theLANCER

Volume LI, Issue 1 » August 30, 2012 » Thousand Oaks High School » 2323 N. Moorpark Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 » www.tohsthelancer.org

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MASS MOVIE MADNESS

The Batman, teddy bears, zombies and exotic male dancers: summer 2012

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A NEW GENERATION OF LANCERS—(top left) Freshmen Austin Leonard and Kyle Amott return from the library with a stack of textbooks. (top center) Link Crew leader junior Jonathan Lopez helps freshman Mi-chael Fontanilla with his paperwork. (top right) Senior Christine Smith instructs her freshman group in the bonding game, Trust Knot. (bottom) Link Crew seniors Holly Greiner and Annalee Mueller lead their circle of freshmen in I-7 with a discussion of what high school has to o� er. On the two days of freshmen orientation, Link Crew leaders were able to give students a campus tour.

The lazy days of summer are now over and it’s a bittersweet moment as students realize that they can no longer lounge around the beach, sleep late and watch summer dramas—it is time to crack the books

PUMPED WITH SPIRIT—(above) Link Crew leaders and cheerleaders teach the class of 2016 its class cheer. (below) Throngs of students gather with their friends at orientation.

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Welcoming the Class of 2016

newswireSchool and alumni to celebrate 50th year

The new year will bring with it a wave of cel-ebrations to honor TOHS’s 50 years of excel-lence and commemorate its anniversary.

“We’re really proud of those 50 years,” prin-cipal Lou Lichtl said. “A lot of our success real-ly reflects what the students accomplish through their lives.”

The festivities will mark the culmination of the 50th year and will commence with the homecoming football game against Calabasas on Oct. 12 and include a halftime parade involv-ing alumni and fireworks. Decade reunions and “memory lane” pictures will also be held prior to the game, and an open house and formal cer-emony will conclude the weekend’s events.

As another addition to the school’s 50th an-niversary, the newly-formed TOHS Alumni As-sociation will not only reconnect all Lancers and staff members, but also generate funds to sup-port the year’s celebrations and begin a scholar-ship foundation.

“[The 50th anniversary] will be a good time to celebrate not only the school, but the people who have walked through the halls and gone on to be successful,” Lichtl said. “As a school goes, our accomplishments are our students at the end of the day.”

—Joyce Tan

ASB co-adviser to be replaced by Sheridan

English teacher David Sheridan will join the 16 other faculty members changing positions as he adds co-advising ASB to his agenda.

Although he had been considering the posi-tion since a notice came out in June, an email from Danielle Oliveri, former ASB co-adviser, helped to convince him.

“ASB’s supposed to be about students doing stuff, not about me doing stuff. [Oliveri] thought I’d be able to roll with that,” Sheridan said.

Even though his role is advisory, Sheridan hopes to improve some of the current programs on campus.

“ASB is supposed to be about morale, spirit, and making sure that people have a positive at-titude about school. There’s some work to do on the teacher end,” he said. “I would love to see a teacher talent show, or some medium where teachers are working with kids ... where you could see that side of some teachers.”

Sheridan predicts that his new position will provide an informal break in the school day.

“Teaching can be demanding. You have to know where you’re going, what you’re doing, and [ASB] is more a matter of just being with students,” Sheridan said. “There’s also a pride in it. In your little way, you’re trying to make [the campus] a place where people like to be a little more, and a place where they feel a little more accepted and a little more at home.”

—Kelly Wisneski

New Dean of Student Activities appointed

As everyone slips back into the familiar school routine, there is one teacher who will work at a very different desk this year.

After teaching at the school for 12 years, Dan-ielle Oliveri has accepted a position as the Dean of Student Activities after working as an Special Education teacher and ASB adviser.

In Oliveri’s new role, she will oversee school activities including dance, cheer, ASB and the many clubs on campus. With the year already on its way, she has high hopes for the upcoming events.

“Because of my position [as ASB adviser] I’ve been connected with the front office, so work-ing with administration and students has really helped me transition into this position,” Oliveri said. “[I plan to] continue to help get students connected with the activities on campus.

—Kendell Snow

news page 2 issue 1august 30, 2012 }{

Dance program to host fundraiser

jessica AshcrAftNews Editor

TOHS is incorporating women’s weight training taught by physical education teacher Valerie Stillwell, as a course for students.

The class, open to both male and female students, is designed for those who would like to earn either P.E. or elective credit while striking a balance between fitness and nutrition.

“My goal is that students get in better shape and that they feel good about themselves,” Stillwell said. “That’s what P.E. really should be—to get people to want to get into better shape for their life. I don’t think it should be full of written tests and written work be-cause that’s what health [class] is for. ”

Administration decided to create the class, offered during fifth period in the boys activity room, because there was a high demand for dance, but not enough room for all the students.

“We’ll still be doing some dance and aerobics, [but] not aerobics like when I did it back in the ’80s. It’s going to be more geared to the 2000s,” Stillwell said. “It’s going to be really fun, and since there’s going to be fewer guys in the class, I think it’s going to be a little more free for the girls to feel comfortable.”

The focus of the class is to incorporate fitness and nutrition into the everyday lives of students. Students will be practicing yoga, running and dancing, while also learning about the needs of their bodies and how to stay healthy.

Stillwell doesn’t want students to take the class as an alternative to P.E., but as another form of fitness that they will be motivated to learn more about.

“I want someone who will be committed and really wants to get into shape,” Stillwell said. “I just don’t want people to take it because they think they’ll be get-ting an easier class. It’s not going to be an easier class, but it’s going to be fun.”

New class attracts new fansWomen’s Weight

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Yoga Nutrition

Healthy lifestyle

jasoN gArdinerEditor-in-Chief

Alumnus Kevin Hall, class of ‘11, suffered an unex-pected aneurysm and passed away on Tuesday, Aug. 21 after being hospitalized.

“Our hearts go out to the family,” principal Lou Lichtl said. “We’re here to support them and do what we can through this very difficult time.”

Hall’s passing has affected not only his friends and family, but also his former counselor, Catherine Kan-ney. Kanney now works at the continuation school, but

she remembers Hall well.“I will never forget his wonderful smile, and the way

it lit up his face when he grinned from ear to ear,” Kan-ney said.

Perhaps what she remembers most about Hall was his integrity.

“Kevin was a respectful and hardworking young man,” Kanney said. “He was a very loyal friend to those fortunate enough to consider him one.”

Hall’s funeral will be held on Friday, Aug. 31, 2012 at 10 a.m. St Paschals Baylon Church.

joYce tAnNews Editor

Just two days before ABC’s Dancing with the Stars premieres its 15th all-star season, TOHS will crown its very first champion dance pair on Sept. 22.

To be held in the gym, “Dancing with the Thou-sand Oaks Stars” (DWTTOS) will be formatted in a similar manner to the TV series. Each pair will be composed of a faculty member or student as the “ce-lebrity” and a dance team member, alumnus or coach as the “professional.”

Among the pairs will be principal Lou Lichtl and dance director JaLeen Murphy.

“I’m happy to support and be a part of what I think will be a fun event, but this will be one situation in which I won’t be very competitive,” Lichtl said. “Surviving will be the most important thing.”

With dance genres ranging from Bollywood to dis-co, couples will perform a dance routine showcasing their selected style. They will then be whittled down to five couples by a panel of celebrity judges from the LA area. The champion dance pair will be determined by an audience poll via text message.

Although the event is new, the dance department believes that the future of DWTTOS looks promising for the years to come.

“There is a lot of excitement around the event [so far],” dance coach Dana Fukagawa said. “We are hoping that this becomes an annual fundraiser where not just the students, but the community can come together and support the arts.”

A chAllenging stAnce—Physical education teacher Valerie stillwell demonstrates a yoga pose in the BaR, where the new Women’s Weight Train-ing class will be held during fifth period. The class will focus on a variety of fitness regimes and use “The Ultimate Yogi” by Travis eliot as a guide.

jessica asHcRafT » THe laNceR

Lancers mourn the passing of 2011 alumnus

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FEATURES page 3 issue 1august 30, 2012 }{

CORTNI KAUFMANFeatures Editor

As the third Lancer drum major to be accepted into the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band, senior Tommy Militello has achieved a personal goal.

“It’s always been a dream in the back of my mind, ever since Tim [Yao], the fi rst major who got it, and Daniel [Luo] last year. I’ve wanted it since I knew it was possible,” he said.

Militello considers both Yao and Luo excellent role models.

“I wanted to give the band as much as Tim [Yao] did. He was a very strong leader,” he said. “He [Daniel Luo] is extremely smart and talented.”

He didn’t initially want to join band, but because of Perthes, a hip disease caused by injuries throughout his childhood, Militello was forced to give up the physical activities he had been participating in, such as running, baseball and karate.

“I was clumsy,” he said. “One day, I fell off my skateboard going down a huge hill, and I think that did it. Now I’m extremely careful with everything I do.”

Unwilling to sit by in inactivity, he began looking for another extracurricular activity. This disease pre-vented him from joining his other choice--wrestling. His parents decided that band would be the best option for him since it kept him from heavy physical activity. He joined soon after that.

“I was not happy,” Militello said. “I was a jock and I thought band was dorky and for nerds. Now I’m the biggest one in the country. I highly regret not joining sooner.”

He has participated in band since eighth grade.

“I chose the French horn because I was forced to by my father,” he said. “He had heard that you can get some major scholarship money. I fi gured that would be great. Also [I chose it] because it is the hardest instru-ment in the band. And I love a challenge.”

He does not suffer from Perthes anymore, but he has become as integrated with band as band with him.

His decision to become a drum major was not one his parents made, however.

“I did it for myself. I [have] always loved the thrill of competition,” Militello said. “I wanted to carry on the tradition.”

There were many important steps he had to take in order to become a drum major. Besides showing lead-ership on the fi eld, he had to take drum major classes with Mike Freed, a drum major in college who played the euphonium.

“He is the heart and soul of the band,” Militello said of Freed. Militello and Freed worked together in a small class Mike instructed for anyone interested in becoming a drum major.

Band may take a toll on Militello’s grades and so-cial life, but Militello believes music helps stimulate his work ethic.

“Music helps math because math is stimulated by music,” Militello said.

In his opinion, the hardest part of becoming a drum major in the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band was the process to apply.

“The application [itself] was very demanding. It wanted a lot of information,” Militello said.

Militello also had to become adept at conducting, and had to learn to project his voice and run rehears-

als. Leadership was the strong point because he was expected to set an example for the other band members. Also, when the band instructor wasn’t able to come, he was expected to lead the band through stretches and warm-ups, assist with teaching and practice and rep-resent the band during performances. He to do things he didn’t want to do for the benefi t of the entire band, such as show up fi rst to set up the sound systems, and leave last to make sure the fi eld had been cleared. The USAAAMB expected him to work as hard as he could during the application proccess to become a great con-ductor. He had to display his accomplishments proudly, and display a friendly personality, all while conducting at a high level.

“It was a lot of tough work,” Militello said. “Every-one is watching you. [You] can’t make any mistakes. I am thankful I have the rest of the band supporting me. I could never show any weakness. It’s all about never giving up, and putting in as much effort as you can.”

While he struggled to develop and advance with his musical career, he had a mantra that motivated him.

“You should never give up. Even at this school, I had doubts. As a freshman coming into high school band, everyone was better than me. Now I’m one of the strongest members. The effort you put in is what you’ll get back. Always put in 100 percent.”

Militello joins US Army All-American Marching Band

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EDITORS ////////////////////////////////editors-in-chief

Jason GardinerAli Wire

center

Nola AdedigbaShaini Rodrigo

entertainment

Eric Hatland

Ian DohertyLee McPherson

sports

features

Megan BowserCortni Kaufman

copy

Alexandra Randall

website editor-in-chief

Megan Bowser

website

Henry Chou

STAFF/////////////////////////////////////advertising/fi nancial manager

Lauren James

Ethan LyonsBenjamin Mueller-LeclercKendell SnowDane Swanson

advisers

Tasha BeaudoinJo ZimmermanCasey Sigelakis

Kelly Wisneski

opinion

news

Jessica AshcraftJoyce Tan

writers

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

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

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

Call (805) 778-0947 for advertising rates and information. The Lancer reserves the right to refuse advertising deemed inappropriate for high school publication.

Guest editorials and “Letters to the Editor” are welcome, but must be signed and are subject to editing for length, libel, obscenity and grammar.

Benjamin Mueller-Leclerc

photographers (cont.)entertainment (cont.)Sara Wilson

CARRYING ON THE LANCER LEGACY— (above) Senior Tommy Militello sits outside “Bandland” playing his French horn. It is the only instrument he has ever seriously played, and he doesn’t plan on changing instruments. (right) Militello stands on a raised platform, conducting the band. He conducts the band when the band instructor is not available, which was great practice for his application to become a drum major for the USAAAMB.

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ETHAN LYONS » THE LANCER

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Eddie Rice

SPOTLIGHT page 5issue 1august 30, 2012 }{page 4 issue 1

august 30, 2012 }{

HelpThe search to fi ll new positions is fi nally over. TOHS welcomes 13 new additions to the Lancer family.

Video Production/Computer Graphics

Social Science

Special Education

Spanish

Mathematics

Art Media/Mass Media

Q: Why did you want to start teach-ing? A: Because I wanted to help stu-dents achieve something and to get them farther than where they think they can be. And to have a better appreciation of math. Q: What do you hope to gain this year?A: Help my students to pass my class. I want to fi nd a new way to in-terest students into understanding the beauty of math.Q: What Is your food of choice while grading papers?A: Something that will make me feel good; anything sweet.

»Greg Simpson

Wanted »Andrea Pappas

»Amada Miranda

Q: What are you most excited about for this year?A: Having worked at Aspen Elementary for the past six years, I’m really looking forward to seeing all the “littles” who are no longer so little and their parents—lots of fun reunions.Q:What is an unusual fact about your-self?A: My “weekend gig” is working with Pink Paws, an organization that works to trap, neuter, and return feral and abandoned cats to their “homes.” The best part is that I get to be a foster mom to cats and kit-tens, so I almost always have something furry underfoot at my house. Q: What do you hope to gain this year?A: Change is tough, but good, right? Lots to learn, new skills, new challenges—just hoping to become a real part of the Lanc-er team.

» Linda Stark

the O� ce Q:What are you most excited about for this year?A:The school spirit at TOHS. Both of my children and my husband gradu-ated from TOHS. I have been working at Newbury Park High School for the past two years and while I love New-bury and the students as well, it will be nice to be back “home” and wearing Lancer green again.Q:What do you hope to gain this year?A:Knowledge. As with every new ex-perience there is a learning curve. Since I am a newbie here, I hope to gain a lot of information and to do a great job.Q:Fav food while workingA:My favorite foods to snack on while working are Cheez-Its & pretzels.

» Sue Blake

Instruction Secretary Attendance O� ce Typist

Other Changes

Danielle OliveriDean of Students

*for more information see pg. 2

Ryan Thompson Department Chair

Career Tech.

Jeanette RuvalcabaCounseling Intern

Azusa Pacifi c University TOHS alumna 2007

»Julie Fernandez Q: What are you most excited about for this year?A: Meeting all the new students. I want to learn as much as I can. No matter how old you get, you keep learning.Q: What is an unusual fact about your-self?A: I used to play street hockey. I’m a hockey mom and huge Kings fan. Q: Why did you want to start teach-ing?A: I love learning and working with high school students.Q: What is your favorite food while grading papers?A: Co� ee or Coke. Anything messy is not good. I think I spilled some on someone’s paper once.

Special Education

Choir Director/Music Appreciation

Q: Why did you start teaching?A: I student-directed choir perfor-mances in high school so that kind of gave me the bug. Then I went to Cal Lu to study music. Choir was my favorite so it just felt natural.Q: What are your hopes for this year?A: I want to build the choral program, inspire a love of choral music and in-still good musicianship skills. Also, I want everyone to feel welcome.Q: What made you want to work at TOHS?A: The fi rst time I visited California Lu-theran, my parents and I drove down Moorpark road. I saw TOHS and the big Performing Arts center and thought about how nice it was. Even then a tiny part of my brain wondered if I would ever work there.

»Janna Wilhelm

Wood/CAD/Architectural Design

Q: What are you most excited about coming to TOHS?A: I’m excited about teaching students construction skills in a way that will be applicable to their real life. I want my classes to make it easier for them to apply for a job and actually make some money. Q: Why did you want to start teach-ing?A: When I was in high school, I was bored until I enrolled in a woodshop class and it became a reason to wake up in the morning. I want other stu-dents to have that same experience so teaching sounded like a good idea.Q: What is your food of choice while grading papers?A: Anything, I mean, just what’s easiest. When you’re tired, grab what’s easy.

»Daniel Bell

School Psychologists

Woodshop became a reason to wake up in the morning. I want my students to have that same experience.

—Daniel Bell“ ”»Jordan Daigneault

SHAINI RODRIGOCenter Editor

The sweet, soft-spoken student teacher from last year, Andrea Pap-pas, fi nally made her way to becom-ing a teacher. Some knew her in their years through middle school, but very few know that Pappas herself was a Lancer.

Born and raised in the Conejo Val-ley, Pappas started her education at Aspen Elementary, attended Redwood Middle School, graduated from TOHS in 2001, and fi nished off at California Lutheran University(CLU).

Since her early years of elementary school, Pappas made it her goal to be-come a teacher, and her dream stayed with her from then on.

“During the Christmas and Sum-mer breaks, I’d be playing school with my sister, using my stuffed animals,” Pappas said.

Over time, her aspiration evolved into other professions, playing off her love for English and Art, especially photography.

“Originally I wanted to be a college professor,” Pappas said, “then I want-ed to be a writer, and then I wanted to teach high school.”

While earning her teaching creden-tials at CLU, Pappas worked as a substitute, moving around the schools in the CVUSD, which is why many students and teachers know her. Her longest time as a substitute was at Redwood Middle School. Last year, Pappas became a student teacher for Melissa Wood–Glusac and Jennifer Smith.

“I loved [student teaching]. It was just a dream. There wasn’t a problem student to watch out for,” Pappas said.

Now she has accepted a position as the Art Media and Mass Media teach-er. Pappas minored in art and received scholarships for her photography in college. In fact, one of her pictures sold for $1000.

“I am super nervous, but also super excited,” Pappas said, smiling “It’s a good combination of both,”

»Richard Bateman

Lynn Brandt

Monica Chourdry

»Sandra Martinez

Q: What are you most excited about for this year?A: After working with elementary and middle school students for the past 16 years in the CVUSD, I am looking for-ward to seeing the creative digital proj-ects students can produce using cur-rent computer applications and web technologies. Q: Unusual fact about yourself: A: I have formal training in NASCAR Sprint Cup Truck racing, but could not a� ord to pursue it as a career.Q: What colleges did you go to?A: CSU Northridge, Pepperdine Uni-versity (online), and Azusa Pacifi c Uni-versity (online)Q: Favorite food while grading pa-pers?A: Costco chocolate chip chunk cook-ies and milk!

Q: What are you most excited about for this year?A: I’m most excited about being on a high school campus where they have a wide variety of activities. I’ll have a chance to help students in their fi nal four years before they’re o� to col-lege.Q: What do you hope to gain from this year?A: I hope to gain a real understanding of the real ins and outs of how a class-room is run.Q: Why did you want to start teach-ing?A: I fell in love with teaching through my wife at Westlake High School be-cause we coached volleyball togeth-er.Q: What is your favorite food while grading papers?A: Mint chocolate chip or regular chocolate chip of the 31 Flavors from Baskin-Robbins.

Q: What is an unusual fact about yourself?A: I’m told that an unusual fact about me is that I pole vaulted in college. I was not an All-American caliber, but I got the opportunity to compete at the college level, which was a lot of fun. My sister was always better at it than me, and [she] actually got to train with Jen-nifer Suhr, who was in London compet-ing at the Olympics.Q: Why did you want to start teaching?A: I wanted to become a teacher be-cause I always enjoyed helping other children with their schoolwork growing up. It was always a good feeling help-ing people, and teaching is a great way to do that. It fi lls me with pride to see students get all excited when they do well on something in their life.

Q: What are you most excited about for this year?A: I’m coming from a block schedule at Newbury Park. Also getting to know the T.O. students.Q: What is an unusual fact about your-self?A: I was born in Mexico and studied as a foreign exchange student here. I love to travel.Q: Why did you want to start teach-ing?A: I fi nd teenagers fun. It is never bor-ing.Q: What is your favorite food while grading?A: Not much of a snacker, but I do drink co� ee to stay alert.

Q: What are you most excited about for this year?Chourdry: Working with the students and sta� Brandt: I am very excited to be at Thousand Oaks High School this year since I have spent my 17 years with the Conejo Valley Unifi ed School District at the middle and elementary school levels. Q: What college did you go to?Chourdry: I went to Azusa Pacifi c University.Brandt: I attended UCLA for my undergraduate and graduate levels of education.Q: What do you hope to gain for this year?Brandt: It will be an interesting year for me in the high school setting as I strive to meet my professional goal of helping students, school sta� and parents navigate the educational process in a positive way and in a way that fi ts their learning style, issues and interests.

ALL PHOTOS BY NOLA ADEDIGBA » THE LANCER

found

foundHelp

foundHelp WantedfoundWanted

the Summer Screen

entertainmentpage 6 issue 1august 30, 2012 }{

Sara wilsonEntertainment Editor

Fleetwood Mac is the music of many things. It’s the soundtrack of lazy summer afternoons, of long drives with mothers, of comfort and security under piles of blankets and of growing up. Fleetwood Mac is great, and this year marks the 35th anniversary of “Rumours,” the 1977 classic. To commemorate all those years of ground breaking music, a reunion tour for 2013 has been announced, and a tribute album re-leased.

“Just Tell Me That You Want Me,” produced by Randall Poster and Gelya Robb, compiles nineteen covers of Mac songs into one glorious album. Artists among the likes of Gardens and Villa, MGMT, and The Kills put their own spin on beloved tunes, turning familiar songs into a new experience altogether. While I cringe at some cover albums (the millions of Beatles covers out there, anybody?), this one is absolutely ex-ceptional. Best Coast’s take on “Rhiannon” is a per-sonal favorite; it takes talent to rework a masterpiece and make me love it even more. Other notable tracks include Lykke Li’s synthy version of “Silver Springs” and The Kills’s interpretation of “Dreams.”

What makes “Just Tell Me That You Want Me” so remarkable is that it opens up Fleetwood Mac to a whole new generation— one who only knows JBeibs as a musical trendsetter— and that’s pretty darn cool.

“Moonrise Kingdom” is a refreshingly quirky love story in a cinematic world plagued by romcoms that continue to disappoint. Yes, it’s romantic. Yes, it’s comedic. However, it is also brilliant and clever, and shouldn’t be put into the same category as every Reese Witherspoon flick.

It tells the story of two 12-year-old renegades: Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward), the sassy black sheep who wears pink pea coats and saddle shoes, and Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman), the boyscout who starts out not particularly loved by anybody. They fall in love over a yearlong pen pal relationship, and then eventu-ally make plans to run away from their dysfunctional lives. Surviving in the wilderness of their “one cop car” island for a couple of days the two learn what real love is, in the way only two awkward preteens can. She brings cat food and books, he brings his scout sup-plies. And together they seem charmingly unstoppable. While their relationship grows, a seemingly random group of people are on a mission to return them home: a cop, a social service worker, Bishop’s estranged par-ents, and the scout leaders equivalent to Michael Scott in: Scoutmaster Ward.

The audience begins to root for the duo, as direc-tor Wes Anderson portrays innocent young love so masterfully, complete with an insanely awkward first kiss, heart melting (not warming, melting) examples of chivalry, and the underlying theme that if one loves someone deeply enough, it’s possible to get through anything.

“Moonrise Kingdom” delivers what every movie should. It’s exciting. It’s tasteful. It’s fresh, yet nostal-gic. It’s poignant. It’s ironic and playful. It has a sat-isfying ending, but it doesn’t achieve that ending in a cheesy way. It gives the audience hope. Then there’s the cat that makes an appearance in just about every scene. And really, when you’re on the edge of your seat, invested in the romance of two oddball 12-year-olds, how can it get better?

“Moonrise Kingdom”

One smashing burgerMac attack UpcomingReleases

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Music

Movies

Video Games

Short Summer reviews

The avengers — ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Paranorman — ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Men in Black III — ★ ★ ★

Brave — ★ ★ ★

The Dictator — ★ ★ ★

Ted — ★ ★ ★ ★

Magic Mike — ★

Katy Perry: Part of Me — ★ ★ ★

The Campaign — ★ ★ ★ ★

rock of ages — ★ ★ ★

Prometheus — ★ ★ ★ ★

The amazing Spider-Man — ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The Possession August 31

This movie is fantastic. Really, it is amazing. If you have not seen it, put down this paper, go to the nearest movie theater, and buy yourself a ticket. We can wait.

Did you see it? Okay, good. Let’s move on.“The Dark Knight Rises” is the final installment in

the Dark Knight trilogy, Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman. It depicts the injured and aging Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) under the guise of the Batman, and his efforts to stop the madman, Bane (Tom Hardy) from destroying his beloved Gotham City. Lucius Fox (Mor-gan Freeman), Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine) all return in the movie to help Batman save Gotham, and they all play their roles beautifully.

Two newcomers to the series, Officer Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), bet-ter known as Catwoman, are brilliantly portrayed, and are an excellent addition to the talented cast. Blake’s persistance and faith in the Batman help Wayne realize that the caped crusader needs to return and motivate him to once again don his mask. Catwoman starts out as a seductive, clever thief stealing from Wayne. She then transitions to a confused, scared woman trying to save herself, and ultimately evolves into Batman’s partner, in more ways than one.

From the first glimpse of Wayne, limping around his mansion with a gaunt expression and a beard begging to be shaved, to the last smile he shares with Alfred, Bale shows that he was the right choice for this role throughout the trilogy. His acting is fluid and a piece of art; there isn’t any other actor alive today who could improve on this role.

One of the most powerful scenes in the movie is when a reborn Wayne rises (pun definitely intended) out of a prison built in a gigantic pit. With the chants of his fellow inmates motivating him, and with bats fly-ing around his head—a throwback to the beginning of the first movie—Wayne reaches the top, and begins his journey to save Gotham from a madman.

Honestly, “The Dark Knight Rises” was the movie of the summer. Heck, maybe 2012 will be known as the year that the Dark Knight trilogy ended. From the acting, to the clever storyline, to the sets, to the cinema-tography, there is nothing we can think of that would have made this movie any better than it is. Nolan has left his mark on the Batman name, and every other di-rector that makes another Batman movie will be hard-pressed to compete with this juggernaut of a trilogy.

“The Dark Knight Rises” Sara wilson and ErIC HATlAnD

ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS

nHl 13PS3 and Xbox 360September 11

OFFICIaL MOVIE WEBSITES » WITH PErMISSION

GraPHIC » ErICHaTLaND

CaSEy sigelAKisEd/Op Editor

Just off of Moorpark Road is one of Thousand Oaks’s newest eating establishments, Smashburger. It opened nearly two months ago, and is already up and running, and making a name for itself in the Thousand Oaks culinary scene. Turning out burgers, chicken, hot dogs, sides and Häagen-Dazs shakes, the eatery man-ages a fresh spin on the usual fast-food fare.

The ambiance of the burger joint is superb and the service staff is friendly and pleasant. My order came out of the kitchen in a timely manner, and I was served with a smile. A clean, tidy and minimalist interior is complemented by the warm and cozy outside eating space. Adorned with its signature red and white ban-ner, Smashburger stands out from the typical shopping center stand-bys.

However, the atmosphere of the restaurant is not all that should be admired. The burger, medium rare in color, rustic in look, and succulent down to the last morsel, left me pining for more. The ingredients tasted fresh from the farm, and were placed on the burger in perfect ratios to one another. With substantially more meat than many other burgers on the market, it is a fill-ing course and savory from start to finish.

The Häagen-Dazs milkshakes are masterfully craft-ed with many options, such as Oreo, Nutter Butter and Butterfinger, along with the standard vanilla, chocolate

and strawberry to make for a dizzying array of choic-es. The specialty shakes tasted of their ingredients just enough as to not be overbearing on the senses, but still enough to maintain a unique flavor. Despite the ten-der deliciousness of the burger and the superb crafts-manship of the milkshakes, however, all was not well in Smashburger.

The downside of my meal came in the form of the French fries. The bland and dry fries were devoid of much of their natural flavor and were a chore to fin-ish. Even the option of having “Smashfries,” which were simply regular fries with the odd addition of being garnished with rosemary, garlic and olive oil, couldn’t save the awful excuse for what is a staple in the American fast-food experience. Unfortunately, not even the other fry choices—sweet potato and chili cheese—were safe from the banal blandness of Smashburger’s fries.

On the whole, however, Smashburger is a wonder-ful restaurant and a welcome addition to the Thousand Oaks fast-food market. The service is magnificent, the building is nicely designed and burgers are fairly priced. In terms of food, the burgers are astonishing and the milkshakes brilliant. The low point, however, are the tasteless and insipid French fry options. As long as you’re willing to look past some faults, Smash-burger is not an eatery to be ignored. And in my opin-ion, it is one smashing burger.

Animal Collecticve Centipede HzSeptember 4

Two Door Cinema ClubBeaconSeptember 3

Borderlands 2PC, PS3 and Xbox 360September 18

stolenSeptember 14

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sports }{ page 7 issue 1august 30, 2012

ian doherty Sports Editor

With the monotony of sweltering two-a-day summer practices coming to an end, football is ready to take on the challenge the newly separated Marmonte League has to offer.

“It is nothing that we can control, and the competi-tion is still there every week, regardless of the oppo-nent,” senior offensive lineman Tom McNutt said.

Since Westlake and Saint Bonaventure are not in Thousand Oaks’s league, the team still thinks that the title for West Marmonte League Champion is up, and they feel that any team can take it.

Over the summer, the linemen had a competition known as “Hogs.” The team ended the competition with third overall.

“In the main event, the tug-of-war, we finished sec-ond, which was the best finish in that event for TO foot-ball linemen in a long time,” McNutt said.

Besides finishing well, the Lancers emerged vic-torious in the power clean event by putting up a total weight of over 1,200 pounds.

The Lancers began their season with the Battle for the Veterans against Franklin, losing 38–28.

“We did not come out and play the way we are ca-pable of playing in the first half,” McNutt said.

The team has also brought new coach on board, Andy Flores an offensive line coach from Westlake High School.

“He instituted the idea that we should get our funda-mentals and footwork down before spring practices,” McNutt said. “Every Sunday leading up to spring prac-tices, the offensive line came out for two hours in the morning.”

Along with the new coach, the team has also adopted a new workout plan.

“[Coach McCann] has created a pre-workout before our actual workout, which has pushed us to our limits,” senior kicker Pedro Hernandez said.

The team begins league play on Aug.31 against Newbury Park.

dane swanson Staff Writer

When students attend school sporting events this year they may notice slight a slight change. All sports teams will have the same logo.

This is how athletic department is honoring the schools 50th anniversary of the school. The logos, however, will remain this way permanently.

“We did a lot of research to see if there was a logo

that had been commonly used over the years but there wasn’t one, so we chose a current logo with a few small changes,” athletic director Mary Ziegler said.

The main reason for the change was unification. “UCLA and USC don’t have multiple logos they use.

We want people to look at the new logo and say, ‘That is Thousand Oaks High School,’” Ziegler said.

The athletic department plans to phase the new logo into the varsity uniforms this year and let the logos get

handed down to the lower teams. All of the athletic programs are on board with the

change, as Ziegler made it a point to discuss it with the varsity coaches.

In addition to the new varsity uniforms, and as an-other tribute to the school’s 50th anniversary, this year all teams and all levels will wear a special 50th anni-versary patch.

Logo change

celebratesmilestone

Kickoff Calendar

»aug 24 @ Franklin

»aug 31 @ newbury Park

»sept 7 @ Camarillo

»sept 14 vs. west ranch

»sept 21 @ nordoff

»sept 28 vs. oaksChristian

»oct 5 @ Moorpark

»oct 12 vs. Calabasas

»oct 19 @ agoura

Season opener is a struggle

Ian doherty » the Lancer

KicKin’ it Straight—Senior kicker Pedro hernandez practices his kickoffs. the Lancers’ first league home game is against oaks christian on Sept. 28.

Sportstreme

to the

Lee McPherSon

Yes, as every basketball fan knows, thanks to the relentless media cover-age, Dwight Howard is coming to the Los Angeles Lakers, at least for the 2012- 2013 season. As a fan, I am overwhelmed by the recent additions the Lakers have managed to acquire this past summer. My hat goes off to Mitch Kupchak for another blockbuster trade that got past everyone’s favorite NBA commissioner, David Stern.

In the wake of this trade, many people have looked back and wondered why Stern didn’t veto that trade. It seemed he was quick to pull the plug on the Chris Paul trade earlier this year, which in hindsight offered a similar deal for an equal caliber player. Paul’s contract for four years and $68 million was comparable to Howard’s five year $80 million deal. In addition to Howard, the Lakers received Steve Nash in a sign-and-trade deal from the Phoenix Suns, worth three years and $27 million. So why did David Stern let the Lakers’ most recent deals pass, in which they gained two top level players

for one? By denying the Paul trade, Stern gave himself ammunition to use in arguments against anyone who says he doesn’t work to balance the league.

Despite the grueling lockout that preceded this past season, which was supposedly aimed at preventing all-star teams from being formed, it seems even after changes were made to high-salary teams, multiple stars can still rise and upset the goal of competitive balance throughout the league. Whether or not small market owners like it, Stern is going to continue to subtly allow the construction of super teams, simply because that’s what a majority of fans want.

In a perfect world, maybe the NBA would work in a manner where every team had a fighting chance at a title. But in reality, bigger teams lead to a big-ger fanbase, more money and more problems. After all, we must remember that, bottom line, the NBA is a business, and business is booming.

dane swanson Staff Writer

When it comes to being a Lancer, the most success-ful player of the last 12 years, and possibly ever, is Da-vid Anderson.

Anderson was a force in high school, leaving with all the Thousand Oaks receiving records, and a three-time all-conference selection as well as a two-time all-state selection. In addition, Anderson was selected to the all-west region team as a senior after a season in which he caught 83 passes for 1,130 yards and nine touchdowns.

According to Jason Klein, a former TOHS teacher and coach, and the current athletic coordinator at New-bury Park High School, a reason for Anderson’s suc-cess was his work ethic.

“He did everything we asked him to do and he worked hard every day,” Klein said. “He played of-fense and defense as well as returning kicks. He just had a great passion for the game.”

After his high school career, Anderson chose to play college football at Colorado State University (CSU),

where his success continued.“His recruitment took a while, due to his size [5`11]

but he found a good place at Colorado State and had tons of success there,” Klein said.

During his four seasons at CSU Anderson amassed 223 catches for 3,634 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also threw a touchdown pass.

As a senior, Anderson was also a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff award, which is given to college football’s best wide receiver.

After his senior year at Colorado State University, Anderson was selected in the seventh round of the 2006 draft by the Houston Texans with the 251st pick.

Although Anderson did not have huge success as a professional, he did, however record a career total of 88 catches for 965 yards and four touchdowns over six NFL seasons.

David Anderson is one of the most decorated play-ers ever in Thousand Oaks High School’s proud 50-year football history and may remain one for many years to come.

the Lancer Legend » wIth PerMISSIon

Staying on hiS feet— Professional football player david anderson, class of ‘02 has 88 career receptions accounting for 965 yards.

Former Lancer finds NFL success

PHOTO ESSAYpage 8 issue 1august 30, 2012 }{

EARLY BIRD...

JUMP START—(above) Senior Michael Kusaba lunges for a ball during water polo practice. Water polo’s fi rst match will be on Sept. 6 at Calabasas. (left) Senior Ayla Tomlinson practices a color guard routine for their show, “On Cloud Nine.” (right) Sophomore Olivia Nolan and senior Fabian Damm practice for a drum line show.

HITTING MORE THAN THE BOOKS—(below) Fresh-men football has been preparing since June for their fi rst game tonight. (above) Sophomore Katlin Hughes runs at Acorn Acres Park for cross country. (right) The band has also been preparing for its fall activities.

JASON GARDINER » THE LANCER

JASON GARDINER » THE LANCER

ALI WIRE » THE LANCER

ALI WIRE » THE LANCER

ALI WIRE » THE LANCER

LEE MCPHERSON » THE LANCER

It’s only the second day of school, but some students have been back for a whilealready.

the