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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.

    Cross Country

    Cross country starts off strong at first league meet of the 2023 season

  • With beloved melodies and nostalgic anthems dating back over a decade, fans and general audience members alike enjoy singing along to her award-winning album, Fearless, from 2008.

    A&E

    The Eras Tour: an adventure spanning 17 years of music 

  • 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.

    Latest

    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.

    A&E

    “The Summer I Turned Pretty”: In Defense of the Fisher Boys

  • 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.

    Latest

    Class of 2024 connects through In-N-Out Burger and festivities

  • 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.

    A&E

    “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” is victory for gaming

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

    A&E

    A dive into Nothing Bundt Cakes: America’s largest specialty cake company

  • 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.

    A&E

    Album Anatomy: “GUTS”

  • A sign displayed in the store highlights the unique vendors in the store as well as promoting shopping from local artists.

    A&E

    Hey! Friends shows Ventura why shopping locally matters

  • Christopher Nolan hits it out of the park once again with his brilliantly done biopic about the man who invented the atom bomb, Oppenheimer.

    A&E

    “Oppenheimer” is a mind-blowingly impactful film

  • 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.

    A&E

    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.

    Girls' Volleyball

    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.

    FDP-TV

    FDP-TV: Season 2, Episode 2

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Humans of Foothill: Aadhya Bavkar

Inspired+by+the+Humans+of+New+York+project%2C+the+Foothill+Dragon+Press+photographers+aspire+to+highlight+students+pursing+their+passions+and+interests.
Olivia Mowad
Inspired by the Humans of New York project, the Foothill Dragon Press photographers aspire to highlight students pursing their passions and interests.
Aadhya Bavkar ’25 who is a part of STEMbassadors, works on a project in the IDEA Center, located on Ventura Ave. It is a STEM nonprofit that helps bring the community access to STEM machines. (VC Star)

“All throughout elementary and middle school, I’ve known that I wanted to pursue a career in STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics.] In middle school, my passion for STEM led me to join a makerspace class, where I first discovered my interest in machining, designing and engineering. From there, I joined a student-led nonprofit organization, known as STEMbassadors, to spread this gift of machining and STEM curriculum to underprivileged schools throughout Ventura County by providing them with access to student-built STEM equipment (such as CNC routers and 3D printers.) Seeing the impact of providing such unique opportunities to young kids really led me to want to join something bigger that appealed to my interests. That’s why I joined robotics; I saw it as an expansion of my passions and therefore a way to learn more about engineering, while also contributing to a competitive team that was unlike anything I’d been a part of before.”

In pursuing her passion of robotics, Bavkar is in Team 4414 Hightide Robotics, which she has been a part of for three years as of 2023. 

“I am one of the lead machinists on the team; basically what I do is I create CAM [computer-aided manufacturing] that is used to [help make] all the parts necessary for robot assembly. Since my team is housed in a manufacturing facility (Sessa Manufacturing,) we have access to industrial grade machines, such as Haas mills and laser cutters. Getting to fully operate such advanced equipment as a high school student is a very unique opportunity that I’m extremely grateful for.

“As a female in a mostly male-dominated field, it is also empowering to see the impact that we are making on the future of STEM. In robotics, you can see that all ideas are valued, regardless of who they’re coming from, and that’s a really special type of equality that I hope will be spread into the workforce.

Each year, Team 4414 Hightide competes in For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics, a global competition widely known among robotics students. 

After winning the World Championship in FIRST Robotics held in Houston, Texas, Aadyha Bavkar ’25 gathers with her team, 4414 Hightide Robotics, along with mentors and coaches to capture their massive win. (JD Sessa)

“FIRST Robotics is a worldwide robotics nonprofit that creates opportunities for high school students to learn real-world engineering skills in a competitive environment. Each year, a completely brand new game is released. These games are specifically designed to challenge teams to create unique robotic mechanisms so that the robot can complete certain tasks as quickly as possible. These tasks may include stacking objects, picking up game pieces and sorting them into specific allotments on the field, shooting and scoring objects into goals, climbing and more; each year, the overall theme of the game changes and so do the game’s objectives. Scoring the matches is simple: basically, the team that completes the most tasks will win the most points.

The game is released in January, and after the game kickoff, teams have six weeks to build industrial size robots completely from scratch; this includes designing, manufacturing, assembling and programming the robot. During this time, teams must work around challenging requirements, restrictions and budgets. After [the] six weeks, teams compete at regional events and the winners move onward to a world championship event held in Houston, [Texas] each April.

“In April of [2023] my team competed at the World Championship event in Houston and we won first place! Winning this title made us one of the top three teams in the world, out of more than 3,000 teams from 19 different countries. Winning worlds was absolutely surreal and it’s difficult to put the experience into words, but it felt incredible seeing all our hard work pay off.

“Being a part of robotics has really helped me to work well under pressure and be able to problem-solve on the spot. But beyond the competitive atmosphere, robotics has also made me realize that I can do what I am passionate about while also contributing to a greater cause.”

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About the Contributors
Camilla Lewis, Assignment Editor
Avid ocean, orange juice and “Napoleon Dynamite” lover.
Olivia Mowad, Editor-in-Chief
An Editor-in-Chief often found with a coffee in one hand and a camera in the other.

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Comments on articles are screened and those determined by editors to be crude, overly mean-spirited or that serve primarily as personal attacks will not be approved. The Editorial Review Board, made up of 11 student editors and a faculty adviser, make decisions on content.
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