The first ever Cougar Forum took place, and VHS students had a lot to say.

“But that is not working,” said junior Rhema Patterson. The phrase brought together VHS students to the Cougar Forum on Thursday, Dec. 9, to discuss the ongoing issues with Ventura High School. It started with a conversation about tardies and quickly dissolved into Ventura’s student body demanding action from its administrators.

“I have not heard one question answered in a way that we are looking for, and there is a whole line of kids here waiting to ask a question, and you guys are just giving a lecture,” said one student in attendance. “If our resources weren’t spent on the tardies, they would be spent on the actual predator on campus.” The questions fired at administrators were met with applause and shouts of agreement from the students in the audience. The Cougar Forum that was meant to be solution-based turned into students frustratedly relaying the messages of their classmates and friends. 

The board of admin consisted of principal Marissa Cervantes, assistant principals Mera Clobes and Elizabeth Botello-Lopez, attendance office manager Cathy Tipton, ASB advisor Ann Larson and ASB representatives Mateo Navarro and Lilia Duque.

“We are asking for student accountability, teacher accountability,” said Cervantes. “We are a community here at Ventura. Let’s start acting like it.”

Junior Rhema Patterson was one of the many students attending the Cougar Forum, however Patterson was one of the students to be vocal about issues she was passionate about. “I felt I needed to go to the Cougar Forum because I wanted to hear what the administrators had to say and how they would deal with the issues students are expressing concern about,” Patterson said. Patterson brings up that there was an issue of power regarding students and teachers that made it hard to communicate her feelings, questions and opinions regarding the tardy policy. “I hope the administrators learn that we have been off campus for so long that it is ridiculous to in-force so many harsh rules onto the students as well as the teachers! Their ways of enforcement are extremely counter productive and make us as kids want to rebel and be angry,” said Patterson. Although this Cougar Forum was specifically regarding tardiness, Patterson hopes to discuss the dress code next time. 

ASB advisor Larson, spoke in frustration of how confusing the Cougar Forum was, “This is the absolute first time anything like this has been done… you are getting an opportunity that I have never seen in two decades have some grace we are trying. This is a start we are going to get better.”

Speaking last at the Cougar Forum was junior Jaden Elizondo. “Starting off the year imposing many severe rules, we have never had a dress code…If kids don’t want to learn, how are you supposed to fix that? You need to talk to them in a way they understand… but that’s not working.” She continued to share with the board of students and admin, she said, “We’re going to want to rebel its just how teenagers are and so saying things like you’re going to get punished for being tardy, it makes people want to rebel more in general and so that has been the foundation I think for a lot of the rebellions and like tardiness that kids are showing here and I think it’s a more deep rooted issue than just there tardies, I think that the problem is that people just have a very severe lack of discipline, they want to reject the authority, they don’t want to listen because they want to feel like they are independent.”

Elizondo finished by providing a solution, “I think you need to send an email, send something to communicate to the parents and i think you need to also, building on what someone else said with the incentivize to not be tardy, instead of rewarding perfect attendance I think you should reward with lack of tardiness.”

Elizondo shared why she came to the Cougar Forum in the first place, “I felt I needed to go to the Cougar Forum because I wanted to hear what the administrators had to say and how they would deal with the issues students are expressing concern about.” She continued by acknowledging the issues within the first Cougar Forum “I hope in the future the administrators at the Cougar Forum take more of an effort to collaborate and listen to the students. There was a very unfair power imbalance between the students and admin and everyone at the meeting including myself was very angry about it.”

Although the Cougar Forum itself resolved only the issue of possibly rewarding those who are on time rather than harshly punishing those who are tardy, a PBIS (positive behavior interventions and supports) method  that focuses on good behavior. This idea of rewarding those on time as opposed to focusing on undesirable behavior was developed by the student representatives, that possibly early lunch would be rewarded to those on time to all of their classes. 

“There is not a good trust between the teachers and the students at all there is no good connection that we are having and I think that are most important thing is that we need more representation not only in this (Cougar) Forum but also like outside we need more kids up here not just ASB kids and admin,” said ASB vice president Mateo Navarro.

Principal Cervantes hopes to have a Cougar Forum once a month, focusing on a different subject each time.