2020-2021 Issue 6 (Feb. 12, 2021)

PANTHER

PROWLER

Friday, Feb. 12, 2021 • Issue VI • Newbury Park High School 456 N Reino Rd, Newbury Park, CA 91320 • pantherprowler.org

In Loving Memory of Jack Frye 2 Editorial 3 SAT Changes 4 Yearbook 5 Westminster 6 Cultural appropriation 7 Accessibility 8-9 Jack Frye 10 Madelyn Janisse 11 Tea Time 12 Tea Reviews 13 WandaVision 14 Dance Team 15 Sports Updates 16 Talents

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editorial Panther Prowler • Feb. 12, 2021

Open camera expectation does not suffice for student engagement In a year of remote learning, the board, teachers and students can agree that student engagement is absolutely essential for education. With this in mind, CVUSD implemented a “camera on” expectation on Feb. 1, stating that all students are expected to keep their cameras on during class Zoom meetings. This was done in order to increase “active participation in the virtual classroom,” according to the Canvas message sent out by the CVUSD staff. While efforts should be made to increase student participation, asking all students to turn their cameras on in class does not inherently ensure this to happen.

Engagement requires students to respond to their teachers and actively contribute to class discussion; having cameras turned on does not equal participation in class. Many will choose to not participate regardless of having their camera on. In some instances, requiring students to have their cameras on could even be counterintuitive when it comes to increasing engagement. For students with poor Internet connection, having cameras on can worsen connectivity, making it difficult to hear what they say.

The district should consult students directly on what actions should be taken to improve learning engagement, such as sending out mandatory surveys and consulting with stakeholder groups. Having students and teachers participate in finding a solution would make these groups more likely to follow and enforce a potential policy. Many teachers have developed innovative ways

to measure participation, such as requiring students to type answers into the chat and giving credit to those who participate, answer and ask questions on a daily basis. Not only does this encourage students to tune into a lesson, but it also emulates a classroom environment.

Teachers and administrators have gone lengths to make remote learning as effective as possible in these difficult circumstances. While the intentions behind the camera on expectation were good, the product is a solution that does not tackle the root of disengagement. In order to increase student participation, include students in the conversation.

Corrections:

Prasheetha Karthikeyan’s name was spelled incorrectly on page 16.

Front Cover Caption:

Holiday spirit - Jack Frye stands under a Christmas tree at a class holiday party with friends. “He had the most enduring, cackling laugh that you could ever see or ever hear. He was just pure, you know,” Anne Alvarez, LEAP teacher, said. Anne Alvarez/With Permission Prasheetha Karthikeyan/Prowler

PANTHER PROWLER Editors-in-Chief Manas Khatore Jessica Zhou

2020-2021 staff

Copy Editors Photographers Gwen Buchanan Chief// Reese Kelem Carter Castillo Parker Bohl Sports Editor Abby Gorman McGlauthon Fleming IV Front Cover Editor Prasheetha Karthikeyan Anna Johnson Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Reese Kelem Back Cover Editor Prasheetha Karthikeyan Hayden Meixner Gwen Buchanan Adalia Luo Nandini Patro Editorial Editor Allison Nguyen Online Editors Abby Gorman Staff Writers Carter Castillo Graphic Artists Karyss Amato News Editor Sarena Kabir Carter Castillo Parker Bohl Sarena Kabir Prasheetha Karthikeyan Prasheetha Karthikeyan Hayden Meixner Opinion Editor Adalia Luo Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Nandini Patro Emma Schoors Tea Sklar McGlauthon Fleming IV Managing Team Adviser Lead// Cynthia Gao Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza DPS Editor Michelle Saremi Sera Mohammed Dhruv Patel Adalia Luo Allison Nguyen Social Media Leads Follow us: Entertainment Tea Sklar Gwen Buchanan @npprowler on Editor Deepa Venkat Prasheetha Karthikeyan Instagram/Twitter Anna Johnson Allison Nguyen NPHS Panther Prowler on Nandini Patro Facebook Features Editor Carter Castillo

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 • Feb. 12, 2021

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College Board cancels SAT essay and subject tests Téa Sklar Staff Writer

rowler

Téa Sklar/P

The College Board released a statement on Jan. 19 saying “we’re making some changes to reduce demands on students,” officially cancelling the SAT optional essay and SAT Subject Tests.

Sage Patel, junior, had been preparing for the SAT through prep classes, but when her test was cancelled in December, she “turned to independent studying” until she could take her test.

The College Board had tried to make an accessible SAT exam by first experimenting with an online AP exam. It was expected that only about one percent of the students testing would have technical difficulties when submitting the test. They have successfully created a shortened online AP test, but not without technicalities. If a student were to encounter an issue when submitting, they would be able to immediately email their answers and if that fails, they would have to wait months before retaking the test.

Brittany Hong, NPHS College and Career Center Advisor, addressed the issue of testing availability. “The coronavirus has continued to affect the testing capacity and testing locations due to the public health restrictions in our region,” Hong said.

Charlotte Weymer, senior, took the SAT and SAT Mathematics Level 2 last year. She believes that “there were many problems stemmed from immediately getting rid of the SATs with hardly any warning.” However, she does agree with the overall cancellations.

“It is not indicative of future student success nor academic achievement,” Weymer said.

The role of standardized tests in college admissions has been a debate since the pandemic started interfering with the school year. Many colleges, such as Stanford, Duke and the UC system, have waived their requirements for state testing scores for the 2020-2021 applicants. As the pandemic continued, many colleges have started excusing the class of 2022 from the standardized testing requirements.

These changes are permanent and due to the status of the pandemic, the College Board will continue to make permanent changes to make future testing cycles accessible and equitable.

COVID-19 cases decline statewide Deepa Venkat Staff Writer

Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted the stay-at-home order that Californians have been living under for over a month on Jan. 25, after the state projected that ICU capacity would rise above 15% across the state within the next month. Over the past week, the state has averaged 13,327 cases per day, a 50.8% decrease from the previous two weeks. Although the number of California’s new cases have been decreasing, Ventura County currently has the fifth highest number of new cases per 100,000 people across the state.

While the stay-at-home order is no longer effective, a majority of the counties continue to remain in the purple tier in the state’s color-coded tier system. Although the purple tier is less restrictive than the stay-at-home order, it still requires non-essential businesses to close and restaurants to serve outdoors only.

Although the daily number of new positive cases in California is decreasing, the rate is still higher than it was in November when the second spike began. The rate at which vaccine doses have been administered has been increasing as well. As of Feb. 11, 5.3 million people, including healthcare workers, long term care residents and individuals 65 and older are currently being vaccinated. The next group of individuals who are to be vaccinated include those at risk of exposure in their field of work.

As of Feb. 11, there have been a total of 74,218 cases of COVID-19 in Ventura County, of which 169 were reported on Feb. 11. There have been a total of 714 deaths in Ventura County, of which 18 were reported on Feb. 11.

Carter Castillo/Prowler

There have been 13,342 second doses of the vaccine given and 52,925 first doses received in Ventura County out of a total of 846,006 people.

In order for high schools to begin reopening, Ventura County must be in the red tier for at least five consecutive days. The current seven day average case rate per 100,000 people is 41.1, short of the red tier threshold of less than 7. The 7 day testing positivity rate is 10.5 percent, greater than the county’s goal of less than 8 percent. The health equity 7 day testing positivity rate, which measures the rate at which tests come back positive in disadvantaged neighborhoods, is 16.2 percent, which is double the goal of less than 8 percent.

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news Panther Prowler • Feb. 12, 2021

Students create a yearbook for a unique year Anna Johnson Entertainment Editor

Staff/Pawprint

Because this school year is almost entirely online, not many students expected a yearbook at the end of this semester.

However, despite the difficulties of a year lived in a pandemic, the 2020-2021 NPHS yearbook is still in the making.

Both Ramya Ukkan, senior, and Mallory Norton, junior, are editors-in-chief of yearbook, supervising their staff and making sure pages are made. “Ramya and I come up with the plans for the week, and we give everybody tasks to do and we delegate what we need them to do. We kind of oversee everything, so we are the last ones to have our eyes on it before we send it to Jostens to be printed or get proofed back,” Norton said.

Alyssa Moffit, junior, is a staff member for the yearbook, and has a variety of tasks to do for the production. “In a day, I usually work on the page or pages I have been assigned for that deadline, which includes interviewing people around the school, editing pictures, designing the page and sometimes making small graphics,” Moffit said.

Being online, the yearbook staff has had their fair share of difficulties. “I mean, it’s definitely been a challenge doing everything over Zoom. We have not been able to go and take photos of events because sporting events and other school events have been canceled or they’re over Zoom, so that’s definitely been difficult,” Ukkan said.

Because they have brought on new staff members, Norton believes it has been difficult to train them online. “It’s been really hard to teach them Indesign and Photoshop through Zoom because we can’t sit over someone’s shoulder and say ‘OK now you do this’ or ‘now you do that’ and show them exactly what to do,” Norton said.

Norton believes that having a physical representation of the year students went through makes the process worth it.

“I feel like that’s the biggest motivator that we have, a hard copy of something that we get to show our families, friends and our future children and show what we did in high school,” Norton said.

The yearbook is going to be a little different from previous years, given that this year has been spent online. “We’re just trying to create a yearbook that resembles this year. It’s not going to be the most perfect yearbook you see out there, or the photos might not be as good quality as last year, but we’re trying to show that no matter what’s going on we’re still fighting and we’re still making a yearbook that resembles the trials and tribulations that people have gone through this year,” Ukkan said.

Staff members believe that the class is worth joining because of the people in it. “I want to encourage people considering joining the yearbook next year to sign up! It is the class I always look forward to and it is a great way to meet new people because everyone on the staff is kind and accepting. It is also a great way to become more creative, and it is so exciting at the end of the year to see all your hard work in a book,” Moffit said.

Those who want to submit photos or ideas to the yearbook can send them to their email: nphspawprint@gmail.com

NPHSSF provides for graduating seniors Sera Mohammed Staff Writer

While many high school students look forward to attending college, paying thousands of dollars in tuition every year can present a challenge. The NPHS Scholarship Foundation (NPHSSF) was founded in 1979 and works to provide scholarship opportunities for high school seniors who are looking to further education in college. NPHSSF has been meeting online over quarantine with hopes to maintain their organization as they have in the past. But because of COVID-19 and the fact that they are missing several in person donation events, it has been more difficult to raise money for the scholarships that they provide.

Julie Nagamoto, co-chair of NPHSSF, said, “Throughout the year, we raise money through restaurant night fundraisers, being present on campus at Back to School Nights and Future Panther Night, and through community donations and support.” The money collected from these donations are used for the scholarships that the NPHSSF supplies. The other NPHSSF co-chair, Joo Cho, said, “Since this organization is run by volunteers, 100% of the money we raise is used for scholarships for NPHS students.”

When the NPHSSF considers applicants for their scholarships, they do not merely look at the students’ GPA, but also their involvement outside the classroom. “We look at school spirit, like sports, clubs and how one participates...We also look at volunteer work and outside organizations.

We try to look at everything we can and try to recognize as many students as we can,” Charles Taggart, former NPHSSF treasurer and webmaster, said.

NPHSSF also funds memorial scholarships. Their own former treasurer joined the Foundation in hopes to start a memorial scholarship for his niece. “My niece Sarah Galbawy, class of 2010, passed away Dec. 31, 2011, died in a tragic mountain bike accident…Her parents wanted to start a scholarship in her name, so I started looking into starting a nonprofit to honor her memory,” Taggart said. “I decided that it would be a lot easier to have her scholarship with NPHSSF than starting my own.” The Sarah Galbawy Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to 22 people since 2012. The amount of the scholarship differs by year, depending on the amount of funds NPHSSF gains that year. After several meetings end on end, Taggart found himself as the NPHSSF treasurer and webmaster and held that role for another eight years.

NPHSSF recently published a Google Classroom for seniors to join and sent emails out to all the seniors with the link to join. The NPHSSF website, http://www.nphssf.org/, allows students to view information on the scholarships that could be awarded. These scholarships range anywhere

Fundraise- At an NPHSSF fundraiser the members sell books to raise money for upcoming scholarships.

Fundraise“Throughout the year, we raise money through restaurant night fundraisers, being present on campus at Back to School Nights and Future Panther Night, and through community donations and support,” Julie Nagamoto said.

Julie Nagamoto/With permission

between $200-10,000. “In the past, we have given out around 30 scholarships each year. We also manage and distribute the funds for many community and memorial scholarships,” Nagamoto said.

news

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Panther Prowler • Feb. 12, 2021

Westminster Clinic continues serving community Sera Mohammed Staff Writer

Cynthia Gao Managing Editor

Standing in the shade of two bright blue Easy-Up tents, a group of high school volunteers hand out free boxes of fresh produce and healthy groceries to a middle aged woman holding her young child by the hand. Behind her, a long line of patients stretches through the parking lot and around the corner of the Thousand Oaks United First Methodist Church, where the Westminster Community Care Center sets up every Wednesday evening.

The free clinic, established in 1994, is a non-profit, private community care center that serves Ventura County’s working poor and uninsured citizens, embodying a philanthropic spirit of giving back to the community and helping those in need. The clinic is entirely driven by motivated volunteers, including many high school students who are exposed to experiential healthcare education and learn important skills about empathy and leadership. Emily Ho, senior and student manager at Westminster Clinic, speaks on how her experience with racism inspired her to volunteer. “The clinic also largely serves an elderly Latinx population, and volunteering here [allows] me to help people who weren’t fluent in English gain healthcare. That’s kind of important to me because my Chinese family has experienced medical racism here in the US, and I wanted to help prevent that for the patients of the clinic,” Ho said.

Every week on Tuesdays in Oxnard and Wednesdays in Thousand Oaks, the clinic offers basic non-invasive health care, as well as health supporting programs and services, to over 100 patients on a first come, first serve basis. Volunteers interact with the patients to learn their medical history and take vitals. Every year, students like Darlene Barillas who demonstrate exceptional patient care and leadership skills are appointed to be managers of the clinic. “A typical night at the clinic is coming in and setting up the main room where volunteers take their patients’ vitals and ask them questions and setting up the doctor rooms where patients go in and see the doctor” Barillas said.

Several programs and workplaces have been shut down or modified due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Westminster Clinic was not spared. Andrea D’Souza, junior, explains the precautions being taken. “In regards to COVID, we now take larger precautions and wear masks, face shields,and gloves. I still volunteer there now, but with greater safety measures,” D’Souza said. Even programs hosted by the clinic have been altered to ensure the participants’ safety. “Now we have doctors who do telehealth, which is where doctors can communicate with the patient through the phone or a laptop...many of the programs we usually had in-person are now over the phone or aren’t occurring.” Barillas said.

Even though COVID-19 has interrupted normal proceedings, volunteering

Mask UpUp- Emily Ho (left) senior and student volunteer manager at Westminster Free Clinic, assists Dr. Sullivan (right) while he checks on a patient (middle). “Westminster actually is a temporary clinic we set up in a church. So a typical day at Westminster starts at 3:30 PM for me, when I first arrive and start setting up the doctor’s rooms, nursing tables, patient sitting area, and more with the aid of the student interns...We keep the patient intake flow going until we’ve seen all the patients that could register,” Ho said. Karen Escalanate Dalton/With permission

at the clinic still has the same value and impact on the volunteers. “I can’t give a lot of details because of HIPAA, but I really bonded with one patient. With them, I saw just how important one prescription of medicine was for preserving their health and wellness for the time frame they didn’t have health insurance,” Ho said.

Unity Conejo informs audiences with town hall Karyss Amato Staff Writer Unity Conejo held their second town hall meeting titled “Gender 101” on Jan. 31 as a webinar on Zoom to inform the CVUSD community on gender identity.

During the town hall, Megan Goebel, the founder of Unity Conejo, and Dr. Jessica Bernacki, the founding psychologist from the UCLA Gender Health Program, covered various topics pertaining to gender education. The overall goals of this town hall meeting were to give an unbiased clinical perspective to help the community understand the concept of gender a little bit better. “There’s always the argument with children being too young to understand their gender and express themselves but that’s not the case, it’s just the vocabulary that they don’t always have,” Goebel said.

The main discussion of the meeting revolved around the importance of kids having the choice to understand their own gender, which might not be their assigned gender, and being able to express it. The Town Hall emphasized the idea that regardless of how someone identifies, it’s vital to use their preferred pronouns and name, as well as make them feel safe and accepted. Michael Lindroth and Ava Ahlberg, juniors, are the co-leaders of the student sub-committee. They felt that the town hall was very successful. “Through town hall, we wanted to educate people with regards to the concept of gender and the importance of acceptance,” Lindroth said.

Although Goebel and Bernacki were the only speakers at this town hall, many more people were involved in the planning process.

To prepare for this meeting, Lindroth and Ahlberg, publicized the event by posting a flyer on their social media accounts and participating in prep Zoom sessions.

Unity Conejo maintains their optimistic attitude to make their mark in the community regardless of the backlash that they receive after these meetings, including hostile emails and questions from community members. “We’re going to get some more backlash but that’s what we’re really trying to change but the change is for the better,” Ahlberg said. Another goal of Unity Conejo is to grow the community to make people more open-minded, so that the LGBTQ+ community can feel welcome and listened to. “I’d love to help people try and see you know that this is so much more than an opinion, it’s actually a real thing. It’s sort of feeding into the hate, we’re trying to reverse the view of that and try to help our community see that it’s actually a really great thing,” Goebel said.

Rachel Goldstein/With permission

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opinion Panther Prowler • Feb.12, 2021

Cultural appropriation makes its blemish on society Dhruv Patel Ad Team

Sarena Kabir News Editor have been known to signify a woman’s maturity and readiness in life. However, many non-black celebrities, such as Kendall Jenner, Paris Hilton and Fergie, have been seen wearing box braids for beauty, while in many cases a black person wearing box braids would be mocked or made a fool out of. This shows a double-standard in society as black people are slandered for expressing their culture.

Appropriation can send a message to the people of that culture that their traditions are only good for profit since that is what they are being used for. This creates a negative effect on that culture, causing people to become more self-conscious and ashamed of their traditions. People need to take the proper steps to respect and honor cultures, not appropriate them.

Beware of warmongering in media Carter Castillo Features Editor

The United States military has a history of utilizing media to help push warmongering sentiments. Yet as the country continues in the age of social media, the military has upped its campaigning to promote their pro-war and pro-military stance.

Superhero movies are perhaps some of the most sensationalist pieces of media in history. The latest Avengers movie, “Endgame,” grossed about $2.7 billion and shattered countless box office records. The hype surrounding the film dominated social media and the TV airwaves, and the film received massive praise, as did many of its predecessors. Unfortunately, many superhero movies glorify war in order to encapsulate a sensational plot filled with action sequences.

A good portion of Marvel movie plots revolve around a war, and there are clear heroes and villains in such conflicts. These struggles are sensationalized and promote the notion that war is the best method of action. For example, Captain America represents a more direct picture of blind nationalism towards the United States.

This is not to say that being Marvel’s number one fan is inherently wrong, rather it should come with understanding the influence that the military industrial complex has in the creation of these films.

One recent controversy in the summer of 2020 involves the military creating Twitch streaming accounts and subsequently banning people who would criticize their involvement in the Middle East and other parts of the war. Not only was the military banning people a violation of their freedom of

The AP Art History course is far from diverse Nandini Patro Staff Writer

Prasheetha Karthikeyan/Prowler

Many people have been unable to identify the difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation. Cultural appropriation is when people steal traditional objects from a culture and use it to their own benefit. On the other hand, cultural appreciation is where the person respects and understands the traditional objects, giving it the honor it deserves.

Cultural appropriation happens with many cultures, serving much disrespect to those being exploited. There have been several instances where individuals have adopted traditional clothing and religious symbols into their daily lives, unaware of the cultural significance they possess.

Many prominent companies have used different ethnic items for their products without recognizing or respecting the history and value behind the ethnic items. SHEIN is an online clothing store that is known for stealing traditional South-Asian clothes and promoting them in their shop. SHEIN started passing off traditional clothing, known as a “salwar kameez” for most, as “Floral Print Longline Top & Pants Set,” manipulating the clothing item, and in turn the culture, into profit. The point of wearing a salwar kameez is to bring out the beauty of a SouthAsian woman and to represent the modesty that pertains to a woman. SHEIN taking this traditional garment that carries so much importance is a blatant disregard to the history and significance that come with the salwar kameez.

Not only is cultural appropriation found in fashion, it is also found in the music and entertainment industry, more specifically revolving around religion. BLACKPINK, a K-pop girl group, used a statue representing the Hindu god Ganesh in their “How You Like That” music video. This Ganesh statue was used as a prop and was further tarnished by the god being placed on the ground, producing a severe amount of disrespect to Hindus. While BLACKPINK may have apologized for the appropriation, they still are gaining money for the music video.

Cultural appropriation also affects other cultures, including African and Indigenous cultures. In African culture, box braids

speech from a government institution, but it represents a more sinister problem: the military is targeting the youth with their propaganda and covering it with innocuous media. By creating a Twitch account the military is not only actively trying to target its message toward younger people, but they are also painting the institution as a fun and happy place that is emblematic of the average citizen.

Clearly the military is trying to court potential recruits and supporters for their cause. They are able to do this by controlling the narrative about their institution and painting it as benign to society and not giving potential recruits all the information that they would need to make a balanced opinion on it.

The military is already funded with trillions of dollars from the federal budget, there is no need for them to continue overstepping its grounds. As consumers of media, people need to understand the underlying propaganda that they face on a daily basis.

Carter Castillo/Prowler

In the spring of 2020, I signed up for the AP Art History course with high hopes. I was looking forward to the “investiwzgation of diverse artistic traditions of cultures,” which the course and exam description so relentlessly emphasized. I am halfway through the course and can confidently say that the word “diverse” was tossed in solely for effect.

My family comes from India, and when hearing of my course, they were curious if artworks from the Indus Valley, one of the earliest civilizations in history, would be studied. I decided to check the course description and found two content areas dedicated to Asia. That meant that one-fifth of the course was focused on Asia which seemed reasonable until I found almost four content areas are dedicated to Europe. Not only this but the Asian content areas have roughly 40 less artworks (out of 250) than the European content areas.

Initially, I thought perhaps Europe was simply more artistically inclined. But after doing some research, it was clear I was wrong. There were plenty of artworks created in Asia and earlier than the majority of the European works. The course simply targeted Europe, therefore taking away all meaning in the word “diverse”.

Our seventy-five minute classes are filled with variations of European art, focused on what typical eurocentric art was, the religious admiration of Christ. I’m not saying these works aren’t important, but it has become redundant, especially when other culture’s artworks could be incorporated into this time. A diverse curriculum should go into equal depth on different cultures. In this course, we’ve gone into vast detail of European religion studying more than one hundred artworks, yet a grand total of four artworks in India.

I have been lucky enough to go to Europe and view many of the works we study and they are breathtaking.

However, there are breathtaking works of art in other parts of the world and students will never know that because they are not exposed to them in the course.

I think a course, specifically AP Art History, should be well rounded and able to teach students about more than just one part of the world. Either the course itself needs to fundamentally shift to reflect the “diversity” it claims to have or the course should be relabelled as “AP European Art History” to let students know exactly what they signed up for. Students deserve to have the knowledge of artistic forms from all across the world, something that this class doesn’t provide.

opinion Panther Prowler • Feb. 12, 2021

Accessibility is not optional

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Abby Gorman Editorial Editor One of the many changes enacted in the first few weeks of the Biden administration was the addition of a sign language interpreter at daily press briefings. This change represents a significant shift from the past four years when interpreters were not regularly present at White House releases, including COVID-19 briefings, until a lawsuit from the National Association of the Deaf in September 2020.

Of course, this decision is a step in the right direction and is being praised as such. All people should have access to the resources needed to make any and all information and content accessible to them. But why is this a cause for celebration? Why is basic accessibility being considered an accomplishment in 2021? The interpreter situation at the White House is a microcosm of a much larger issue present in all facets of life; the idea that basic accessibility is an option, rather than the bare minimum. Instead of being essential, it is considered to be a “nice thing to have.”

The need for inclusion extends further than just essential information. Media platforms continue to fall short in offering disabled people the opportunity to consume entertainment-related content as well. Consider TikTok, one of the most popular social mediums at the moment. While some users go out of their way to

use third-party apps or insert them manually with the text option, TikTok still fails to provide any in-app features for adding captions.

For an entirely video-focused app, this missing asset renders it unusable to countless individuals who require closed captioning.

It is crucial that we continue to put pressure everywhere where accessibility is lacking; content will not change unless users show their dissatisfaction and force establishments to adapt. In the meantime, some measures can be taken to aid in accessibility on the individual level; regardless of your platform, it is essential that everyone plays their part in setting a precedent for how content needs to be presented. Making image descriptions for Instagram posts and tweets, captioning videos across platforms and making transcripts easily accessible for your content are some steps you can take to ensure it is accessible for all.

Above all, listen and adapt when disabled people deem content inaccessible. Nobody can speak better on this issue than those who actually depend on it. All non-disabled people are responsible for playing their part in making the world more usable to all. Amplify the voices of disabled people, and demonstrate legitimate allyship by advocating for change on the larger level.

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

Do not commercialize Valentine’s Day McGlauthon Fleming IV Staff Writer As Valentine’s Day approaches, many people are faced with immense pressure to organize a large celebration that meets societal standards of a Valentine’s Day date. The commercialization of Valentine’s Day stems from two factors: greed and the misunderstanding of the holiday by those involved, from the advertisers to the consumers. Advertisers, driven by the sole intent of profiting, want people to spend an excess of money on the same products every year, like chocolates, cards, jewelry and flowers, and they have more than succeeded.

These items have now become the essential Valentine’s Day products. Couples believe that those products are staples for the holiday and flock to the stores to stock up for their partners.

However, the point of a holiday about love should not be centered around money. Buying things because you are with someone or not should not be as important as simply loving another person, regardless of who purchased what. Until more

people realize this, this standard will remain and advertisers will keep drilling it into the norm until it becomes an expectation so deeply rooted that the holiday is barely about love anymore. Rather, it’s focused more on grand gestures and societal norms that have equated love and money.

If you are intent on spending money, why waste your money on items with artificially inflated prices when you could acquire something much more meaningful instead?

The point of holidays are to have fun and to celebrate with those around you. Faux love and gestures that are made merely because you feel you are expected to are missing the point of the holiday and not a true celebration of love. Do not take this as saying that all people who celebrate Valentine’s Day

Sera Mohammed/Prowler with conventional gifts are subscribing to a herd mentality. Some people are doing all of these things because they sincerely want to. However, all of those who do not feel this way should have the option to choose how they would like to spend their Valentine’s Day.

North Dakota Pipeline threatens our society Sarena Kabir News Editor

In the wake of the new administration, many indigenous leaders have regained hope and reignited a call for action: to shut down the North Dakota Access Pipeline after years of environmental damage and exponentially increasing cultural insensitivity.

Mere hours following his inauguration, President Biden decided to officially cancel the Keystone XL pipeline permit, a project which would have built an oil pipeline running from Hardisty, Alberta all the way to Steel City, Nebraska, transferring roughly 830,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

The shutdown of the Keystone XL pipeline permit gave hope to those who have been calling for the shutdown of the North Dakota Pipeline. The North Dakota pipeline is a 1,172 mile long underground oil pipeline that runs from Stanely, North Dakota to an oil farm in Patoka, Illinois that takes a harsh toll on the environment by invading Native American land and running over many rivers in their already limited territory.

If there were to be an oil spill, which is likely, then indigenous drinking water and surroundings would be contaminated, permanently damaging both the natural environment and directly causing harm to Native American individuals. Moreover, due to the amount of oil transported through this pipeline, many concerns have been raised in regards to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions the pipeline will create. This increase would have the potential to contaminate several bodies of water, cause wildlife fatalities and damage ecosystems.

While the concern that jobs would be lost if the pipeline were to be shut down has been raised,

climate change is impending. These jobs should not come at the expense of indigenous peoples’ livelihoods. These unsustainable and disingenuous jobs provide neither secure nor ethical work, whereas moving to more sustainable energy sources creates more secure job availability.

The pipeline must be shut down in order to mitigate its exacerbation of climate change and to remain in accordance with the treaties our country agreed upon alongside Native Americans.

Preserving our environment and our people will provide a healthier future for society.

Carter Castillo/Prowler

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Jack Frye Panther Prowler • Feb. 12, 2021

As “The Beast”

A forever football fan, a motorcycle connoisseur and a bundle of energy, Jack Bennett was a force to be reckoned with.

Jerry Bennet, his father, recalls Jack’s constant perseverance and determination. “Ever since he was little, he had an incredible amount of strength,” Jerry Bennett said. “He was 148 pounds of muscle, just pure muscle. He could push his way through anything. So all the hospitalizations and all the surgeries that he had throughout his life, he pushed right through them. He just was a beast.”

For all his family and friends, that phrase would soon be synonymous to his name. “We just started calling him ‘The Beast,’” Kimberly Bennett, Jack’s mother, said.

“He called himself ‘The Beast’ and he didn’t want to be called Jack. He said, ‘No, I’m not Jack. I’m ‘The Beast.’”

Being on a motorcycle was one of Jack’s favorite pastimes, a passion he shared with his father his entire life. “He traveled around the country with me on my motorcycle for years,” Jerry Bennett said.

“In his later years, once he was in the wheelchair, it was a lot of work for me but the smiles he had made the effort totally worth it.”

The pair found themselves on a number of adventures across the country. “His last motorcycle trip was in early August of 2019,” Jerry Bennett said. “We did a 2000-mile motorcycle trip where we got caught in a hailstorm outside of Reno, but we found this really cool hot spring on Warm hugshugs Nicole Bennett, Jack’s older sister, spends their free the Clackamas River up in time together snuggling on the couch. Jack “The Beast” Bennett Oregon. We camped, and I Foundation/With Permission took him into the hot spring.”

At the hotspring, Jack and his father bonded while trying therapy with hot rocks. “I was doing that old Indian therapy with hot rocks from the hot spring, laying them on his chest. And he just really dug that, that was a really cool thing,” Jerry Bennett said.

Today, he holds that trip with Jack especially close to his heart, as it was their last and most eventful motorcycle trip. “It was his last time he was on the motorcycle, so I hold on to that memory a lot,” Jerry Bennett said. “That’s a big memory.”

Jack’s memorial service was held Feb. 1, in which close family and friends spoke about his legacy. Brandon Bennett, his older brother, recounts his welcoming and kind spirit that brought people together wherever he went. “The most important thing that Jack collected, though, was people.

Jack had magnetism to him that drew people in, in all walks of life,” he said. “When you feel limited by [what] is beyond our control, remember to be like Jack.”

No matter what, Jack could Smiles- Jack and his mom, Kimberly Bennett, take a selfie do anything he set his mind to. Smiles during downtime at the hospital. Jack “The Beast” Bennett “He didn’t let his disease stop Foundation/With Permission him. You know, he never felt sorry for himself. He did everything he could do. He would not let other people help him. He didn’t want help. He wanted to do it on his own,” Jerry Bennett continued.

Above all, nobody stayed as true to themselves as Jack. “Jack was like Jack everywhere,” Jerry Bennett said. “Loud and rambunctious and playful all the time… That’s how Jack was. He was just full of life and laughter...He was a pure soul.”

Remember

Jack “Th Bennet Adalia Luo DPS Editor Gwen Buchanan Backcover Editor Abby Gorman Editorial Editor Sarena Kabir News Editor

Beloved NPHS senior Jack “The Beast Bennett” Frye was a character. Always foun and passionate person anyone could know. He loved action figures, the Ninja Tur classmate, athlete and son, he peacefully passed after a long and brave battle against m by family and friends on the morning of Thursday, Jan. 28. The Newbury Park comm in the hearts of th

As a student Jack was a well-known student around school, making friends wherever he went. “He just loved school. He loved Newbury Park High School and he talked about it all the time,” Jerry Bennett said. “When Jack was a freshman and [Nicole Bennett, Jack’s older sister,] was a senior and he used to see her on campus, he’d tell her, ‘Go away, this is my school.’”

Emily Neiyer, senior, was Jack’s friend and a fellow member of the Panther Pals program. “I don’t even think words can fully describe how much of an amazing and fun environment he created all on his own with his jokes and

contagious smile every meeting,” she said. “Jack just had his own unique way of winning over every room he was in. Everyone he met instantly loved him and his personality... He was the best listener, the biggest jokester and had the sweetest heart.”

Jenny Finger, senior, was introduced to Jack by her sister Avery Finger, who had class with him.

“My sister would come home from school every day and talk about Jack and she’d be so excited to go to school just to see Jack,” Jenny Finger said.

Both in and outside of classes, Jack was a beloved member of the NPHS community.

“Every time I saw him, everyone around him had a smile on their face. He could make anyone smile and everyone wanted to be around him Celebrating Jack Celebratingreturns to the classroom after his first hospital visit. Everyone greeted him with open arms and big smiles.

“We wanted to welcome him back to school,” Alvarez said. Cindy Kendall/With Permission

Jack Frye Panther Prowler • Feb. 12, 2021

As an athlete

ing Jerry Bennett/ With Permission

he Beast tt” Frye Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler for all graphics

nd belly-laughing and ready with some comeback banter, Jack was the most headstrong rtles, the Avengers, Star Wars and his high school football jersey. A treasured friend, mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPS II), also known as Hunter Syndrome, surrounded munity will deeply miss Jack and his joyful presence, and he will always be remembered hose that he touched. because of that,” Jenny Finger said.

Richard Bradley, social science teacher, met Jack in 2016 and the pair quickly formed a close bond. During that year, Jack’s birthday had fallen on one of Bradley’s mock election days, and Bradley invited Jack over for a pizza party.

“He walked through this door, all feisty, like he owned the place...He was throwing out orders. ‘I want pepperoni,’” Bradley said. “The culture of this school is all about acceptance and inclusion, and Jack ended up sitting [and talking] with all my students.”

As NPHS switched to remote learning, Jack was able to attend some Zoom meetings with his classmates. “Even though he was in a hospital bed and couldn’t talk, you could tell that he was paying attention to what was going on… and I think that made all the difference. The kids were thrilled to have him in class,” Alvarez said.

Both in and out of the classroom, Jack never failed to let anything stop him from doing what he wanted. “Jack was a fighter. That guy had to battle so many things, and he just always did it…

I just loved his feistiness,” Bradley said.

Jack leaves a lasting impact on the students, staff and culture of NPHS. “Jack was very proud of himself, his sister and his family, and I think that people need to know that he was proud of them. And he was proud of being a member of NPHS,” Alvarez said. “He loved everybody in NPHS.”

Graduating Family and friends surround Jack as he graduates GraduatingNPHS with his high school diploma. Jack not only loved the school itself, but also the people and the community. Students and staff alike all adored his presence. Cindy Kendall/With Permission

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On his first day of freshman year, Jack announced that he would get himself on the football team- and that’s exactly what he did. “He just [walked] up to [Coach Hurley] and [said], ‘I like football, and I want to be on the football team.’ And, you know, he was persistent,” Jerry Bennett said. “At the end of the school day, I pick Jack up and here comes Hurley, you know, big football coach. And he says, ‘Hey, he says he wants to be on the football team. I told him he could be my assistant. Are you okay with that?’ ‘Yep, he’s on the team.’ And that was all Jack. Jack did that.”

There was no one on campus Jack loved more than his teammates on the football team.

“Having him at football practice, I know, was a big deal for him,” Ryan Hurley, Jack’s football coach, said. “To be honest, I think it is a big deal for our kids. I think our kids got, and I know I did, just as much [out of ] of him being there and being a part of the team and being a part of something.”

Every day at practice, Jack would light up the field with his laughter and enthusiasm.

“Jack was just so full of energy. He was a ball of energy and muscle. It was almost like having a puppy around, you didn’t know if you wanted to get on them and wrestle, or mess around and have some fun, but at the same time keep an eye out on them,” Hurley said. “[The team] got just a kick of having him around as he did at practice every day, telling everybody was a big bad football player and played tackle football.”

Grant Richter, junior, is a football player and met Jack while volunteering at the 2019 Special Olympics, getting to know him during his practices.

“I got to push him through the football drills during the Special Olympics,” Richter explained. “He had a big smile after that event.”

After the Special Olympics, Richter and Jack continued to see each other during football practices. “He was a funny and nice and kind person.

Everyone always wanted to be around him,” Richter said. “He was a really outgoing person… he always had a smile on his face.”

Inspired by his presence on and off the field, Hurley awarded Jack the student character award in 2019.

“When [the award] was place Jack sits on the football field, having a good time presented to him, there was Favorite placeat another exciting practice. He shared his passion for football the biggest round of applause with his father. “I think [football was my] favorite memory in recent given to him than any other years,” Jerry Bennett said. Anne Alvarez/With Permission student…he was dressed up in good shirt and tie and grinning from ear to No matter what he was faced with, ear,” Alvarez said.

Jack lived up to his nickname “The Beast Jack’s legacy has and will continue to Bennett,” and found a way to overcome leave a lasting impact on the NPHS football any obstacle in his way. “He didn’t ever get team and its players. “He left this world to wear pads or play a football game. But way too soon, he was such an inspiration to he was the toughest kid I’ve ever coached,” everyone he met,” Richter said.

Hurley said.

Winners Jack walks off with his teammates after a football game against the Thousand Oaks Lancers.

WinnersAnne Alvarez/With Permission

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features Panther Prowler • Feb. 12, 2021

Madelyn Janisse fights with her art Allison Nguyen Staff Writer

Dhruv Patel Ad Team

A few months ago, Madelyn Janisse, senior, decided to enter a photography contest run by Unshuttered at the J. Paul Getty museum with the theme “In pursuit of...”. The event was held nationwide, allowing artists from all across America to express their creativity. This contest was an open call art contest and all the winners get to have their pictures displayed in Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Anchorage and Washington D.C. Janisse channeled her passion for freedom of speech through her unbridled creativity in her art and became one of the 30 winners out of 1500 contestants.

Exploring the field of photography since she was just 11 years old, Janisse has always found a passion for expressing her creativity in different ways. “I think being creative helped a lot [with the development of the project]. With the pandemic, [going out and] taking pictures is difficult so being able to think outside of the box and use different resources helps,” Janisse said.

Having experience in both AP and IB photography, Janisse focused on channeling her inner creativity within her artwork. Eric Lindroth, the NPHS photography teacher, has had Janisse as his student for the past two years.. “In these times, students have had to do a lot of DIY to come up with tasks that they can more easily do in our school lab/studio. Madelyn has done very creative things to replicate these techniques...she is not letting the pandemic stand in her way,” Lindroth said.

Janisse always labors to make sure her pictures and art are to tip-top perfection.

Haven Roper, senior, is one of Janisse’s friends and recognizes Janisse’s hard work and her love for photography. “It doesn’t matter whether she is taking pictures on a phone or a 1000 dollar camera, she has an eye for beautiful composition,” Roper said.

Janisse has always fought for freedom of speech, and was inspired to pick this as her topic because of the world’s current social climate. “I chose to [do it on] the pursuit of freedom of speech because it’s important to me,” Janisse said. “Today, people try to silence anyone who has a different opinion or view. It doesn’t matter whether it’s far left or far right or everything in between, everyone should be able to say what they think and be respected.”

Even after practicing photography for the past seven years, Janisse has never lost her devotion to capture moments to help her express her passions, like her “In pursuit of freedom of speech” project. “People are so quick to reject other people’s opinions just because they’re different from their own. I really value being able to say what I think and everyone else has that same freedom as me,” Janisse said.

Top left: Glow- Experimenting with different techniques, Janisse and one of her friends decided to take portrait photos. “I really liked how the sun caught her eye. The combination of the unique hair and make-up and the lighting made this image a bit more interesting to look at rather than a plain portrait,” Janisse said. Top Right: Peace- Janisse took her opportunity to showcase the rights of peaceful protests and the First Amendment within her contest application. Making her photo black in white, but changing the letters, she hoped to create a bolder message to people looking at it. Bottom: Youth- Photographing her baby cousin, Janisse used this chance to show her depiction of the youth. “This was just a small moment of calm and seriousness during her usual childish antics. I really liked how she stared right into the lens,” Janisse said. Madelyn Janisse/With Permission

NPHS Students for Social Justice strive towards equality Allison Nguyen Staff Writer

Equality- A group of sophomore friends came together after many acts of injustice inspired them over the summer. “We have so many ambitions and it feels like everything’s going so slow right now, but we know that when COVID is better, we can create a lot of great change that we can bring to the community,” Kulhanek said. Emily Kulhanek/With Permission

Inspired by multiple social movements during quarantine, a group of sophomores came together to start NPHS Students for Social Justice to both educate and promote the importance of activism among the community. Although the club has only been running for the past few months, members have a lot of hope and ideas for future events.

Brady Craven, sophomore, founded the club and is the president of this new group. Among the many possible areas of focus, the members took this as a chance to bring attention to the lack of diversity and work towards social issues at the school. “The goal of our club is to promote social justice, which includes racial equality, gender equality, LGBTQ+ equality and environmental justice,” Craven said.

As the club grows day by day, more students start finding their way toward the fight for social equity in our community. Ashley Neier, sophomore, is the publicist for the club and has been a big advocate for equality. “I think what really started to push [the idea for starting the club] over the edge was George Floyd and the protests that happened during COVID and I think it really inspired us to be like, ‘We should have something like this at our school,’” Neier said. “Personally, I want to focus on the discrimination of women, focusing on how people might think that people are equal, but in reality,

women of color especially are greatly discriminated against.”

Over their past few meetings, they have set many goals that they would like to achieve once clubs are able to meet on campus. “Our main focuses right now are hopefully working with a school board to push for some more inclusive education and like a curriculum, such as more books written by Black and Brown authors for LGBTQ+ education,” Emily Kulhanek, sophomore and vice president, said.

The process of creating and building the club has been difficult. “It’s definitely a challenge to advertise and get people involved...we’ve also had a couple of Zoom bombers because people can hide behind a screen with a different name, and they said a lot of inappropriate things on our calls,” Kulhanek said. “It’s been a little messy with that, but just getting the right people to join and participate is one of our goals.”

From protests and fundraisers, to organizing and planning future events, the members of Students for Social Justice are excited for what issues their club will be able to help advocate for. “A goal of ours is to help spread awareness for social justice issues in our community through social media. By building that base and creating connections with our school board, we can make changes within our district,” Craven said.

11 with PJ Cool-Tomasi features

Panther Prowler • Feb. 12, 2021

Gwen Buchanan Back Cover Editor As an NPHS student, famous TikToker, and friend to many, PJ Cool-Tomasi is conquering all aspects of life at the age of 18. Learn more about Cool-Tomasi and his TikTok career in this Tea Time!

How did you first get into TikTok? Honestly it was just a growing app and I decided to just hop on it. I made my first few videos with my friends and they kind of just hit off, and ever since I’ve been making videos.

How has your following on TikTok affected your real life?

Honestly my real life and my TikTok life are completely separate. I feel like it doesn’t affect it in any way though. I don’t know, I don’t think about it too much, it doesn’t really matter to me. My followers mean a lot to me, but in reality it just doesn’t get to my head, you know?

When did you first realize that you were an influencer?

I still don’t even think of myself as an influencer, like I said, I just like to post videos, and I post videos to post videos. My fans mean a lot to me but I don’t let it get to my head and I don’t really think of myself as an influencer but I just do it for fun.

Do you think TikTok is an important platform to have?

I definitely think it’s an important platform. It’s growing, it’s huge right now, like everyone knows about it, and I think it can really influence. TikTokers are strong, I feel like they can get anything done, you know?

Song creators can go from literally not being known to being viral, like number one, you know? It’s just crazy how good of a platform it is, so definitely.

What advice would you give to other less-known TikTokers?

To not take it too seriously and to not let numbers and stuff go to your head because it can really affect you, and to just have fun.

How do you deal with negative reactions or trolls?

I don’t really let it get to my head. I realize that it’s just not that big of a deal. People are always going to be negative about something, so might as well just let them be negative and not let it affect you. You know?

What videos were the most fun?

I like to make videos with people, like with friends. Dances too, the dances are fun.

What is your favorite part about TikTok? My favorite part about TikTok is the amount of support I get, the amount of love I get from my supporters and the enormous amount of opportunities I get, of just meeting new people, and it’s so much. It’s just so cool, the whole thing.

PJ Cool-Tomasi/With Permission

Carl Campbell games the stock market McGlauthon Fleming IV Staff Writer The forced rise of GameStop stock stimulated by a subreddit throughout the end of January shook the world of trading, with Carl Campbell, 48, riding that wave. Campbell’s 15 years of experience in investing has allowed him to earn copious amounts of money with little work. “It’s a solid way to make money without having to go out there and make it with your hands,” Campbell said.

When he saw the GameStop stock shoot up in value, he decided to take advantage of that opportunity. “It was clear that it was going to be a money winner, so I got in early with it selling $67 a share as it was starting to climb there. And I held it for a couple of days and watched it break the $100 mark and come back down,” he said. “I liquidated the last little bit of my position at around $136 because I figured that was as good as it’s going to get.”

As seen with the GameStop stock, there is a lot of unpredictability with the stock market. “Anyone that says that they can predict the market is either lying or they’re a

fool. Nobody knows what the market’s gonna do. Everybody can make predictions and boast if they get it right,” Campbell said.

Given his experience in investing, Campbell believes that more people should get involved in the stock market. “It’s the Wild Wild West right now and it’s not a bad time at all to get in and just, you know if you have a little money here or there.

Throw some in on some good plays. It’s definitely a good time because of market volatility.” Campbell said.

Campbell, in his years of experience, has found that DogeCoin is a lucrative investment opportunity. DogeCoin is a type of cryptocurrency that makes Campbell, and other investors, a major amount of money even though the stock is less than a dollar. His most important piece of advice about stocks was to “buy Doge. Stop doing what you are doing right TrademasterTrademaster Accompanied by his children, Carl Campbell took a family vacation now and buy Doge.” at the Arches National Park, Utah last month where they traded stock back and forth to raise the price. “I live to trade, so I trade while I’m living.” Carl Campbell/With Permission

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entertainment Panther Prowler • Feb. 12, 2021

Unique teas bring joy

Abby Gorman Editorial Editor

Prasheetha Karthikeyan Sports Editor

As two avid tea drinkers ourselves, we are well aware the world of tea and its wide range of flavors can be a bit overwhelming-or even daunting--at first glance. Thus, to ease this process, we have taken the liberty of compiling some of our favorites, rated with an emphasis on how much joy they brought us, the most important factor when selecting a new tea.

Arguably, the most intriguing of the teas that we have assembled was Tazo’s Lemon Loaf Tea. It is part of Tazo’s Dessert Delights collection, which features a small array of dessert flavored teas. Personally, we have never looked at a lemon loaf and thought “hey, this would make a darn good tea,” but we were up for trying it out regardless. When first steeping the tea, our first impression was that the tea smelled heavenly, exactly like a freshly baked lemon loaf. Taste-wise, the tea was surprisingly accurate in its ability to capture the essence of what eating a lemon loaf was like without being sickeningly sweet.

Up next was Tazo’s Passion Tea, an herbal tea described on the box as “bursting with hibiscus flowers, orange peel, and rose hips” that would send you “straight to a lush, tropical paradise.” While this may be a bit of an overstatement, we have no doubt that drinking it was an enjoyable experience for us. Perhaps the most captivating part of this tea was the bright red color, provided it is steeped long enough, which definitely enhanced the experience.

Prasheetha Karthikeyan/Prowler

Overall, this unique blend created a strong, fruity flavor which is definitely one of our favorites. While we tried ours hot, this tea would definitely be good iced as well, making it suitable for any season.

Trader Joe’s also sells its own original blend of tea, which it dubs as the Watermelon Mint Black Tea, the contents of which are self-explanatory. Although the tea itself is not particularly different from your average black tea, it has subtle hints of the watermelon and mint as described that make all the difference. It tastes terrific both hot or iced, and the iced version is perfect for those hot summer days.

For those who enjoy citrus, the Yogi Sweet Tangerine Positive Energy could be a great addition to your collection.

The flavor is certainly reminiscent of tangerine without being too overpowering. However, the name is a bit misleading; sure, the tea was good, but the amount of positive energy we got from it is certainly debatable. Nonetheless, it is worth trying, and we recommend steeping for a decent amount of time to ensure the best flavor.

Tea is good. That being said, it should not be the sole indicator of your happiness. Your happiness is dependent on you and you alone. Although tea definitely doesn’t hurt.

Celebrate SOPHIE’s legacy Adalia Luo DPS Editor

Emma Schoors Opinion Editor

Prasheetha Karthikeyan/Prowler

Sophie Xeon, more commonly known as SOPHIE, passed in an accident on Jan. 30 trying to look at the full moon in Greece. A radical creator and a visionary artist, SOPHIE made an immeasurable impact on the world. A producer, singer-songwriter, DJ and more, SOPHIE paved the way for the hyperpop movement and LGBTQ+ rights and representation in the industry.

As a queer female producer, she furthered empowerment across genres and enabled queer, female and BIPOCbased experimentalism to hit the forefront of the music scene.

Rewind to 2013, a time wherein mainstream pop and experimentalism a la the stylization of Grimes, Purity Ring and synth-characterized music powered by the voices of women were relentlessly clashing with the mainstream. Many believed that there was no space for both processed electronics and for the stripped vulnerability that was pop at the time. Enter SOPHIE: a trans woman with a voice and vulnerability powerful enough to meld both the mainstream and the experimentalism of the era together.

While some artists like Grimes would continue to blast transphobic rhetoric all the way until 2016, comments she has since apologized for, SOPHIE would develop a cult-following dedicated to her fundamentally

magnetic sound, queer themes and futuristic aura.

“Nothing More To Say” changed the scene permanently, creating the possibility for artists, especially for women and trans creators, to succeed within the field. Artists from 100 gecs to Rico Nasty and from Charli XCX to the entire microgenre of hyperpop have SOPHIE’s foundation to thank.

From that, SOPHIE’s following projects: singles such as “MSMSMSM,” “L.O.V.E.,” “IT’S OKAY TO CRY” and more, queer artist collaborations such as with drag DJ Jodie Harsh on Charli XCX’s fan favorite “Vroom Vroom” and SOPHIE’s profound solo album, “OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES” (all stylized as such), continued to make the same impact. Fans got to listen as SOPHIE’s sound developed and influenced, and as her music became more and more radical on her path to coming out.

SOPHIE’s music has always been, as many critics derisively put it at the time of its release, “uncommercial” and “abrasive,” but it is that rejection of systemic structures that trap queer and POC bodies and minds that made her music that much more radical, futuristic and visionary.

An endlessly strong woman and a genre-creating talent, SOPHIE and her impact will never be forgotten.

entertainment Panther Prowler • Feb. 12, 2021

WandaVision excites Marvel fans Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Staff Writer

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Hayden Meixner Staff Writer

Cinematically progressing through the decades, the first five episodes of Marvel’s new show, “WandaVision,” were released on Disney+ on Jan. 15. Directed by Matt Shakman, the show is the newest installment of the notorious Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, with new episodes released every Friday. The structure of the show being popular sitcoms for each decade, is a very different approach from the rest of the MCU which is a welcomed artistic change.

Episode one opens up as a black and white 50’s sitcom. We are introduced to Wanda, who can move things with her mind, and her robot husband Vision. The newlyweds have just moved into the city of Westfield for a fresh start. The extraordinary couple, appearing normal to everyone else, must get through the day catering to Vision’s needy boss without revealing their secret powers to anyone else. But, throughout the episode, we pick up cues that there is much more to this picture perfect city than originally shown. In episode two, we are introduced to a neighbor named Gereldine, and she and Wanda click instantly over the shared hatred of another neighbor.

At first the show seems unrelated to the MCU aside from using two of its characters, but as the show progresses viewers slowly start to pick up on the bigger picture. While “WandaVision”

takes on the form of a light family sitcom, new eerie details begin to emerge from all over Westfield that lead viewers to believe that there is a dark secret hidden deep in the town’s roots.

Something we really enjoyed about the show was that each episode was based off of a new decade, beginning with the 50’s in the pilot and with sets and costume designs that portray the time periods very well. The way the filming and style changes with each episode, has viewers wondering and anticipating what the style of the next episode will be. Plot twists occur frequently, keeping the content engaging and suspenseful and you never know what’s going to happen next. However, because all of the episodes have distinctively different premises, it can be hard to figure out what’s going on at times. Additionally, the concept of the show can be a bit hard to grasp without any prior knowledge of the MCU. However, we are very pleased with the direction that “WandaVision” has taken. The cinematic variety in the series keeps viewers on their toes and it just goes to show the artistic talent of the crew. The first few episodes of this exciting story definitely gave us something viewers haven’t seen before and we are excited to see where the rest of the season goes.

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

“Night Stalker” shocks and informs audiences Emma Schoors Opinion Editor

Carter Castillo/Prowler

“Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer” is a dark, deeply disturbing Netflix documentary series that details the gruesome murders of Richard Ramirez.

Set in California in the mid-80’s, the series covers the extensive detective and community work that led to Ramirez’ 1985 arrest, namely with interviews conducted by Detectives Gil Carrillo and Frank Salerno. However, the bulk of the content is focused on the devastating crimes that wreaked havoc across the Golden State, and captured the attention of the rest of the world.

One of the most gruesome aspects of the series is the graphic content. Anastasia Hronas, who was six years old when she was kidnapped and assaulted by Ramirez, offered a gut-wrenching and emotional interview about her traumatic experience. Her recount covers the event minute by minute, and is extremely difficult to watch. There are also many instances in which photos of the victims’ crime scenes are shown on screen. With no disclaimer, this can be extremely triggering imagery for some viewers. Of course it’s understandable to expect gore in a documentary about a serial killer, but it’s still critical to be respectful of the victims and their privacy or give a clear and

detailed content warning before each episode. All in all, viewer discretion is inarguably advised.

On the other hand, the series did an excellent job of allowing victims’ family members to speak out about their experiences.

Ramirez tore countless people from their families and if there is one thing they deserve, it is an avenue to share their grief with others who may have gone through something similar. The ongoing trauma and pain the families are still going through is evident in their interviews, with many tearing up or expressing their confusion and disgust at Ramirez. There will never be anything that will make what happened to them and their loved ones okay, and there is nothing that can undo it. But sometimes sharing experiences can be healing, even if only a little.

As a whole, “Night Stalker: The Hunt For A Serial Killer” is a detailed and investigatory look at a killer who was, and still is largely and disgustingly glorified by the media, with fan accounts for Ramirez still active. By allowing victims to speak out, audiences can more accurately judge who Richard Ramirez was: a pedophile, rapist, kidnapper and murderer who caused immeasurable suffering, and should never be romanticized in any form.

“ Sarena Kabir News Editor Allison Nguyen Staff Writer Olivia Rodrigo, star of Disney+’s “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” released the new smash hit single “drivers license” on Jan. 8, which has since topped countless charts.

Rodrigo’s vulnerable lyricism has resonated with millions of her fans and instigated widespread speculation on the story behind the song. Fans have drawn many possible references towards a co-star, Joshua Bassett, and another singer-songwriter actress, Sabrina Carpenter. “drivers license” has reached the hearts of millions across the world. Pouring the depths of her personal life into the song, Rodrigo’s vocals make it seem as if she is singing directly to the audience and to the person the song is about simultaneously.

Rodrigo, while maintaining much-needed originality, has

spoken on taking significant inspiration from Taylor Swift’s romantic and at times understandably desperate songwriting style. While the subject of getting heartbroken is inarguably a common one, Rodrigo’s soulful voice cuts right through to listeners, and sets her single apart from today’s other love songs.

Not only so, fans of Rodrigo are drawn not only to “driver’s license”, but also the cinematography of her music video. The dynamic scene changes added a different ambiance towards the perspective of the song.

There will never be a set rubric for what makes a hit song, but as we approach week four with the ballad topping the charts, one thing remains crystal clear: Olivia Rodrigo’s “driver’s license” is here to stay.

Guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me. ‘Cause you said forever now I drive alone past your street.

-Olivia Rodrigo, “drivers license”

“

14 CVUSD updates sports information sports

Panther Prowler • Feb. 12, 2021

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Graphic Artist

Golfers look forward to approaching season Nandini Patro Staff Writer

Parker Bohl Staff Writer

Swing Riley O’ Leary, NPHS golfer and junior, gets ready to hit some Swingballs on the course. “As for playing in the spring rather than the fall, I’m actually looking forward to it. We have to walk the courses, and it’s usually really hot during our fall season, so the cooler weather might be a nice change.” O’Leary said. Riley O’Leary/With Permission

Many athletes have been disappointed because of cancelled seasons, but there might just be a chance for the Newbury Park golfers to get back into the sport they love. Although recent changes have forced golf courses to change their usual model, they have been able to continue to operate.

With the new season, many adjustments have been made by both the courses and the players. Riley O’Leary, junior, is one of the eager golfers on the high school team. “COVID is probably going to bring many new regulations. But just like a lot of the other changes that this past year has brought, we’ll just have to adjust to the new normal,” O’Leary said. As of now, golfers are simply practicing on their own since nothing has been officially organized yet. The details of the golf season are arranged by the golf course companies and have not been released yet. No tryouts or team practices have been scheduled either but circumstances may change within the next month due to decreasing case counts.

Though COVID-19 has caused some difficulties, golfers are optimistic about the possible upcoming season. “A lot of [golf courses] have been able to make accommodations, like ensuring

spaces between people practicing on the range,” O’Leary said.

“Also when you’re playing out on the course, there is a lot of space and not a lot of people, so most courses have been able to open up for playing still.”

Molly McNulty, junior, is another golfer who misses the typical golf season. “COVID has prevented my team from playing together and has kept me from being able to take lessons,” McNulty said. “But at the same time, I have had more room in my schedule to go to the driving range and play on the course with my friends and family, which are still open since golf is a contactless sport.”

Due to these changes, it is unlikely more than two teams will compete at the same course at once, but they will be able to play regardless. Michael Godfrey, assistant principal of athletics, said, “You know, golf is so different… than every other sport. I think they will be able to compete. I don’t know if it’ll be in the exact same capacity where there are multiple teams all going together, it may just be one team against another, but it really shouldn’t be affected too much.”

sports

Panther Prowler • Feb. 12, 2021

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Dance team earns its first virtual win Dhruv Patel Staff Writer

The NPHS dance team competed for the first time this school year on the weekend of Jan. 30, earning first place in the concept video category.

Completely virtual, the competition consisted of video submissions of dance numbers. Despite their first place finish, the dance team encountered numerous difficulties throughout the process and have had to make adjustments to what they do to prepare and compete.

With the dance team’s first competition, they worked hard to compose a memorable video to impress the judges. However, their vision was disrupted when Ventura County returned to a lockdown with stricter regulations. “Before winter break, we were in phase two, which meant the whole team could practice together,” Cameo Carolan, NPHS dance coach, said. “So we were planning this really cool like, concept video with lighting and really awesome stuff. And then we went back to phase one, which means they were pods of 10, and those groups can never interchange.”

The team would normally practice all together in the girl’s athletic room, but this is not possible due to COVID-19. Mia Nelson, a sophomore who has been dancing for 10 years, is adjusting to the new changes. “As of now, we are practicing in pods in-person at the school outside the GAR or over Zoom,” Nelson said. With the practice restrictions, the team can only practice virtually or with a limited number of people in-person, which is a drastic change from a typical season.

Carolan is working to figure out how to continue dancing with the new restrictions. “It’s kind of challenging, we have a mix of in-person and virtual practices. So like today, we have one pod meeting with a coach. So I think that’s nine

Mask up- Mia Nelson, Drew Caswell and Lucy Garrett, sophomores, pose for a photo during their outdoor dance rehearsal. “We have done a very good job adapting to COVID. We are very strict on following guidelines to make sure everyone is safe,” Jenna Mahoney, senior said. Their alterations to their practices are working, as they have won in all the virtual competitions they have been a part of. Cameo Carolan/ With Permission

kids,” Carolan said. The team has also encountered limitations dancing due to being unable to practice in their normal area.

Jenna Mahoney, senior, has been dancing for 8 years, and is slowly acclimating with the changes.

“Pre-COVID, we practiced indoors with no restrictions on how close we could touch. It was much easier being on the GAR floor and in front of a mirror,” Mahoney said.

The team is currently trying to find new ways to practice and compete. With the team being separated into pods, it is difficult to practice as a whole group, but Carolan came up with an innovative way to keep the kids safe while practicing together. “What we’re trying to do this week on Wednesday and Friday is actually get both pods to show up,” Carolan said. “But be distanced enough apart either on the football field or on the quad that I can still play the music and they can dance together but separate.”

Competing in virtual competitions is not optimal, but the dance team continues to impress at competitions. The dance team continued their streak and received first place in many categories in their second virtual competition. “Over [Feb. 6th-7th], we had our second virtual competition, where we received 1st place in X-small jazz, 1st place for our concept video, 2nd place in extra small contemporary, 2nd place in contemporary duo and 3rd place in small jazz,” Mahoney said.

The team is staying hopeful for the future and preparing to show their talent at upcoming competitions. “We have virtual competitions that we’re doing right now, and then starting February 20, hopefully everything will be okay for us to have our first in-person competition at Westlake High School,” Carolan said.

Football team excels academically Hayden Meixner Staff Writer

The GPAs of this year’s football players prove that NPHS athletes are among the most hard working people out there.

Juggling academic work and keeping in tip-top shape is a hard task, but the football team has shown that it is not impossible.

Although COVID-19 has kept the athletes from practicing and playing games as a whole team, it has not put a dent in the athletes’ motivation to be the best at what they do.

The football players’ GPAs this school year have been nothing short of stellar, with the average GPA being a 3.34 on the varsity team. “Being a student-athlete, student comes first and that’s something that we really harp on, and are just really proud of the effort that these guys have been able to put in,” Jason Klein, football coach, said. The football athletes are very motivated to be the best versions of themselves both academically and physically.

Trent Dagan, senior and football athlete, has been playing football at NPHS since his freshman year and has kept a high GPA throughout his high school career due to his work ethic.

“Just don’t be lazy. Anyone can do it. It’s easy to go hang out with

your friends or play video games instead of annotating an article or doing a lab report, you just have to have discipline,” Dagan said.

CDC guidelines state that Ventura County must be in the orange tier for football season to take place, but this has not stopped the team from practicing virtually and in-person. “Now we’re back to kind of being in groups of 15. So we’re just trying to make the best we can out of what we’ve got,” Klein said.

Kyle Mahon, senior, has his fingers crossed that his team will be able to play for his last season in high school. “‘I’m hoping that [there’s] going to be the actual season [where we’re] actually going to get games. I know that there’s plenty of other people that are wishing the same thing, along with me,” Mahon said.

Mahon, as well as the rest of the team, are proud of the accomplishments they have made this year. “I’d also like to add how proud and happy I am about how well our team has held together on the field and performed academically,” Mahon said.

Touchdown Football athletes gather at Peppertree Park for practice.

TouchdownThey stand six feet apart, adhering to social distance guidelines. “You form strong friendships with each person you play with, so when you translate that to the classroom it makes everything you work on together much more efficient and smooth,” Kyle Mahon said. Kyle Mahon/ With Permission

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talents Panther Prowler • Feb. 12, 2021

Singing Allie Mohlnitzkey, freshman: “I started singing when I was in first grade and I joined the choir program because I saw a bunch of kids performing and I thought it would be fun... honestly I don’t know what I would do without [singing], it’s really been keeping me together during this pandemic and it’s a way to escape from reality a bit.”

Double-Jointed Ashlyn Smilor, sophomore: “I found out [my thumb was double jointed] when I was in elementary school...when I show people they are always like ‘eww’ or ‘woah’ or something like that.”

Ashlyn Smilor/With Permission

Allie Mohlnitzkey/With Permission

Students’ talent shines through Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Graphic Artist Talent is everywhere, whether it is on display for everyone to see or concealed behind the public eye. It is something that should be cherished and by recognizing that talent, we can raise up our peers. Sometimes, people never know what someone is capable of and that’s what makes talent so fun and interesting. Thankfully, Newbury Park High School is chock-full of students and staff with astonishing abilities.

Sewing

Makenna Davison, junior: “For one of my friend’s birthdays I got the idea to make her a shirt...so I made her a shirt and I made a couple of my other friends’ shirts and I’ve kind of just gotten back into [sewing] since then.”

Makenna Davison/With Permission

Umang Patel/With Permission

Beats Umang Patel, senior: “I make beats pretty much and then sometimes I do mash-ups... the other day I mashed up a baseball song and some other beat. It’s just for fun... the fact that I played piano and I learned piano theory really helps me to make music with the software that I use.”

Umang Patel/With Permission