2020-2021 Issue 5 (Jan. 22, 2021)

PANTHER

PROWLER

Friday, Jan. 22, 2021 • Issue V • Newbury Park High School 456 N Reino Rd, Newbury Park, CA 91320 • pantherprowler.org

2 Editorial 3 Education 4 Local Business 5 Biden 6 Maskless Events 7 Animation Representation 8-9 Healthcare 10 Latino Connections 11 Tea Time 12 YouTube Workouts13 Kid Cudi 14 Volleyball 15 Eichinger 16 NY Resolutions

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editorial Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021

State and federal governments have conducted an inadequate rollout of vaccine doses. With a change in national leadership, hopefully our government bodies will be able to do better. However, the root problem behind the lack of vaccination for teachers goes much deeper than just the quantity of doses. If reopening schools is truly a prime concern, then teachers must be given priority for receiving vaccinations.

There is no better way to prioritize students than to prioritize teachers.

When it comes to reopening schools, ensuring the safety of teachers should be a number one concern of any district. The best way to protect teachers is to make sure that they receive the COVID-19 vaccine before returning to the classroom.

It is clear that remote learning is not ideal for anyone, students and teachers alike. But the dangers of the pandemic are inarguably clear as well, and with positive cases and deaths at its highest, any compromise is a loselose situation.

Teachers are currently not given first priority to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. They are scheduled in phase 1B tier 1 in Ventura County, grouped with all over 65 and behind laboratory and cemetery workers, who are currently being vaccinated.

Under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s current initiative to start reopening schools as early as February, this is a major failing. With vaccination, arguments around safety and stress for teachers who must prioritize

themselves and their families, alongside their students, would be entirely eliminated. Teachers would feel significantly more comfortable in the teaching environment, which would allow for a smoother and safer transition into regularity, as well as improve the relationship between teacher unions and their districts.

Most of the problems on the logistical side of reopening are based around the safety of teachers, as they have no choice in whether they will return to school and will be seeing multiple cohorts of multiple classes per day. Following the end of the COVID care act back in December, teachers no longer have the ability to take paid sick leave if and when they contract the virus, to no fault of their own, adding to their stress and risk. In turn, these inevitable absences will exacerbate existing complications with the substitute teacher pool in CVUSD, creating a vicious cycle that will render reopening ineffective. By giving teachers priority to get vaccinations, these issues all become much more manageable.

Teachers are essential workers, and those in CVUSD have adapted to massive once-in-a-century changes with success. Teachers need to be rewarded for their contributions. The bare minimum that they should receive is to be able to teach in an environment where they are not at fear of getting and spreading a dangerous pathogen. State and federal governments need to stand up for teachers across the nation and empower the calls for a safe school reopening.

Adalia Luo/Panther Prowler

Teachers must be prioritized to receive the vaccine

Front Cover Caption:

Finding a curecure Zahra Patrick, clinical laboratory scientist, scans for positive/ negative blood cultures in the microbiology department at St. John’s Regional Medical Center. Many scientists like Patrick have been hard at finding a solution to the COVID-19 pandemic. “A lot of people are not doing very great. They have a lot of positive COVID patients on the floor and he had to make adjustments and, you know, how to transfer some patients to different areas to make room for very sick patients and things like that,” Smriti Campeau, point of care department worker at St. Johns, said. Saint John’s Regional Medical Center/With Permission

PANTHER PROWLER Editors-in-Chief Manas Khatore Jessica Zhou Front Cover Editor Reese Kelem Editorial Editor Abby Gorman News Editor Sarena Kabir Opinion Editor Emma Schoors DPS Editor Adalia Luo Entertainment Editor Anna Johnson

Features Editor Carter Castillo

2020-2021 staff

Copy Editors Gwen Buchanan Carter Castillo Sports Editor Abby Gorman Prasheetha Karthikeyan Anna Johnson Back Cover Editor Prasheetha Karthikeyan Gwen Buchanan Adalia Luo

Staff Writers Parker Bohl Hayden Meixner Nandini Patro McGlauthon Fleming IV Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Sera Mohammed Allison Nguyen

Online Editors Photographers Carter Castillo Graphic Artists Chief// Reese Kelem Sarena Kabir Carter Castillo Parker Bohl Prasheetha Karthikeyan McGlauthon Fleming IV Prasheetha Karthikeyan Adalia Luo Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Managing Team Hayden Meixner Adviser Lead// Cynthia Gao Nandini Patro Michelle Saremi Dhruv Patel Allison Nguyen Follow us: Social Media Leads Sera Mohammed @npprowler on Instagram/ Gwen Buchanan Twitter Prasheetha Karthikeyan NPHS Panther Prowler on Allison Nguyen Facebook Nandini Patro

The Panther Prowler is the offical publication of Newbury Park High School, and is created and produced by the Advanced Journalism students. The newspaper is funded by advertisements from local companies. The Panther Prowler staff makes all final decisions on information published in its newspaper, its website, and its other publishing in other social medias. While Mrs. Michelle Saremi advises the Advanced Journalism students, the staff is solely responsible for what is printed.

The Panther Prowler is published every three weeks. For advertisement information, visit pantherprowler.org The Panther Prowler is accepting letters to the editor. To submit your feedback, please provide your full name, email and a letter about 300 words in length. Letters can be submitted to the email posted below.

Newbury Park High School 456 North Reino Rd, Newbury Park, California (805) 498-3676 x 1110 prowler.newspaper@gmail.com

news Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021

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Rioters claim voter fraud at the Capitol Hayden Meixner Staff Writer

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

On Jan. 6, thousands of Trump supporters, many maskless, gathered around Capitol Hill for what began as a voter fraud protest but escalated into violence. Around 1:30 p.m., the Capitol was evacuated due to the rioters approaching the building and forcing themselves past security. Backup police force did not arrive until much later in the attack.

About an hour later, several windows were broken and the rioters began entering the building at around 2:40 p.m., causing extensive destruction of government property. Not all rioters made it into the building; a majority remained outside, cheering on those who did make it in . Five fatalities have been reported as of Jan. 22, including one Capitol police officer who died from injuries after being hit with a fire extinguisher. Another woman was left dead in the front of the Capitol after being shot by Capitol police.

Pictures taken by the intruders have revealed many of those in attendance and the damage done. A man, who has since been arrested, stole Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s podium. Another man, who has also since been arrested, had a picture taken of him sitting in Nancy Pelosi’s office with his feet up on her desk. An Air Force veteran was even seen walking around the proximity of the building with zip ties in hand; many believe his intention was to take hostages, unaware that all staff in the building had since been evacuated. Many pictures have also been taken of rioters in various costumes.

Later that evening, former Pres. Donald Trump released a video asking rioters to go home but it still took several hours to declare the building secure enough to continue on with the formalization of Pres. Joe Biden’s election victory. A trial was held after this insurrection and resulted in the impeachment of former Pres. Donald Trump. So far, over 100 arrests have been made and an FBI manhunt has begun in hopes to arrest those who entered the building illegally. Money rewards have been promised to anyone who can offer information or locations of the rioters who now have several criminal offences to their names, including seditious conspiracy, rioting and federal trespassing.

High schools remain closed until further notice Hayden Meixner Staff Writer

McGlauthon Fleming IV Staff Writer

On Jan. 15, the announcement was made that all high schools in CVUSD will be starting the second semester completely remote, while elementary and middle schools will resume in-person learning. This action was put into place due to the fact that our county currently resides in the purple tier. New guidance from the California Department of Public Health was released on Jan. 14 after an emergency board meeting, where the board had approved a soft reopening of high schools, occurred the day before. The guidance stated that a county must be in the red tier for five consecutive days before a campus can fully reopen, “Our county and school district had not been given notice that updated guidance was coming from CDPH and our district was not consulted on the guidance.” said Jenny Fitzgerald, school board trustee.

There were a variety of reactions to the last minute notice. “I was disappointed but not surprised,” Zoey Blair, freshman, said. Although many teachers were happy with the decision due to safety concerns, many students were looking forward to the return as they have not been in a physical classroom in nearly a year. “There’s been a lot of people I haven’t seen recently, and I was hoping to see them again but that’s not happening now,” Blair said. “I think it’s highly unlikely we’ll be going back this year,” Blair said.

Before the plan got scrapped, the board and the principal were confident in their reopening plans. “I think we’re in a really good place. We’ve been working hard to put all the daily procedures and safety protocols in place for the school. We feel like we pretty much have that all dialed in,” Stephen Lepire, principal, said. “We are ready to open the campus to NPHS students right now and we are excited to welcome staff and students back.”

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

4 Local businesses get hit with COVID-19 news

Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021

Reese Kelem Chief Photographer Local businesses have been struggling throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but not as severely as now, as case numbers continue to increase in Newbury Park. As a result, many local restaurant employees have contracted the coronavirus, leading to restaurants shutting down and restricting their hours.

One popular business that has been recently impacted by infection is Starbucks.

Since many of these Starbucks stores share employees across town, managers decided to close multiple stores in Newbury Park in recent weeks due to an employee contracting COVID-19. David Cho, junior, has been working at the Starbucks on Wendy Drive since September, and despite the unfortunate closures, he believes management is appropriately handling the situation. “They keep it really professional and they always make sure to respect the partner’s privacy… No names are disclosed. It’s really professional and my manager has always called us personally,” Cho said.

Tristan Boyer, another Starbucks employee and NPHS alumnus, has been working at the Starbucks on Reino Road for one and a half years and misses customer interaction with the closures and restrictions. “Before, when I would come to work at Starbucks, I would be all happy because I could go into Starbucks and [be] like, ‘Oh, there’s gonna be all the beautiful, lovely people sitting inside that I can talk to and everything and have a good time with.’ But now, it just kind of feels like you’re in a little coffee factory where people rush in, you make the same drink 1000 times and they rush out,” Boyer said.

Unlike Cho, Boyer did not believe his bosses have been handling employees contracting COVID-19 well, as when he was exposed to a friend whose sibling had COVID-19, they would not let him call out of work. “If, you know, odds are you are around someone that has COVID…you’re not allowed to call out unless they get a positive test,” Boyer said.

Starbucks is not the only store to be hit by COVID. Several fast food chains have had to shut down. Jane Doe (name has been changed for anonymity), an NPHS alumna, has been continuously witnessing closures of her store due to multiple staff members testing positive for COVID-19. “(My managers) don’t want anyone to know why we shut down for so they’re like, ‘Just pretend like there was a different issue like don’t tell them anything to do with COVID’... Basically, she just says like, ‘Oh, tell them there’s a staffing issue,’” Doe said.

Despite these closures, many customers still have refused to wear masks inside the restaurant. “I work pretty often. I would go in like five or six days a week and there’s at least like one or two days out of that work week where I would have at least one encounter with an anti-masker,” Doe said. “It gets kind of heated sometimes... It gets hard to monitor all those people to do something to go along with store and county rules and everything.”

Carter Castillo/Prowler

Stimulus checks distributed to Americans in need Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Graphic Artist

McGlauthon Fleming IV Staff Writer

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

On Dec. 21, Congress approved the COVID-19 relief bill that would give eligible citizens stimulus checks to help make up for unemployment across the country due to the pandemic.

The bill consisted of $900 billion in order to provide $600 per person and any child dependents for all qualified Americans.

However, before the bill was passed, former Pres. Donald Trump announced that he wanted Congress to amend the bill to allow for $2,000 per check. Congress approved, but the bill was then vetoed at the House of Representatives. The veto stuck, and Trump signed the COVID-19 relief bill and the checks were authorized to be sent to the public. The IRS and Treasury Department stated that direct deposits would begin on Dec. 29 with mail out checks being shipped on Dec. 30.

This will be the second stimulus check approved and sent to citizens during the pandemic, with the first amounting to $1,200 per person and $500 per child dependent. While this is a “light in the dark” for many Americans, many are still waiting on their checks. The IRS has set Jan. 15 as the deadline for sending out the relief funds, and after this date, they cannot distribute any more checks. As of Jan. 22, some have gotten their stimulus funds that were sent directly from the IRS, while others have been sent their check but it is being filtered through their chosen money holding service.

Those who still haven’t received their relief funds are able to claim the money through tax credits on their 2020 tax returns. By doing this their money can be expected to arrive within two to three weeks.

Talks of a third stimulus check have also been up in the air with the inauguration of Pres. Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The third round of funds would give eligible Americans $1,400. However, this plan still needs to be approved and minor details still need to be released, so it could be weeks to months until distribution happens.

news

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Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021

Joe Biden is inaugurated as president Abby Gorman Editorial Editor

Adalia Luo DPS Editor

On Jan. 20, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took the oath of office and officially became the president and vice president of the United States. Harris, sworn in by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, made history as the first Black, AsianAmerican and woman as vice president.

Some changes to the inaugural ceremony were made in order to comply with social distancing guidelines.

Attendance was reduced to about a thousand guests, a small crowd in comparison to the amount that typically gathers across the National Mall; for reference, it is estimated that 1.8 million people attended Barack Obama’s first inaugural ceremony in 2008.

Security issues were also of concern following recent events at the Capitol. As a result, much of the city’s transportation was put on halt, and 25,000 National Guard troops were deployed to the surrounding area, a larger perimeter than in years past.

Also notable about the ceremony was former Pres. Donald Trump’s decision to not attend; although former Vice President Mike Pence was present, this is the first time an outgoing president has not attended since 1868.

The ceremony featured several guest speakers and performers, including the national anthem sung by Lady Gaga and the invocation led by Rev. Leo J. O’Donovan. Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman read a poet she wrote for the occasion following the recent events at the Capitol, titled “The Hill We Climb.”

Biden delivered a 21-minute inaugural speech addressing the nation. “To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America, requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy: Unity,” Biden said. “Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this. Bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause.”

Salute- Following the ceremony, Biden and Harris visited Arlington Cemetery to perform Salutethe traditional wreath-laying event at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Abby Gorman/ Prowler

Acacia’’ Day of Service provides for all Sarena Kabir News Editor

Unity- As the Acacia PTA Board hosts their food drive, Acacia teachers Ms. Nystrom, Ms. Sonstegard and Ms. UnityVillanueva helped bring bags of food for collection. “We had teachers from Acacia...packing bags. It was definitely a nice way to do something for someone else, and feel safe.” Beth Neal said. Beth Neal/With Permission

Beth Neal, vice president of the Acacia PTA Board, hosted a food drive on Jan. 17 at Acacia Elementary School in order to help those in need of food. People across the entire community were able to come together and donate about 4000 pounds of food to Adelante Comunidad Conejo.

According to their website, Adelante is an organization that strives to “address concerns within the Conejo Valley Spanish speaking community regarding opportunities and services offered to our children in the local public schools.”

Neal came across Adelante because of Dr. Betsy Connolly, former school board trustee, and Carol Shelton, one of the board members of Adelante. “I said ‘Listen, if I can pull together like a drive-thru food drive, where people just drive through our little circle, pop the trunk, you know, we take the stuff, you say goodbye... If I can pull that off, can you open up Adelante on Monday the 18th so we can drop off the donations?’ [Shelton’s] like, ‘Yeah, totally,’” Neal said.

This is Neal’s third year of hosting this drive; however, this year’s drive was especially successful despite the pandemic. “The community support was just overwhelming. I do believe that we’re in that weird time, where people are…aching for a way to help their neighbor and they don’t know how,” Neal said. “I [also] think for our volunteers, [that there was a] boost to their mental health by being able to help somebody. I think they probably received more gifts that day than they ever expected because they were able to do something and feel good.”

Democrats take government trifecta with twin victories in Georgia Carter Castillo Features Editor Democrats have officially won control of the presidency, the House of Representatives and the Senate after Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock won their special elections in Georgia. On Jan. 5, Georgia held two runoff elections, one between incumbent appointed Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Warnock for a two year term in a special election. The other race was between incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue and Democrat Ossoff. Both Loeffler and Perdue have conceded their races.

Runoff elections were triggered because no candidate received over 50 percent of the vote in either of the general elections.

Republicans only needed to win one seat to maintain their Senate majority, but Democrats needed to win both races to create a 50-50 Democrat-Republican split in the Senate. This would give Vice President Kamala Harris the tie breaking vote where she will hand Democrats the slimmest Senate majority since 2000.

With the power of the Senate now in the hands of Democrats, they will control a government trifecta for the first half of Biden’s presidency, with both the executive and legislative branch being run by Democrats. Democrats still face many challenges, in large part due to the Senate filibuster that requires 60 votes to end debate on any topic. However, Senate control does at least give Biden a fighting chance for his policies.

Carter Castillo/Prowler

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opinion Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021

Maskless events endanger countless lives Dhruv Patel Ad Team

Sarena Kabir News Editor

During the holiday season, multiple maskless events took place locally. These events sparked much controversy amongst locals in regards to whether or not it was ethical to not wear masks. The smart choice would obviously be to wear masks, but others feel the need to not follow health guidelines.

On Dec. 13 and Dec. 23, actor Kirk Cameron organized a gathering at the Thousand Oaks Mall. To celebrate the holiday season, hundreds gathered to engage in Christmas caroling while not wearing mandated masks.

This type of attitude to California’s directives is unacceptable as these guidelines are put forward to protect citizens’ health.

Wearing a mask is the first and final step you need to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, and not being cooperative with these regulations is only hurting you and the people around you. Yes, Christmas is a time when people come together and celebrate with their families, but 2020 was different. Despite the struggles of not seeing family and friends, people need to put these feelings aside and think about the greater good for everyone.

Not only so, specific protocols, such as the closure of outdoor dining was also put in place, in order to slow down the spread of COVID-19. However, at the Cronies Bar & Grill in Agoura Hills, students and families gathered to protest the outdoor dining ban on Dec. 7. These people showed up to the grill, without wearing masks. The only reason the ban was reinstated was to combat the new uptrend of cases and Ventura County’s reentry into the purple tier. Rejection of this law only leads to more infection and the only way for COVID-19 to eventually go away is to stop the spread. People trying to reject these laws right now will only hurt themselves in the future when they cannot enjoy the pleasures of life they used to have pre-COVID. Obviously, the smart thing to do is stay home or wear a

mask, but it does not seem to be as simple for those who are unconcerned with the consequences of the pandemic. This time period is one that affects everyone, not just one person. If other countries are able to be completely free of COVID-19, then so can America. All we need to do is stay home, and wear a mask.

Geocaching inspires adventures Parker Bohl Staff Writer

Maskless - Hundreds of maskless carolers sing outside the TO Mall, adorning candles and other festive items. These carolers were rebelling against the mask mandate in Ventura County and were standing very close together, defying the six feet distance regulation.

Sarena Kabir/Prowler

Prison inmates need better Covid-19 protocols Gwen Buchanan Back Cover Editor The general public are not the only people suffering from COVID-19. Prisons around the U.S. have been experiencing high numbers of cases and deaths of guards and prisoners.

According to the New York Times, there have been over 480 thousand infected guards and inmates; among them, at least 2,100 deaths. Because there are limited guards and protection due to the pandemic, many jails are moving their prisoners

Carter Castillo/Prowler

together and combining facilities.

However, this is the last thing the prisoners need at the moment. Almost all inmates live in poor conditions with overcrowding, lousy ventilation and extremely low sanitation.

How are the inmates supposed to keep themselves safe when their already overcrowded prison is being combined with another?

Even if these people are criminals, they deserve the right to keep themselves safe and healthy by maintaining a six feet distance from one another.

Prisoners are four times as likely to be infected with COVID-19, and twice as likely to die from the infection.

Yet, when some states attempted to decrease overcrowding by releasing minor offenders early, they were contested by the public and politicians with criticism.

This situation is no longer a question of protection of the general public and has become a moral conflict to whether we save the inmates from severe infection rates. These people do not have the choice to stay home or social distance, and yet the people outside of prisons are still struggling to do so.

What makes a criminal is the mistreatment of society or of individuals, yet aren’t we doing exactly that? Shoving people together into poor living spaces is not the moral way to treat human beings, even those who have committed crimes. If we as a people turn a blind eye to the sick and dying, and cannot find it in ourselves to respect the health and wellbeing of prisoners, our actions are no different than those of a criminal.

The wind leans on the bushes as I wander down the path, I check my map and begin to search for a small box, hidden creatively in plain sight. I am geocaching. For me, few activities now offer motivation to exercise or a safe way to go outside, but geocaching provides both.

What is a geocache? It’s a container hidden in a public space with a piece of paper inside it for geocachers who find it to sign. You can find the coordinates of geocaches by going to the website geocaching.com or using their app.

There are a lot of reasons I love geocaching. First, it is great exercise. From hiking on trails to riding my bike around my community, it gives me a reason to go outside and exercise. Second, there’s this terrific feeling of exploration and excitement that comes from searching for a stealthily hidden treasure. Some containers I have found include a small magnetic bolt at the bottom of a fence, a rubber piece of steak and a removable fencepost cap with a discreet handle. There are some cachers renowned for hiding intensely challenging caches and others known for leaving worthwhile treasures, and even some known for their cryptic descriptions and messages, giving their finds and hides an air of fantastic mystery.

There has never been a better time to get into geocaching. It’s been around for 20 years, and this means you can find secrets hidden from the general public for over 20 years. There are 20 years of culture to dive into and 20 years of innovation and constant creativity to participate in! Due to the pandemic, there are not many safe outdoor physical activities, but this happens to be one. Geocaches, especially on hiking trails, have very few people, if any, nearby. Geocaching has never been more accessible or beneficial.

Geocaching has created many memorable moments for me, and I’ve only just gotten into it. Every time I set out to find a cache, whether I succeed or not, I come home with another story. It can add an element of interest to the dullest of days and gives you an opportunity to adventure.

opinion

Animals are the way to go

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Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021

Carter Castillo Features Editor Animation is a medium that inherently promotes and enables creativity otherwise impossible in a live-action equivalent. It is through this suspension of reality that people are able to immerse themselves into a story and relate to the characters regardless of what life they may lead in the real world.

This is what makes animation a truly unique art form; through the use of anthropomorphized characters animators are able to create fictional characters that are universally relatable. Diversity is a problem in modern media, with a lack of animated films containing BIPOC in significant roles, and while this is getting better with the release of movies like “Soul,” the beauty of anthropomorphized characters is that they do not abide by the same societal standards of race as humans do.

A key example of this in action is Disney’s “Zootopia,” which utilizes its bipedal animal characters to emulate modern day issues about race.

While the message the movie is trying to convey is clear, the fact that the characters are animals allows them to be separated from society’s social

constructs. It is inherently easier for any person to watch the movie and relate to say, Nick Wilde, than to Tom Hanks.

Another paramount piece of media is the recent Netflix TV show “Beastars,” another medium that utilizes anthropomorphic animals.

The use of animals as the titular characters serves as a way to create more universal relatability. The conflicts of the story are driven and characterized by the fact that everyone is an animal. Further, the animals serve as characterization. We stereotype a rat as shrewd and scummy while a fox is charismatic and sly. However, what makes “Beastars” a masterclass in the art of animation is the subversion of these assumed stereotypes. The wolf is a socially awkward loner, the rabbit is strongwilled and determined and the deer ambitious and a natural leader.

Animation serves as a testament to how anthropomorphic creatures can enrich a story with thematic messaging and create more universally relatable characters.

“Loving Vincent” showcases creativity

Prasheetha Karthikeyan Sports Editor

It is more common than ever for people to complain about the lack of creativity in the movie industry. The incessant grumbling about how no one can make an “original movie” is in itself a monologue that is overused, although it is not unwarranted; the majority of 21st century movies (especially rom coms, action and horror movies) not only have the same basic storyline, but also basically look the same. If you watched one and switched it out for another halfway through, you’d barely recognize a difference. Although it seems as though human existence has gone through every possible movie idea at least once, the movie “Loving Vincent” proves that there is much more potential we have yet to unlock.

“Loving Vincent,” quite literally, is a work of art. The movie was independently released in 2017 and can now be found on Hulu. It features over 65,000 frames of oil paintings, painted by over 100 painters on over 1,000 canvases digitally sewn together and voiced over to create its own class of “animated” film. The scenes were first shot with a normal camera, then sent to the artists, who broke it up into the frames and used individual canvases for each scene. The movie is, as its website claims, the world’s first ever fully painted film. The filmmakers saw it as essential to create the movie in this way, citing that “you cannot truly tell Vincent’s story without his paintings, so we needed to bring his paintings to life.”

The movie is an astounding, visual masterpiece. Words can barely describe how truly remarkable the movie’s artistry is. Even the trailer does not do it justice, so I implore you to check it out. Plotwise, the movie uses an interesting perspective, albeit a little slow paced. The son of a postman,

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

Armand, must hand deliver a letter to Vincent Van Gogh’s brother and simultaneously documents the little known intricacies involving Van Gogh’s death. Although it has been officially ruled a suicide, the movie explores the minute details through Armand’s eyes that don’t seem to add up.

Ironically, when discussing the concept of creativity, it is nearly impossible to avoid bringing up Van Gogh. Van Gogh’s legacy as a creative, unorthodox artist can serve as inspiration in any artistic endeavor, including filmmaking. His surpassing of the artistic boundaries during his time truly allows “Loving Vincent” to be the perfect representation of the creative potential the movie industry still has.

“Loving Vincent” undoubtedly dismantles the notion that the movie industry has run out of ideas. The movie has broken boundaries, and despite its award nominations at a variety of film festivals, deserves much more recognition than it has. The independent group that created “Loving Vincent” constructed a film of mind-blowing creativity for a budget of 5.5 million dollars. In contrast, a typical blockbuster movie has a budget of about 65 million dollars on average, not to mention a wider variety of resources.

Creativity is not dead. Movie studios and its directors can do better, instead of rotating through the same five movie tropes. “Loving Vincent” is proof of this, and again, there is no one better than Van Gogh to express the importance of creativity: “Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.”

Biden voters, don’t be apathetic Abby Gorman Editorial Editor Hearing that Joe Biden would be the 46th president of the United States felt like a breath of fresh air for millions of Americans - and don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to say I didn’t feel the same. The last four years have undoubtedly been some of the most polarizing and tumultuous in our history, ending with a heavily disputed election that came far too close for comfort.

It’s okay to feel relieved. A Democratic president, Senate and House majority certainly allow for the platform to implement serious systemic change for the next two years. No longer do we have a president whose destructive carelessness left us constantly on the edge of our seats. However, far too many will take this opportunity to return to “normal.”

However, we cannot view these next four years as a break from advocating about important issues, misnconstrued by the belief that just because Trump is no longer in office, all these big social issues will handle themselves.

This is the root of the problem: complacency. Complacency in the Biden voters who loudly expressed their discontent for Trump on social media, but will comfortably continue their lives unaffected once these issues aren’t trending anymore. Complacency in the Republican politicians who spoke out against Trump in recent months, but will now fade out of the limelight and remain complicit as their party passes harmful legislation.

So, to those who believe now is the time to relax: Biden’s win does not mean you have a four-year pass of staying silent on the issues you have advocated so strongly for during the past administration. Whatever returning to “normal” means to you is not enough. Your BIPOC, poor, immigrant, disabled and LGBTQ+ friends, family, peers and coworkers do not have this choice.

Having the privilege to ignore these problems until they were trending on Twitter - and to forget them after - is why the United States fails to progress. These systemic failings didn’t just disappear on Jan. 20. Bigotry lives on in the millions of Americans who voted for Trump, including the thousands of domestic terrorists seen storming the Capitol on Jan. 6.

At the end of the day, we must remember what Biden represents above all: safety. His staunch neutrality on issues that could drive away moderate voters is the reason he was selected as the Democratic candidate in the first place. Rather than his campaign being driven by his own policies,

it focused on one thing; the fact that he isn’t Trump.

Although Trump may not be in a recognized office any longer, the rhetoric he amplified is not new. Biden is not going to solve the deep-rooted issues of American culture single-handedly. For progress to be made, we must continue to put pressure on our representatives to advocate for the issues we feel strongly about. The Trump administration encouraged many who were not previously politically active to get more involved, and now is not the time to stop. These issues will continue to exist, and now, cannot be dismissed by merely expressing your disdain for Trump.

Continue to speak up on issues that you are passionate about. Now is not the time to remain complicit.

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healthcare workers Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021

Healthcare w o r k e r s power

Sarena Kabir/Prowler

through pandemic Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Graphic Artist Allison Nguyen Staff Writer Reese Kelem Chief Photographer Sarena Kabir News Editor

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers have been dubbed “frontline heroes,” as their hard work has saved many. They have faced over-capacity hospitals, extreme safety protocols, exhausting hours and fear of infection. These extremities have even caused some nursing unions to strike for better working conditions, such as Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. The occupancy of ERs has reached its all time high, and some hospitals are even putting beds in their parking lots. This chaos may be coming to a near end as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines roll out, but healthcare workers are currently battling with the worst conditions yet in the pandemic.

ER Capacity

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

With COVID-19 cases rising across the country, many hospitals have hit capacity in their emergency rooms, including our local hospitals. This has become a major crisis as hospital beds have been moved to parking garages and supplies have been running low. In this high-stress situation, nurses have developed new protocols to keep as many beds as possible open for those who urgently need them.

Joanna Xie has been working as a pathologist for eight and a half years at St. John’s Regional Medical Center. Working in clinical and psychopathology, Xie’s team is in charge of histological diagnosis and supporting the clinical lab, as well as doing a lot of PCR testing in house during COVID-19. With case numbers spiking, the hospital is busy as ever. “The nursing staff I know are scared of catching [COVID] and bringing it home. You know, the nation is running low on beds, oxygen and things like that so people are edge,” Xie said. “The death rate has continued to climb up and I think people are getting disheartened.”

Kelley Lund, a nurse at Los Robles, has witnessed the struggles of the overflow at the hospital. “We’re problem solving as we go. We are opening other units to take on more COVID patients [and] we have had our progressive care unit expand to take over patients and we’ve had our orthopaedic floor expanded takeover patients,” Lund said.

James Burgoyne, an EMT from Camarillo, and Breanna Pennala, an EMT from Santa Clarita, both work for the American Medical Response (AMR) in Antelope Valley as partners. During work, they both have noticed the shortcomings of supplies given to the EMTs and the hospitals. “We don’t have the resources to handle the call volume that we have now, and the hospitals don’t have the resources to handle the influx of patients that are coming in,” Burgoyne said.

Prepared Two ambulance trucks are parked outside of an emergency room in anticipation of a Prepareddrive. Ambulances are a great way to rush healthcare workers to rescue citizens and bring them back to the hospital. However, ICUs are currently at full capacity, which makes it difficult to treat every patient within hospital walls. James Burgoyne/With Permission

Not only have there been a shortcoming of supplies, there has also been a lack of oxygen. “There’s literally oxygen shortages [and] there’s even new protocols rationing who gets oxygen and who doesn’t,” Pennala said. “It’s to the point where you don’t have to be there, you don’t really want to be there.”

In order to help balance the shortage of supplies, new protocols were put in place.

“Patients that call 911 for something not so serious, might [be treated or referred], meaning we won’t necessarily take him to the hospital. We might be able to treat them on scene, or we might be able to refer them to their primary care doctor,” Burgoyne said.

Brittany Apodaca, another EMT from AMR, has witnessed how hospitals have had to make adjustments to accommodate the overflow of patients at the ER. “They do have these large garages…. canopies, almost like extensions of the ER, and they have them outside because the main ER is just oversaturated with patients [so] there’s no room to put them,” Apodaca said.

“Everybody’s really tired and exhausted [and] the call volume is so high, and we’re so busy. It just takes its toll on everybody. We’re very worn out [and] we’re rundown. People continue to not social distance, continue to not wear their masks, [and] continue gathering in large groups, and it’s just more and more people getting COVID,” Burgoyne said.

To the rescuerescue Firefighters and healthcare workers transport a patient on a stretcher to an ambulance truck to be driven to a hospital. Healthcare workers are saving lives on a daily basis, especially as the coronavirus has pushed ICU capacities to the limit. James Burgoyne/With Permission

healthcare workers Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021

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Vaccination The Pfizer and Moderna vaccine have started to be distributed and administered, an event anticipated across the nation. California prioritized healthcare workers as the first to receive the vaccine, as they have the highest risk for exposure to COVID-19. Nurses across Southern California have already received their first dose and will soon receive a second dose.

Smriti Campeau, a laboratory and point of care worker at Dignity Health at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, has been working at her current hospital for almost two years.

Campeau is one healthcare worker that has received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. “Healthcare workers and people who are in nursing homes are getting the vaccine. As far as California is concerned, I think Governor Newsom is looking at distributing this vaccine according to the age group and people over 75 will get to go get it,” Campeau said.

Vaccinated Kelley Lund, Vaccinateda healthcare worker in Los Robles Medical Center, shows off her new COVID-19 vaccination card. Those who have received the coronavirus vaccine receive a card as proof of their vaccination.

Lund flshows hers to the camera with a smile.

Kelley Lund/With Permission

Testing Working through COVID-19, many workers at St John’s Regional Medical Hospital have had their fair share in using the Gene TestingXpert Xpress System, a common COVID-19 testing device, to administrate positive and negative tests. Taking in samples, it shows the statistics in under 40 minutes. St. Johns Medical Hospital/With Permission

The vaccine comes in two doses, both of which are necessary to ensure the best results. “This is very challenging in the sense that there are two doses, and it has to be three weeks apart. A person gets it say today, and then they did not take it in three weeks. They gotta start all over again,” Campeau said.

Lisa Martinez, a histology technician at St. John’s, received both of her doses in the past couple of weeks. “I got the Pfizer vaccine, which has to be kept very cold in the pharmacy in a freezer... and then I had to wait for 15 minutes to make sure that I didn’t have an adverse reaction,” Martinez said. “The only thing that I felt from [the first vaccine] was a sore arm, just kind of bruised. On my second vaccine, I got a sore arm [and] a bruised feeling. The next day, I felt almost as if I was very dehydrated. I felt like I was having

heart palpitations.”

Other healthcare workers, such as Diana Cabrera, a surgical tech at Cedars Sinai, were weary of getting the vaccine because it is so new. “I was kind of nervous to get it.

Just because it’s so new, but benefits outweighed the risks... so that’s why I took it,” Cabrera said.

Many people don’t trust the reliability of the vaccine; however, nurses like Tom Vasko at Los Robles Hospital advocate for the safety and ethicality of it. “Despite the development appearing short, mRNA technology has been in development since the 90’s and its use for vaccines has been being researched for nearly two decades. The researchers found a way to provide a blueprint of sorts using mRNA that could teach our immune system how to defend against the virus which causes COVID-19,” Vasko said.

Urgent Care During a pandemic, medical staff also have to support others who need medical care not related to COVID-19. They work under immense pressure due to the mix of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 infected patients that filter through their urgent cares. The stress is high for these workers but their hard work is helping thousands of people stay safe.

Erin Zucker, the lead nurse, is a part of the clinical staff at Exer Urgent Care in Westlake Village. As the number of cases started to rise, so did the number of patients at Exer. “We went from saying maybe like 50, 60 patients a day to 300. If they’re not here for COVID, we try to prioritize them. But obviously, it’s hard to get through all those people,” Zucker said.

While treating other patients, the staff members need to follow specific protocols in order to reduce transmission of COVID-19 as much as possible. “There’s a lot of restrictions because they could be sick with other things. We have to rule out COVID first, so we have to keep them in the car if they’re sick. Once we make sure that whatever is going on with them is non-COVID related, then we can do our job,” Zucker said.

Sandra Rodriguez, a medical assistant X-Ray Tech, checks patients’ vitals as well as x-raying patients if needed. Most patients that come to Exer are often in need of assistance due to some COVID-19 related problem. “There are some days, however, that we see a lot of people who need x-rays. Because of the pandemic, they’re doing a lot of outdoor activities. So that has gone a little bit higher in numbers,” Rodriguez said.

At Exer Urgent Care, Brianna Krboyan and Drew Ziegler are both the front-desk workers who greet patients that come in.“ We definitely have to step into some bigger issues...because we’re the first ones to see the patient. So whatever we see, we have to report to the back, and it’s mostly COVID,” Krboyan said. “One time, we could tell [a patient] wasn’t looking too good. We went and told our clinical team and we ended up

having to call 911 [because] he was having a heart attack. So we definitely had to be more attentive [because they could be] here for one thing, but it ends up being a whole different reason for that visit.”

A major problem with having so many patients coming to the urgent care is the backlash the staff gets. “The biggest struggle has been the amount of patience that we had, and having to deal with angry patients...Each patient takes about two to four minutes to actually check in. So patients don’t really understand that, and they don’t like waiting. There’s so many people and we’re obviously doing our best to get everybody in that we can,” Ziegler said.

Around the time of the holidays, the number of cases spiked, as well as the number of patients going to Exer. “We had people lining up here, probably 50 to 60 people line up. And we were holding that line almost all day during the holidays,” Ziegler said.

The staff members at the urgent care not only need to be prepared to face whatever is thrown at them, but they also need to be ready to adapt and shift as things change overtime.

“Everything just changes so quick, just depending on how serious it gets. When the numbers were rising for COVID... we couldn’t let anyone in. And then we have to change how we text them, and we have to change how we screen them, so the whole process has been hard,” Krboyan said.

Healthcare workers deserve high praise as they have gone through hell and back during this pandemic. As hope for an end to COVID-19 rises, these workers are working hard to get us back to a normal life. “Whether or not you believe in the virus, whether you mask, distance, will or will not get the vaccine, whether you voted for Biden, Trump or Kanye I will treat you the same as a patient and human being if/when you come into the hospital” Vasko said.

Research Working in the hematology department at St. John’s ResearchRegional Medical Hospital, Luz Lira works on a manual differential on peripheral blood smear. With hospitals and labs packed with new patients every single day, healthcare employees are working extremely hard. St. John’s Regional Medical Hospital/With Permission

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features Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021

Latino Connections spreads culture Nandini Patro Staff Writer

The Latino Connections club has been around for almost 30 years and continues to spread awareness of Latino culture. Even during quarantine, the club still meets through Zoom, providing Latino kids with a safe space as well as educating others on Latino culture.

While Latino Connections is specifically at Thousand Oaks High School, Julieta Rodriguez is the advisor for the Latinos Unidos Club at NPHS. Both clubs currently meet together over Zoom and work on projects. At meetings they plan various activities and events. “So far this year, we’ve had guest speakers, cultural presentations and we also had a food drive,” Alondra Padilla, a junior at Thousand Oaks High School and Latino Connections co-president, said.

The main purpose of the guest speakers is to influence the students and encourage them in academics. “We’ve had different guest speakers come in and tell their story for students to inspire them, to motivate them towards higher education or towards giving back and the importance of giving back to our community and becoming leaders in our community,” Rodriguez said.

Another important aspect of the club is the connections made. Sandra Martinez is the adviser for the Latino Connections

club at Thousand Oaks High Schools and enjoys supporting the kids in the club. “One of the goals... is to connect to Latino students to the school, so they can feel part of the school and so they can have a place where they feel they belong,” Martinez said. However, the networks formed are not just one-sided. “We have members who are not Latino, they have friends who are Latinos and they’re interested in learning about the culture with their friends,” Martinez said.

Specifically, Latino students can connect to their culture during the meetings. “We do a lot of cultural events... for Hispanic Heritage time Latino Connections board meeting begins to prepare for their upcoming Month the students did presentations about their Idea time-The events and meetings. “We always have a senior advisor, a junior advisor, a sophomore heritage, where their families are from,” Martinez advisor and freshman advisor. We tried to have a pretty big board because we want to have said. “For Dia de los Muertos, we set up the altar like a good size where we can get more ideas,” Martinez said. Julieta Rodriguez /With and had food.”

Permission Padilla enjoys being in the club for many and it was like a really great environment to be in,” Padilla said. reasons. “The people are like the best part of it. Everyone in the “I made so many new friends in that club, so that’s what really club. When we were in school, even now, they were really funny sold me.”

Maddy Mekari flexes her kicks Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Graphic Artist

Boo- Oogie Boogie, Jack Skelington and Zero, characters from the animated movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” jump off a pair of checkered Vans painted by Maddy Mekari, junior.

Maddy Mekari/With Permission

Running a small business is hard work, but for Maddy Mekari, junior, it’s worth it. Maddy paints custom shoes and runs her business on Instagram.

She posts all of her commissions on her page, @maddys_custom_kicks, and people can directly message her if they want her to customize a pair of shoes for them.

Maddy started off by painting a pair of her own shoes before a trip to Disneyland her freshman year. “I was like, ‘Well, I have an old pair of shoes, let’s paint them Disney.’ And so, I painted like Mike Wazowski and Sully on [the shoes],’” Maddy said. She ended up painting another pair of old shoes and getting compliments on those and soon realized that she could make a business out of her artistic talent.

Her family also encouraged her, especially her little sister Elly Mekari. “I actually brought the idea up to her because my family had seen that she was really good at art,” Elly said. “So, Christmas about two years ago, I gave her shoes and a painting set that I thought might be good for her. And it just became comforting to her and she found it relaxing.”

Maddy started up her Instagram account for the shoes last summer and has gotten around 16 custom orders. To hand paint the shoes, she first creates a design on paper, which she then transfers to the shoe. After that,

Mekari fills in the color and details. “After I get the sketch, it’s like a coloring book basically,” Maddy said.

Maddy’s favorite pair of shoes she has designed were a pair that were “The Nightmare Before Christmas” themed. Each project can take four to ten hours depending on the design. “It’s different for every shoe cause sometimes they’ll be like little projects where they can just be like, ‘Oh can you draw flowers on it?’....or sometimes it’s the whole shoe,” Maddy said.

Her customers are very happy with their revamped kicks after she’s done designing and painting them. Gregory Kim, junior, found out about her business when he saw Maddy post on her Snapchat story about custom orders. Kim asked Maddy to paint his cleats like a “Drink Arizona” can and was really impressed with the way they turned out. Another customer, Amy Ross, found out about the shoes through Instagram with Maddy’s business account tagged in a post. She got her shoes customized back in early December.

Mekari’s artistic talent shines through her work with shoes. She creates wonderful works of art that keep her clients happy, while also learning the ropes of business. “I really like her business. I think that this is a great way for her to use her artistic talent in a way that benefits her and others,” Ross said.

Charly Taylor embroiders her way to success Allison Nguyen Staff Writer Many small creators have used this time at home to create their own small businesses, like Charly Taylor, freshman, and her small Etsy shop, Happy Hats Embroidery. Inspired by the boredom and extra time quarantine had brought to her, Taylor has been selling embroidered bucket hats for the past four months.

Embroidering all of her hats by hand, Taylor and her partner Annabelle York, freshman, decided to combine forces during the summer and also create their own designs for each individual hat. “I wanted to be able to feel like I was doing something productive and learn something new out of it so that I had a new skill to take with me,” Taylor said. “I wanted to learn how to run a business, along with learning new skills like contacting people. I learned how to embroider as well.”

However, Taylor and York have had to combat a number of new issues with the start of school. “Sometimes it’s kind of hard, because some of the designs take longer than others so I’ll have to like, try to finish my homework and then embroider. Sometimes I have to stay up late to finish an order,” York said.

Tegan Ballas became Happy Hats Embroidery’s first customer while she

was scrolling on the Internet one day. “I found Charlie’s business when I was searching through TikTok one day and she had come up in my following, and I saw that she was a small business, not very recognized, so I decided to reach out to her and help her,” Ballas said.

Being a fan of Harry Styles herself, Ballas had decided to order one of Taylor’s common designs, the Navy Angel bucket hat. “A lot of things are very well made and very unique,” Ballas said. “All of them match the songs that go with it, and it’s really just cool to see how she kind of brings the songs by [Harry Styles] into a certain logo that didn’t have that logo before.”

While staying at home, Taylor and York have enjoyed being able to make time for themselves to continue finding the best ways to continue their small business. “COVID has given me more time to work on it and kind of work on myself in the way I run my shop,” Taylor said.

Before starting her company, Taylor wanted to create something with her free time. “I knew I wanted to do something with my time so I took months figuring out what I was good at and what I genuinely enjoy doing.

I also took lots of time to make sure I researched everything, that way my customers would have the best products they could get,” Taylor said.

Embroider Over quarantine, Charly Taylor, Embroiderfreshman, decided to start her own small business revolving around fashion.“I wanted to start a small business because I was just kind of bored ...so, I created an Etsy shop where I embroider different designs on bucket hats,” Taylor said. Charly Taylor/With Permission

features Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021

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with Michael Lindroth Anna Johnson Entertainment Editor Michael Lindroth, junior, works hard everyday to make school a better place for all students. As a member of both the Student District Advisory Council (SDAC) and Unity Conejo, Lindroth wants to make schools more safe and inclusive. Read this Tea Time to find out more about Lindroth’s responsibilities!

What are your responsibilities for SDAC? “So in SDAC, it stands for the Student District Advisory Council, we kind of provide student feedback to the Board of Education and insights on what the students are feeling and what their needs are and make sure that their voices are represented. Specifically, I run a mental health subcommittee dealing with student mental health and trying to get people’s well-being good in the district. I am also on the executive board, which makes decisions about SDAC as a whole.”

What do you do for Unity Conejo?

“I am one of the student leads with Ava, she also goes to NP. We are a part of the student committee which is made up of middle schoolers and high schoolers from all around CVUSD who run Instagram and help plan events such as town halls. We are planning on having a rally right now. We really just do whatever we can to promote inclusivity and CVUSD and make the city a safe space for LGBT+ youth.”

What are your goals for the spring semester?

“In the Spring semester, I’d really like to continue to play the cello as I am a musician, I play the piano and the cello. I want to continue practicing a lot every day because I am going to be applying to colleges soon as a music major. I also just wanna be wary and mindful of my mental health and make sure that I am staying in tune with myself and everything like that.”

What is your favorite TV show or movie?

“It is hard to choose. I am a big fan of ‘American Horror Story,’ I’ve watched it all twice. I also like ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ and my favorite movie at the moment is probably ‘The Lorax.’”

What is a weird talent that you have?

I mean I guess a unique talent that I have is playing the cello. I feel like not a lot of people play the cello so it’s kind of unique.

Michael Lindroth/With Permission

If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?

That’s a good question. I would probably change it to a J name like Jack.

Scouts impress with impact community projects Sera Mohammed Staff Writer As Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts come into high school, some prepare to tackle the ultimate project in their Scouts’ career: the rank of Eagle Scout or the completion of the Girl Scout Gold Award.

In order to become an Eagle Scout, candidates have to organize and execute a complex community service project from beginning to end, often requiring them to recruit and manage many volunteers.

“A very detailed proposal has to be submitted and approved by a local council of leaders...The whole process can take up to six months from the beginning of the planning phase to when it is actually executed,” Ethan Baker, senior, said.

Baker managed the building of a bocce ball court at Saint Julie Billiart church in an effort to increase the community building. “I was inspired to pursue Eagle Scout by some really great older scouts in my troop...I wanted to try to be like them,” Baker said.

Evan Lin, senior and an Eagle Scout, centered his project around helping those affected by COVID-19 by making

Cynthia Gao Managing Editor reusable masks for our low-income communities. “I chose this project because there were a lot of people in danger of becoming sick due to the coronavirus and I thought this would be the best way to help out,” Lin said.

Similarly, the Girl Scout Gold Award embodies the idea of community service and requires the Girl Scouts themselves to carry out a project that has a lasting impact on the community. Katie Wu, a senior who recently received her Gold Award, thought it was necessary to take on such a project. “I wanted to help the community and give back, especially because we’ve all been hit hard by this pandemic. Also, I’ve been in Girl Scouts since the very beginning...so this was a way for me to complete the full Girl Scout experience,” Wu said.

Inspired by her long time hobby of piano, Wu shared her love for music by teaching piano basics to a number of underprivileged children, then donated all materials to the local Boys and Girls Club.

“I’ve been playing piano since 1st grade,

so it’s been a big part of my life,” Wu said.

“It can be really relaxing, and with the pandemic going on, I thought it would be good for kids to have piano to fall back on to destress and have something to do.”

Katelyn Truong, senior, found inspiration for her project seeing the impact the Woolsey fire had on her community. “My neighborhood and community was heavily affected by the Woolsey Fire and the aftermath of that inspired me to create my project,” Truong said. With months of hard work, she assembled disaster relief kits containing CPR masks, instructions and solar blankets for every classroom at her local elementary and middle school.

As they approach the end of their Scouting careers, these impressive seniors reflect on their experience and leave some final advice for younger Scouts. “I would advise them to keep working towards their goals no matter what. Although there were some stressful and difficult experiences, it was worth the effort,” Lin said.

Celebrate Celebrate-Clockwise from top left: Seniors Katie Wu, Katelyn Truong, Evan Lin, and Ethan Baker beam in their Scouts’ uniforms after receiving their Gold Awards or becoming an Eagle Scout. Katie Wu, Katelyn Truong, Evan Lin, Ethan Baker/With Permission

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entertainment Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021

“If Anything Happens I Love You” breaks hearts Gwen Buchanan Back Cover Editor “If Anything Happens I Love You” is a moving and heartsinking short film that Netflix released in November. The film tells the story of two parents grieving the loss of their young daughter, who was killed in a school shooting. Although the duration of the short is a mere 12 minutes, any viewer will surely find themselves deeply impacted and contemplating the experience for long after the initial watch.

The young girl’s parents are displayed in their home in the opening scene, grieving their daughter and remembering her fondly. Most of the film has no color and is a pencil-like animation, but the young girl’s possessions lying round the house are bright colors, and the viewer is taken back in time to when she was alive to see her experiences growing up before the tragedy.

The short contains a variety of music during different scenes.

The majority is mellow instrumental music, but while the viewer is witnessing the young girl’s experiences, and in a way, getting to know her, a cheerful pop song is played, creating a contrasting effect to the short film’s overall dark mood. Besides music, the film contains light sound effects but no dialogue whatsoever, bringing the animation and art to the spotlight to convey a deeper and more impactful story.

A little over half way through the short film, the girl makes her way into a school building. Inside, an American flag is hung

above classroom doors in bright blue and red colors. Then gunshots and screams are heard. The scene then cuts to the young girl’s phone, where she sends one last text message to her parents: “If anything happens I love you.”

The film is not based on one true story, but the daughter’s last message to her parents and the title of the film could be a reference to the Parkland shooting in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where a 19-year-old student came onto campus with a gun and killed 17 people. While the active shooter was on campus, many students called or sent goodbye texts to their parents, just like the daughter in the short film.

In America, we have seen a drastic increase in school shootings over the past decade. According to Everytown, a support fund for gun safety, there have been at least 161 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in the U.S. since 2013, killing 218 people and injuring 435.

While “If Anything Happens I Love You” is not a light or even an enjoyable watch, it is important to watch to understand just a fraction of some of the tragedies that have occured in the past.

Countless parents have had to mourn the loss of their children who did not deserve to die. It is with films like this, where we can learn to empathize with them, and understand that our country is far from perfect.

Emerson FuentesAlabanza/Prowler

YouTube workouts break a sweat Prasheetha Karthikeyan Sports Editor With the closures of gyms, home YouTube workouts are on the rise and their momentum shows no signs of stopping. Their accessibility and preplanned structure makes it a great option to those looking to exercise in quarantine. However, the fitness content on YouTube is heavily saturated, making it overwhelming to try and find a good fit. Because of this, I have gone through and tried workouts from the top channels to decide which is the perfect one for me.

It goes without saying that Chloe Ting is currently the queen of at home workouts. She features a variety of no equipment videos that line up with her free programs, which can be found on her website www.chloeting.com. Her programs are structured well and fall in the beginner-intermediate difficulty range, and the majority, if not all of her content features low impact exercise alternatives for certain moves in the videos, making it ideal for a variety of ability levels. In my opinion, her HIIT workouts are the most intense but extremely underrated. The only main downside to Ting is that the music she plays is extremely repetitive and can get annoying over time, but this isn’t an issue a pair of headphones cannot solve. I definitely recommend her programs if you’re looking for a well structured exercise regimen that can easily be adjusted to your abilities.

Lilly Sabri has been gaining popularity at this time as well, and for good reason. Her videos have a simple, Chloe Ting-esque feel to them but are arguably more difficult and intense, with an intermediate-advanced difficulty level. Like Ting, she also has an array of programs, although you have to sign up for her email newsletter through her website www.leanwithlilly.com. Her positivity in her videos is motivating and helps you push through, and her videos are so diverse that there is something for everyone.

Like Sabri, Cassey Ho of the channel Blogilates, who has been popular on fitness YouTube for a while now, has an extensive assortment of exercises for just about everything. Her workouts are definitely on the beginner-intermediate difficulty range, but there is no shortage of videos, especially if you get bored easily.

The moves in her videos are pilates driven, hence the name, and she speaks to you throughout the entire video, which can be a

positive or negative aspect depending on what you like.

Madfit has many typical videos you would see on other channels, but she also has multiple dance workouts, with music ranging from Taylor Swift to seasonal music to compilations of TikTok music. Her dance videos are primarily cardio over strength training, but this makes it ideal for those of all abilities.

The best part of the dance videos is that if you mess up, you can just move on with the workout without stressing too much over proper form. This was definitely one of my favorites, as they get you moving without even realizing you’re exercising.

Although Daisy Keech is not necessarily a fitness youtuber, she is definitely worth mentioning as her workouts have gone viral and have gotten hundreds of thousands to millions of views each. As of now, she only has four at home workouts on her channel, but all four of them are intense and incredible for strength without equipment. She takes basic moves, many of which are reminiscent of Chloe Ting’s most popular moves, and combines them into supersets with more reps and shorter breaks in a well thought out order to create the most optimal workout.

The workouts themselves range from about 8-12 minutes, which is great if you have a shorter attention span.

Caroline Girvan is another fitness youtuber, whose growth in popularity can be attributed to her 50 day Epic workout series, and with good reason. She released two videos a day for 50 days for the program, one of which was a beginner workout and the second being an intermediate/advanced workout. Both are great options depending on your skill level and give you a satisfying daily workout if you’re interested in a daily program. The only downside, however, would be that the intermediate/advanced videos require equipment, which most of us do not have at home.

It is important to note that we are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, so if your self care during this time involves a workout, there are many great options for you on YouTube. However, you should not feel pressured to do so if it will do you more harm than good. The most important thing is to take care of yourself, drink water, wear a mask and stay healthy.

Prasheetha Karthikeyan/Prowler

entertainment Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021

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“Man on the Moon III: The Chosen” completes the holy trinity Dhruv Patel Ad Team On Dec. 11, 2020, Scott Mescudi, more commonly known as Kid Cudi, released his long awaited “Man on the Moon III: The Chosen.” This album was released 11 years after its first installment in the Man on the Moon trilogy with the first “Man on the Moon” releasing in 2009. Cudi, known for his amazing beats and production, brings some of his best to this album.

“Man on the Moon III” starts off strong with more rap centered songs, and his production on these songs is amazing.

These tracks use very transcending type beats that make you feel as if you’re floating throughout space. Kid Cudi also uses plenty of interesting samples for his songs that show his creativity as an artist and a producer. At the start of his song, “She Knows This,” Cudi samples a scene from the movie “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,” and his fans went crazy at this reference. Cudi also got features from artist Pop Smoke and Trippie Redd, well known rappers who bring the songs they’re featured on to a whole new level.

One of the songs, “Elsie’s Baby Boy,” serves as a flashback in the middle of the album. On this track, Cudi recreates the famous

chord progression in the song, “House of the Rising Sun,” and he uses this song as a type of flashback to his childhood. Throughout the song, Cudi paints a picture with his lyrics and the nostalgic guitar to transport the listener back to when he was a baby boy.

One of the fan favorite songs on the album, “The Void,” has a beat and lyrics that make you feel as if you are actually falling into a void. Cudi sings his heart out on this track, and strays from rapping like in the beginning of the album to create an ascendant experience. At the end of the song, Cudi gives a thank you note to his fans who had supported him throughout his whole music career. This heartfelt end to the song shows just how much Cudi cares about his fans and how grateful he is for how much he has succeeded.

“Man on the Moon III” is a satisfying end to the great trilogy, and the eccentric production to the songs is what makes this album special. Even though it does have some songs that will be forgotten in a few months, the album has great tracks and will definitely be remembered as a great end to Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon trilogy.

Emerson FuentesAlabanza/Prowler

“Wonder Woman 1984” lets everyone down Dhruv Patel Ad Team

Nandini Patro Staff Writer “Wonder Woman 1984” was a highly anticipated movie, being a sequel to one of the best movies of 2017. Released on Christmas Day of 2020 on HBO Max, the film stars Gal Gadot as Diana, an Amazon warrior, known as “Wonder Woman” to the few who have seen her in action.

The movie starts on Themyscira, the paradise island that all the Amazon warriors are trained on. Diana is just a little girl on the island, fighting and training with the other Amazon women. This part of the movie is very exciting and really gets your attention because it starts off high paced with lots of action.

Unfortunately, the rest of the movie isn’t filled with the same edge of the seat intensity as the beginning.

Diana is an adult in the rest of the movie, with a job at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in D.C. but on the side, she fights crime as well. Mourning the loss of the man she loved who died in the first movie during WWI, Diana tries to move on with her life and makes a friend, Barbara, at her workplace.

Barbara is envious of Diana’s poise, elegance and power and simply wants to be like Diana. Meanwhile, Maxwell Lord, a new business man, tries to publicize his business by airing popular ads on television. This part of the movie seemed very promising but

Carter Castillo/ Prowler

from then on, everything got very confusing.

Lord comes into possession of the “Dreamstone’’, a stone with the power to grant you your deepest desire, but takes away what your most valued possession. Lord uses this to become successful in his oil ventures, but the film doesn’t account for some of the consequences. More and more people use the stone for their own good, still oblivious to the consequences, and chaos erupts.

It seemed as though the main antagonist would be Lord, but the introduction of a second antagonist, Cheetah, made it hard to understand who was the main villain. Lord’s motives were somewhat sentimental and the entire villain act just didn’t work.

The plot was unclear on what exactly Diana tried to do to stop Lord as well as the consequences she was facing from using the Dreamstone.

“Wonder Woman 1984” had lots of potential; however, while still somewhat entertaining, much of it was very unclear. Viewers could understand the beginning at most, but the whole plot collapsed into confusion as the movie progressed. In comparison to the first movie, “Wonder Woman 1984” had much to live up to and didn’t exactly follow through with its messy storyline and weak plot.

“ Emma Schoors Opinion Editor “Celebrating America,” hosted by beloved actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks, was a star-studded inauguration concert with muchneeded themes of unity and hope. The virtual event featured artists like Foo Fighters, Bruce Springsteen and Katy Perry, all of whom gave heartfelt performances of timely songs. With renditions of songs like “Seasons Of Love” from the soundtrack of RENT and “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” by The 5th Dimension, the event was the perfect uplifting start to Biden’s administration.

Two days before Taylor Swift’s 31st birthday, she gave the world the gift of a surprise album. On December 11th, “evermore” was dropped as Swift’s ninth studio album, the sister album to “folklore,” which was released just five months before. “evermore” follows “folklore’s” indie-pop vibe. If there’s one word that

Nandini Patro Staff Writer

describes her entire album perfectly, it would be angelic. Almost every song has this ethereal feeling that Swift manages to put into music. My personal favorite is “champagne problems,” a story of acceptance and moving on. It has beautiful acoustic guitar and piano doing just the minimum yet guiding the entire song. As a matter of fact, almost all of this album has simple instrumental in the back. Swift also uses extra voices that contribute to the angelic feeling. I especially liked “gold rush,” because the beginning is so soft and calming. The only song I did not like was “no body, no crime” featuring HAIM; it has a country vibe to it, similar to old Taylor Swift songs and to me, it felt as if she was taking a step backwards.

Your mom’s ring in your pocket, her picture in your wallet, you won’t remember all my champagne problems -Taylor Swift, “champagne problems”

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sports Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021

Club volleyball sets over the nets Allison Nguyen Staff Writer

Spike- Volleyball games have adapted during COVID-19, differing greatly from a pre-COVID volleyball game, like the one pictured. “It’s a lot more different now that everything is just so empty and we always have our masks on.” Erica Winerman, junior, said. These new changes are hard on the team, but the players have to adapt.

Mallory Norton/Pawprint 2019-2020

Hitting over nets and serving across court floors, many club volleyball players across Newbury Park are returning to the courts.

Despite challenges, these girls have made accommodations to practice so they can continue to perform their best.

Practicing during the pandemic creates many precautions to keep all of the players safe. Brooke MacFayden, junior, has been practicing with Reef Volleyball for this season.

“We practice at the Newbury Park Adventist Academy, and there’s only allowed to be three teams in the gym at once,” MacFayden said.

“Each on a separate court, and we get our temperature taken before we go in and we’re required to wear masks the whole time. We have to constantly wash our hands.”

Emma Schuetz, junior, has been playing since middle school and is currently a proud player for Reef Volleyball Club. Although it is significantly harder for sports teams to compete against others during this time, many teams have made adaptations to make tournaments possible. “We have played in tournaments and have one scheduled for two weeks from now...I understand all of the restrictions are in place but they do make it really difficult for our team

to communicate on the court, create bonds with our back row and setters, and keep up with the amount of oxygen we need at that fast of a pace,” Schuetz said.

Another Reef ’s player, Erica Winerman, junior, shares a similar feeling as Schuetz while competing on the courts. “Our pool lineups are different and they just take a lot more precautions like temperature checks,” Winerman said. “But they’re still fun and it feels the same as a regular tournament. It’s just a lot more empty.”

Although the gameplay itself hasn’t changed as much, the relationships and connections have changed drastically. “We’ve lost a few teammates because their parents don’t allow them to play due to COVID or they just can’t come to every practice due to their personal restrictions,” Schuetz said.

Even though many of these girls struggled in the beginning, their love for volleyball will not make them give up on pursuing their passion. “In the beginning, I think I didn’t play volleyball for four months, and then I went back. I felt like I had never played before. It was kind of a struggle to get back into it, but I think I’m getting there now,” MacFayden said.

Unified Sports receives first varsity letter Sera Mohammed Staff Writer

Cynthia Gao Managing Editor

On Dec. 8, Alex Gutfleisch, senior, became the first Unified Sports athlete to receive a varsity letter. Gutfleisch, who has been part of Unified Sports for three years, was overjoyed to receive the letter and his excitement was evident. “The varsity letter means everything to me and I will cherish the jacket forever,” Gutfleisch said.

Lora Harney, one of Gutfleisch’s teachers, shares his excitement. “Alex being able to work hard with dedication and being able to receive the same award that general education students can achieve is incredible. It is hard to work towards a goal not knowing if you will even be considered to earn it,” Harney said.

Unified Sports is a program that provides opportunities for students with special needs to participate in a variety of athletic activities, and the teachers involved recognize its importance.

“Students in special ed may get the message that they are not able to join in or to achieve the same things as general education students from the time they enter school,” Harney said.

As athletes progress through their years in high school, they work to obtain a coveted badge of honor: the varsity letter. “A varsity letter is awarded to any student that completes a varsity letter sport. A varsity letter is awarded to a student at the end of each season, usually at an awards banquet,” Stephen Lepire, principal, said.

Over the years, Unified Sports has seen considerable growth at NPHS. “Unified Sports started with just basketball against WHS, TOHS and Camarillo. It now has expanded into kickball and soccer,” Lepire said.

The awarding of this letter during NPHS’s Inclusivity Week marks another significant step toward building a welcoming community on campus. Fostering a sense of confidence and belonging for Unified Sports students is a critical goal for those involved, and general education students are encouraged to volunteer. During a normal school year, general and special education students practice the different sports together every Friday. “I am very pleased that many students at NPHS have embraced the Unified Sports program. The school district and surrounding districts [have done] a great job of embracing these awesome activities,” Lepire said.

Smile- Alex GutfIeisch, senior and Unified Sports Athlete, celebrates his varsity letter, the first ever for Unified Sports, with Elise Laina, activities secretary, and Christine Caprino, assistant principal of student support services.

Carly Adams/With Permission

sports

15 Eichinger announces retirement from coaching Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021

Hayden Meixner Staff Writer On Jan. 14, varsity basketball coach Matt Eichinger announced that he will be retiring after four years of coaching at NPHS. It is safe to say that Eichinger will be greatly missed by his athletes.

Eichinger has made an incredible impact on all of the athletes on his team. Cooper Lucas, sophomore, has learned many lessons from his former coach. “His lessons about giving it your all and never giving up will carry with me my whole life,” Lucas said.

Although Quincy Bentley, senior, only had Eichinger as a coach for one season, it is obvious his coach had a large impact on him during their time together. “He was a great coach and teacher, and I am extremely excited to see him take on this next chapter in life that God is calling him to,” Bentley said. Bentley and the other team members considered their coach to be an inspiration as well as a friend, “He taught me certain things on the court that I could never teach myself, and more importantly, he was a friend to me off the court.” Bentley said.

Amidst his departure from coaching, Eichinger had left his athletes with treasured memories. Lucas recalled a special game against Thousand Oaks High School. “We made a 15

point fourth quarter comeback and we shared a special moment at the end of the game,” Lucas said. For Eichinger, it is hard to come up with just one favorite memory, but he loves watching his players grow as both athletes and people.

“Seeing players grow physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually - that’s what coaching is all about,” Eichinger said.

Eichinger would like to thank Steve Johnson, assistant coach and history teacher, for his leadership both on the court and in the classroom, seeing Johnson as his own mentor and example. “Nobody better exemplifies servant leadership in the way he serves students, athletes and coworkers.” Eichinger said.

His presence on the court will be greatly missed, but his athletes and the rest of NPHS wish him the best of luck in what comes next.

“NPHS truly is a special place, and I couldn’t have asked for a better spot to spend the last few years coaching,” Eichinger said. “I’m excited to see what the young men I’ve been blessed to work with the last few years will be able to accomplish… I look forward to continuing hearing about their journeys moving forward.”

Contemplating Eichinger and some of his former athletes share a nerve wracking moment during a basketball Contemplatinggame. “One of the best parts of being a coach is the relationships you get to build. Those come as much from the lows as they do from the highs,” Eichinger said. Richard Bateman/With Permission

NPHS plans for live sports broadcasting Parker Bohl Staff Writer COVID-19 has not been kind to high school sports. Most games have been completely canceled, but there remains a strong desire for people to watch high school sports. Luckily, Newbury Park High School’s newly installed broadcast cameras will allow students and families to enjoy sports games through live TV. Sports broadcasts are not completely foreign to NPHS, but they have been a novelty. “I believe we’ve had Fox Sports West to televise a game, but those were very, very few and far between,” Michael Godfrey, assistant principal of athletics, said. “That’s only like maybe once or twice a year for football, once or twice a year for basketball, girls basketball, some of the sports that are more popular where they think they can get a lot of people tuning in.”

There are many reasons for the school to implement broadcast cameras. “The idea is to have streaming capabilities in each one of our athletic venues, so the tennis courts, the pool, the gym, the baseball stadium and softball field,” Jason Klein, athletics coordinator, said.

“Panther fans or families that haven’t been able to see games will be able to access games and see their kids and loved ones play.”

This would also allow students to take an in-depth look at sports broadcasting. “The other thing I’m really excited about is what

Prasheetha Karthikeyan/Prowler

this means for our multimedia classes... we’ll have students be able to run some of the hardware and also add some commentary,” Klein said.

Ethan Miller, freshman, is currently taking broadcasting as a class and believes there are benefits to giving live-streaming capabilities to high school sports. “Right now, we’re mostly just creating news packages and stuff like that but the live sports would be really different, commentating and stuff like that,” Miller said.

“Definitely some of my classmates will be interested.”

On the road to installation, the athletics department has encountered numerous challenges. “The biggest challenge is infrastructure. First of all, [we need to put an] Internet tower [in] every one of these areas that we want to film,” Klein said. They have to balance their budget against potential losses due to the coronavirus while accounting for the numerous unique installation challenges they have been met within each venue. “That’s kind of the fine line that we’re walking right now,” Klein said.

The plan is to have this fully implemented sometime this year. While some challenges still need to be creatively overcome, there is a bright future for sports fans and broadcasting students alike. “If all goes as planned, we will have it for our spring season,” Godfrey said.

new year’s resolutions

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Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021

NPHS clubs set goals for the new year Anna Johnson Entertainment Editor New year’s resolutions are a way for people to promote self growth, hoping to change themselves for the better throughout the course of the year. Because this past year has been especially difficult, keeping goals for the upcoming year to better oneself seem especially important. These goals provide something to focus on and work towards even in these chaotic times.This year, NPHS clubs decided to make goals for their groups for the new semester.

Prasheeta Karthikeyan/Prowler

Theatre/Drama Club

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Girl Up

Our resolution is to stay united as a community despite the challenge of being online

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Girl Up’s new year’s resolutions are to be more open and interactive with students, to raise awareness about important global issues like mental health and sexual assault, and to help NPHS become a more inclusive school.

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Wings to Grow

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This past year has been extremely challenging for everyone, coming into the new year, we’d like to send our love to children in need. Our goal is to spread smiles as well as encouraging the kids to spread their wings into fun activities. We also hope to get more members and continue to grow our enthusiasm for supporting the foster children in our community.”

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Prasheeta Karthikeyan/Prowler

Habitat For Humanity

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Latinos Unidos

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Our club’s resolution is to continue to be productive even in the circumstances we’re in.

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This year we plan on doing as much as we can remotely. We are working very closely with Habitat of Ventura County to educate youth about the housing crisis in California.

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