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  • Also referred to as a red tide or an algae bloom, the brilliant blue waves are caused by phytoplankton that emit blue light when disturbed. In previous years the event has been rare to find, occurring sparsely. Recently, primarily during the summer of 2023, bioluminescent waves could be seen splashing the shores of Ventura County.

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  • On Sept. 21, 2023, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) Girls Volleyball took a devastating loss of 3-1 in a league game against Bishop Diego High School. Students, Addi Fallon 25, Zac Crist 24 and Petra Falcocchia 24, show their support with colorful face paint. Many students also dressed to the theme of the game, which was cowboys and cowgirls.

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  • Throughout the city of Ventura, pollution is washed down to the beaches through rivers and gutters, depositing cups, bags and other various trash onto our beaches and into the oceans.

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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.

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    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.

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  • 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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  • 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.

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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.

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  • 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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  • 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.

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

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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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  • 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.

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    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.

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Conceptual physics students launch homemade catapults (16 photos, video)

Sophomores Saad Fakhouri, Christian Alamillo, and Tanner Woodward launch their catapult for conceptual physics. Credit: Emilie Ghafouri/The Foothill Dragon Press.
Sophomores Saad Fakhouri, Christian Alamillo, and Tanner Woodward launch their catapult for conceptual physics. Credit: Emilie Ghafouri/The Foothill Dragon Press.
Sophomores Saad Fakhouri, Christian Alamillo, and Tanner Woodward launch their catapult for conceptual physics. Credit: Emilie Ghafouri/The Foothill Dragon Press.

Flying tennis balls pelted the Foothill quad Thursday afternoon as conceptual physics classes participated in their annual catapult launch. Students worked together in groups to construct a catapult that would launch a tennis ball at a set target.

“I’m hoping that I increase their enthusiasm for physics, and that they’re able to apply what they learn in class about projectile motion to an actual goal of hitting our target,” science teacher Emily Hunt said.

After setting up their self-designed catapults at the starting point, students rolled a dice to determine how many meters away their target would be. Their goal was to land the tennis ball as close to the target as possible, earning more points for being closer to the goal.

“I show them examples and pictures from previous years,” Hunt said. “We study about projectile motion in class, learning about horizontal and vertical motion. Mostly they use their own creativity and ideas to generate a unique catapult.”

Students had a month to work in their groups to design, build, and decorate a tennis ball launcher in preparation for the final test of how well their design would be able to perform when it came time for the demonstration.

“I thought it was a great experience for everyone to be able to see, and I got some really good skills out of it,” sophomore Tanner Woodward said. “It was a great experience for my group and we had a lot of fun doing it.”

Many students got their ideas from the internet, and expanded on what they found there to create their own catapult.

“We just worked together. We didn’t do it all last minute, but there were some last minute changes,” sophomore Sandra Jeffery said. “We did have a design, but all designs change when you first make them, and we ended up doing a kind of a slingshot.”

After trying to get as close as possible to the target, the students held another contest just for fun to see which catapult could launch the tennis ball the farthest. The winning design launched the ball from near the base of the stage to the roof of the Black Box.

 

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