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  • The charming exterior of Butter and Fold attracts many customers at all hours of business. From the elegant teal and gold color scheme to the waft of freshly baked breads, it’s impossible to simply pass by without taking a peek inside.

    A&E

    Butter and Fold: The perfect place to satisfy your pastry cravings this fall

  • At the Olivas Links Golf Course, on Sept. 21, 2023, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) girls golf team faced off in a league match against Bishop Diego. The Dragons played well and won the match with an overall score of 249-303. Pictured above, Maddie Wicks 26 concentrates as she putts her ball toward the pin, finishing hole five with three over par.

    Latest

    Recap: Girls’ golf takes Bishop Diego 249-303

  • On Sept. 22, 2023, Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) competed in their first Tri-County Athletic (TCAA) league meet. Foothill Tech races with five girls on varsity, including Danika Swanson-Rico 25, Bennett Rodman 26, Kalea Eggertsen 26, Emma Anderson 26 and Isabella Efner 25. They warm-up on the start line, exchanging words of encouragement and waiting for the queue to begin the race.

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  • On Sept. 21, 2023, Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys water polo hosted a home game against their opponent Malibu High School (Malibu). With lots of splashing, Ethan Ortiz 24 attempts to find an open teammate to give Foothill Tech an advantage to win their league match.

    Boys' Water Polo

    Recap: Boys’ water polo bested by Malibu

  • Students of Foothill Tech try to make button pins of their own design at Back to School Night. This college and career class provides an opportunity to learn life skills and creativity.

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    Foothill Tech welcomes parents and guardians at Back to School Night 2023

  • In the teen show “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” an adaption of the popular Young Adult novel, protagonist Belly Conklin navigates her love life in a triangle between brothers Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher.

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  • During F.I.R.E and lunch, members of the Associated Student Body worked hard to prepare an assembly line of delicious In-N-Out for the Class of 2024.

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  • On the sunny afternoon of Sept. 19, 2023 girls tennis played against the Villanova Preparatory (Villanova) School Wildcats. The tennis team huddles together and chants in a pregame ritual before beginning their matches.

    Girls' Tennis

    Girls’ tennis triumphs over Villanova in first league match

  • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the much anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed and beloved video game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Announced in 2019 by Nintendo at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Tears of the Kingdom was released on May 12, 2023 after nearly four years of waiting. Since its release, the game has been met with widespread acclaim from critics and fans alike. The game directly follows the events of its predecessor, building upon them and expanding an already immense world. Writer Kelly Quinn shares his thoughts.

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  • The three cakes that were reviewed were Lemon, Pumpkin Spice and Red Velvet all topped with a generous amount of cream cheese frosting.

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  • Comprising of 12 songs, Olivia Rodrigos new album GUTS is her second studio album and was released on Sept. 8, 2023. Rodrigos first studio album, SOUR, released in 2021, was critically acclaimed and beloved by fans, making her second album long anticipated. Writer Isheeta Pal takes on the task of listening to GUTS and reviewing it, delving into its key themes and messaging.

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  • In Laufey’s latest album “Bewitched,” released on Sept. 8, 2023, she brings a jazzy and soothing take on the journey of love. Following the success of her previous album, “Everything I Know About Love,” her sophomore album comprises 14 songs, each bringing their own unique spin that is sure to bewitch the listener. Join writer Lily Toreja as she reviews each song and delves into their individual meanings.

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    Album Anatomy: “Bewitched” by Laufey

  • On the eventful evening of Sept. 14, 2023, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) Dragons faced off against Cate in their third league match. The matchup was very even and came down to the fifth and final set in which the Dragons were unable to secure the win. After bouncing and hitting the ball to set her rhythm, Malia Gray ‘24 (number 9) goes to serve, as her teammates and her alike hope for the best.

    Girls' Volleyball

    Girls’ volleyball endures a hard loss against Cate

  • Jackson Basurto ‘24 and Alfred “Mason” Borkowski ‘24 are in full recruitment mode as students pass by their table. The club offered a fun way to engage with other students while doing something they all enjoy.

    Events

    Dragons find their connection at Club Rush 2023

  • On the afternoon of Sept. 14, 2023, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) girls golf faced off against La Reina at the Olivas Links Golf Course. Maddie Wicks ‘26 tees it up with hopes of sticking it close to pin and hopefully having a birdie opportunity. Wicks finished hole six with a double bogey and finished the entire course with a 56.

    Girls' Golf

    Foothill Tech defeats La Reina in league match

  • Isabella De La Rosa 24 (number 3) and Charlis Swezy 27 (number 1) block from the net, while Malia Gray 24 (number 9) and Morgan Houston 25 (number 2) stay behind to cover any unexpected plays from the other team.

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    Girls’ volleyball spiked on by St. Bonaventure

  • Students hit the ground running as the 2023-2024 school year picks up its pace. With this years You Belong Week taking place Sept. 11-15, 2023, as well as Club Rush on Sept. 15, 2023, Dragons are busy keeping up with all the events.

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Opinion: Is the Ventura Unified cell phone and earbud policy really enhancing focus?

The+new+policy+for+cell+phones+and+earbuds+has+many+students+feeling+agitated.+Is+this+policy+one+that+will+actually+have+a+positive+effect+on+the+Foothill+Tech+campus%2C+or+will+it+do+more+ultimate+harm+than+good%3F
Gigi Richardson Seifert
The new policy for cell phones and earbuds has many students feeling agitated. Is this policy one that will actually have a positive effect on the Foothill Tech campus, or will it do more ultimate harm than good?

Cell phones are becoming the latest growing problem for teenagers. The average American teenager’s screen time is “8 hours 39 minutes per day.” Moreover, most teenage students carry their cell phones in their pockets, a place where even the slightest buzzing can become a distraction for students — or at least that is what teachers and parents believe. Cell phones have become diminished to nothing more than a distraction; therefore, the benefits of cell phones are often overlooked.  Whether it is parents enforcing a controlling eye on their child when they’re out, educators requiring their students to use online programs or other simple safety measures, going without a phone for a single day can be difficult. Despite this fact, the Ventura Unified School District (Ventura Unified) has implemented a drastic new cell phone and earbud policy at all middle and high schools of Ventura, Calif. in the 2023-2024 school year as an attempt to counteract the distraction.

There are four offenses and the consequences for each offense gradually intensify. After the first offense, teachers are only recommended to remind the student committing the offense of the no cell phone and earbud policy and to reach out to that student’s parents. The second offense can result in the teacher confiscating the student’s phone or earbuds for them to be picked up by the student at the end of the day. After the third offense, the student can be suspended for the remainder of the school day. The fourth offense can result in the student being banned from school dances, extracurriculars or from their off campus stamp if the administration determines it to be a fit punishment. The student may also have to drop off their phone at the beginning of each day for a certain period of time. After each offense, the number of the offense will be documented on the student’s permanent record.

The administration is allowed to suspend students as cell phones can be considered a distraction. The California Ed Code 48900 k states that “disrupted school activities or otherwise willfully defied the valid authority of supervisors, teachers, administrators, school officials, or other school personnel engaged in the performance of their duties.” However, just because they have the right to do this does not mean it’s the correct solution. While cell phones and earbuds can be considered as distractions to some in class, it would be more wise for Ventura Unified to ease the students into this policy instead.

There are multiple benefits and disadvantages for the newly implemented cell phone and earbud policy and varied perspectives amongst students, teachers and administration. (Emilie Huovinen)

The new cell phone policy might be extreme for students that are in their junior or senior year, as they have already acclimated to the relaxed behavior from administration pertaining to cell phone or earbud usage. Furthermore, since Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) is a technology-based school, there are many ways in which students have become accustomed to using their phones for school purposes —  such as taking pictures of their teacher’s agenda or the textbook when necessary, as well as commonly used online learning programs like Kahoot that are easily accessed from the phone.

Since cell phones have become ubiquitous, there has been a rise in cheating with phones. With the world at your hands, there is so much a student can do. Platforms such as Photomath, Quizlet, calculators, texting and Google have concerned administrators. Despite all this, cheating has been around for as long as school has. Before cell phones existed, students could still cheat by passing notes, looking at other students’ papers and more. Although the new cell phone policy may eliminate the worry of students using their phones to cheat, there are still other ways for students to cheat.

As for the earbud policy, students are often left with time at the end of class to work individually and music has been shown to be a stress reliever and focus enhancer. While some believe the only good music to study with would be classical, that could not be farther from the truth. One research study found that those “who listened to a British pop group called Blur while completing a test did better than those who listened to classical music or no music.” Allowing students to listen to their own choice of music can do much more to aid in studying than the teacher’s choice of music. Some studies have also shown that “music therapy is an effective way to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety,” something that Ventura Unified has been trying to decrease.

Considering that Ventura Unified’s main goal is to promote student wellbeing and academic success, they need to consider all of the benefits that come along with phone usage. All students have different needs and it is jarring to experience this change after many teachers previously promoted the use of cell phones in academic contexts. This policy is an unnecessarily drastic change for many students and it is unfair to punish the many students who have not abused their phones or earbuds and genuinely put these tools to academic use.

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About the Contributors
Emilie Huovinen, Writer
I write articles not tragedies.
Julia Brossia, Writer
Second-year writer, Swiftie and opossum lover.
"Dying is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well." - Sylvia Plath

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