2021-2022 Issue 7 (March 7)

PANTHER PROWLER

Monday March 7, 2022 • Issue VII • Newbury Park High School 456 N. Reino Rd., Newbury Park, CA 91320 • pantherprowler.org

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Hatred

10

3

Russia and Ukraine

Mystery Dinner

12

5

Debate

The Fallout

14

6

CPR Education

Softball

15

7

Rooney Rule

Girls Lacrosse

16

8-9

International Week

Girls Sand Volleyball

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staff editorial Panther Prowler • March 7, 2022

Our community must reckon with hatred On Feb. 12, White supremacists rallied over the Borchard Road overpass, hanging signs covered in hate speech. In response, Claudia Bill-de la Peña, a Thousand Oaks City Council member, proposed a resolution which strives to condemn all acts of hatred. It passed at the Feb. 22 city council meeting in a 4-0 vote with Kevin McNamee abstaining.

McNamee argued that by voting yes, he would be “putting the city at risk,” which leaves us to question: what exactly is an anti-hate resolution putting the city at risk of ? His solution to the hateful act was to ignore it, but ignoring racism and abstaining from action perpetuates White supremacy and directly puts our oppressed communities in danger.

Fighting systemic racism is not the same as taking down your child’s schoolyard bully; it does not disappear when ignored. It is not

anti-hate resolutions which give power to hatred, but it is the active denial of that hatred’s existence.

To construct a false reality where hatred does not exist locally, and to further claim that proactive anti-racism legislation is “completely bogus racist slander against the good people of Thousand Oaks and Ventura County,” as a CVUSD parent said in a public comment, is an excusal and perpetuation of hate.

As a community which proudly touts an International Baccalaureate school at its center, claims to foster global mindsets, and is even celebrating International Week at this issue’s publishing, how can this city claim itself to be accepting of all cultures when they so severely continue to silence and mistreat their non-White peoples?

For anti-hate legislation to truly take effect, this resolution must be the first step of many. While it is a necessary start, it is not as strong

as it should be, and it does little in representing the voices it intends to protect as it was written without the voices of the marginalized community that it impacted. The reality is, our community is rapidly regressing; politicians and community members are still denying the presence of hatred from within our city altogether. They must change first.

Issac Garcia, the President of the Latino Youth Leadership, said it best. “The problem we have is racism and other forms of hate. We have heard the condemnation of these, but we have yet to hear the acknowledgment of their existence in our community as a persistent and far too common event. The moment we take that step forward, we can begin searching for solutions.” Our community must reckon with racism, and that reckoning must happen now.

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

Front Cover Caption: Culture- Alan Salazar, a member and descendent of the Tataviam tribe, shares his culture and knowledge on Native American history on page eight. “We are strong, determined, hardy people, and we are literally in the middle of a revitalization and comeback,” Salazar said.

Alan Salazar/With Permission

For the record in Issue 6: Front cover says IV instead of VI Josie Gardner was spelled wrong on News 3 Anna Jonson wrote Student vs teacher on Features 11

PANTHER PROWLER 2021-2022 staff Front Cover Editor Karyss Amato

Editors-in-Chief Carter Castillo Abby Gorman

Back Cover Editor Gwen Buchanan

Entertainment Editor Dhruv Patel

Sports Editor Sarena Kabir

DPS Editor Adalia Luo

Opinion Editor Anna Johnson

Editorial Editor Kai Mekari

News Editors Nandini Patro Hayden Meixner Téa Sklar

Photographers Chief // Reese Kelem Parker Bohl Tiana Hoang

Graphic Artists

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Kai Mekari Téa Sklar

Managing Editor Tiana Hoang

Social Media Leads Karyss Amato Gwen Buchanan Tiana Hoang Nandini Patro

Copy Editors Gwen Buchanan Tiana Hoang Anna Johnson Adalia Luo Allison Nguyen Dhruv Patel Nandini Patro Téa Sklar

Features Editors Allison Nguyen

Adviser

Michelle Saremi

Staff Writers

Katelyn Arrington Ariela Behar Melissa Geher Taylor Gibson Kira Ivarsdottir Rohit Ukkan Cassandra Chavarria Dylan Kaseno Josie Gardner Ava Prapaniku Rithu Velu Melina Wagner Cameron Winick

Online Editors Gwen Buchanan Tiana Hoang Adalia Luo Allison Nguyen Dhruv Patel Téa Sklar

The Panther Prowler is the official 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 publishing in other social medias. While Mrs. Michelle Saremi advises the Advanced Journalism students, the staff is solely responsible for what is printed.

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Newbury Park High School 456 North Reino Road, Newbury Park, California 91320 (805) 498-3676 x 1110 prowler.newspaper@gmail.com

news Panther Prowler • March 7, 2022

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Conflicts between Russia and Ukraine increase Rohit Ukkan Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of iNews

Russia has sent the official order to attack Ukraine to Russian troops, sending relations between Russia and Western countries to its lowest point since the Cold War. Western European countries since the beginning of the invasion have placed an immense amount of sanctions on Russia in support of Ukraine. The invasion of Ukraine has been accompanied with direct air strikes on major airfields and cities, primarily in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. Russia’s reasoning behind the invasion stems from its need to establish an influence on the globe that can only be rivaled by that of the Soviet Union.

Russian troops launched an official attack on Thursday Feb. 24 that began with explosions on major cities. Ukraine representatives spoke out on Russia’s intent to destroy the country of Ukraine,

a western minded country seeking shelter from Russia’s hands.

Ukraine begins to brace for a full scale invasion as Ukraine leaders have mobilized 36,000 military reserves.

Putin has claimed in an address to the public that it’s motive for the invasion is due to the suppression and harassment of Russian speakers in the country, especially those in the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. In addition to this, Putin has claimed that Ukraine’s right to exist outside of Russia does not exist.

Ukraine’s economy since it’s separation from Russia has prospered in comparison to neighboring European countries. However, due to the invasion, many Ukrainian officials and civilians have worries as to the damages to the economy the invasion will cause, especially as to how long economic damages will take to repair.

NPHS Mock trial places third in the county

Melina Wagner Staff Writer

As this year’s mock trial season has come to an end, members of the NPHS Gold team are proud to announce their victory in placing third in Ventura County. The winning teams were revealed during a virtual awards ceremony on Feb. 17, which followed the final rounds of competition. Ethan Belkin, senior and lead defense attorney, expresses how proud he is of the Gold team. “The last time Newbury Park did that was actually in 2017, so it’s been five years,” Belkin said.

Annika Kanugo, senior and defense attorney, has participated in both in-person and online competitions. “The biggest difference between online mock trial and in person, I think, would be the competition, because when we were in person, we would go to the Ventura County Courthouse and actually compete in real courtrooms, like wearing our formal clothing. And it was just really cool to sort of be in that environment,” Kanugo said. “But online I was kind of just like, at home, I was wearing pajama pants with a blazer and everything, so it wasn’t really the same.”

Rachel Goldstein, senior and lead prosecution attorney, felt that mock trial has left a positive impact on her everyday life. “I think that I would not be who I am now without mock trial,” Goldstein said. She values the public speaking and argument skills mock trial has taught her and finds herself using these skills in the future. “The kind of skills that you get in terms of your speaking abilities and your argument abilities are pretty unmatched, I would say,” Goldstein said.

For the past four years, Goldstein has been a part of Newbury Park’s Gold team, she has thoroughly enjoyed being with her peers and being able to participate in this opportunity. “It’s like an endorphin. It feels like you just spend hours running or playing something…there’s a really strong bond and a really good work ethic across the team as well,” Goldstein said.

Belkin reflects on his experience and encourages students to join. “It’s an absolutely great club. Everyone in it is, I mean, incredible people,” Belkin said. “I mean, there’s so much variety

in the club... and I’d say that there really is something for everyone in mock trial... If I had the choice again, I would one hundred percent do mock trial again,” Belkin said.

Case closed- The Newbury Park Gold team placed higher than they have in five years on Feb. 17 coming in third in their tournament. “The excitement everyone felt was unmatched,” Goldstein said.

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news Panther Prowler • March 7, 2022

Mask mandates are being repealed around the US Kai Mekari Editorial Editor According to the CDC, as of March 2, the current 7-day moving average of new deaths has decreased 18.8 percent, dropping the numbers to 1,674, compared with the previous 7-day moving average of 2,063. These numbers are public and are updated regularly through an online website (Center for Disease Control: Coronavirus), seven states have modified mask mandates since January due to a decline in COVID- 19 cases. Of those five states- California, Delaware, Nevada, New York and Rhode Island- Nevada is the only one who has not altered its mask requirements in business settings.

Out of every state, 41 have removed mask requirements, while most of the other states are working on getting them removed soon. Recently, numbers in Ventura County have gone down,

therefore leading to the repeal of the mask mandate for vaccinated residents. For the entirety of being back at school, masks have only been required to be worn inside, but coming March 11, California’s in school requirement of masks will be lifted.

Overall, Ventura County’s indoor requirements were removed on Feb. 15.

Numbers during Covid-19 have risen and fallen throughout the past two years. Miguel Cardona, Federal Secretary of Education, spoke on NPR asking if these decisions were made responsibly. “I’m really pleased that the numbers are getting better, but I still say we need to proceed with caution and make sure that our health experts are at the table when we’re making decisions,” Cardona said.

New Beginnings: The mask mandate in Ventura Country was offically lifted on Feb. 15th.

Reese Kelem/Prowler

New bell schedule rewrites the school day

Dylan Kaseno Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of CVUSD

In the 2022-2023 school year, students will find themselves with a new schedule. The schedule, if approved by the county school board will give students a lot more flexibility in their personal schedules. It came about after the new senate bill (bill 328) stated schools cannot start before 8:30 a.m with a lot of new changes joining it, changes enabling a lot more cohesion for the school, and schools alike.

Dennis Crystal, Newbury Park High school band teacher, said, how the committee of school faculty and donors was organized in order to restructure the schedule in order to account for 65 minutes of lost time, creating a rotating block schedule, replacing the 0 period minutes with the seventh period minutes, Crystal said. This means that the terms will not end at a semester, but go year long. Students will still have a block schedule, but they will have rotators every day.

The new schedule enables more students into having more class options that were previously limited to them due to scheduling conflicts. Stephen Lepire, Newbury Park principal, says that the

schedule was created with the idea of flexibility. “[The school council] really kind of came down to it as looking at as what’s the best scenario and provide us with the flexibility to be able to schedule everybody in a fair and more equitable way,” Lepire said.

Another aspect of the increased flexibility is the potential for mixing various classes between IB, CP, and specialized programs for increased connectivity between them. Deborah Dogancay, Newbury Park High school’s science teacher and IB coordinator, believes that the new schedule will give students a lot more freedom with their classes. “It opens up our schedule so that people can have a lot more freedom to mix and match all level of class to make a schedule that really is appropriate for them and meets their interests,” Dogancay said.

There are going to be many changes in the coming months based on the pending approval of the school board. “We took the opportunity since we had to change our schedule anyways, to alter it in a way that allows kids to have some flexibility in their schedule,” Crystal said.

Ventura community finishes “Pura Avienda” Anna Johnson Opinion Editor Dylan Kaseno Staff Writer

Ventura has welcomed numerous mural projects over the years to create a diverse cultural beauty and a sense of community within the city. Onofre Banderas, community advocate, and Jackie Pierce, executive director of Westside Community Development Corporation (WCDC), added the latest mural to Ventura’s streets titled “Pura Avienda.” The mural encompasses the cultures of the west coast with Indigenous and Mexican cultures to build community connection around the arts and resources for locals.

In 2019, Banderas was shot in a gang-related incident. Ever since this event, Banderas wanted to inspire youth to participate in art as a form of escape to prevent their participation in gang activities. “Pura Avienda,” or “Pure Avenue,” was approved in the fall of 2021 and was completed in January of this year. Local residents and artists helped to complete the mural when various issues such as funding and designing became present, resulting in a breathtaking mural for the Ventura community to enjoy.

Paint-Pure Avienda, the new Onofre Banderas on Cedar Street in Ventura has been completed, collectively representing the community.

Ventura welcomes more murals to be painted across the city. Visit Ventura city’s website to apply to create a mural like “Pura Avienda.”

Cassandra Chavarria/Prowler

news Panther Prowler • March 7, 2022

Debate argues their way to state competition

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Parker Bohl Photographer Hayden Meixner News Editor On Saturday, Feb. 26, the debate team of NPHS competed the level of planning required before a tournament. “You look in a tournament where 2 of our own students qualified for at all the relevant news about the topic, read news articles. The states. After many rounds of debating, it was announced that morning of you make sure you go through pieces of evidence, Adi Chattodadhyay, junior, and Adalia Luo, senior, would be try and find the best one,” Yi said. moving on to the next level. Chattopadhyay has been involved Debate practice is every Friday after school, though their in debate since middle school, “[Being in debate] gives you meetings are still held online, NPHS debaters have still found the opportunity to do in depth research on topics and then a way to create close bonds. For Neil Saji, freshman, the debate also research to the point where you can have arguments,” team has become like a second family, even providing him with the opportunity to become closer to existing friends.

Chattopadhyay said.

For the debaters, preparation for the tournament began ”[As we] started to meet each other more and more and you before Saturday came around. David Yi, freshman, explained know, we’ve become great friends through debate,” Saji said. Argue- NPHS debate smiles for a group Zoom photo during their competition. Adalia Luo/Prowler

NPHS students take on the Science Olympiad Josie Gardner Staff Writer On Saturday Feb. 26, the Science Olympiad competition took place at NPHS. It is a student competition between many schools all over the country. There are three main events: a building project, a testing section and some labs.

Skyler Lee, junior, is president of the Science Olympiad. “[Science Olympiad is] a national competition for just a bunch of science events from physics, forensic science, biology, chemistry, engineering, all these events work together in one competition,” Lee said.

Lee has gotten a grasp on what the Science Olympiad is really about. “Science Olympiad is just about showing your passion for science and competing with others,” Lee said.

The competitions themselves vary.

The testing section is preparing knowledge and studying continuously until the day of the competition, which is different for each school. The building segment involves creating different things, depending on what event they’re

participating in, without any technology, and putting it to test.

Makayla Hu, junior and first time Science Olympiad, went into depth about the events themselves. “So each team consists of 15 people, and then each event there’s two or three people working on each event…they tally up the score for all the events, and then whichever team has the highest score, they win the competition,” Hu said.

Lianne King, sophomore, is a two year Olympiad member. “I’ve found that it’s really helped my test taking skills and research skills.” King said. “I’ve also really broadened my world view and education.”

The events encourage teamwork in competitive environments and progress in science. “There’s events for everybody depending on what you like, so it’s very good to express your interest and find something that you really like Calculate- Lianne King and Amy Xu, sophomores, focus hard on the to do,” Lee said. anatomy section of the competition. Parker Bohl/Prowler

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opinion Panther Prowler • March 7, 2022

Schools must teach CPR to students and teachers

Tiana Hoang/Prowler

Rithu Velu Staff Writer The clock ticks down, second by second as the circumstance also be retaught every two years. This will allow students to keep only gets more dire until help arrives. Nonetheless, every step the techniques fresh in their mind, which could be easily forgotten taken is critical for the patient’s life. According to the American without practice.

Furthermore, only teachers who are also sports coaches are Heart Association, around 475,000 Americans die each year due to cardiac arrest, a sudden loss of heart function, breathing and required to have and renew their CPR certification. It is crucial that teachers are also educated regarding this matter and follow consciousness. The immediate response that would ideally the pattern of renewing their credentials in order to create the be taken in order to help save a person when no heartbeat safest school environment possible. or breathing is present would be performing CPR In addition to CPR, automated external (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), which increases defibrillators (AEDs) also play a key role by the chance of survival by two or three times in a administering shocks to revive the patient. In non-hospital setting. I believe that hands-on CPR California, it is mandatory for schools that participate training should be mandatory for teachers and in inter-school sports to have an AED on campus. students across all high schools to educate more people However, as a student who took the Health class over the about the life-saving skill. summer, and P.E. online, it has never been After becoming CPR certified last summer brought to my attention about where the for a program outside of school, I recognized the importance of the certification and encouraged AED is located at NPHS. Steps such as those around me to also become certified. I was reminding students where first aid kits astounded to find that according to AmeriMed, or AEDs are located on campus take only only around half of the American population Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler a couple minutes, but can ultimately save a knows CPR, and I wondered if this issue could be fixed via person’s life. high schools.

With all of this in mind, I believe that simple actions can lead Years before the pandemic, the NPHS health and physical to great things. Schools provide education on multiple subjects, education courses taken during the school year included hands-on but do not properly teach students and teachers life saving skills.

CPR training. However this section has been temporarily paused, Many are afraid to become CPR certified due to liability that and the only NPHS class that currently covers hands-on CPR comes with it. However, with more widespread and repeated CPR training is Emergency Medical Responder, leaving many without education, the sense of insecurity can be overcome. Creating a safe the proper hands-on training that is necessary. environment on campus and community should be prioritized because at the end of the day, a few hours of your time can mean If hands-on CPR education is reinstated, I believe that it should the rest of their life for someone else.

Russian Olympic Committee skates into scandal Kira Ivarsdottir Staff Writer

Taylor Gibson Staff Writer

In 2017, Russia was banned from the Olympics due to being caught in a doping scheme. Though Olympic viewers believed this would influence Russia to discontinue their habits given the fact that this hasn’t been their first time caught in a drugging scheme, Russia has once again, been caught. While strategies have been able to remove some athletes from the games, there are still situations in which drug use is almost waved away, and supposed repercussions become unfair.

Kamila Valieva, a 15-year-old figure skater in the 2022 Olympics, competing on behalf of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), was caught with three substances in her system, one of which was banned from the games. Despite the drug, trimetazidine, being banned from the games, the Olympic panel allowed the skater to continue competing in the skating section due to claims regarding the skater supposedly being unaware that the drug was in her system and because not participating in the games could have the potential to cause Valieva irreplaceable harm, as the panel claimed.

Many viewers of the Olympics believe that due to the skater’s age, the excuse regarding Valieva’s age justifying her supposed lack of awareness is valid; however, we believe otherwise. Although we do not necessarily doubt the fact that Valieva was unaware of the drugs entering her system, the fact that she was still able to compete is simply unacceptable. Most athletes who compete in the Olympics train from numerous years or their whole lives, therefore when some athletes are excluded from the games after being accepted into them, there is a feeling of sympathy from viewers.

However, this empathy is not known to often exclude many other athletes from the repercussions of breaking the rules.

Sha’Carri Richardson, however, was not given sympathy when she was caught with THC, a chemical found in cannabis that is not an endurance-enhancing drug, in her system which led to her disqualification in the 2021 Olympic games in track and field. Richardson, a 21-year-old woman of color who has received world-wide attention due to breaking numerous world records in

Skate- Kamila Valieva, Russian skater, practices for her competing sections while cameras swarm the scene following the news of the doping scheme. Photo courtesy of the New York Times

track and field, accepted her suspension in mid June of 2021. In response to the decision to keep Valieva in the competition despite positive drug tests, Richardson tweeted, “The only difference I see is I’m a Black young lady” on Feb. 14, 2022.

There is an obvious act of hypocrisy at hand. Following the decision to allow Valieva to compete, people around the world, Olympic athletes and Olympics audiences alike, agree with the fact that this decision is not only an injustice to those who have trained their whole lives, and have refrained from using enduranceenhancing substances, but the fact that it also demonstrates a stark contrast in the way athletes of color are treated compared to the Russian skater. Although the skater did not receive winning titles following competing in her section, the decision alone continues to pose numerous issues within the Olympic Panel that need to be resolved.

Stop the stigmatization of OCD Reese Kelem Chief Photographer In reflecting upon my academic career, I have realized that my experiences were quite abnormal growing up.

In preschool I had a horrible fear of cavities and would brush my teeth relentlessly. In elementary school, I would empty hand sanitizer bottles and scrub my hands until they were so dry they cracked and bled. Even now, I have panic attacks in the morning if my outfit doesn’t look right or if my room is a mess.

This is what Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) looks like for me. I have been diagnosed with it since the third grade, and since then I have gone to a variety of child psychologists growing up to learn how to cope with this detrimental mental disorder. This is not what everyone experiences with OCD. Compulsions can come from all sorts of obsessive thoughts, such as orderliness, aggression, contamination, doubt, morality and self control.

In growing up with this disorder, I have been surrounded by the stigma that OCD is a trend about having to be organized. From fellow students to teachers, I have heard plenty of people say, “OMG I am so OCD about this” or “my notes have to be perfect or my OCD will go off,” giving the impression that OCD is the want to be organized and perfect. OCD does not equal organization. Many forms of OCD may involve the compulsion of organizing to feel mentally stable, such in my case, in fear of germ contamination.

However, reducing this disorder to mere pet peeve can be very offensive to those struggling with this disorder everyday.

I do not intend to be nitpicky with everything people say in this world, words are words. However, before I leave NPHS, I encourage people to inform themselves on the reality of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder to take a second thought about what they say. You may be an organized, perfectionist person, but you cannot selfdiagnose yourself with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder just for being neat. The process of being diagnosed with and treating this disorder is complex and difficult, and words like this from the perspective of people who are struggling feels like a minimization of the issue. In a new era of prioritizing mental health, we should all be considerate and understanding of those who struggle with mental disorders, and prevent any stigmatization of the matter.

opinion Panther Prowler • March 7, 2022

The Rooney Rule is ineffective

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Cassandra Chavarria Staff Writer

Televised national sports, especially football, is a major aspect of our society. With the Super Bowl just occurring last month, it’s a bit hard to ignore. The Rooney Rule was put in place to encourage diversity in the coaching ranks, but it is clear that it is a flawed system that feeds into the stigmatization of the minority status.

Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a classaction lawsuit against the NFL and three of its teams, alleging racial discrimination. Flores notes the disparity between the racial makeup of NFL players, nearly 60 percent of whom are Black. This is in great contrast to the racial makeup of team owners, management and coaching ranks which as of now, only one head coach among 32 teams is Black. This is especially dishonorable considering that studies show that Black coaches actually had better records than many white coaches.

Flores’ suit calls the NFL’s Rooney Rule a failure, which was intended to require all NFL teams to interview candidates from historically underrepresented minority groups for head coaching and senior operation vacancies. “ Rooney Rule may have been well-intentioned. However, well-intentioned or not, what is clear

is that the Rooney Rule is not working,” Flores said.

It is great that teams are interviewing candidates from historically underrepresented groups for top jobs like head coach or general manager. However, doing it strictly because of a rule and facilitating sham interviews whilst also not having any actual intention of hiring them is the opposite of progress.

After his encounter with the Denver Broncos, Flores said he went into it feeling like it was for no other reason than compliance with the Rooney Rule. Flores described his experience by noting that he was kept waiting for up to an hour and then when he was finally called in, it seemed clear his interviewers were unprepared.”I was treated with disdain and held out as someone who was noncompliant and difficult to work with,” Flores said.

Not only did the Rooney Rule fail to diversify the coaching ranks but also abused the minority status of candidates, which stigmatizes them and overshadows their qualifications. It’s simply not enough for the NFL to declare its good intentions.

With little to no enforcement plan, the NFL treats the Rooney Rule like an excuse as opposed to a plan of action.

Téa Sklar/Prowler

The Oscars are fundamentally flawed Cameron Winick Staff Writer The Academy Awards, more commonly known as the Oscars, are one of, if not the most, prestigious awards a film can receive.

Since its inception in 1929, 93 films have won the coveted title of Best Picture, soon to be 94 come March 27. Starting with “Wings” in 1929, and ending with “Nomadland” in 2021, the list of Best Picture winners is an incredibly useful source to see the progression of movies over the course of nearly 100 years.

However, looking back at said list can also show the many pitfalls the Academy has succumbed to time and time again. With 94 years of history under their belt, the Oscars are in no short supply of embarrassing choices in the past.

Whether it was “Shakespeare in Love” winning Best Picture over the beautifully grisly “Saving Private Ryan”, or “Green Book’s” infamous recent win, the Oscars have never quite had the best reputation despite their perceived importance in the industry. The most common critique of the awards is that there’s

a tried-and-true formula to crafting an Oscar-winning movie that can be completely devoid of quality. These kinds of films that are specifically meant to appeal to the Academy voters are often referred to as “Oscar-bait” and are looked down upon by most general audiences and critics. The Academy loves seeing period pieces, dramas about race, films set in Hollywood and dignified, elderly men yelling at each other. So while some films check a couple of these boxes and manage to still be works of quality, there’s always at least one film in the Oscar lineup that’s explicitly there to win awards and nothing else. This pattern can be seen even in 2022 with Kenneth Branagh’s heavily criticized movie “Belfast”, often critiqued for its use of Oscar-bait tactics that will inevitably win the film tons of awards.

Another, and possibly more unfortunate aspect to the Oscars is their “pay-to-win” nature. Year after year, amazing cinema will be released to the public, but will fail to even be nominated for

an Oscar, simply because the studio didn’t put money into an Oscar campaign. The only movies that the Academy recognizes and pushes for are the movies that spend the most money on a campaign for their movie to win. Studios like Netflix, Disney and Twentieth Century Fox (a subsidiary of Disney), will spend upwards of $20 million. In 2018, Netflix spent $25 million alone on a campaign for Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma”. Meanwhile, a piece like Bo Burnham’s incredible portrait of middle school, “Eighth Grade,” was released the same year to no Oscar buzz, as A24 spent nearly nothing on its campaign.

As excited as I am for this year’s Oscars, it should still be stated that the Academy needs to be criticized far more. Far too often, good cinema will be shafted in favor of movies the Academy feels the obligation to reward because they checked the boxes.

An award show like the Oscars should be about rewarding good cinema, not the corporations that distribute them.

Kai Mekari/Prowler

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international week Panther Prowler • March. 7, 2022

International week Hayden Meixner News Editor

Karyss Amato Front Cover Editor

Cassandra Chavarria Staff Writer

Nandini Patro News Editor

From Arabic music in the quad to Vietnamese on PTV, International Week, led by NPHS’ International Baccalaureate (IB) students is a time to learn and immerse is just an opportunity to celebrate diversity in the cultural richness of our campus and also to bring awareness to global issues,” Dogancay said. Each day of the week of Feb. and IB diploma candidate, has been involved in the process of planning International Week activities. “Some activities that are going to take place are that we will be

Global Awareness A new addition to the vast lineup of International Week activities is Global Awareness day. IB students were given the chance to create flyers about world issues they are passionate about. “In the past we’ve only been we’ve really only taken a festive approach to just celebrating diversity which I think is an important part of it but [we’re], trying to create responsible citizens so we also need to take it to the next level and bring global awareness to maybe some of the more serious issues.” Dogancay said. This year’s Global Awareness day flyers offer information on a wide variety of topics ranging from Air Pollution in South Africa to the immigration crisis.

Greetings- Posters around the school showcased languages from different nations, such as Swedish and Spanish. They translate to “Thank you very much” (left), and “Hello, how are you?” (right), to spread awareness to the student body. Reese Kelem/Prowler

Learn- IB students have written the phrase “Please and thank you” in 7 different languages to help educate the campus. Learning phrases, while small, is the first step in the direction of spreading awareness of different cultures to the student body, which is the goal. Reese Kelem/Prowler

Food As IB students continue to spread awareness of different cultures, food and culture day plays a crucial role in this job. As one of the quad activities, IB students make and sell food representative of their cultures. Students explain how these food items are made and explain the cultural significance of the foods they brought.

Various clubs are set up in the quad to sell their foods, one of them being the Make A Wish club which is selling Indian sweets and snacks as well as doing henna for the student body. Himani Pothulu, a member of the club, is excited to sell food at lunch and help spread cultural awareness.

Pothulu believes in the power that food can spread culturally. “I have my own culture to share. I love to learn about cultures other than mine outside of international week,” Pothulu said.

Eshan Badwal, junior and treasurer of Doctors of the World club, another club focused on spreading culture this week, appreciates the message behind International week. “[The goal] is to foster an appreciation for those cultures and for diversity in general. In our ever-changing world, it is imperative that we become more tolerant and accepting of all cultures, and this week helps us at NPHS to do exactly that,” Badwal said.

Adi Chattopadhyay, co-president from the same club, shares a similar opinion on spreading diversity on campus. “A lot of Newbury Park culture is dominated by American culture and we spend most of our time at In-N-Out and MOD pizza and I think being exposed to different foods is important to be a global citizen,” Chattopadhyay said.

Language A huge aspect of the IB program is learning an international language, students have prepared a PTV special highlighting world languages. Mina Nguyen, junior and IB diploma candidate, is one of the leaders in the “Celebrating Languages” category of International Week. “Our focus was mainly on language so we got to show people various languages with their eyes and also with their ears,” Nguyen said. As students walked onto campus on Tuesday, they saw various simple phrases of different languages written in chalk around campus.

Representation- One of the many flags hung up during International Week is displayed in the quad representing over seventy different countries and cultures. Kai Mekari/Prowler

international week Panther Prowler • March 7, 2022

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unites all cultures Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza for all graphics

oneself in the many cultures that make up our school. Deborah Dogancay, IB coordinator, has been working with students to make the event possible, “International Week 28 to March 4, a different activity celebrating diversity as well as commemorating and spreading awareness for more serious global events took place. Tim Chen, junior selling different country foods, having posters or online posts about global news, and activities like the IB dance team performing during nutrition and lunch,” Chen said.

IB Dance As performing arts is a vital concept to the International Baccalaureate program, IB Dance takes its part in International Week as their goal remains to help spread diversity and culture on campus. Vanessa DaKroob, senior and IB diploma candidate, has been preparing with the program for their upcoming concert Friday, March 4. “Part of [dance] is like taking studio dance that we’re all really passionate about and then expanding it to a global scale,” DaKroob said. “So being able to learn different styles all around the world, kind of like connects people through dance, we kind of want to show that movement can express culture.”

IB Dance provided multiple performances during nutrition and lunch on Thursday, March 3. Kaylee Aschbrenner, junior, hopes these performances to spread the program’s mission statement and goal for International Week. “Our mission is to educate students about all the different varieties of dance across the world,” Aschbrenner said. “Also this week is our IB dance concert, so it is also preparing us for that.” From a variety of dance styles across the globe like Cuba, India, Africa, and Mexico, IB paves their way to successfully creating a cultural connection through dance.

Shake- Caitlin O’Keeffe, Makenna Ozuna, and Jane Saylors, seniors, dance along to a Hawaiian song and perform the Hula. The Hula, originally a religious dance to praise the Hawaiian chiefs, originated in the 1800s.

Cameron Winick/Prowler

Quad Activities During International Week, the quad was bursting with cultural activities and experiences. “Students can get involved during international week by participating in events, buying food, and watching the performances,” Chen said. Students will be able to enjoy a dance put on by the IB dancers, eat cultural food sold in the quad and experience international art. Himani Pothulu, junior and full IB diploma candidate, will be making and selling Indian snacks and sweets as well as giving henna to people. The profit made will be donated to the Make a Wish club here on campus. “My goals for this international week are to raise money for the Make a Wish club and most of all have fun with the different cultures represented on campus,” Pothulu said.

The goal of International Week is to get more of the student body involved in practicing global mindsets. Many programs do this through simple enticing ways. “I think students can get involved in making a more inclusive environment by being open-minded to every person and anything that seems different than what you are used to,” Pothulu said. Part of Make A Wish’s goal during this week is exposing the student body to new experiences and getting them involved in activities they are typically not involved in. Ideally, a more involved, accepting environment is the ultimate goal of this week. “I think students could express their cultures and share stories about their differences, talking and accepting all cultures allows for a more inclusive environment,” Pothulu said. Pothulu continues to explain the power and relevance of this week specifically by explaining how exposing the NPHS student body to different cultures and customs in school is largely impactful in many positive ways.

Cameron Winick/Prowler

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features Panther Prowler • March 7, 2022

Mystery Dinner murders any boredom in the audience Gwen Buchanan Back Cover Editor

Murder- Jack Eaton, senior, and Cameron Winick, freshman, carry Aviva Wadro, senior, out of sight just following her stage death. Despite the dark story, the actors kept a comical mood. “I definitely almost broke a couple times… (but) it was a lot of fun,” O’Brien said. Tiana Hoang/Prowler

On Feb. 25 and Feb. 26, the NPHS Theater Department enchanted students, parents and alumni with this year’s production of Mystery Dinner. The play, “Dewitched’’, accompanied by a variety of acts, took place in the cafeteria and was an interactive performance with the audience while they ate dinner.

The story was based on the 60s TV show “Bewitched,” which ran for eight seasons. The play used characters from “Bewitched” to display a story that included the Hogwarts universe. The audience witnessed the death of Aunt Clara, and after an investigation and clues from the other characters, they submitted a guess of who they believed the murderer to be.

Casey O’Brien, senior, played Samantha Stephens, the main character of “Bewitched.” O’Brien has been in the drama club since freshman year, and has been involved in Mystery Dinner all of her four years of high school. “I was in it last year, and I was a waiter and variety act my freshman and sophomore years.

So when I knew that we were doing auditions for drama club, I signed up,” O’Brien said.

Isaac Kalama, freshman, played French Inspector Clouseau from “The Pink Panther” movie series. To prepare his French accent, Kalama studied Peter Sellars, the original actor of

Inspector Clouseau. “I figured out the accent and just practiced that like every day, it was fun,” Kalama said.

The actors also had to rely on their improvisation skills to interact with the audience. “When I was talking to the audience and interacting with them, that was really fun, that was my favorite part,” Kalama said.

During dinner breaks, different students took to the stage to perform Variety Acts. These short shows included singing and even balloon making. Alex Carter, senior, performed the songs “Sin Triangle” and “Mr. Brightside.” They have been performing at mystery dinner since their freshman year. “It’s been tradition for me to be a variety act every single year,” Carter said.

Although the track cut out midway through their song, Carter continued to perform to the beat of the audience clapping their hands. “In the moment, I was so scared, I was like, aaaah!

But after I started singing and everyone started clapping with me, I just felt so loved and it was so much fun,” Carter said.

The two performance nights were filled with food, a variety of shows, and a mystery ready for solving! “ I think it went really well. It was a lot of fun,” O’Brien said. “This is a super tight knit cast so we got to know each other really really well. I just love everyone here.”

Community members drive to create safer streets

Rithu Velu Staff Writer

As drivers take their position behind the wheel, they carry the responsibility of everyone’s safety. Precautionary measures in the streets such as speed bumps and stop signs are set in place to reduce the risk of automobile accidents, some of which occured in local areas in the past couple of years. According to VC Star, within a 12 hour time span on Sept. 1, 2021, three fatal crashes occurred on the local roads of nearby cities including Hillcrest Drive. On Feb. 26, 2022, Matt Wennertstrom, a hero of the Borderline Shooting, died in a motorcycle accident on the W. Lynn Road and E. Kelley Road intersection in Newbury Park.

Children are often seen playing on the streets, however, for some parents such as Samantha Carnell, a Newbury Park resident, her concern about road safety limits the comfort she has with her son playing near or on the street. “I notice a lot of people driving very quickly down the street and it bothers me because he’s outside playing in the front yard,” Carnell said.

Newbury Park is home to countless bikers who can frequently be seen riding the streets. Safety protocols such as bike lanes and street crossings can help aid bikers. Eric Gerald, an avid biker in Newbury Park, believes

Reino Road poses risks for biker safety. “It is quite a narrow road and there have been a few instances of accidents where people are going through that channel way too fast and they lose control. Stop signs would slow down the traffic and make bikers more visible, and also it would probably reduce the number of accidents,” Gerald said.

According to Pines Salomon Injury Lawyers, distracted driving reigns as the top contender for car accidents. Alpa Devgania, an 11 year resident of Newbury Park, feels that addressing the issues of distracted driving can leave a strong mark on road safety. “People always need to watch what they are doing. This rule goes for both pedestrians and drivers. If we follow this concept we would definitely have safer roads,” Devgania said.

Although distracted driving is top on the list, Carnell believes that it is not completely intentional. “I don’t think most people who speed are trying to hurt anyone. They’re just doing something that’s very habitual Bump- Speed bumps are seen throughout Newbury and so they’re just not paying attention. Any sort of cues that might make Park but certain areas don’t have any. “[Speed bumps] are implemented only on my street [and] none of the people pay attention seem like they would be helpful,” Carnell said. surrounding neighborhoods have speed bumps,” Eric Gerald said. Reese Kelem/Prowler

Guest speaker encourages the study of anthropology Melissa Geher Staff Writer

Ava Prapaniku Staff Writer

Ponder- Richard Bradley opens class with the thought of the day. “[Durga Kale] was amazing because [the speech] was so outside the box and my students were with her and engaged the whole time,” Bradley said. Reese Kelem/Prowler

On National Anthropology Day, Feb. 17, Durga Kale, Ph.D student at University of Calgary, spoke on the lack of high school anthropology classes through a Zoom lecture. Within her speech, Kale gave an overview of anthropology and provided avenues for the students to explore. The NPHS anthropology class is the only high school anthropology and comparative religions class in Ventura County.

Many high schools do not include anthropology courses due to its unmentioned prerequisites, causing students to become unaware of the subject. “I think there is a real need to have a sneak peek for anthropology in school and high school levels in order to bridge the gap,” Kale said. “We often speak about translating our knowledge from the classroom into the real world and informing our viewpoint from the real world and bringing it to the class, so anthropology is doing all of that in action.”

Richard Bradley, teacher, instructs the anthropology course at NPHS and recently received the CVUSD February 2022 teacher of the month award. “We are looking at scientific data and research, things like genetics, history, philosophy, art, music, there’s so many

things that go into [anthropology],” Bradley said. “We look at archaeology, cultural anthology, we do a lot of examinations to identify what makes up one’s individual identity, and identity is not just who you are but also who you are now compared to those who are making the rules for society.”

Catherine Gennette, senior, is an aspiring anthropology major and took the class to gain further insight on the subject. “It’s like politics except instead of politics where you believe in your open personal ways and your own personal ethics, anthropology looks at the subject’s beliefs so whatever you’re studying you have to look through their perspective but completely unbiased which I feel is very important for today’s culture and society.” Gennette said.

Altogether, anthropology can be extremely eye opening and introduce students to many foreign concepts. “Anthropology builds a new perspective to look at things around us and having those courses in school and high schools will not be a synthetic insertion into the school curriculum but it will be enhancing and connecting various dots that we study separately through various courses,” Kale said.

VS

Student

Emma Wax/Student what year will the next 1 During leap year occur?

Ariela Behar Staff Writer

3-3

Wax: 2024 Licata: 2024 Answer: 2024

It’s a tie!

Leaping to the right answer!

1-1

2 How tall is Simone Biles?

11 Teacher features

Panther Prowler • March 7, 2022

Sierra Licata/Teacher is the only mammal 5 What capable of flight?

Wax: Flying squirrel Licata: Flying squirrel Answer: A bat

Dracula is not impressed.

1-1

In what state is it legal to hunt 6 unicorns?

Wax: 4’9 Licata:4’10 Answer: 4’8

Wax: North Carolina Licata: Washington Answer: Michigan

Just “short” of her actual height.

1-1

#Savetheunicorns 1-1

awarded to La La Land, 3 Accidentally who actually won the academy award

the name with a famous 7 Sharing modern actress, who was William

Wax: Vatican City Licata: Black Panther Answer: I don’t know

Wax: Anne Hathaway Licata: Anne Hathaway Answer: Anne Hathaway

for Best Picture in 2017?

Shakespeare’s wife?

The difference is only one of them has an Oscar.

2-2

Another day of the wrong answer apparently.

1-1

gaming console did the founder 4 What of Chuck E. Cheese also invent?

Wax: Wii Licata: Xbox Answer: Atari

and which current SNL cast 8 Kanye member are in an online feud?

Tiana Hoang/Prowler

Just like Chuck E. Cheese’s pizza, they’re not quite right.

1-1

Wax: Pete Davidson Licata: Pete Davidson Answer: Pete Davidson

“Hit me with your best shot.”

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Student athletes succeed off the field Cassandra Chavarria Staff Writer Nobody questions a student athlete taking the time to recover from a sprained ankle or broken wrist. Injuries such as those come with a clear understanding that they cannot be ignored. However, student athletes do not only experience an immense amount of stress and strain put on their physical bodies, but also have mental health needs that require recognition.

The pressure associated with being a committed student athlete and juggling an extensive daily routine can create intense emotional responses which are amplified by the demand for performance. Cassie Huber, senior, who will play lacrosse at Eastern Michigan University this fall, feels that her ambitions in life often result in her stress. “There’s a lot that I want to pursue and push myself towards, but with so much on my plate, it gets overwhelming and can be stressful,” Huber said.

Managing the school and sporting environment can lead to student athletes developing mental disorders as well as imbalances in other areas of life. Gabriel Dominguez, senior and soccer player at NPHS, finds it hard to interact with some of his other personal hobbies aside from soccer. “It gets super difficult to manage classes and practice because practice takes out a chunk of my day and it gets exhausting physically and mentally. When I get home from practice I want to eat and then sleep, not go and do hours of homework,” Dominguez said.

Despite efforts to bring awareness to mental health in sports, a negative repertoire persists when it comes to the consideration of the emotional welfare of athletes. Varsity soccer head coach Eric Sanford, who has been at NPHS for 14 years, is working towards breaking this stigma.“I strive to instill in my players that it’s okay to miss practice if you are behind in work or have a lot on your plate,” Sanford said.

The time, energy, and effort that students put into developing skills in their chosen sport as well as school leaves little room for individuals to maintain an overall positive state, constituting to m0tivation burnout. Mental Health Clinician at NPHS Paige Pensivy said. “Burnout of motivation is inevitable and it is best to help students understand that they should accept where they are at currently and assess themselves appropriately.” Mental well-being may be defined when an individual can realize their own potential, can cope with the normal stresses that life may throw at them and can work productively to better themselves.

Emotional knowledge in sports has the ability to foster many benefits, such as building responsibility, accountability, and teamwork which transcend high school.“In playing a sport for so long, it gives you a new perspective on how to function as a collective group, seeing how much I can push myself to be better, a lot of constructive criticism and losses, how to be a good teammate and friend, and creating goals for myself,” Huber said.

Parker Bohl/Prowler

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entertainment Panther Prowler • March 7, 2022

“The Fallout” addresses the issue of school shootings

Katelyn Arrington Staff Writer The Fallout, a high-school drama film released on HBO max on Jan. 27, 2022, stars Jenna Ortega as Vada Cavell, and follows her emotional journey after a shooting occurred at her school.

The movie starts with Vada going into the school bathroom and seeing Mia Reed, played by Maddie Ziegler, and talking to her for a few seconds before hearing several loud gunshots. The two girls hide in the bathroom, and the police come shortly after and kill the shooter. All this happens in the first 20 minutes of the movie, which makes for a very dramatic start.

The rest of the film follows Vada’s emotional journey after the shooting. Vada falls into a depression and experiments with alcohol and drugs. She also starts to develop a relationship with Mia Reed, cutting off her friends and family during the process. Vada eventually attempts to fix things between her parents and friends, and is semi-successful. She tells her mom about the harmful things she has been engaging in and has a heart-to-heart with her dad and sister.

This movie exceeded my expectations. In terms of acting, I felt this was Maddie Ziegler’s best performance I’ve seen. Her acting roles before have felt weak, and it always seemed like she was cast just for being from “Dance Moms”. However, in this film, her emotions were portrayed perfectly and I really felt connected to her character. Even though the movie was only an hour and a half long, I felt connected to the characters in a way as if I had been watching them in a long TV show.

While what Vada went through is not something most people can relate to, traumatic events affect each person differently. Dealing with such events takes time and patience, and I feel that this movie displayed that perfectly.

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

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Melissa Geher Staff Writer On Feb. 4, Japanese-American singer-songwriter Mitski released her sixth studio album, “Laurel Hell,” her first release after declaring an indefinite hiatus in 2019. Through 11 tracks and 32 minutes, “Laurel Hell’’ incorporates a moody synth-pop tone, which is a shift from the singer’s earlier grunge indie rock style. “Laurel Hell ‘’ explores the notions of living in a world that extracts one’s humanity for profit, and experiencing love, whether it is toxic or genuine. The opening song, “Valentine, Texas’’ perfectly captures the idea of love,while depicting the concept of the unknown. Love is not inherently good or bad, but rather has a

Kai Mekari/Prowler

transformative power that can take on nearly every emotion. Though not every song is filled with melancholy, it doesn’t mean the songs are not emotionally vulnerable. The album’s lead single, “Working for the Knife,” discusses the singer’s relationship with herself as an artist in the music industry. The singer metaphorically compares her motivation to work as a knife, a cold, unforgiving object, and the eventual death of creativity. In the song “I Guess,” Mitski mourns the loss of a loved one over hazy, tolling keyboard chords. Even though the album incorporates a new feel, the descriptions of universal feelings continue to shine throughout.

entertainment

Panther Prowler • March 7, 2022

“Murderville” slays audiences

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Ariela Behar Staff Writer

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On Feb. 3, Netflix released the six episode comedy improv series, “Murderville,” which follows the structure of a murder mystery, but is clearly played as a joke. The show’s recurring host, Detective Terry Seattle, is brilliantly played by Will Arnett as he searches for a new investigative partner among a slew of treasured comedians and celebrities as the special guests each episode. The hook is that everyone is given a script except for the episode’s special guest who must solve the mystery in real time.

Audiences, especially those who are fans of comedy, will find it easy to binge the show as it features names such as Conan O’Brien, Kumali Nanjiani and Ken Jeong. These celebrities and more are able to use their top notch improv skills to bring the show to life. Viewers will also find the show to be an interactive experience.

When the murder and evidence are revealed to the special guest, the audience receives the information at the same time which allows them to try and solve the mystery from the comfort of their own couch. As Arnett and the guest visit the suspects, typically three in each episode, every scene is a clear and unique bit. The equally amusing script and improv make for non-stop laughs and pure entertainment.

Usually dependent on the celebrity, it is clear that some episodes are stronger than others. The episode featuring Annie Murphy, most commonly known as Alexis from “Schitt’s Creek,” as an undercover gangster to infiltrate the inner circle of Vinnie “the Fork” is evidently stronger than Sharon Stone’s episode which finds her in the midst of a surgical murder. Although the unscripted aspect is the heart of the show, it is also a risk for the scenes to drag on more than one would like.

While the actors are in their element and clearly having fun, the audience may find moments where it’s tempting to go on their phone during the long-running bits between Arnett, the celebrity guest and the suspect.

Albeit there are flaws, as there are with any show, this series commemorates the true talent and entertainment of improv. With his notorious gravelly voice, Arnett is a gem in the comedy industry and Murderville further proves this fact. It is goofy, laid back, and a refreshing show to turn on no matter what mood you find yourself in. For audiences who are fans of comedy, iconic celebrities breaking character, solving mysteries and constant laughing, Murderville is the perfect choice for the next Netflix binge.

“The Book of Boba Fett” portrays a confusing narrative Katelyn Arrington Staff Writer “The Book of Boba Fett”, a spin off of the popular Star Wars show “The Mandalorian” had its final episode released on Feb. 9. The show follows the legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett, played by Temuera Morrinson, as well as the assassin Fennec Shand, played by Ming-Na Wen. The first episode, titled “Stranger in a Strange Land,” starts with Fett being captured by Tusken Raiders, and failing to escape their camp. It then cuts to five years later, where Fett and Shand have taken control of Jabba the Hutt’s empire in Tatooine. The show then goes on to follow Fett and Shand’s attempt to make a name for themselves by making their mark and befriending powerful people.

Morrinson carries the whole show. His commanding presence really makes Fett stand out from the rest of the characters. “The Book of Boba Fett” also introduces their first major character portrayed by an Asian actress, Ming-Na Wen, who goes

way back with Disney, being known for voice acting Mulan in 1998.

However, I found the show’s plot to be confusing at times. I am Star-Wars familiar, but no expert, and oftentimes the show did not do an adequate job of explaining what was going on.

Another big problem in the show was the flashbacks. Through the whole season, the show takes a strange divergence into Fett’s flashbacks. However, it was difficult to separate the flashbacks from the present day, and more than once I was left confused, not knowing the scene was a flashback.

“The Book of Boba Fett” did have its upsides. The set pieces and acting were amazing, and who doesn’t love “Star Wars”? I did feel more could have been done to make the show less confusing, especially considering how long fans have been waiting for a show with Boba Fett. But, in the end, I did enjoy watching it and would recommend it to anyone who is passionate about “Star Wars”.

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

Kristen Bell saves underwhelming storyline Kira Ivarsdottir Staff Writer With the first episode debuting on Jan. 28, the new Netflix show “The Woman Across the Street from the Girl in the Window” has become a popular source of talk on all social media platforms.

Due to an outstandingly funny performance by Kristen Bell, the show has gained numerous amounts of attention, regarding opinions favoring the show and equally disliking the show.

The comedy surfaces around poking fun at Netflix’s previous thriller movie “The Woman in the Window” which received a 26 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. While the show’s attempt at a playful mockery of their past venture was clear, the reviews have not been as positive as some may have hoped. Despite hilarious performances by Kristen Bell, Mary Holland, and Tom Riley, the story still appeared lukewarm at times. The storyline ends up feeling repetitive and hard to engage with after watching a couple of episodes.

That being said, I believe praise towards Bell’s performance in the show is completely valid despite disliking the actual storyline. With Bell playing the lead role of Anna, a woman suffering from a painful heartbreak who witnesses a violent event, her clever combination of comedy and seriousness influences many hilarious moments that ensure audible laughter. Similar to Amy Adams’ character in the previous thriller, both main characters have a mental illness that influences them to stay in their house for the duration of their day. With Bell’s character having a mental illness called ombrophobia, the fear of rain, and Adams’ character having agoraphobia, an extreme fear of entering crowded spaces, the show represents a comical contrast between topics discussed in the movie compared to the show.

Ultimately, I believe that the new Netflix show would have been more successful overall if it took place in a two and a half hour movie format. Because the show’s main ideas and plot have already been done, a movie format would have avoided inevitable moments of boredom throughout the episodes in order to speed up the overall story. However, if streaming audiences have time to spare and do not mind semi-predictable storylines, and wish to find a new comedy show, they may find the parody a worthy watch.

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14 Softball season swings into play sports

Panther Prowler • March 7, 2022

Ava Prapaniku Staff Writer

Josie Gardner Staff Writer

The spring season for NPHS girls’ softball swung into play at a home game against Oak Park High School on Feb. 16. Bryan Matney, the varsity coach, and Mark Gralmick, the JV coach, worked with their teams to prepare for the spring season.

Gralmick said he is excited to get out onto the dirt and watch the girls improve as players and as people. “My goal as a coach is to not just make them better players but to hopefully help them become more aware of what they’re capable of,” Gralmick said.

At the start of each game, different emotions come to the players and this season has special importance to the upperclassmen players who used to play with the late Coach Dagan. For Kaitlyn Larson, senior on the varsity team, her adrenaline rises as she warms up and cheers on the rest of her team.

“For a lot of us seniors there’s a lot of meaning that goes into [the games]. With coach Dagan’s passing earlier this school year, it puts a lot more meaning into the games, especially home games, they’re very powerful for us,” Larson said.

This is Lauren Calverley’s first year playing softball for NPHS. She is a freshman on the frosh-soph team and was welcomed into her first season by an unexpected hail storm. “We’ve already had two games and we won one but one got canceled,” Calverly said. “The hail hurt a lot, it was really cold but when it started actually hailing, we just called it off.”

High school teams allow players to gain life long friendships with teammates and become closer. “I think these friendships are going to grow with me as I get older and I’m going to have them for the rest of my life and have this support system that I know I can turn to,” Larson said. “These are friends that I know I want to be with on and off the field and that’s something that I very much value.”

Softball is more than just a sport for many of the players and coaches integrate their own principles into the game. “There’s a lot of life lessons to be learned from softball. I just hope that the girls are having fun and accomplishing what they set out Swoosh!- Paige Henry, senior, initiated the game by pitching the ball. but the team came up short, losing the game on Feb. 28. “This to accomplish,” Gralmick said. “Everything looks on target; I think this is gonna be season I look forward to winning more games [but] I can see us having a little bit of a rocky start since we have a lot of unknowns an exciting season and we have an opportunity to do some really good things.” leading up to this season but everythings finally coming together,” Larson said. Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

Boys’ volleyball serves into the court Taylor Gibson Staff Writer

Spike!- In a home game, Houston Hull, number 15, plays against Santa Barbara, and his favorite part about playing volleyball is, “Probably the level that everyone is at is pretty high so it’s so fun to be able to have good rallies and stuff like that,” said Hull. Parker Bohl/Prowler

With spring season starting up, the NPHS boys’ volleyball team is eager to begin playing and winning games and putting their hard work and determination to use.

Tyson Grimes, junior, plays as an outside hitter on the junior varsity team. JV players are working hard and confident in their ability to succeed this season. “We have pretty high goals. We have quite a few older guys so we are hoping to be able to win league and go as far as we can,” Grimes said.

In preparation for games, the players have been putting in effort during practices and working on mental stamina on the court. “New season means new people on each team and it’s important to make sure everyone is comfortable with everyone else’s playing style,” Grimes said. “A lot of volleyball is mental so you kind of just have to take it one play at a time and reset after each point to make sure you don’t get in your own head.”

Houston Hull, sophomore, plays for varsity as a middle blocker. Hull puts in a great deal of effort with his team to ensure best possible performance. “All of us work our hardest which helps us prepare for the best teams,” Hull said. “Usually I try to just think about the people I’m playing against and I think about their weaknesses and their tendencies.”

While players are confident in their abilities, Hull recognizes room for improvement among the varsity team. “I think just our communication and work ethic is something everyone on the team should work on,” Hull said.

Arthur McGregor, sophomore, is a libero on the junior varsity team. During practices, there is a lot to think about to be able to best benefit the team. “Focusing on my job and my position and what I need to do in order to let my teammates be able to do their jobs,” McGregor said. “A good part of volleyball is learning how to work together when a rally gets bad and that connection just takes time playing together.”

McGregor has high hopes for this season, and is confident in his team’s ability to succeed. “We have a pretty strong team this year and I think it is within our skill set to go undefeated. I think we all work hard when we need to, but also love to mess around and have fun,” McGregor said.

Prior to joining the team, McGregor had to think about lots of different aspects to ensure he had a good experience, “Well we have a really great program and a really good coaching staff, and it’s a really good team environment, you get a lot of friends and it makes you feel like you’re in a good group of guys,” McGregor said.

Grimes enjoys many parts of volleyball, but especially loves the energy on the court. “It’s a pretty unique sport because there aren’t many team sports where you get to go back and forth on offense and defense so quickly which makes it really fun. There’s also a type of excitement after a big play that is really awesome,” Grimes said.

sports Panther Prowler • March 7, 2022

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Girls’ lacrosse jumps into spring season

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Graphic Designer

Ava Prapaniku Staff Writer

While waving their lacrosse sticks, NPHS girls’ lacrosse teams head right into their new season on Feb. 23 at an away game at Oak Park High School. Now that the practices are back to normal after the pandemic, the team has formed one close-knit group.

Daniella Guyette, senior, is a goalie for the varsity lacrosse team and is also one of their captains. “I’m feeling really excited for [this season]. We’ve trained especially hard over this pre-season and a lot of the younger players have been developing their skills which overall raises our strength in the team and further prepares us for any challenges we may face,” Guyette said.

Not only are the seniors excited for the upcoming season, but there is also a lot of excitement towards welcoming younger members to the team. Sophia Laubner, senior on the varsity team, remembers being very intimidated as a freshman. “Now that I’m a senior, I’m looking at the entire experience differently. I’m just really thankful for the team and Coach Yarger for changing the culture and welcoming a lot more players that maybe wouldn’t have come out,” Laubner said.

The only freshman on the varsity team, Beatrice Macdonald, feels right at home with the team. “I’m just ready to play and I’m excited because I love lacrosse,” Macdonald said.

“I don’t really feel like I’m the only freshman because I’ve played club with these girls too so I feel like I fit in.”

This season the teams attempted a new method of practicing. “We had newer players practicing with a coach named Tony [Estrada] and then the more experienced players practice with the head coach, Michelle Yarger, and I think that worked really well,” Laubner said. “And now that we’re in the real season and we’re all practicing together, we’re gelling a lot more because the newer players feel more confident since they were able to practice with the same type of skill.”

A lot of the players have high expectations for the coming season and hope to beat prior years’ accomplishments. “I think the season overall will go pretty well. I’m hoping that we’ll definitely make it outside of the Marmonte league, hopefully winning that,” Fast break- Reagan Laubner, sophomore, is an attacker on the NPHS varsity lacrosse team and feels that the season has Guyette said. “I’m hoping that we’ll make another run for the CIF championships, been off to a great start. “It’s always a fun time at practices and I think we have a really strong team this year. The games are though I think this time around will be a lot harder where our competition has gotten going to be fun and we’re going to come up hard,” Laubner said. Reese Kelem/Prowler a lot better and I hope that our hard work and practice throughout the pre-season has payed off and that we’ll be able to make it as far as we did last year.”

Boys’ tennis makes a “racquet”

Allison Nguyen Features Editor

With the new spring season approaching, many sports teams are making their way back onto the fields and courts. For the NPHS boys tennis team, the start of this new season means more opportunities and more excitement.

Ronak Santhosh, junior and varsity singles player, has been on the team since his freshman year and is very excited to be getting back into routine.“ Typically, we have practice on every single school day of the week when we don’t have a game, so essentially Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and these practices are from 2:30 p.m to 4 p.m. and we start out with some warm ups, like stretching, and then some sprints and working on movements that we use in tennis,” Santhosh said. “Then we go on to hit some balls and play some double sets.”

Prior to the start of the season, the players got together to play a group scrimmage against each other to get into the feel for the game. For Jared Gillespie, senior, this has been an annual event that he has gone through for all of his time on the team. “We also have something called Black and Gold, which is basically where just the Newbury Park team itself splits into two teams and they play against each other in a normal match style format,” Gillespie said.

When debating over doubles or singles, there are a few factors that these players look at before going in. Jackson Kurtz, sophomore, is speaking his first year on the varsity team as a doubles player. “I like playing doubles more because you have more opportunities to come up to the net and the play-style is different, which I happen to like more,” Kurtz said. “In doubles, there’s a lot less running around and a lot more team spirit because you have a partner when you’re playing and there’s a lot more opportunities to get really nice shots and the game plays a lot quicker because you have more people on the court.”

For many of the seniors, this is the last sports season before their graduation. “I hope that we’ll be able to go to CIF this year as we’ve actually been able to go to every year that I’ve been on the team so far, except for the year they got canceled because of COVID,” Gillespie said. “Personally, I haven’t been playing as much as I was in the past couple years so I just hope that I can go out there and play my best and stay positive and just have fun.”

No matter what challenges there are, the players are excited to see what this new season holds. “I’m excited to have a lot more different varieties of players and a more diverse set of high schools around the state [to play against], especially considering since last year with COVID there were a limited number of Serve- Karthik Tholudur, sophomore, returns the ball across the net as he competes against other schools. high schools participating [in the season] and we didn’t get to play as many teams as we usually would’ve,” Like Tholudur, Ronak Santhosh, junior, is also looking forward to playing. “There’s nothing like facing the challenge and physical adversity of having to play your best shots,” Santhosh said. Tiana Hoang/Prowler Santhosh said.

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back cover Panther Prowler • March. 7, 2022

Girls' sand volleyball sets up f r success Wham- Emma Schuetz, senior, spikes the ball over the net during a tournament.

“My favorite part about sand volleyball is the dynamic of the sport. It is a very fun environment and, for me personally, being on the team is beneficial for indoor,” Schuetz said.

Tiana Hoang Managing Editor

All photos by Cassandra Chavarria/ Prowler

As the girls’ indoor volleyball season ends in late October, many players return to the court for sand volleyball, which starts up in the spring. Sand volleyball was just made a CIF sport, and many of the players are hopeful at making playoffs. The team practices twice a week with tournaments on the weekend.

With a new head coach and a sense of comradery already fostered in the indoor season, the season is off to a blazing start.

Jump- The tight-knit team sits on the sand during a break. Kalyna Lewus, senior, has been playing on the varsity sand volleyball team since she was a freshman, and reflects on her experiences as an underclassman. “I look at the freshmen and I remember when I was in their position,” Lewus said. “Your perspective changes as the years progress, so it's cool being one of the seniors and being able to kind of like, lead and guide the freshmen.

Slide- Kylie Reimer (right), freshman, and Kimiko Carmer (left), freshman, partner up for a tournament against Adolfo Camarillo High School. “[I’m most looking forward to] getting better at the sport and getting to know my teammates more,” Reimer said.

Support- Natalie Lachberg, junior, extends a helping hand to Emma Schuetz, senior, after a particularly exciting play. The girls value sportsmanship and support, whether it be during practice or a game. George Hees, the new head coach, is also the JV coach for the indoor program. “This is my third year at Newbury Park, so I've gotten to know some of these girls, especially the seniors. So I enjoy having another opportunity to work with them to teach them about volleyball and to continue to see them grow,” Hees said.