowler.

Photo Credit: Mark Kalbeld

Photo illustration by Min Kwon and Leah Katz.

Continued on page 9

News October 20132

By Nicholas Branigan, Staff Writer

University Admissions: Increased Scrutiny of Affirmative Action

Courts must ex-amine affirmative action programs more carefully according to a 7-1 decision by the U. S. Supreme Court issued on June 24, 2013. The court declined to rule on the principal case, Fisher v. University of Texas, instead choosing to send it back to a lower court. In the court’s statement, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for the majority, explaining that the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit incorrectly upheld the affirmative ac-tion program of the Univer-sity of Texas at Austin since it failed to “apply the correct standard of strict scrutiny.” For Oak Park stu-dents applying to California universities, the Supreme Court’s decision remains largely irrelevant, as state voters banned affirmative action programs in 1996. However, the court’s stricter standards for the examina-tion of race-based admis-sions programs will likely prompt challenges to pro-grams elsewhere in the na-tion. Such action could alter

admissions to out-of-state universities for some stu-dents. In its ruling, The Supreme Court declared that all courts must be more suspicious of affirmative ac-tion programs, and as Ken-nedy writes, “The reviewing courts must ultimately be satisfied that no workable race-neutral alternatives would produce the educa-tional benefits of diversity.” If nonracial options supported diversity nearly as well as racial ones, then the court ruled that universities couldn’t use race as a factor in admissions. Kennedy ex-plained that they must dem-onstrate, “before turning to racial classifications, that available, workable race-neutral alternatives do not suffice.” Students at Oak Park High School voiced dif-fering opinions on the use of race conscious admissions. Cole Hasserjian, a sopho-more, supports affirmative action saying, “It’s good for colleges to have a balance of each culture. . . . It promotes diversity.” Yet, he cautions, “There’s a fine line for affir-mative action. You cannot just allow some kid with a

1.0, who’s a minority, to go into your college.” Varsha Sarvesh-war, a sophomore at OPHS, supports a conservative ap-proach to race conscious admissions. “I think that we shouldn’t go too far in look-ing at it by race. I think that it has to do a lot more with the economic status of a per-son than it should with the ethnicity of a person.” Contrary to the opinion of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who wrote for the majority in Grutter v. Bollinger that there would come a time in 25 years when affirmative action would no longer be needed, Varsha Sarveshwar says, “I think it’s a long, long way until [affirmative action is] not necessary because it’s go-ing to take so long to make it so that it’s a true meritocracy where we’re all equal eco-nomically.” A number of stu-dents at Oak Park are less supportive of race con-scious admissions in higher education. Sevitha Konda, a senior, finds affirmative ac-tion as no longer so critical in today’s world. “I’m not overwhelmingly support-ive of [affirmative action]. I

don’t think it’s too necessary anymore for our current en-vironment.” Regarding the fu-ture of race conscious ad-missions Ms. Konda agrees with the Supreme Court’s approach saying, “I think it should be slowly restricted over time until we don’t have it anymore.” Wendy Xiao, a se-nior at OPHS sees affirma-tive action as conceptually sound, yet flawed in prac-tice. “Logically, I believe that [affirmative action is] very helpful for allowing minor-ity groups or disadvantaged groups to be represented properly in our colleges and universities, however, I do believe that affirmative ac-

tion has gotten to such a de-gree that sometimes it is un-fair towards the other side.” Concerning the fu-ture of affirmative action, Wendy Xiao disagrees with the approach of the Supreme Court, saying “If we are go-ing so far as to put restric-tions on affirmative action, we should just go ahead and ban it.” Arguments for the second affirmative action case that the Supreme Court has accepted – Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affir-mative Action, regarding a Michigan voter initiative to ban race conscious admis-sions – will be heard next term beginning in October.

By Benjamin Porat, Staff Writer

During the summer, the Supreme Court decided on two key cases that heavily affect the LGBT community in the Los Angeles area. Both decisions were controversial. The first decision was Hollingsworth v. Perry. This case involved Califor-nia Proposition 8, which denied same-sex couples the right to marry. The plaintiff, Kristin Perry, was denied a marriage license to her long-time partner. Dennis Holling-

sworth of ProtectMarriage.com, took the role of the defendant when California’s governor Jerry Brown chose to not defend the lawsuit, creating a dilemma for Prop 8 supporters. A Federal Court struck down the proposition and the case was brought to the U.S. Supreme Court who found that Hollingsworth did not have the grounds to appeal the case. Since the appeal was denied, same-sex marriage in California is once again legal. This decision, how-ever, does not affect any

other states. Justice Kennedy led the dissent, who felt that since Prop 8 was supported by a majority of voters, it should be upheld. The next case was United States v. Windsor. The issue at stake was the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which became law in 1996. This law limited the federal definition of mar-riage to between a man and a woman. It also denied mar-ried same-sex couples the right to claim tax benefits. Edith Windsor and her late wife, Thea Spyer, were married in Canada and moved to New York. Speyer

died in 2009 and left her es-tate to Windsor. Since their marriage was not recognized at the federal level, she had to pay much more in estate taxes. If the law was to be struck down, same-sex mar-riage would be made legal throughout United States. Despite DOMA being de-clared unconstitutional, this did not happen. The ruling stated that the US Federal Govern-ment had to recognize same-sex marriages approved by the states. Justice Kennedy joined the liberal justices in the decision that found the law unconstitutional. The decisions were mostly well received at Oak Park High School. Sopho-more Varsha Sarveshwar, a supporter of LBGT rights, says, “I am really happy about the progress our country has made with LGBT rights.” Dr. Anderson, who teaches US history, Gov-ernment, and Mock Trial, agreeing with the commonly held view of OPHS students and faculty, says, “I support transgender [rights] and same-sex marriage.”

Although the shuttle does not drop off students directly at school, stops are within walking distance of Oak Park Schools. The vehi-cles are also accessible to the disabled and are equipped with bicycle racks. The Shuttles are of-ten full, especially during peak hours. Many students who used to walk, bike, or get driven to school, save timr by using the Shuttle and then continuing to school or their homes. Senior Catherine Shi says, “I am really grate-ful for the Kanan Shuttle. It’s convenient and saves me a lot of time and energy.” In the County of Ventura press release, Ven-tura County Supervisor Lin-da Parks said, “The Kanan Shuttle is economic and en-vironmentally friendly, re-ducing traffic, air pollution and travel costs.” Parks en-courages students and resi-dents alike to “give it a test drive.” The new shuttle sys-tem is free until November to entice riders. For schedule visit www.kananshuttle.com.

Continued from page 1

Photo Credit: Andy K. Powell

ShuttleFreedom to Marry: Prop 8 Repealed

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

NewsOctober 2013 3

pulling an object out of their backpacks. The transaction is then completed as one girl inconspicuously passes a tampon/pad to another with a thankful whisper and a weak yet grateful smile. Feminine products aren’t drugs, they’re not frighten-ing and they’re certainly not shameful. If they’re so taboo, shouldn’t feminine prod-ucts be readily available to teenage girls in middle and high schools without the awkwardness of having to ask others for them? In Oak Park High School, pads and tampons may be asked for at the school’s office, but al-though pads are available in the nurse’s office, girls tend to shy away from this option because of the embarrass-ment. Whispering to an of-fice worker, asking for a tam-pon and having the woman yell back, “What do you want? A tampon?” through-out the entire office is not the preferred method at any school. So, girls resort to asking friends or teachers for tampons and pads. Ap-parently, some teachers do give them out discreetly, al-locating a specific drawer in their desks for feminine products. Others, however,

refuse bluntly and inquire as to why the girls do not have extras in their lockers. These uncomfortable encounters are, unfortunately, frequent. If there was a surefire way to avoid them all, girls would. However, since there are no sanitary product dispensers in the bathrooms, products are not readily available. Several weeks ago, this issue was brought to the attention of the Head of Facilities of Oak Park Uni-fied School District, Julie Suarez. After contemplating the issue and validating the awkwardness of the whole situation, she said with a de-termined look, “I want to get down to the bottom of this.” Nowhere in the Cal-ifornia Education Code or California Health Code are feminine products prohib-ited from being dispensed to students. Nowhere are they mentioned whatsoever. Sim-ilarly, but on a smaller scale, the distribution of femi-nine products is not clearly prohibited by the Oak Park School District or by Oak Park High School. Why, then, are these products not available to female students at Oak Park High School? When this question was posed to Mrs. Suarez, she chuckled and exclaimed, “Good question!” Regard-ing the prohibition of these

When Mother Nature Strikes: Are You Prepared?Continued from page 1 products in schools, she

pointed out, “If there isn’t anything out there, what can we do to change that? Can we add it to the permission slip so that the parents can sign for it? If there are no rules and regulations, I don’t have a problem with install-ing them in the restrooms and I can get that done quite easily.” However, having dispenser installed turned out to not be so easily done. The big question came up again: Why are tampons so taboo? First of all, some brands of tampons, most notably the brand names, contain the toxin dioxin, which can cause a very rare, but dangerous disease called Toxic Shock Syndrome – a major road block for having dispensers installed in the bathroom. However, if a big warning label was slapped onto each dispenser, would that not safeguard the school against liability issues if something were to occur? A warning label would clearly signify to students: Use at your own risk. In response to this, Suarez, with a sigh, replied, “I should hope so.” Suarez then pointed out that another problem the school(s) could encounter involved the condition of the bathrooms if sanitary prod-

ucts were available. “The reason we took paper tow-els out of the bathroom is because people shove them down the toilets. People back up the toilets.” However, the girls’ bathrooms do contain small side trashcans where tampon and pads wrappers are thrown out. “We rarely have an issue with the girls’ bathroom, though . . . but we’ve never had [dispensers] in there, so that’s the only bad part,” said Suarez. A third issue that can arise involves conser-vative and religious beliefs. Using tampons specifically becomes a moral issue for people because the physi-cal insertion of a tampon, to some, simulates sexual activity. “But you can’t have that in schools. It has to be a separation of church and

state,” pointed out Suarez. Further into the interview, Suarez stated, “Maybe it’s something that we need to bring up district-wide so we can have a set policy.” Mr. Meskis, Oak Park High School’s new vice principal and head of facili-ties at the school, with Mrs. Suarez, did bring this issue to the district board. Cur-rently, they have approved the installation of a pad dispenser in the main bath-room of OPHS. However, tampons remain taboo. If there are any ques-tions or general comments on this article, feel free to contact the author of this article at talon@oakparkusd.org.

Photo illustration by Min Kwon.

This summer was filled with many renova-tions and improvements to the school, most notably a complete renovation of the C-Building. The numerous changes, including general aesthetic upgrades and a brand new layout, made the renovations noticeable to ev-eryone on campus. There were a few difficult challenges to over-come during the renova-tion. According to Principal Kevin Buchanan, the previ-ous layout of the C-Building prevented easy accessibility between the different rooms, so the entire layout of the building was altered. Also, because the C-Building contains many specialty rooms, such as three computer labs, a wood room, the student store, and

the art rooms, it was a chal-lenge designing each room separately. Buchanan com-mented on this challenge saying, “When we’re doing other classrooms it’s pretty much the same specifica-tions but these [rooms] all had different functions. It’s a lot of work to get all the different needs met in every different classroom.” Despite the difficul-ties, all the specific require-ments were met in each classroom. Art teacher Anna Lovejoy commented on the renovation of her classroom saying, “I got everything I needed: new sinks, new drawers for storage, and the best part - tackable walls.” The extensive reno-vations to the C-Building were not the only changes made to the school over the summer. Safety and acces-sibility have been increased throughout the school, in-cluding the addition of more disabled parking near the baseball field and repairs to

the concrete walkways to prevent tripping hazards. More benches have also been added in many places around the campus. Many environmen-tally conscious decisions were also made during the renovation mainly to con-serve energy. According to superintendent Tony Knight, approximately $500,000 was spent on electricity bills alone district-wide last year. In the C-Building renova-tion, all the doors and win-dows were made using dou-ble pane, energy efficient glass. High efficiency light-ing was also added in all the rooms, as well as 100% bio-degradable carpet tiles. Last year alone, approximately $500,000 was spent on elec-tricity bills alone district wide. Most of the changes scheduled for the upcoming years revolve around being environmentally friendly and conserving energy. Over the next five years, the dis-

trict will be receiving $1 million to be used for en-ergy conservation and effi-ciency. “Our hope is to use this money to invest in our own solar power generating system,” said Knight. “This could mean systems on the roofs, parking lot car ports, and maybe even a small so-lar farm that could be placed on unused land we own.” In the near future a large shade structure will be added to the campus’s quad. According to Principal Kev-in Buchanan, the structure

New Year, New ChangesBy Juliana Furgala,

Staff Writer,Ashley Siavoshi,

Entertainment Editor

will be 30’ by 80’. The PFC has donated $43,000 to cov-er the cost of manufacturing and installation and the dis-trict will cover approximate-ly $10,000. The structure’s installation is set for late Oc-tober. S u p e r i n t e n d e n t Knight reveals that there are more changes to come to the school in the near future in-cluding a renovation of the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms as well as increased surveil-lance and safety.

New renovations seen inside of Ms. Lovejoy’s art room.

Mr. Meskis was a star basketball player at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.

In With the New TeachersBy Min Kwon,

Head of Photography,Leah Katz,Art Director

Bender, a student in Leber’s AP Physics class, says, “She knows her stuff very well. I think that she is, and will become, a huge asset to the science program at OPHS.” Mr. Jones is the new CP Chemistry, CP Physics and Global Science teacher. He began his teaching career in England and says, “Stu-dents are the same the world over. So, American kids are the same as English kids.” In regards to his teaching phi-losophy, he believes that stu-dents “need to understand and learn rather than re-member.” He even has a dif-ferent seating system where, “[there aren’t] kids sitting in straight lines… my kids sit around tables… and it helps them work collaboratively.” When asked how he felt about the school, Jones says, “It’s fantastic. I love it.” Mr. Peluce is the new Photography and Graphics teacher, which is a great fit for him because, as he says, “I come from the industry, as an animator, illustrator, de-signer.” He decided to teach because he “really like[s] working with teenagers and their creativity.” When asked how he feels about Oak Park,

By Kailee Canty and James Whiteley,

Staff Writers

The commencement of the new school year has brought Oak Park High School a new addition. Mr. Meskis, the school’s new vice principal, tells the students a little bit about himself in the following inter-view: Kailee: Good afternoon, Mr. Meskis. How are you?Mr. Meskis: It’s been a busy day, but I’m great!K: What made you choose Oak Park?Mr. M: Well, I live in Moorpark and know that Oak Park has a great reputation. I have heard many good things about this school. Going from

a big district of 3,500 students to a smaller district of just 1,500 students is a big difference.K: What’s your favorite thing about our school?Mr. M: I love that it is a small school. K: What did you used to teach?Mr. M: I was a P.E. and English teach-er. Those were my favorite subjects in school. I was also an Athletic Direc-tor and testing coordinator. K: What did you want to be when you were growing up?Mr. M: I wanted to be a professional basketball player!K: What do you do in your free time?Mr. M: I have twin 7-year-olds, and we love to go out and surf together. We go to the beach, and we also skateboard.K: Do you plan on making any changes at OP?Mr. M: Yes! I am working with AYBA to get new home-side bleachers in our gym, which will probably take place somewhere in the springtime.K: Which college did you attend?Mr. M: I went to the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada. I went to CSUN to get my Masters.K: Anything you would like OP to know about you personally?Mr. M: I just love it here. So far it has been great. The staff, students, and parents have all been very nice.

he says, “I think it’s a great school… the kids are very intelligent and great to work with.” Mr. Borquez is the new Band Director. He stu-dent-taught at Walter Reed Middle School and Westlake High School. He also taught Mrs. Levine’s music classes at Medea Creek. When asked about the music program, he replied, “Next year I would like to see two concert band classes and perhaps a string ensemble club. My ultimate goal is for OPHS to have a fully comprehensive music department that offers en-

sembles and classes for any type/level of musician.” His goal for this year, in addition, is to “show the OPUSD community that instrumental music is still alive and well at OPHS.” These new teachers are all putting forth a tre-mendous effort to inspire an excitement to learn in their students. Their hard work and positive attitudes are sure to prove constructive to the students and the overall environment of Oak Park High School.

Mr. Jones and Ms. Kawakatsu enjoy their new positions at OPHS.

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students.” Fortunately, she says, “Both the students and the faculty are very support-ive.” A student in her Chem-istry class, Junior Harrison Schelter, says, “She’s a very good teacher. She knows the concepts well and teaches them well.” The new AP Physics

and Global S c i e n c e teacher, Dr. Leber, had a “hectic first day, but [she] thinks it went well.” When asked what her chal-lenges as a teacher are, Leber says, “So much to do, but only so much time. At the end of the day,

I wish I could teach it again with even more content.” Additionally, she takes spe-cial care to get to know her students. She says, “Part of teaching is getting to know the students. [It] helps me assist them better.” Kristen

4 school life October 2013

Along with the in-flux of a freshman class, Oak Park High School has employed a few new teach-ers this year, including: Ms. K a w a k a t s u , Dr. Leber, Mr. Borquez, Mr. Jones and Mr. Peluce. M s . K a w a k a t s u , the new CP C h e m i s t r y and AP En-vironmental Science teach-er, is embark-ing on her first full year of teaching. When asked how she felt about her first year so far, Kawakatsu says, “My first year has been very busy, but I like getting to know the students. I am a bit sleep-de-prived, but I guess that’s nor-mal.” Her teaching career is starting out nicely with what she says is “a good group of

Dr. Leber, Global Science/AP Physics

Oak Park Welcomes New Administrator Jason Meskis

school lifeOctober 2013 5

Senior SpotlightBy Alex Appelrouth,

News Editor,Brittany Jones,

Co-Editor-in-Chief

Q: What is your philosophy on life?A: God that’s so hard. Um…just go out there and do your thing. Be yourself. Nobody cares, well people do care, but you don’t care what people think. And you just go out there and be yourself ‘cause that’s just what you do. I mean, that’s what I do and it’s kind of worked. Q: What is an essential part of your day?A: Probably just drawing (tapping on the desk). I draw every day. I have art every other day and I have graphic design after that. I draw stuff all the time. That’s fun stuff.Q: What do you consider to be fun?A: Probably just hanging out with my friends, going out, going off campus for lunch, and stuff. Um, I’ve always wanted to sky dive, but never done it, but that seems fun.

I’m scared of heights… but I’ll do it. Q: If you ran our school, what would you do?A: Ran our school? God. Is this realistic? [No, anything at all.] Anything? [Yes]. –pass—I have nothing to say here. Probably start taxing students…for being here. Oh wait, we do tax students! Alright, we tax the parents. But start taxing the students and force them to work for their stuff so their parents can work toward social se-curity. (chuckle) … Wait, no. No! The people have to check every morning if you have hand sanitizer and tis-sues in every classroom. Be-cause I walk into class like “Do you have a tissue?” And they’re like “No…go to the bathroom.” I go to the bath-room and they have the little air blower things. My nose is running and everyone can see it. Everyone’s making fun of me. And it hurts. And there’s no tissues. Q: If you formed a band, what would you call it? A: It’d probably be Taylor, but there’d be a money sign

in between the y and the l. So it’s like Tay-money-lor, so that everyone knows I make a lot of money. Even though, currently, money is tight.Q: If you could have any pet, extinct or not, what would it be?A: A Pachycephalosaurus. Period. It’s a dinosaur, the head butting one. Q: If you were a rapper, what would your name be?A: It’d probably be Tay$lor. Oh! No, no. Clancy. Q: If you could be anything at all, what would it be?A: Anything? Like I could just be like… [You could be an ice cream.] Why would I want to get eaten? I just thought about that. Maybe food…does food like get-ting eaten? [You could eat yourself.] I could…but then where would I go? These are answers that science needs to be looking at. Oh God, I could be anything. Um. Okay, God. I hate these questions because then I have to like analyze them to get the perfect answer. So, would I still be myself but I’d be this? So if I was like,

yo, I want to be Obama. Would I be Taylor, but look like Obama? [Sure.] Really? Because Obama is a really good-looking guy. … [You’d be like yourself inside, but say you wanted to be ice cream, you’d be you, but an ice cream cone.] So I’d talk to people when I’m an ice cream? [Yes…] So I’d die. People would eat me. Would I still bleed? [No, you’d melt.]

That’s harsh. That’s harsh. It’s actually really hot out so that’d be a problem. … Prob-ably Usain Bolt. He’s a fast guy. He’s just a good looking guy. He’s fast and athletic. He knows what he’s doing. He’s got his life straight. Q: Do you have a favorite joke?A: No. (chuckle) Just put no. Or just say I don’t know any jokes.

Taylor Bray

feature October 20136

In the later days of June, amidst the dusty be-ginnings of Oak Park High School’s reconstruction, Oak Park teachers gathered in the dimly lit, air conditioned room of G-9 to hear a pre-sentation given by OPUSD’s new Director of Educational Technology, Enoch Kwock. Kwock’s presenta-tion introduced Oak Park’s most recent technological addition: the iPad. This de-vice, already familiar to the general public, plays the largest role in OPUSD’s latest technology plan. The plan, implemented from July 2013 to June 2016, is somewhat of a shift from the district’s previous plan which was fo-cused on turning all district classrooms into “21st Cen-tury Classrooms.” The 21st Century Classroom model brought brand new, much needed technology into OPUSD classrooms. According to the current technology plan, approximately 92% of the district classrooms now have a 77” SMARTboard interac-tive whiteboard, a document camera and a set of “click-ers.” Students primarily interact with the technology through clickers or when us-ing the SMARTboard for a presentation or classroom exercise. According to the 2013-2016 technology plan, “The District is not aban-doning the progress and focus on the 21st century classrooms, but it is rather extending the scope of tech-nology infusion to allow students to be the primary operators and users of the

technology.” The new pro-gram, essentially, is intro-ducing iPads as an additive, not a replacement. The proposed pur-pose of the new gadget is to extend technological inter-action to each student in or-der to individualize learning experiences, offering an ad-vanced level of educational engagement. New technology also serves to prepare Oak Park students and teachers for the forthcoming require-ments of the Common Core Assessment, a mandated performance-based com-puter adaptive test currently set to arrive in the spring of 2015. The state of Califor-nia has allocated nearly $1.25 billion to schools to fund the shift to digital testing. With about $200 per student, dis-tricts are now able to pay for adequate teacher training, appropriate materials and approved technology. Oak Park High School Principal Kevin Bu-chanan plans on putting that money to good use. “Incorporating the types of performance assignments, and problem-based learning using the iPads is important for our students to be pre-pared and successful as we enter this next generation of instructional assessment and accountability,” he states. The new testing, for which the 9.7” screen iPad is an approved testing device, works by targeting the indi-vidual curriculum strengths and weaknesses of each stu-dent. To prepare for the unique testing require-ments, Oak Park’s Technol-ogy Committee designed a plan to ready its teachers and students for the change.

The ultimate goal of the technology plan is to have all district teachers and student engaged in an iPad-centered program by June 2016. To get there, the district will slowly bring iPads into the classrooms, then into the

hands of students. “Before students are given their own iPads,” states the plan, “teachers must de-velop proficiency and teach-ing skills and discover which apps are appropriate.” Any teachers who were interested received loaner iPads following Kwock’s presentation in June. Teachers were given the opportunity to learn to navigate on the iPad and download apps that best fit their specific curricular ob-jectives. “This is the coolest teaching tool ever,” says Cal-culus teacher Robin Midiri, referring to her high-tech Texas Instrument App. Midiri has great hopes for the iPad in the high level math curriculum. “I think it would be a huge help in terms of students under-standing concepts,” she says, “and the transition between this [app] and what students would use on the AP exam is not a problem.” The next step of the process involves mak-ing small groups of iPads in learning centers, which house around 6-8 iPads, a

part of select classrooms; and, by June 2015 the dis-trict will deploy mobile class sets of iPads, similar to the COWS (Computers on Wheels) and affectionately call them MiLKs (Mobile iPad Learning Karts).

Each iPad will be equipped with expertly cod-ed apps, some chosen by the district and others by teach-ers, that target specific cur-ricular objectives. Along with standard Apple iWork applications such as Pages, Keynote and Numbers, each iPad will also feature apps such as Readdle for local document storage, WireShare for wireless up-loading and downloading and Dropbox for personal student and teacher docu-ment management. During his presenta-tion, Kwock demonstrated a few apps which have already been installed to the district’s existing iPads. One particu-lar app that Kwock demon-strated, called Motion Math, is specifically designed to teach students fractions by having them maneuver the iPad to form visual fraction representations. “The students think they’re playing a game,” said Kwock, “but they’re really building an understanding.”Certain apps, like Motion Math, give students both audio and visual feedback. They also adapt to student

input, adjusting the ques-tions to target each student’s strengths and weaknesses, much like the Common Core testing. Other demonstra-tions included National Geographic’s interactive World Atlas which includes geographical facts such as population and weather and distance measuring tools. By June 2016, all district teachers should have their own iPads to deliver instruction to students, and all students, or at least those targeted by the Common Core Testing Standards, should become familiar enough with the iPad to pass the performance based as-sessment. Once the device has been fully assimilated into the district’s classrooms, the district will consider ways to fund a program in which students will have the op-portunity to take their iPads home with them. “It’s so exciting,” says Mrs. Midiri. “It’s just the be-ginning. It’s pretty awesome in terms of the fun of teach-ing and, hopefully, the fun of learning.”

“The students think they’re playing a game,” said

Kwock, “but they’re really building an understanding.”

By Zainab Pixler, Managing Editor

TECHNOLOGY IN CLASSROOM

featureOctober 2013 7

iPads Begin March into OPHS Classrooms, But at What Cost?

by Min Kwon, Head Photographer

There is a new technological breakthrough on the horizon for Oak Park’s classrooms.

Teachers who are part of the TechLITE (Teacher Leaders Integrating Technology in Education) pro-

gram will be implementing Apple iPads into classrooms in the 2013-2014 school year.

Rather than teaching through the conventional methods of whiteboards and textbooks, this

program will allow the students to interact with the educational content in a new ways.

But, while this may be an exciting new step in education, it also poses some risks that traditional

teaching methods do not have.

There are various benefits of using technology in the classroom. First, Kwock mentioned

the time efficiency of iPads. With what Kwock calls their “instant-on” feature, iPads may improve

productivity of the students by reducing the amount of time it requires to start an application.

Another benefit is the simple fact that students generally tend to be more engaged when us-

ing technology. For example, the use of COWs (Computers on Wheels) tends to excite the students

more than simply working out of a textbook. According to senior Greg Katz. “you walk in and see the

COWs you think I can work with other people and collaborate. I just won’t be sitting and listening to

lecture.” With various apps targeted towards different subjects, iPads will be able to enhance the

learning experience by giving students a more interactive classroom experience.

In addition, Kwock mentioned the inefficiency of the traditional method of giving out work-

sheets, grading them, and handing them back. With iPads in classrooms, however, a worksheet or

even an exam could be completed digitally, allowing for the student to receive instant feedback.

While this quick feedback is already available with the “clickers,” they require that student

still be given a paper copy of their exams or quizzes, and force them to look back and forth between

the paper and the clicker. The implementation of iPads will not only eliminate this inefficiency, but

also provide options for the teachers to add short answers or even essay questions on their digital

exams, which the students will answer through the on-screen keyboard.

Even with these benefits, iPads in the classroom may pose potential risks. The first and

most important is software exploitation. Without any software to severely restrict the usage of the

iPads, teachers will have difficult times making sure that each student is engaged in the appropriate

activity. When asked how students think iPads will change their classroom experience, one student,

senior Alex Lopez jokingly exclaimed “gametime!” According to Kwock, software is available and

already loaded on to district iPads to lock students out of apps not needed for the assigned task.

Additionally, iPads pose the risk of endangering the teacher-student relationship. If the edu-

cational applications are as helpful as Kwock explained, students will find that having an iPad is like

having a teacher next to them at all times. This convenience would naturally decrease the amount

of interaction between teachers and students. Because some teachers value the relationship that

develops between themselves and their students, having an iPad that “does it all” in the classroom

may become a disturbance to such a relationship.

Without a doubt, the idea of having iPads in the classroom is exciting for both the students

and the teachers. However, it is also important to take heed of the pros and cons of the implementa-

tion to make sure that the program goes as smoothly and efficiently as possible. According to Kwok,

“Fortunately, OPUSD has taken a more conservative and planned out approach of building out the

infrastructure and focusing on staff training and developing proficiency before assigning iPads to

individual students to use and take home.”

How iPads are changing the face of teaching at Oak ParkTHE

school life October 20138

Annual Club WeekBy Jack Berner,

Staff Writer

Oak Park High School presented its annual Club Week from Monday, September 16th through Friday the 20th. Club Week is an event that allows stu-dents to browse club stations which are set up by other students in the school’s pa-vilion. Clubs that have been at Oak Park for many years include the robotics club, math club, and chess club. The drama club re-mained popular, but many new clubs appeared as well. Junior Polina Davydov, cre-ator of the new Russian Club

states, “It’s basically a way to immerse yourself in Russian culture in a new, fun way.” The founder of the Indian club, sophomore An-eesh Gowri, comments on the club’s agenda, saying, “We plan to talk about Indi-an culture. We’re competing with other Indian clubs from other schools in the area.” The Indian Club has had large success in sign-ups and when sophomore Ameya Bulusu, a sophomore, was asked why he joined the club he said, “because I’m Indian, of course.” Other new clubs include the One to Another Club, described by its found-er, sophomore Brandon Byer, as “a club where we talk about what we can do for

others, plan certain activities and take suggestions from members,” the Rubik’s Cube Club, founded by freshman Rutwik Tipireddy who ex-plained that this is, “a club where we teach amateurs to solve Rubik’s cubes and vari-ous types of puzzles.” and the ukulele club created by Au-drey Pham, a junior. Not only are there new clubs at Oak Park High School, but many existing clubs have changed as well. Junior Russell Tagawa, the new president of the Ro-botics Club, says he plans to include, “more participa-tion and meetings.” Jessica Ji, a junior and president of the economics club explains, “We’re going to be a lot more active this year so we can get in volunteer hours.” Se-nior Aakash Jha, the current president of the Future Med-ical Club says, “I’m going to invite more doctors to come and we’re going to go to hos-pitals.” The turnout for club week this year was average, with a wide grade range among the students from curious freshman to veteran seniors. With the amount of new clubs and positive changes to preceding clubs, this years’ club week was considered a success. Photo Credit: Min Kwon

Seaside XCInvitationalBy Nicholas Markarian

and Nicole Schwartz,Staff Writers

On July 6th at the Seaside Cross Country In-vitational, Sahm Bazargan, a senior at Oak Park High School, won for the fourth year in a row. Bazargan ran a time of fourteen minutes and twenty-eight seconds for three miles. He averaged a pace of four minutes and forty-nine seconds per mile. He came in first out of two hundred and seventy three senior male runners from cross country teams around Southern California. Sahm has won this race every year starting from his freshman year and said, “I’m very happy about it and I look forwad to the season.” In addition to this win, Brittany Blackwell took first place out of three hun-dred and thirteen girls in the sophomore girls’ race. Blackwell explained, “I was happy with my time Sahm Bazargan and Brittany Black-

well, Seaside winners

and it was a great start to the season.” She finished with a time of seventeen minutes and fifty-two seconds. Overall, Cross Country team members are excited about this year and feel the team will do well. Sophmore Jake Whealen agrees saying, “Everyone is excelling and preparing for state - our biggest challenge yet.” Coach Calce adds, “The season is going very well and we are looking for-ward to the season.”

sportsOctober 2013 9

Girls’ Tennis TeamsBy Irena Yang,

Staff Writer

The girls’ tennis team is kicking into high gear, hoping to make it to CIF in the Tri-Valley League for the last time. Next year, the team will not only switch into a new league, but also face new schools and oppo-nents. “It’ll be tough to compete with the bigger schools next year,” Coach Carl Joyce comments, “but I think this year we have a strong chance of finishing at the top.” And, so far it looks like he’s right. The Oak Park Girls’ Varsity team has won all of its preseason match-es against Viewpoint (12 games—6 games), Agoura High School (14—4), Lou-isville (11—7), and Chami-nade (15—3). A lot of the girls’

success has come from a combination of new players and experienced veterans. With the addition of fresh-man Annette Goulak and the return of sophomore Sasha Romanova, this year’s Varsity singles team has be-come one of the strongest yet. Although three seniors from the doubles line-up graduated last year, the Var-sity team still has two strong doubles teams: Roopa Chan-dra and Irena Yang, and An-astasia Greer and Ashwarya Srinivas. Annette Goulak, the team’s best singles player, has shown immense poten-tial for the years to come. Goulak commented on her love for tennis, saying, “I like playing for the team because I love competition and I also get to make new friends and cheer them on.” Both Gou-lak and Romanova have won all their singles matches thus

far. Both doubles teams are also undefeated. The tennis team also added a new Junior Varsity team last year, which has cre-ated a bigger and better ten-nis experience. With an ad-ditional 15 girls, the courts are filled and new friend-ships are forming. “I’m re-ally glad they added the JV team,” sophomore Lillian

Ong says. “I get a chance to improve as a player and play real matches.” The JV team has also had an unblemished record, winning their first match against Agoura. Team captains Syd-ney Hassard, Lindsay Stan-ton, Roopa Chandra, and Irena Yang all have high hopes for the team. “We have such a solid Varsity line-up

Oak Park Football DominatesContinued from page 1

that it’s getting competitive between the girls to take the few remaining starter spots,” Junior Lindsay Stanton said. “But that just means there’s a lot of talent on our team this year!” The girls’ tennis team has a strong change of achieving their goals both for this year and for future years to come.

Photo Credit:Min Kwon, Junior varsity girls’ tennis team.

it has ever been, fundamen-tally speaking, we have the ability to dictate the game through our performance.” Oak Park’s offense has been exceptional as well. In six games, the Var-sity team has averaged over 45 points scored each game with a combined total of 273 points. Quarterback Chan-dler Whitbord, one of the national leaders in touch-down passes, has helped to score 25 of the team’s 41 touchdowns with his tal-ented arm, according to MaxPreps. Whitbord is well-aware of his standing as the country’s high school leader in passes. He credits this feat through “work[ing] re-ally hard with [his] receivers

after practice and building chemistry with them.” In continuing his discussion on his major accomplishment, Whitbord points out that “it’s a nice accomplishment to have as many touchdown passes that I have.” According to Max-Preps, 19 of these touch-down receptions have been completed by wide receiver Matt Byer, who is one of the national leaders in touch-down receptions. Byer com-mented on this achievement saying, “It’s pretty surreal.” He attributes getting to this position by working “very hard over the off-season” while giving “so much credit to [his] quarterback and of-fensive linemen.” Byer explains, “I try and not let the statistics get

into my head and just let my game speak for itself. The most important thing to me is winning. I pride myself in being modest and staying motivated in order to help my team win a league cham-pionship.” The Oak Park foot-ball team has operated on an entirely new level of confi-dence and determination. “I see us heading to greatness” reports Green, who shares this mentality with the rest of the Varsity squad. The team eagerly awaits their first league game, which is Friday, October 11th against Santa Paula at home. Whitbord sums up the team’s new mindset, say-ing, “It’s all about winning, and that’s what Oak Park football is all about now.”

“This year’s team has worked extrememly hard in the off-season to become a suc-cessful team. We have assembled a new coaching staff this season with a lot of posi-tive reinforcement. Winning a Tri-Valley Championship and a CIF title are very reachable accomplishments for this team. With such a great group of student ath-letes, it’s an honor to be their Head Foot-

ball Coach.” - Cwoach Shorten

Photo Credit: Mark Kalbeld

Photo Credit: Mark Kalbeld

Above: Chandler Whitbord, one of the national leaders for touchdown passes, prepares to throw. Below: Justin Green sacks Villiage Christian QB and Zach Fowler recovers fumble for a touchdown.

eNtertaiNmeNt October 201310

Horror at the MoviesBy Nicholas Burt,

Staff Writer

It is the time of the year once again. The month of the year devoted just to putting dread straight into the soul of every person – October. For most people October means giving out candy to trick-or-treaters or going to parties with their friends. To others, it means going out to the cinema and watching a horror movie that will keep them up for many nights in a row. Hor-ror movies have always been a favorite of movie goers across the world. For me, it is the spine tingling music and fear that will keep me up for

nights. Recently, I had the chance to go to the theaters and watch Insidious: Chap-ter 2. When I walked into the movie I had a general sense of what I was going to see since the first Insidious had done a good job of terri-fying me. Insidious: Chapter 2 is similar to the first film in that it depicts the lives of people who can go into the world of the dead. Inside the world, they use their spiritual bod-ies to walk around and learn about dead people, often becoming trapped. Insidi-ous 2 offers this and a few new twists, which makes the movie even more enjoyable than the first. Once again, the movie follows the Lambert

family and their troubles. The major conflict is that the family’s father, Josh Lam-bert, played by Patrick Wil-son, is accused of murdering Elise, the psychic from the first film. After their house is taken control of by the, the family moves to Josh’s childhood home and tries to start-up their lives once again. Just like in Insidi-ous, the mother, Renai Lam-bert, played by Rose Bryne, begins to see dead people walking around the house. From that point on, the story begins to get confusing. James Wan, the di-rector, is a true master of low budget horror films that can really make you tremble in your seat. An hour into the movie, I begin to see the story unravel. Problem after problem smacks the viewer in the face and some seem

to lose our direction in the movie’s plot. To me, I felt as if I had to retrace my steps in the storyline. In the end, I had to actually spend some time analyzing the story. What it lacks in sto-ry, it makes up with its com-edy. In the first film, there was no humor and it was a

This year students returned to Oak Park High School to find that the ad-ministration was enforcing the dress code more strictly. According to Assis-tant Principal Bryan Martin, the decision to enforce the dress code was made by the entire administration team. Martin stated that this de-cision was reached because, “within the last two years the school has received com-plaints from teachers and community members that our students were beginning to dress less appropriately. Our enforcement of the cur-rent dress code had become sparse so as an administra-tion we decided to adhere to the current dress code more firmly and to document more precisely whether a student had ever been spo-ken to about dress code.”

It is also believed that females are more di-rectly affected by the dress code. Martin explained this, saying, “Currently, adoles-cent female fashion consists of clothes that violate Oak Park’s current dress code policy.” In fact, on the first day of school, 13 girls were dress coded. Most recently, the total count of dress code violations reach 83 stu-dents. These include short shorts, backless dresses, and cropped shirts. A new addition to the dress code policy is that students who are caught vio-lating the dress code have to wear What Would Ellen Do t-shirts. The seniors made it clear they disapprove of the new enforcement with a sign at the first rally that said, “new dress code=turtlenecks and long pants.” Sophomore Li-ane Greenberg commented on the strictness, stating, the new dress code is “re-ally strict and I see advisors walking back and forth and dress coding people early in the morning.” Junior Po-lina Davydov added, saying, “They focus more on the girls and midriffs and ban-deaus.” The faculty seems to stand united in appreciating this new change while the students, especially the girls, wait to see if the strictness will fade and things will go back to ‘normal.’

“NewDress Code=Turtle Necks and Long Pants”

classic haunted house movie. The second Insidious pro-vided the audience with hu-mor, which picked the movie right back up. Overall Insidious is a far better movie than its sequel and Insidious: Chap-ter 2 is an average film with several good scenes.

By Sarah Goldberg and Natasha Rowland,

Staff Writers

Photo Credit: Min KwonPunishment for dress code violation.

Cultural Exchanges

As the 2013 school year began, the student pop-ulation hit an all-time high, exceeding 1,500 students. This was due to an influx of out-of-district students, the previous year’s Medea Creek 8th graders and fifteen new foreign exchange students. A seemingly small number, fif-teen foreign students in Oak Park High School is a great feat, seeing as the school’s foreign exchange program began only second semester of the previous school year. The 15 international students that arrived came from primarily Europe and South America, specifi-cally from Brazil, Norway, Germany, Italy, Costa Rica, Spain and Russia. Lena Stache, a soph-omore at OPHS, as well as a German exchange student, relates her desire of choos-ing this particular foreign exchange program. “I was interested to go to America and to make new friends and to get the experience to stay with a host family.” She excitedly adds, “I really like it here. The people are really nice and they helped me transition here. The host family is very nice and help-ful.” Though she attends OPHS Lena’s host fam-ily lives in Thousand Oaks, which, though a bit incon-venient, is still in the vicinity of the school. When asked if she is currently participat-ing in any school activities or clubs, Lena said, “I am on

By Adella Katz, Co-Editor-in-Chief

the tennis team and in a club that helps homeless people.” A month into the school year and Lena is already well underway in her American-ization. Two months after arriving in America from Russia, Denis Melnikov be-gan his freshman year at Oak Park High School. Unlike Lena who chose a foreign exchange program, Denis moved to Oak Park with his “papa and mama” because “[his] dad found work here.” Speaking only very little English, Denis faces trou-bles at the school, among them surpassing language barriers. Due to this issue, Denis’s replies to questions were translated into English. When asked how this school is different from his school in Russia, Denis replies, “At my old school there were 80 people and we learned seven subjects in a single class. I don’t speak English well at all. In this school I take a few classes as well as an addi-

tional English class.” Regard-ing his difficulty to learn in English, Denis comments, saying, “No, it’s much easier here than in Russia.” He then laughed and added, “The material, I mean, is simpler here than there.” As a final remark, Denis relates, “I like America, I like California, and the weather is great.” I n t e r e s t i n g l y enough, OPHS is the only school in OPUSD that uti-lizes a foreign exchange pro-gram. According to Princi-pal Kevin Buchanan, Oak Park became involved in the foreign exchange program “to raise funds that could be used to help maintain our District’s Mandarin Chinese program since the FLAP grant, which initially paid for the program, was no lon-ger funded.” Buchanan added, “We are very excited that these international students are here and I know our stu-dents are curious about them and are welcoming them. I hear that they are enjoying learning how to surf.”

Denis Melnikov is from Russia. Lena Stache is from Germany.

eNtertaiNmeNtOctober 2013 11

BOARD CERTIFIED SPECIALIST CARING FOR YOUR SIMPLE TO COMPLEX DENTAL NEEDS

818-501-0663/16311 VENTURA BLVD., SUITE 530ENCINO, CA 91436

MARK EXLER D.D.S . , F.A .C.P.PRACTICE LIMITED TO PROSTHODONTICS

Proud Supporter of OPHS

Women’s Volleyball

“Go Eagles”

Upcoming TheatreBy Jordan Berns,

Staff Writer

Local Theatres

SpamalotWhere: Conejo Valley Play-ersWhen: November 15 – De-cember 14, 2013Thurs, Friday & Saturday at 8:00pm, Sunday at 2:00pmTicket Price: $18-20Theatre’s Distance from Oak Park High School: 15-20 minutesBest Suited for: Those who are fans of Monty Python, killer rabbits, and off the wall musical comedies. It should be noted that Spa-malot has been historically cast-contingent, so it will be interesting to see how this production turns out.The Second City Touring

CompanyWhere: Thousand Oaks Civ-ic Arts PlazaWhen: February 21, 2014 at 7:30pm Ticket Price: $39Distance from Oak Park High School: 15-20 minutesBest Suited for: Fans of comedic improvisation.

Second City is a world-re-nowned comedy club born in Chicago. This show is sure to be absolutely hilarious.

Professional Theatres

War HorseWhere: The PantagesWhen: October 8-13, 2013October 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 2013 at 8pmOctober 12, 2013 at 2pmOctober 13, 2013 at 1pmOctober 13, 2013 6:30pmTicket Price: $32-140Theatre’s Distance from Oak Park High School: 45 min-utes-1 hourBest Suited for: Those with an affinity for moving stories and fantastic staging. The Handspring African Puppet Company has created some of its most genius work yet in the animals that grace the stage of War Horse. It is al-most worth seeing the show just for the puppetry. There is a common misconception that War Horse is a musical, but it is actually a play, and brought home the converted Best Play award at the 2011 Tony Awards.

Homecoming is the first and main dance of the school year which is attend-ed by a majority of the Oak Park High School student body. This year, the theme chosen by ASB is the Great Gatsby.

By Julia Appelrouth and Lauren Perlmutter,

Staff Writers

Not only has there been much talk and excite-ment about this dance, but with the amount of work be-ing put into the decorations and planning, it will be one to remember. “We are hoping to make it an elegant, more formal type of dance,” ex-plained Katherine Byrne, ASB president.

Many students are also showing signs of ex-citement for the upcoming dance. “I’m most excited to see how they decorate the dance to make it Great Gats-by, because I like glamor-ous things,” says sophomore Amanda Liu. Hopefully, this spe-cial homecoming event will not disappoint.

Homecoming Dance: The Great Gatsby

Juliana Furgala is a junior and she has always been, and will continue to be, an avid reader. Her favorite subjects are his-tory and art.

Nicholas Markarian is a sophomore at Oak Park High School. He runs cross-country and track, and enjoys playing soccer as well.

Sarah Goldberg is a sophomore at Oak Park High School. She enjoys read-ing, watching television, and hanging out with her friends.

Julia Appelrouth loves to watch new episodes of CW’s The Vampire Diaries Thursday nights. This is currently her first year participating in Journalism Club.

Carlo Cruz-Albrecht is a sophomore who loves to read, to write, and express his opinions on controversial topics. He’s into science, engineering, and history.

Jordan Berns is a senior. She likes the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. This is her third year on the paper.

Jack Berner is a sophomore who enjoys writing for the Talon. He’s interests in-clude tennis, history, science, and things that make him laugh.

Natasha Rowland is a sophomore who loves to read and write. She also enjoys singing in the OPHS Chamber Choice and outside of school.

James Whiteley is a junior and he loves to run. He is on the cross country and track teams.

Kailee Canty is a junior and she loves to write. Her other hobbies include run-ning track and cross country and playing the ukulele.

Nicholas Burt is a freshman who loves to watch films. He regularly goes to the movie theater and to the library to check out more.

about the Talon October 201312

Letter from the Editor

The Talon StaffBrittany Jones is a senior who has been writing for the Talon for three years. She is on the Varsity basketball team.

Adella Katz is a senior at OPHS. She enjoys writing for the Talon and obses-sively watches her favorite TV shows New Girl and SVU.

Alex Appelrouth is a senior at Oak Park who loves music and fast food. He enjoys being active and plays Varsity baseball.

Tushar Jois is a junior at Oak Park who enjoys writing and layout. He is a typo-phile and hopes you like the new layout.

Leah Katz is a senior at Oak Park and she likes taking pictures and watching ri-diculous sitcoms. She also plays soccer in her free time.

Min Kwon is a senior at OPHS. He en-joys writing for the Talon and listening to K-Pop in his free time.

Ashley Siavoshi is a junior and has been writing for the Talon since her freshman year. Her hobbies include poetry, maths, and the Big Bang Theory.

TALO

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ent

Editorial Staff

Dear Readers, This new school year has brought about many changes to our school including a new vice principal, a new inforcement of the dress code, a handful of international students and structural changes across campus. As the new Editors-in-Chief of the Talon, Brittany Jones and I are very excit-ed to present our new and improved newspaper to the Oak Park High School public. From the dress code to Homecoming, from tampons to football, we, the Talon staff will be bringing you all the most updated and interesting news and entertainment. For this issue’s feature, the topic of iPads was chosen, considering the recent revamp of the technology program. SMARTboards and COWs will have the addition of Mobile iPad Learning Karts, or MiLKs, in classrooms starting in 2014. Additionally, this year’s Varsity football team is the best the school has had in many years. We are all very proud of our boys and wish them luck at the Homecoming game tonight. Everyone come down to the stands tonight and support Oak Park! We wish you all a happy Homecoming and may the best seniors win King and Queen. On that note, have a good weekend Oak Parkians. Seniors – good luck with those college apps. Just get them over with and enjoy this last year. Keep calm and carry on, as the popular t-shirts say. And in the words of Anchorman Ron Burgundy, “Stay Classy, [Oak Park].” - Adella Katz, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Staff Writers

Nicholas Branigan is a sophomore at OPHS. Among his interests are writing, mountain biking, and lamenting his lack of free time.

Benjamin Porat is a sophomore writing for the Talon for a second year. He is a certified Microsoft Office Master in Of-fice 2013.

Lauren Perlmutter is a sophomore and has had a passion for writing since she was young. Lauren enjoys being with friends and volunteering in her free time.

The Talon, pro-duced by OPHS Journalism Club students, strives to bring attention to and to discuss current events through a student forum.

The paper aims to inform the student body in a reliable and relevant man-ner.

If you would like to contact the Talon with comments or questions regard-ing advertising, please e-mail the newspaper at:talon@oakparkusd.org

Interested in joining the Talon Staff?Whether you are intersted in journalism, photogra-

phy or layout, we have a place for you.~

Contact Brittany Jones or Adella Katz or stop by a meeting. Meetings take place every other Tuesday

at lunch in H-9.