pantherprowler.org
PANTHER PROWLER Friday October 18, 2013
Issue II
Newbury Park High School
456 N. Reino Rd., Newbury Park, CA 91320
in this issue
3
Editorial Transgender Rights
Car accident
claims the lives of two alumni Mariam Syed Staff Writer
6-7 Transgender: not easily defined
12 Girls’ Golf undefeated
The aftermath - Emergency responders rush to the accident where the vehicle collided with a stationary tractor. Alumni Aimee Hoff and Michael Hatcher were both pronouced dead at the scene. Ventura County Star/With Permission
On Monday, September 9, a speeding 2005 Infiniti crashed into construction equipment on the side of Potrero Road, killing two passengers, both alumni from NPHS. Aimee Hoff, alumni class of 2008, and Michael Hatcher, alumni class of 2005, were both pronounced dead at the scene after the 11:20 P.M. collision. The two were passengers of Collin Powell, also an NPHS alumni, class of 2008, who was taken to the hospital for minor injuries. Another woman in the car survived with minor injuries and was transported to Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center. All passengers in the car were wearing seatbelts when the speeding car slammed into a backhoe on the side of the road, the Ventura County Star reported. According to the Thousand Oaks Acorn, Powell, 23, has been charged with two felony counts of gross vehicular manslaughter after first being arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence of alcohol, with an alleged blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.15. The accident is currently under investigation to determine if any other factors were involved in the collision, such as the position of the construction equipment. Hoff, 23, was a dedicated member of choir all four years of high school and was a featured soloist in many concerts. She was also involved with the drama and dance departments. “Aimee was a compassionate and caring individual,” said John Sargent, choir director. “She had a big heart, and she always reached out to students that were struggling with various life situations on campus.” After high school, Hoff studied music at Moorpark College, and was involved in many local community plays and musicals. Her parents are now in the process of setting up the Aimee Hoff Memorial Musical Scholarship in her memory. The scholarship will be awarded annually to a senior choir student who demonstrates passion for music. Hatcher, 26, was attending Cal State Northridge at the time of the accident and was seeking a bachelor’s degree in music composition.
Internship Program helps students kickstart careers Courtney Mack Features Editor For many high school students, the idea of choosing a career or a major to pursue is frightening. With so many choices and so little work experience, the decision is difficult and time consuming. In order to help students who are being faced with this tough but important choice, the City of Thousand Oaks created a summer internship program for high school juniors through partnerships with California Lutheran University (CLU) and the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce. Community Internships Training Youth (C.I.T.Y) will provide juniors with job training, 15 to 20 hours of work experience per week at a local business, a workplace mentor, and a business skills class at CLU during a six week period over the summer. The program was proposed by Councilmember Jacqui V. Irwin who modeled it after a similar program in Boston that she says was “extremely beneficial to both businesses and youth in the city and helped to reduce dropout rates and increase youth
engagement.” Nicholas Colangelo, career education director, believes that internships give “students hands on applied skills that help them to understand their career choice in three dimensions - in the fullest sense.” Similarly, Jill Lederer, President and CEO of the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, feels the program will be beneficial to local businesses. “It gives a business owner and executives a window into what students are learning about and what they want their futures to look like,” says Lederer. According to Irwin, any students or businesses who are interested in participating in C.I.T.Y should attend the informational mixer on Nov. 4, 2013 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Civic Arts Plaza Kavli Theater Founder’s Room to learn more about the program and the application process.