2020-2021 Issue 3 (Nov. 6, 2020)

PANTHER

PROWLER

Friday, Nov. 6, 2020 • Issue III • Newbury Park High School 456 N Reino Rd, Newbury Park, CA 91320 • pantherprowler.org

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Editorial

3 Election 4 Voter Suppression 5 Softball 6 Bipartisan Supreme Court 7 Britney Spears 8-9 LGBTQ+ 10 Super Joey 11 Tea Time 12 Among Us 13 The Thinning 14 E-Sports 15 Lacrosse 16 Pumpkin Carvings

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editorial Panther Prowler • Nov. 6, 2020

High school delay provides crucial time for preparation On Oct. 20, the CVUSD Board of Education voted 4-1 with an honorary that they are being treated unfairly by the district in comparison to their yes from student trustee Addie Craig to send high schools back to in-person younger peers. However, these abled, non-ELL and relatively affluent high learning on Jan. 19, the start of the second semester. This is roughly two school students must understand the difficulties with transitioning to an months after middle and elementary returns. Waiting until Jan. 19 will allow in-person model unique to high school and that they are the least affected time for the district to address multiple scheduling stakeholder. The formulaic approach of classes in high school issues, to prevent class disruption for students, and of video notes outside of class and discussions in class prioritize the health and safety of all. was largely in place before COVID-19, and while it is Making the transition without sufficient undeniable that high schoolers do suffer from some time is an impossible scheduling feat. While a effects of distance learning, we must acknowledge that surface-level fix of schedule rearrangement was a rapid return of high schools, particularly before the offered up, students do not want their teachers district is ready, will be unnecessarily reckless as well as switched around in the middle of a quarter, or no more effective than what is currently in place. to be removed from their current classes. Each The vote for Jan. 19 was a decision that prioritized teacher has a different approach to education, the students, the teachers and the staff of CVUSD. and the development of student-teacher This delay provides NPHS the time to cover all the Prasheetha Karthikeyan/Prowler relationships throughout the year is critical considerations up in the air and gives the district the to student success, especially for upperclassmen unique opportunity to pilot methods and programs by seeking recommendation letters. The district must take this socialschool site. If we cannot ensure that students and staff will be better off after emotional damage into account, and needs time to develop systems that will re-opening than before, all this will have been for nothing. The district must not disturb student-to-student or student-to-teacher dynamics. nail this on the first try, and a measured approach is the only way to enable Even if class scheduling could occur perfectly, making any rapid them to do so. scheduling changes would harm student success in learning and curriculum continuity. Counselors must rearrange student schedules to account for proper cohort sizing while departments must pool curriculums. One Front Cover Caption: suggestion for the blended model was to have two teachers cover the same Unity - As the world becomes more inclusive, lack of knowledge on gender class period, one remotely, the other in-person. Pragmatically, this would identity is becoming an issue and LGBTQ+ activists are working hard to not work. Take the English department as one example: different periods incorporate it into CVUSD. Lexi Ercolini’bhatia and Finn Swanson attended the trans rights rally in an effort to support the LGBTQ+ community in of the same classes cover their literature in different orders, making it Conejo Valley. Anna Johnson/Prowler impossible for this system to function effectively at NPHS. Students do not deserve to suffer the loss or interruption of their valuable curricula.

For the Record from Issue II: Some high schoolers have organized protests against this date, believing McGlauthon Fleming IV’s name was spelled incorrectly on pg.12

PANTHER PROWLER Editors-in-Chief Manas Khatore Jessica Zhou

Features Editor Carter Castillo

2020-2021 staff

Copy Editors Staff Writers Gwen Buchanan Parker Bohl Carter Castillo Hayden Meixner Abby Gorman Nandini Patro Anna Johnson McGlauthon Fleming IV Sarena Kabir Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Prasheetha Karthikeyan Sera Mohammed Adalia Luo Allison Nguyen

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

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 • Nov. 6, 2020

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2020 election results come in Carter Castillo Features Editor

Carter Castillo/Prowler

On Nov. 3, millions of Americans headed to the polls to vote in the presidential election along with local elections. As of Nov. 6 at 7:30 AM, the Associated Press (AP) has called 264 electoral votes for former Vice President Joe Biden to incumbent President Donald Trump’s 214 electoral votes. 270 electoral votes are needed to win.

Joe Biden has currently flipped the states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona. As of Nov. 6 at 7:30 AM, the AP has not called the races in Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

Biden only needs to win one of these states to win the presidency according to the AP, while Trump has to win every single one. Biden is on track to win the election as he leads in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Nevada.

The clerk recorder of Ventura County released the results for local elections. Lauren Gill is the apparent winner of the CVUSD Area 5 school board election, winning 7,728 votes or 53.06 percent of the total vote share. Gill defeats incumbent school board member Sandee Everett, who won 6,837 votes, garnering 46.94 percent of the total vote share. In the CVUSD Area 1 school board election, Karen Sylvester took 9,225 votes or 68.89 percent of the vote share, beating Patti Jones who won 4,165 votes or 31.11 percent of the vote share.

In the Thousand Oaks City Council race, Joel R. Price and Al Adam are the two apparent winners. Incumbent congresswoman Julia Brownley, incumbent state sen.

Henry Stern and incumbent state assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, all Democrats, fended off their Republican challengers and were re-elected. County wide results show that Biden carried Ventura County with 60.32 percent of the vote to Trump’s 37.78 percent.

High school reopening delayed until January Carter Castillo Features Editor On Oct. 22, the CVUSD Board of Education voted to approve an amended school reopening plan that would delay the beginning of the blended education model for high school until Jan. 19. The motion passed four to one with an honorary vote from student trustee Addie Craig. Trustees Betsy Connolly, Cindy Goldberg, Bill Gorback and Jenny Fitzgerald all voted in favor of the motion with Trustee Sandee Everett being the sole dissent.

Dr. Mark McLaughlin, superintendent of CVUSD, explained the rationale behind the delay, explaining that there would be a lot of schedule changes. “The information that came back from our surveys indicated that now we have large adjustments that would be taking place between students either moving from remote to blended or blended to remote,” McLaughlin said.

When considering the schedule changes, McLaughlin and other district administration had to consider the needs of every student and teacher. “[The schedule changes would] impact our students and the classes that they would be taking, and who their teachers would be,” McLaughlin said.

Stephen Lepire, principal at NPHS, recognized the importance that school staff has in promoting the social and emotional well-being of students. “Our first line of defense is the staff at NPHS. Our counselors stay in close contact with any student that is struggling. Each Friday, the administrative and counseling team meets together and one of the standing agenda items is individual student concerns which can include social-emotional support, attendance support, behavior support or general support depending on the issue,” Lepire said.

The biggest concern of reopening for Caitlin Keeler, science teacher, is having a seamless transition to blended learning. “My biggest concern was navigating classes where I have blended and remote students in the same cohort. Teachers are working lots of extra hours and are stretched very thin and a mid-quarter switch to in-person learning would have been an extra burden,” Keeler said.

It became apparent to McLaughlin and district administration that this delay was almost inevitable. “I received feedback from our counselors, our APIs and our principals that there’s going to be major issues. That’s when I realized that it wasn’t going to be as easy as was anticipated at the start of the year when we went into these cohorts,” McLaughlin said.

The decision was met with controversy from members of the community and local politicians, but Lepire stressed the importance of unity over division. “Everybody has a right to their beliefs and opinions. Are we all going to agree all the time? No. Just because somebody has a different opinion than another, that does not define them as a bad person. We as a community need to continue to engage in positive and thoughtful conversations and dialogues that lead to productivity, not destruction,” Lepire said.

Although the reopening of high school is delayed, it is clear that district administration and teachers are working to create a smooth transition to reopening in January. “Reopening is so important, and I believe we all want it to be as smooth and seamless as possible. Teachers want students to have a positive experience going back and so much of that positive experience is having teachers who have had adequate time to prepare,” Keeler said.

Reopen The CVUSD school board approved a schedule for the return to in-person classes during the Oct. Reopen22 board meeting. All CVUSD high schools are planned to go into a blended model starting on Jan. 19, the Carter Castillo/Prowler

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news Panther Prowler • Nov. 6, 2020

Voter suppression continued through the 2020 election McGlauthon Fleming IV Staff Writer According to Britannica, voter suppression is “any legal or extralegal measure or strategy whose purpose or practical effect is to reduce voting, or registering to vote, by members of a targeted racial group, political party, or religious community.” Voter suppression occurred across the nation in order to deter voters from participating in this 2020 election. A variety of separate incidents, including ballot box burning and a possible shutdown of the U.S. Postal Service, took place throughout this year’s election cycle.

On Nov. 4 and 5 there was a call to stop counting votes in the states where ballots were presently being counted that had been projected to favor Joe Biden. Pres. Donald Trump first went on a Twitter rant about the come behind numbers.

On Oct. 18 in Baldwin Park, California, George Silva stopped his bike ride to record firefighters putting out the fire in the official ballot box. This resulted in the destruction of 100 ballots, leaving only one sanctioned ballot box in the city. All voters in the area were then urged to contact their city hall officials to make sure that their votes were getting counted.

In 2020, U.S. Postal services were not given additional COVID 19 relief funds and it was almost shut down as it would not have enough money to keep running. The U.S. Postal Service got its funding and over 31 million Americans could send in their ballots.

On Oct. 22, John Ratcliffe, the Director of National Intelligence, revealed that Russia and Iran had been behind a series of threatening emails sent out to voters. A series of emails across the U.S. had been sent to Democratic voters threatening them with violence to vote for Trump and saying they were a part of the far-right militia called the “Proud Boys”. This is false information and two foreign countries have gained access to the voter registration of over 150 million Americans.

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

School board adopts school choice policy Abby Gorman Editorial Editor

Plan These are the designated boundaries for the area surrounding EARTHS Magnet School. The proposal includes the Plan“Cameo” track, the “Michael Manor” track, as well as a group of houses north of the 101 Freeway on Hillcrest Dr. not featured in this diagram. Adalia Luo/Prowler

At the Oct. 20 meeting, the CVUSD board voted unanimously to adopt the revamped school choice policy for the 2021-22 school year. Of the four presented, option one was selected with some slight modifications.

The plan follows a three-tier system. The first tier continues preschool, sibling and employee priority, meaning if the applicant was in attendance at the site’s preschool, has a sibling who is currently attending the school, or a parent who works there, they will have priority. In addition, all on-time kindergarten applicants within the “Proximate Area” to be placed by default. The new boundaries for the Proximate Area surrounding EARTHS Magnet School include both the “Cameo” track, the “Michael Manor” track, as well as a group of houses north of the 101 Freeway on Hillcrest Dr. In tier two, 15% of the remaining spaces would be for on-time kindergarten applicants who live within the Manzanita boundaries; this is a preexisting area that was used to determine the school’s zone when it was Manzanita Elementary. In addition, all on-time applicants from grades 1-5 who reside within the “Proximate Area” would be placed within the pending space. Tier three consists of any spots left open after placing those within the first two tiers. “All remaining spaces would be allocated accordingly to all on-time applicants,” Luis Lichtl, Assistant Superintendent, said.

The only other significant change was in regards to the sibling priority policy.

With this approach, the older sibling is required to have attended said school in the prior year, removing the requirement for attending in the future year as well. “If the older sibling was a fifth-grader and they had an incoming kindergartener, that would still qualify for sibling priority,” Lichtl explained.

news

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Panther Prowler • Nov. 6, 2020

Businesses begin to reopen Dhruv Patel Ad Team Nandini Patro Staff Writer

As COVID-19 cases have decreased locally, Ventura County has moved into the red tier, meaning that businesses and other operations can open under strict regulations. Indoor dining is now allowed for restaurants, and other services can begin to allow members inside.

Snapper Jack’s Taco Shack is just one of the businesses that has started to allow customers inside.

Stephanie Zager, senior and employee at Snapper Jack’s, believes it is difficult to have indoor dining but the precautions allow for the safest possible experience.

“We have limited seating,” Zager said. “All customers also have to wear masks the entire time they’re in the restaurant except when seated.” Employees wear masks the entire time, frequently wash their hands and work behind a glass screen when taking orders. While Zager feels safe from wearing her own mask, she feels other customers do not wear theirs correctly. “I also am constantly having to tell people to not only wear their mask but to put it over their nose,” Zager said.

One of the main businesses that was hit hard by COVID-19 were gyms due to the fact that all members use the same hands-on equipment. Like restaurants, gyms have all the customers and employees wear masks and their temperatures must be checked before Snap Karate students at Jacob Flame’s Tang Soo Do University break wooden boards with their bare hands and feet. These students are staying safe amid the Snapentering. There is also a limit to how many people are COVID-19 pandemic by abiding by procedures in place at the dojo.“All instructors wear masks and check temperatures whenever we enter the studio,” Robert allowed at the gym at one time. Matt Lippert, junior, Ramirez, an instructor at the karate studio, said. Robert Ramirez/With Permission has been to Fitness 19 and experienced these new changes first hand. “They clean all of the equipment every hour... and they have [covers to prevent germs during all class times, we limit our class sizes and offer Zoom classes,” which we wipe down after every use. For the most part it is just a from spreading] on all the door handles,” Lippert said.

Jacob Flame’s Tang Soo Do University, a karate studio Ramirez said. “Also, students get their temperature checked at the regular time with extra steps.”

Through difficult times, businesses have found in Newbury Park, began holding classes inside the studio door and we sanitize the mat after every class.”

Ramirez feels safe working at the studio because he carries out resourceful ways to continue their service. Following for the first time in months. Their precautions are the standard temperature, sanitize and mask requirements. each of these precautions himself. “For the most part it feels like the state guidelines, employees and customers have worked Robert Ramirez, freshman at Moorpark College, works studio is almost normal,” Ramirez said. “We cannot train hand-to- together to create close to normal experiences for everyone. at the karate studio. “Front and back doors are open hand with each other but we can still run drills and use equipment

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Staff Writer After being up in the air for nearly ten years, a new softball field is coming to NPHS. The plan was proposed about two years ago and construction began about a month ago.

“They’re making really good progress, so we feel like the girls are going to be able to play on the field this spring,” Stephen Lepire, principal, said. For the girls’ softball team, this could possibly mean playing on campus during their spring season. Prior to the construction of this field, the girls’ softball team had been practicing a few blocks away from NPHS at Borchard Park.

In the past, students would have to walk to Borchard Park for practice because of the lack of a field on campus. “Honestly I feel that they’re excited about [the new softball field], excited to be right there and not have to go a block or so to the park,” Mike Dagan, head coach of the girl’s softball team said. Dagan believes that with the installation of this new field there will be more school spirit surrounding the softball team. He also hopes that there will also be more participation in both players and people coming to watch games.

According to Jason Klein, athletic coordinator, the field was paid for with district funds after the bids and funds were approved this last summer.

“Anytime that we can have a facility for Panther students on campus, you know that’s a well-used facility, I think it’s a good thing,” Klein said.

Construction- With students home online, Newbury Park High School has not slowed down on revamping their campus site.

Construction “Once it’s done, it’s gonna be a neat little part of the facility. You know, fortunately we had the space, it’s going to work out really good. And so I think people are gonna really enjoy it,” Lepire said. Stephen Lepire/With Permission

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opinion Panther Prowler • Nov. 6, 2020

The Supreme Court should not have political affiliations Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Staff Writer Today in American politics, there is a heavy emphasis on our two-party system. While parties were originally intended to bring together those with similar ideologies, those political leanings are irrelevant in the judicial branch, which the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is a part of.

“The Court is charged with ensuring the American people the promise of equal justice under law and, thereby, also functions as guardian and interpreter of the Constitution,” the SCOTUS official website reads. If it is meant to represent the Constitution and the people, the justices should be varied in ideology and backgrounds in order to uphold and interpret the Constitution to represent citizens.

Under Pres. Trump’s administration and the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a majority of SCOTUS’s justices have conservative views. Issues such as the ability for same-sex

couples to adopt and abortion rights are against conservative leaning views. Although I believe that these issues are basic human rights rather than political opinions. These should not be up for debate as human rights issues because they tie directly into the statement our country was built upon: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The fact that these rights are a discussion is a disgrace.

Since six out of the nine justices tend to vote more conservatively people are concerned about losing rights.

Justices on the Supreme Court should not be thinking politically, as it is not relevant to their line of work on the Supreme Court. SCOTUS is there to interpret the Constitution without biases from the happenings of politics between parties, although right now it doesn’t seem like that is happening.

We need to look beyond the bubble Reese Kelem Chief Photographer

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Debates must be morally sound Emma Schoors Opinion Editor Presidential debates should not be a platform for disgusting jabs and personal attacks.

The 2020 election season has been some of the most tense couple of months in many Americans’ lifetimes. Pres. Donald Trump has been one of the most polarizing and deeply unqualified holders of office, and a deadly pandemic means voters were forced to either send in their ballot through a sabotaged postal system, or risk infection by voting in person.

To top it all off, the presidential debates have been a complete and utter disaster. A tradition that is typically used to gather genuine information about political candidates has turned into a televised catfight.

One of the most stomach-curling moments of the first presidential debate occurred when Trump baselessly attacked former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. “Hunter got thrown out of the military… he was dishonorably discharged,” Trump said, without evidence, “for cocaine use.” Biden quickly denied the unbacked claim. “My son, like a lot of people you know at home, had a drug problem,” he said. “He’s overtaken it.

He’s fixed it. He’s worked on it, and I’m proud of him. I’m proud of my son.”

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Hunter Biden is no less worthy of a human being because of his past struggles with drug addiction. Thousands of families have been fraught with addiction, and it is not something to joke about, ever. If anything, Hunter Biden should be embraced for overcoming his addiction. Candidates should, if bringing up the subject of addiction, make clear that asking for help is never a sign of weakness, nor is struggling with it in the first place.

Donald Trump’s sense of empathy, or rather lack thereof, has minimized to a disgusting degree. This is a sign that Trump has no plan for the country. A man, if you can even call him that, that has to attack his opponent’s family in order to get through a debate, is a man that is not suitable to be in office.

Presidential debates should be a stage for discussing candidates viewpoints on important issues facing the country.

Racism, healthcare, climate and COVID-19 could have been much more thoroughly debated, had it not been taken over by Trump’s angry and incoherent interruptions. Muting candidates microphones, leaving more time for answers, and regulating irrelevant discussion is critical to informing Americans more effectively.

It is not uncommon for students that live in Dos Vientos (DV) to be labeled as “the rich kids,” since we all come from a secluded community on the top of Borchard. The moment we go down Borchard hill, the pseudo-bubble created by our gentrification, which has inadvertently changed our entire lives, becomes visible. We must realize this privilege is wrong and step outside our bubble, instead of hiding behind it.

Surrounded with similar views and lifestyles, my neighbors and I don’t realize that the world is much more diverse than the view outside our windows, where every house is identical. Diverse culture and socio-economic differences vary in every corner of TO past DV, and it’s our responsibility to amplify their voices of. This segregation created by these majority-white communities prevents us from being exposed to necessary diversity and stunts our education in the real world. Those in DV currently choose to turn a blind eye to the disparity just outside our bubble. It is our responsibility to use our privilege to give them the spotlight. We need to break this self-made barrier blocking us from facing the consequences of our oppression.

Our intentional ignorance is detrimental to us, but more importantly, the communities we are obligated to support.

By stepping out of the bubble, we enter a diverse world where we can view issues we have never had to face. We can’t just remove ourselves from the harsh parts of society because privileged parents want to “protect” their children. We must become tolerable of political, religious and social ideas, and breaking down this barrier will enable this. In turn, it will better our mindset and embracing of others, a bare necessity to make competent, educated and inclusive decisions.

We also don’t get much first-hand experience on many socio-economic crises, such as the financial impact that COVID-19 is taking on the working class. At the most basic level, I never even realized that most families don’t have housekeepers weekly or a TV in every room until 5th grade.

I was rarely exposed to the experiences of those in different circumstances and never realized how well off I was.

It is essential that we notice how bubbled we are, and see where we have the ability to amplify suppressed voices and make change, as well as gain respect for others in the process.

Stop hiding behind your Dos Vientos mansions with your wine glasses and charcuterie boards. Educate yourself, engage with others and stop the systemic segregation that we continue to foster by hiding.

opinion

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Panther Prowler • Nov. 6, 2020

Free Britney Spears Abby Gorman Editorial Editor It would be hard to forget singer Britney Spears’ 2007 public breakdown. Following her divorce from Kevin Federline, she made headlines for frequent erratic behavior, including shaving her head, attacking the paparazzi and locking her and her children in their home, ultimately leading to Britney’s first involuntary psychiatric hold.

Britney was soon placed under a temporary conservatorship, intended to stay in place until she was deemed “mentally stable.” However, due to her alleged early-onset dementia diagnosis at only 26, her father Jaime Spears and attorney Andrew Wallet, named as “conservators,” were granted permanent control over her assets and estate by year’s end, giving them the ability to conduct business on her behalf, sell her property, and control visitors to her property.

Conservatorships are often created for the benefit of the elderly, infirm or disabled in managing their finances, but because the system has little legal monitoring, conservator abuse and manipulation are unfortunately not abnormal. The agreement made in court over Britney is a blatant abuse of authority, taking control of aspects of life not typically involved in conservatorship.

At the age of 38, Britney remains unable to do any of the following without her father’s permission: leave her house, vote, drive a car, get married, have children, view her bank statements, and, perhaps most disturbing, speak about the conservatorship publicly. Jaime can legally put his daughter into a mental facility for speaking out against him.

The validity of the conservatorship is also worth questioning, leading to one overarching inquiry: If Britney is so incapable of taking care of herself, why is she still working? Since being placed under conservatorship, she has released 4 albums, held 3 worldwide tours, made countless appearances on TV shows, and held a four-year-long Las Vegas performance residency. Surely her competencies would be significantly affected 12 years into suffering from early-onset dementia?

We may not know the ins and outs of her situation, but it does not take insider information to see that this conservatorship was not created or being executed with Britney’s best interests in mind. Throughout the course of her legal battle, many allegations of financial manipulation at the hands of her conservators have been made, although been consistently denied by her father’s legal team. While this is problematic, it should not be our focus. The driving force of the #FreeBritney movement should be her unhappiness in the conservatorship and interest in obtaining her autonomy.

While it is true that she has struggled with mental illness, Britney is a woman living a heavily restricted life and wishes to escape. Regardless of your personal views of her career or past decisions, this should be enough of a reason to fight for her.

Britney’s situation is a microcosm of the rights we deny to those with mental illness. If this abuse can legally happen to someone with the platform and audience of Spears, consider those suffering behind closed doors. We must continue to speak up for the injustices that occur within our legal system every day, especially for those who cannot stand up for themselves. #FreeBritney.

Prasheetha Karthikeyan/Prowler

Siblings teach each other Gwen Buchanan Back Cover Editor

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

As Pamela Dugdale once said, “siblings are the people we practice on, the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring quite often the hard way.”

The strangest relationship two or more people can share is the bond of siblings. All older, younger and middle brothers and sisters know what I mean. Siblings are the only people on Earth who can love and hate each other at the same time, yet siblings come with many emotional and physical challenges and benefits Despite the kicking, screaming and hair pulling from all the fights over the years, we love our siblings to death. There is no person on earth who understands someone as well as their brother or sister. Siblings teach each other valuable lessons while growing up and long afterwards.

The division of attention, time and money parents must give their kids serves as a humbling reminder to most siblings that they aren’t the center of the universe.

For example, if one sibling gets more presents than the other for their birthdays, it is something the both children must come to terms with. Accepting that not all situations can be fair or in your favor reflects many life situations adults struggle with.

From an early age into adulthood, siblings also teach the lesson of collaboration firsthand. Whether it be playing dolls, cars or board games, brothers and sisters

are constantly cooperating, learning and practicing social skills such as sharing, resolving arguments and forgiveness. Learning these skills at an early age and practicing them frequently, as siblings must do with one another, teaches them important skills often used in the future.

The benefits don’t stop in the mind. A BBC study revealed that siblings are less likely to develop diseases and disorders than only children, such as hay fever, asthma, multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s disease.

Although the reasoning behind this is still unknown, it is suspected that siblings help to expose each other to many germs at a young age, boosting the body’s defenses and immune system.

Although siblings are often annoying and cranky towards one another, they come with many benefits that will aid in the future. So the next time you get annoyed at your sibling and wish to be an only child, remember that they have helped you develop useful social skills and health benefits.

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LGBTQIA+ community Panther Prowler • Nov. 6, 2020

Local community supports LGBTQ+ youth

Prasheetha Karthikeyan/Prowler

Sarena Kabir News Editor Reese Kelem Front Cover Editor Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Graphic Artist Prasheetha Karthikeyan Sports Editor Abby Gorman Editorial Editor Adalia Luo DPS Editor The fight for LGBTQ+ rights has made great progress in the 21st century, including the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015 and anti-discrimination laws aiming to provide the same job opportunities to all Americans. Although legislation has been passed, there is still much work left to do in the normalization and acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in our communities. On the local level, many organizations exist within the Conejo Valley who are working to create both a more inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ youth in schools as well in the community.

Adalia Luo/Prowler

Trans Rights Rally Even through a pandemic, the LGBTQ+ community continues to fight for their rights. On Oct. 28, a transgender rights rally was held by NPHS student Remi Parise, a queer and non-binary freshman (they/them). Parise felt that the rally was necessary given the current political climate.

A large discussion currently affecting the transgender community is the debate on whether or not to include gender identity education in CVUSD elementary schools. “I don’t think [the LGBTQ+ community] is talked about as much as it needs to be in school. They should teach about LGBTQ+ history and sex education, and stuff like that which they don’t,” Parise said. “They should teach classes specifically...for trans people on how to be safe and not hurt themselves by doing unsafe things.”

Pride- During the trans rights rally on Oct. 28, people from throughout the Conejo Valley gathered in front of the Civics Arts rights. Evelyn Rogers, 19 (they/them), found this as a chance to speak out about the importance of equality for the LGBTQ+ community. “There’s not a lot of protests in Thousand Oaks that you can go to for like LGBTQ rights. We only two years ago had our show up here in my own town is something that’s important to me,” Rogers said. Anna Johnson/ Prowler

Prasheetha Karthikeyan/Prowler Equality- Zoey Blair, freshman (she/ her), attended the rally to advocate for the trans community and show support for her friend, Remi Parise, the importance of promoting acceptance in order to make coming out less daunting for members of the community. “I think it needs to be normalized more,” Blair said, “so coming out doesn’t feel like such a hard thing to do for them. And I also think that gender roles shouldn’t be pushed so hard on people. That can be really harmful.” Anna Johnson/ Prowler

Finn Swanson, sophomore at Thousand Oaks High School (he/him), attended the rally and was pleasantly surprised at how many people came to show their support. “As a trans person, I really haven’t seen very much support from the community, especially since there’s so many struggles we face in getting better education...I didn’t come here expecting this big of a crowd. It’s really inspiring and nice to see so many people out here to support trans people,” Swanson said.

“I think that it should be easier for them to transition since that’s very hard in this society,” Zoey Blair, freshman (she/her), said. Major issues advocated by supporters like Blair are rights such as healthcare for the transgender community. “I think the most important part is that they’re humans, and they deserve the basic level of respect that every human deserves, and taking away something like healthcare is just a terrible thing to do to anyone,” Blair said.

These debates also tie into the current elections, where the rights of some communities are at risk “Really just the political climate,” Parise said, “because there’s a lot of hate right now against certain communities and I don’t think it should be that way and I want to make people aware that, you know, we’re people, and we need you know the same rights that everyone else has.”

Parise and their friends were pleased with the outcome of the rally as many transgender friends and supporters showed up and there was minimal backlash. Cooper Hernandez, senior (he/him), is an ally to the transgender community and hopes that events like this will spread awareness and consciousness.

“This shouldn’t be special. This is just something we should all hopefully agree on, and it’s a shame that some people don’t believe,” Hernandez said. “I really wanted to come here and show my support.”

LGBTQIA+ community Panther Prowler • Nov. 6, 2020

LGBTQ+ Organizations Indivisible Conejo was created in response to the election of Donald Trump in late 2016. “It was organized to bring people together for activism related to all sorts of issues on which we felt that Trump would threaten,” Jon Cummings, a co-founder of Indivisible Conejo (he/him), said. The organization is divided into teams focused on a variety of issues including LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, gun violence, immigration reform, reproductive rights and climate change.

Similarly, Unity Conejo is a grassroots organization founded by Megan Goebel, a CVUSD parent (she/her).

Created in late September, the organization is a coalition of parents, students and teachers who are looking to implement change for LGBTQ+ students within the school district.

Goebel has two daughters, ages nine and six, the younger of whom is transgender. This served as her motivation for founding the organization. “I knew that I was going to be with the district a long time and needed to really pave the path for her and the kiddos that come after her,” Goebel said. “And in doing so, we found that there were a lot of areas that we needed to improve, not only just from an inclusivity standpoint, but also from a curriculum standpoint.”

Diversity Collective A nonprofit advocating for the importance of LGBTQ+ education, mental, and physical health. diversitycollectivevc.org @DiversityCollectiveVC

Conejo Valley PFLAG A group that aims to increase allyship and build connections between families and LGBTQ+ youth. https://pflag.org/chapter/ pflag-oak-parkconejo-valley

Indivisible Conejo A local branch of a nationwide organization which aims to promote progressive values. indivisibleconejo.org @IndivConejo

Both organizations are advocating for the implementation of LGBTQ+ inclusive education. “There are people in our community who are trying to stop that instruction from happening, to limit it to suit their ideological and religious desires,” Cummings said. “We’re going to be pushing for an open and honest curriculum that gets kids ready for the reality of 21st-century life.”

Stephanie McCarver, another CVUSD mother and member of Unity Conejo (she/her), believes that educating students on LGBTQ+ topics is important for all students.

“I think education is key because when someone is educated, they’re less likely to be intolerant or buy into homophobic myths or misogynistic myths,” McCarver said.

Making change- Indivisible Conejo receives the Pride Proclamation and Recognition Award at the Thousand Oaks City Hall. From left to right: Jon Celia Daniels/With Permission

9

FFLUID Unity Conejo A grassroots organization of parents, students, and allies dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ across Conejo Valley. unityconejo@gmail.com @UnityConejo

Families and Friends Living in Diversity: An organization that holds monthly support meetings for LGBTQ+ people and their loved ones. ffluid.org @FFLUID2

Unity Conejo has also been pushing for a more inclusive sex education curriculum and its implementation for younger ages. However, there are a lot of misconceptions regarding this, and Goebel wants to make the content of the intended programs clear. “It’s really not about...trying to teach these... kiddos about sex or anything of that nature. It’s more about just trying to...help give that foundation for these kiddos that it’s okay to be different,” Goebel said.

Celia Daniels (she/her) is a member of Indivisible Conejo and a well-known trans activist within Ventura County. As well as being the team lead for the LGBTQ+ Indivisible branch, she is an executive director of the Trans Can Work project and the vice president of Stonewall Democrats of Ventura County.

Indivisible has lead and participated in several events since its creation, including conducting panels at local colleges and workplaces, discussing a more inclusive curriculum, meeting with government officials and holding events to honor queer individuals and history.

While the committee is centralized around LGBTQ+ issues, Daniels points out that these issues are often interwoven with other social justice issues. “What I believe, as a trans person...it is not all about LGBTQ+ issues. It’s the issue of the community, it’s intersectional,” Daniels said. “So, like gun violence, all the community came together fighting for those issues. So some of them may not be exactly LGBTQ-related, but what we want to do is educate the community.”

Whether you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, there are so many opportunities to get more involved in activism at the local level, beginning with becoming familiar with local organizations. “Just being a part of these groups... you receive all this information and you can participate in all these events,” Daniels said. Refer to the boxes above to see which opportunities apply to you.

Gay-Straight Alliance The Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) is a club that provides a safe space for the LGBTQ+ student community to come together and support one another. They hold meetings every Wednesday at 2:30 pm to 3:30pm.

Lindsay Freedman, freshman (she/her), is the secretary of GSA and identifies as queer. “I joined GSA because I think it’s super important to show gay-straight alliances. I think it’s a super good safe space for people that either aren’t ready to come out [or just] to show their support,” Freedman said.

“A lot of people, especially straight people that aren’t part of the community, don’t necessarily realize there’s still a lot of problems going on. It’s really important to learn about it, and help others learn.”

A major issue that occurs at NPHS is a lack of awareness regarding the stigma around the LGBTQ+ community, but GSA is a great place to have an open dialogue about such topics. “Every week we talk about a different issue within the community...Last week, we talked about stigma around certain words, and how it’s not taught in schools. Some parents are like, ‘Oh, well, I don’t want my kid learning about that,’ even though it’s not like a bad thing or anything,” Freedman said.

“It’s…a taboo topic. So we talked about...what we can do as individuals to break down that stigma, and…[how] we can encourage others to break down that stigma.”

Prasheetha Karthikeyan & Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

GSA provides an essential learning environment. Megan Huang, sophomore (she/her), is the publicist of GSA and identifies as straight. “The wide range of people who identify as different parts of the spectrum has really helped me gain more knowledge on different sexualities within the spectrum,” Huang said. “Just by talking to [people who are within our group], I learned so much.”

Simone Elliot, senior (she/her), is the vice president of GSA and identifies as straight. She believes that the acceptance of LGBTQ+ students is critical on school sites. “The most important thing is to better establish [that] the LGBTQ+ community is completely valid and should be accepted as [any] other person is,” Elliot said. “The [LGBTQ+] community’s integration and normalization is crucial to its acceptance in school, and especially society.”

In order for our society to improve, people need to be educated about what is happening within the LGBTQ+ community. “[We need to use] all the opportunities that [they’re] given. I get no one joining GSA because there’s a lot of stigma,” Freedman said.

However, there are many other ways to participate. “If you’re given the opportunity to go to a rally…I would definitely say go,” Freedman said. “It’s a really good experience and it’s just really good to have. It gives you good life skills.”

Team Upbetween LGBTQ+ students and non-LGBTQ+ students. The club holds different events to help advocate for LGBTQ+ students at not Simone Elliot/With Permission

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features Panther Prowler • Nov. 6, 2020

Super Joey leads with empathy Sera Mohammed Staff Writer “No child should fight cancer alone.”

This is the motto of the Super Joey Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded with the purpose of supporting families who have to cope with the many burdens of childhood cancer as well as spread awareness of the disease.

Leonard Zhu, senior, has been involved with the foundation for four years and helps coordinate events as their campaign manager. “Before COVID, we arranged monthly visits to the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald house, which is where families stay if they are not financially able to stay at the hospital,” Leonard said. “Every time we go, we feed the children, put on a concert of sorts, provide activities such as face painting, and hold a raffle where all the kids win fun prizes.”

Even the restrictions implemented

Cynthia Gao Managing Editor by the pandemic have not reduced the efforts of the volunteers at the foundation. “We’ve canceled monthly visits to the Ronald McDonald house for safety measures. We are, however, still sending one or two volunteers a month to drop off food and PPE,” Leonard said.

The foundation is almost entirely run by its high school volunteers. Tommy Zheng, senior, volunteers for Super Joey frequently and has many fond memories of their gift-giving events.

“A memory that sticks out to me about the foundation is seeing the children so happy and excited looking at all the presents we had laid out. Every kid was grateful for what they got, whether it was a big or small gift,” Zheng said.

Super Joey has many donors and supporters. Amy Zhu, senior

at Viewpoint School, co-founded KnottedCA, a business partner selling friendship bracelets for Super Joey. She feels strongly about the positive community that Super Joey cultivates. “Every Super Joey volunteer is immensely committed to creating a cheerful environment for the children and families with cancer. I’ve never been a part of such a welcoming and hardworking community,” Amy said.

The need for empathy and support for others has become more apparent than ever over the last couple months.

To learn more about their cause, visit their website at superjoey.com. “We also have merchandise that you can purchase, where 100 percent of the proceeds are used to support the families. If you’re really interested, you’re also welcome to join the foundation,” Leonard said.

Yum Yum-Holiday bells are ringing. Leonard Zhu, Tommy Zheng, and other Super Joey volunteers prepare a grand Christmas meal at Los Angeles Ronald McDonald house for young cancer patients receiving treatment at LA Children’s Hospital and their families. Leonard Zhu/With Permission

PTV adapts to remote learning Parker Bohl Staff Writer In a class seemingly dependent on access to a studio, PTV has had to completely change their production process.

Jack Bernard, sophomore, has been a member of PTV for two years. He believes that distanced learning has completely changed the way that the crew functions. “Production has definitely been different. I don’t know if I would use the word harder because I feel like digital production and broadcasting, PTV specifically, is all about problem-solving and getting the best of what you’re given,” Bernard said. “So, though we haven’t been in the studio doing production, we’ve come up with some creative ways to get things done.”

In spite of all of this, there are some advantages to doing a broadcast show socially distanced. Angel Mendoza, senior, said, “Our editing software was on the school’s computers, so we’d only be able to work on it in class and sometimes after class,” Mendoza said. “Now at home, we can work at literally any time of the day.”

Amy Cheng, senior, said she has more flexibility with distance learning. “We also spend a lot of time on the packages [in order] to produce them. So, If I got stuff like college apps, IB essays, and other just classwork and homework, I can work on those first and work on the [episode] much later.”

Mendoza thinks PTV is still a valuable

class during distance learning. “I believe the skills you learn [are valuable],” Mendoza said. “I knew literally nothing about the field of study, and I love it now.

I want to do it after high school. And so I definitely recommend it even if you have no idea [what you want to do in the future].”

Though at times it can be challenging, especially since the staff has had to work apart, the process is very rewarding. “My favorite aspect of production is being able to see a finished product whether it be a news package or an entire show. Coming down from 20 minutes of footage or seventy 10 second clips to a 10-minute news package is super rewarding,” Cheng said.

Action

we’ve gotten a rhythm going now.” Parker Bohl/Prowler

Unity to Spark Change delivers a message Hayden Meixner Staff Writer

Strum Unity to Spark Change volunteers and Ventura County sheriff Strumdeputies gather together before their trunk-or-treat event that took place this Halloween. Kasey Sirody/With Permission

Unity to Spark Change is an organization that helps the community by partnering with the Ventura County Police Department to donate to those in need throughout the county. Mike Wing, founder, was inspired to start the organization as a way to unite people to help the less fortunate locally. “We came together to show we are a community of one.” Wing said.

Kasey Sirody is a part of the Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association. She knew she wanted to take part of Unity to Spark Change as soon as Wing reached out to her and explained his idea. Since the pandemic started, Unity to Spark Change shifted its focus to start helping those

who have been affected by COVID-19.

“We wanted to help organizations, our first reach out was to an organization who might be serving community members who are most affected by COVID-19.

Whether [it was] through lost jobs, lost work [or] loss of home,” Sirody said.

Unity to Spark Change also teams up with several non-profit organizations to give help where it is most needed. Harbor House is among these non-profits: their mission is to raise awareness for the large homeless population while providing meals and services to those who most need it. Denise Cortes, the executive director of Harbor House, was thrilled to work with Unity to Spark Change. “I thought

it was a wonderful idea, we are interested in working with anyone that wants to partner with us... to raise opportunity and possibilities for those that are struggling.”

Cortes explained There are several ways to get involved with Unity to Spark Change, including donating through their website, unitytosparkchange.com, and purchasing off of their Amazon wishlist. Unity to Spark Change recently threw a COVIDfriendly trunk-or-treat event for kids throughout Ventura. “We wanted to provide a COVID-safe solution in the middle of a pandemic, we wanted to give the children at least something to look forward to,” Wing said.

features

11 with Darin Erickson Panther Prowler • Nov. 6, 2020

Cynthia Gao Managing Editor Darin Erickson, science teacher at NPHS, keeps a positive perspective on distance learning. Read this Tea Time to find out about his ideal vacation and his favorite classroom moments!

What do you teach?

I am a teacher in our science department, specifically I teach biology CP and a biotechnology elective.

What made you want to become a teacher?

I graduated from college with a biology degree and wasn’t really certain what I wanted to do with it... so the summer after my junior year of college and the summer after my senior year of college, I was a camp counselor at a church outdoor camp and it was all grade levels...Each week we worked with an older and older group of kids until we got to high school. I just really found those weeks with the high school kids very, very rewarding, so that experience coupled with some of my close friends, including my wife, were already in teaching. I thought, let’s give it a try, so I did! And the hook was set, I fell in love with it. It’s been an absolutely tremendous career for me. I’ve just really, really enjoyed it. Yeah, even now, as exhausting and challenging as times are right this moment, I still find it to be very, very enjoyable.

What has been the hardest and easiest part about teaching online?

The hardest part is the planning and preparation, particularly taking activities...and figuring out a way to tailor it to remote instruction. Be that as it may, I’m unbelievably blessed to work with some of the hardest working, collaborative people that I’ve ever worked with in my career, here at NP. Our science department, we take great pride in that, so that’s been an immense blessing.

Has anything been easy or has it all just been more challenging?

I guess little things like not having to worry about collecting papers, since everything is turned in electronically. We have been doing a lot of flipped classroom, so I could lecture four times a day on something, live, but that gets immensely exhausting. We’ve decided to focus our efforts from a live standpoint on checking for understanding and reinforcement, which potentially means I don’t have to talk as much.

What made you want to become a teacher?

I used to go scuba diving. I haven’t done it in a long time, so I would love to explore some of these Pacific Islands, even Australia, and scuba dive there. See the biodiversity that’s found in a lot of these places, from a standpoint of the reefs and the coral and the range of fish, that’s something I hope to do sometime in my life.

Darin Erickson/With Permission

What is your funniest class/teacher moment, wether it was years ago or recent?

I’ve had a few moments where a surprise has happened... when I can have a little fun with students of mine in class. I have a few “pets,” I call them, in one of my drawers. I’ve got a monitor lizard that’s essentially a real replica of a monitor lizard, and they’re a pretty good sized lizard. Then I’ve got a replica of..I believe it’s called...the banana spider. It’s a type of tarantula in South America that’s almost as big as a dinner plate, it’s a huge spider. So a kid has been known to discover one of those friends on their chair when they walk into class, and they get the startles. That’s been one of my highlights, to shock them a little.

Speech and Debate argues to the top Allison Nguyen Staff Writer From podium stands to home desk chairs, the Speech and Debate team brings their A-game online. Debaters at the school have excelled in their first tournaments of the year, scoring high and even undefeated across numerous events as their new season starts.

Adi Chattopadhyay, sophomore, has been on the debate team for two years and noted some significant changes from the previous years. He believes that competing in online tournaments does have its benefits. “I think it’s a lot less intense because you don’t have an audience, you just have the judge. It’s also nice because you can get new evidence in between rounds and relax after,” Chattopadhyay said.

Despite the differences, the rewards of winning keep the debaters motivated, including Ananya Arvind, freshman.

“It’s not like you get your awards in person...but like there’s still that anticipation because we didn’t know which rounds we won... when they were announcing the people who won three wins, it was really shocking and it was a different experience at the same time,” Arvind said.

Speech and Debate welcomes members of any

experience level. Owen Payton, junior, joined the team this year with some prior interest but no involvement in the program. “We do a lot of practice rounds with other people and there are some people who do little events,” Payton said.

Even though this was Payton’s first year on the speech and debate team, he managed to pull through to the semi-finals alongside partner Alek Fodor, junior, at the Claremont Bargain Belt invitational. “I was surprised at first because it was my first time, but then I had to get into the debate mindset,” Payton explained. “Overall, it felt good but was unexpected.”

Though many have been in contact with other members, the social aspects of tournaments have definitely changed.

“When we went in-person, it was really fun. You get to work with your school and connect with everyone participating.

It’s a more friendly social environment rather than like this one [being online],” Arvind said. Even though being inperson is an important factor when it comes to debating, COVID-19 will not stop the team from winning.

Carter Castillo/Prowler

12

entertainment Panther Prowler • November 6, 2020

A new game is “Among Us” Prasheetha Karthikeyan Sports Editor

Adalia Luo DPS Editor

Shhhhh! One imposter is among us.

As a crewmate, your job is to complete tasks and avoid becoming a casualty. The imposter, disguised as a crewmate, is aboard your spaceship, and all of you need to finish your tasks to save the mission before they find and kill you.

Someone is brutally murdered (stabbed, speared, choked, the list goes on). You see the bone sticking out of an otherwise cute and colorful headless crewmate. You panic and hit the report button. All your fellow crewmates are dragged back to the cafeteria to have a discuss the identity of the imposter.

“Red sus,” someone ever so eloquently types into chat. Before you can respond, several people have voted already, presumably for you. The majority tips in your direction (your first mistake was choosing red). Along with any semblance of peace, the opportunity for your fair trial is thrown out the window of the spaceship, just like you.

You have been ejected.

“Red was not An Imposter,” a screen following your tragic death states. Your eyes light up with a well-deserved vindication.

The true imposter lives on, killing all those on the ship and sabotaging the mission. You are a ghost, still loyally completing tasks for the team that betrayed you. The rest of the players curse their screens. The show must go on.

Among Us has undoubtedly taken the world by storm. Despite being released in 2018, the game was recently popularized as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns that sent surges of people to their denominations of an App Store searching for a new,

Prasheetha Karthikeyan/Prowler

distanced way to connect with others.

The gameplay is simple; structured as an addicting virtual take on the game-night classic “Mafia,” players are assigned either the role of “crewmate” or “imposter.” As the game lobby fades, crewamates rush off to attempt to complete relatively simple tasks while the imposter sets out to sabotge the mission and murder the real team. Laced with emergency meetings, ghosts and votes to eject, the game progresses until all the imposters are exposed or the imposters outnumber the amount of living crewmates.

Among Us is not particularly topical or complex, but instead inspires a unique sense of companionship you can only create through the shared trauma of faux murder. All jokes aside, there really isn’t anything particularly stand-out about Among Us, no deeper meaning or heart-wrenching story with a fundamentally basic gameplay. It is simply accessible, well-paced and free to download on mobile, wide-reaching and welcoming to all who are looking for a bit of fun to lighten the burden COVID-19 has left for us all to carry. Whether you play with strangers or a group of friends, running around in what are essentially murderavoidance circles has never been so mindlessly fun.

We’re not sure whether it’s the bright and happy graphics, the endless amusement of finding the dismembered remains of your close friends or the even rush of faux-productivity everytime you fix the wiring in storage, but Among Us is fun, flashy and just the right length for our attention spans. Just always remember our cardinal rules: don’t get killed, and red mad sus.

COVID-19 will spark a wave of creative filmmaking Parker Bohl Staff Writer When the pandemic began, the film industry underwent a tremendous loss. Most theatres have closed, and most production crews are too large for shooting to continue normally. However, crews for independent films were less affected due to their smaller crews and increased flexibility. Recent technological advancements have allowed films to be made for less money.

Since the budget is lower, so are the stakes, and film companies are freer to experiment.

In the 1990s, an unheard-of director named Robert Rodriguez wrote, directed and edited his independently produced action film “El Mariachi.” With one month to film and a crew of two people, the film turned out astonishingly well.

The careful attention to detail and creative storytelling devices used by Rodriguez made up for the fact that the film cost a mere $7000 to make, less than a tenth of what most Hollywood films

cost today. The people and major studios loved “El Mariachi” and many companies were eager to buy it and get Rodriguez on board with them to make more.

Looking back at the past 10 years, the most popular films have been the most expensive and least innovative films. Nine of the top ten highest-grossing films from the 2010s are sequels.

Audiences are choosing familiarity over creativity, but it is likely that coming out of the pandemic the studios will begin to vouch for a more independent style since this is likely to be what audiences will be used to, allowing more risks to be taken.

There may be an unprecedented renaissance of independent filmmaking, and once audiences have tasted fresh ideas, there will be no going back. Even if studios are still controlling the production of most films, they will likely focus on experimenting if they know audiences are liking the new wave of creativity.

-ADVERTISEMENT-

Carter Castillo/Prowler

entertainment Panther Prowler • Nov. 6, 2020

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“The Thinning” brings light to overpopulation Sera Mohammed Staff Writer As a kid, I was never allowed to watch horror movies. Up until the age of 13, the only movie that might qualify as “horror” that I had watched was “Coraline” and even that kept me up at night.

So, when my friends told me about “The Thinning,” I wasn’t planning on ever watching it because I thought it would be too scary for me. However, after pulling up the guts to watch it, I realized that the intense plot line makes it a perfect movie to fit the Halloween season.

The movie is set in a futuristic United States in which overpopulation has become a serious issue, with different countries enacting strategies in order to regulate the population.

In “The Thinning,” the U.S. subjects every student from kindergarten to 12th grade to a test where the lowest test scorers were “taken.” The conflict begins when the main character, genius Laina Michaels, is taken after her final test and the dumb jock character, Blake Redding, manages to pass despite having guessed on every question on the aptitude test. Blake had tried to fail the test in order to be taken back to his girlfriend, who was taken the year before.

“The Thinning” is a thrilling, adventurous movie that follows Laina Michaels and Blake Redding in their effort to uncover the

conspiracy behind America’s aptitude test. Laina’s driving force throughout the movie is her family, and her main goal is to get back to them with the hope that her two siblings were not taken.

The movie ends with a cliffhanger after Laina and Blake uncover the government’s secrets and the plot continues in the sequel, “The Thinning 2.”

While rewatching this movie recently, I noticed that I was much more scared now than I was the first time I watched it because it became apparent to me that the actual storyline is something that is not too far in the future. Overpopulation is becoming an enormous issue globally and some countries have already taken action to avoid it; China has limited families to having two children each in order to combat overpopulation.

While we might not have tests to determine who has to go, the plot is a stark reminder of the direction that we are heading in.

You can watch “The Thinning” if you want to see a horror movie with your scaredy-cat friends; it’s not scary, but it’s definitely not a kids’ movie either. It is a great watch with a good balance of scary and thrill keeping you entertained but without being kept up at night.

Nandini Patro/Prowler

Celebrate Thanksgiving safely Hayden Meixner Staff Writer

Prasheetha Karthikeyan/Prowler

Thanksgiving is a day meant to be spent together sharing food with loved ones. However, with social distancing orders in place, family gatherings seem almost impossible at the moment.

Luckily, modern technology has made gathering a whole lot easier.

Outdoor dinner: CDC regulations suggest avoiding indoor gathings as much as possible, but a solution to that could be enjoying Thanksgiving dinner in an outdoor setting. A key to this is finding an open area that makes it easy to adhere to the six feet social distancing orders. Limiting extended family is also very important to preventing the spread of COVID-19. Spaced out tables and chairs would make socializing with loved ones easy while keeping everyone safe.

Limiting attendees: The more people attending an event, the higher the risk is of contracting COVID-19. Limiting guests to just close family could cut the risk, but it is never truly gone when in person gatherings occur. If your family chooses to spend this holiday in person, consider quarantining for 10 to 14 days before the gathering in order to ensure the safety of everyone, especially

Emma Schoors Opinion Editor “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac has been soaring in popularity among younger audiences thanks to a recent video by Nathan Apodaca, in which he listened to the song while skateboarding and drinking cranberry juice. In honor of this resurgence of Fleetwood Mac, here is a brief review of their smash-hit 1977 album “Rumours.”

The record was largely inspired by tumultuous romantic relationships within the band. Standout track “Go Your Own Way” was actually written by lead guitarist Lindsey Buckingham about vocalist Stevie Nicks. “You Make Loving Fun,” written by keyboardist Christine Mcvie, was about a love affair that she had with the band’s lighting director. “The Chain,” a song majorly adored by fans, was the only track that all members collaborated

on writing. Overall, this tension and intense songwriting makes for a more immersive listening experience, and helps tell the real-life stories behind the songs in an effective way.

With personal struggle often comes creative direction, and musically, the record is timeless. Personally, it brings back memories of days in the car with my parents when this album was one of the six CD’s loaded into it. It’s no wonder every song is revered by lifelong and recent fans alike, considering its ability to both evoke positive memories and create new ones. If there is one classic album you check out this month, let it be Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours.”

if you have elderly and immunocompromised family members.

Online: While a virtual Thanksgiving dinner takes away some of the social aspect of family gatherings, they still allow loved ones to laugh together and make memories. The app Houseparty could be a good option if your family chooses to celebrate Thanksgiving virtually. It allows up to eight different devices to join one meeting and provides several games to play, such as Heads Up and Trivia. However, if you are looking to hold a virtual gathering on a larger scale, Zoom may be the right choice for your family. One attendee would create a meeting and provide the other members a link or code to join the meeting.

Zoom does not have a limit to the amount of attendees.

Pre-prepared meals: Having your meals already planned and cooked can prevent close contact between extended family members. If every household attending the celebration brings their own food, social distancing orders will be easier to follow.

However you and your family decide to celebrate this year, be sure to stay safe and have fun.

14

sports

Dancers saunter back to the dance floor Panther Prowler • Nov. 6, 2020

Allison Nguyen Staff Writer

Pirouette- Marisa Canepa, sophomore, has been dancing for the past 11 years and competing for nine at Academy of Dance Westlake Village. Practicing during the pandemic, this year hasn’t been like any other. “I think the hardest part is not being able to be as close to my friends hanging out with them as much as I would. Usually, after a rehearsal, we would either get dinner or hang out and we can’t do that anymore,” Canepa said. Marisa Canepa/With Permission

From practicing in front of the studio mirror to performing on the main stage in front of hundreds, many competitive dancers at NPHS have slowly been making their way back to the floors this quarantine as they try to recreate their next season online. With many spending the past few months practicing virtually, the change and adjustment to performing outside has made quite an impact on some of these dancers.

Dancing for the past twelve years, Linda Diaz, sophomore, has always been active in the dance studio since she was young. Currently training at Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts, “we did a lot of Zoom classes [at the beginning of quarantine] and everyone was dancing in their living room or in their bedroom, and now we have classes outside where we have to wear a mask and social distance,” Diaz said. “They set up tents in the parking lot with Marley floor [floors in dance studios] so we can dance on it”.

However, outdoors or not, COVID won’t get in the way of her being able to compete. “Each studio has a set time to perform and you have the option to wear your mask on stage or not. After that you go home and awards are live streamed so there’s not a bunch of people on stage at the same time.

With conventions, the number of people per class is limited and they also have an online option where you can livestream and take class from your house.

You can also record and submit your competition dances and solo on the internet,” Diaz said.

With limited options to perform, many other dancers struggled a lot during the beginning of quarantine. Currently studying at Academy of Dance Westlake Village, Marisa Canepa,

sophomore, has found dancing this year to be quite a challenge. “We did dance classes over Zoom [in early quarantine]. So, the thing with the turbo zoom is that I don’t have any space in my room. So that made it harder than also like your basic you’re dancing on concrete with carpet so it’s not really great for your body,” Canepa said.

Each studio has been trying really hard to keep their dancers as safe as possible and develop different ways to make learning easier. “It’s hard to choreograph the pieces because we can’t really be in formations because of social distancing, and it’s really hard to dance in masks because it does limit your breathing but obviously we need to wear masks because coronavirus is very real,” Canepa said.

Among the many dancers who are going back to the studio, Brielle Anderson, freshman, has been practicing at Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts and doing competitions there since she was younger. “My first convention is in January, but there’s a lot of optional competitions that you can do during the fall, like you can go to any of the optional competitions,” Anderson said. “[I’ll miss] the bonding experiences of the competitions and conventions are fun like getting to eat dinner together.”

Although many of these dancers had to go through many adjustments at the beginning, this won’t stop them from continuing their passion. “ Even though I miss my friends and dancing in the studio and competing, I’m really glad to be able to dance outside safely while socializing and wearing a mask,” Canepa said. COVID-19 won’t stop these dancers from getting back on the dance floor.

NPHS gains an Esports team Anna Johnson Entertainment Editor At the start of this school year, Stephen Lepire, principal, announced that our school would be starting our own Esports team. Joseph Calaba, Michael Weingarden and Richard Bateman, NPHS teachers, are the three leads of the team, working together to create a fun environment where students can compete in video games together.

Lepire has taken the time to reorganize the Sage Lab at campus to better suit the Esports team’s gaming needs. “We have replaced all of the machines in the lab that can be used during the day for all students and for gaming. We have also purchased gaming equipment to go along with the machines including keyboards, mice and other accessories,” Lepire said.

The games that team members can play are “Rocket League,” “League of Legends,” “Overwatch” and “Super Smash Brothers.”

Calaba hopes to use his perspective as a gamer to his advantage. “Of course I could coach from a general perspective being an avid gamer myself.”

The competitive process is still being developed, so competitions for the start will be internal.

“Our goal is not just to do internal competition at our school, but to create a league amongst our high schools,” Calaba said.

This year Esports will be starting off as an interest group open to all gamers. Weingarden, statistics teacher at NPHS, hopes to use his expertise into strategizing with the team, using data to determine whose skills are best and where they should be on a team. He hopes to combine his mathematical knowledge with his passion for video games to help the team out.

“I’m still just a kid at heart...I still like video games and I like playing. As a math teacher I like solving puzzles, and I also like writing computer programs. To me, the idea of being involved in the Esports program just sounds like a whole lot of fun wrapped up in one,” Weingarden said.

Anyone can join the team, and there will be two groups for people to decide to take part in: a

recreational team to play for fun, and a competitive team.

Although anyone can join, Bateman has concerns about the disproportionate ratio of boys to girls currently in the interest group. “There weren’t a lot of girls at the first meeting, but I know there are a lot of female gamers on our campus, and I’m hoping more can know that anyone can join, it’s not just a guy kind of thing,” Bateman said.

While Bateman shares an interest in video games, he sees himself as more of a publicist for the team, using his technology skills to better advertise for people to join or support.

It is hoped that this interest group can eventually develop into a sport, but it is unclear on whether it could be considered a P.E. credit.

Although the interest group does not start until spring, the students and staff are already excited to get Esports going.

“We are excited to get this going. I know students are excited. I can’t wait for the first type of competitions we get off the ground,” Lepire said.

Emerson Alabanza-Fuentes/Prowler

sports Panther Prowler • Nov. 6, 2020

Girls lacrosse shoots past COVID-19

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Nandini Patro Staff Writer

As pandemic life begins to mix with a little bit of normal, girls lacrosse preseason has kicked off to a strong start. While practice is not the same as it used to be, the athletes still pursue the sport they love while being safe and working together as a team.

In terms of safety, lacrosse did not need to make too many changes in terms of contact. Sophia Laubner, junior, explains the adjustments that were made at practice. “Because of COVID we wear masks coming to practice, on sidelines and leaving practice,” Laubner said.

“Currently we are not playing with contact and trying our best to remain socially distanced throughout drills.”

Daniella Guyette, junior, has a similar perspective.

“Luckily we never touch the ball directly with our hands so we are able to make it farther than other sports,” Guyette said. “It’s getting very close to normal, but the Back to workwork The girls lacrosse team is starting their preseason and off to a great start while trying to make accommodations for COVID-19. “Currently physicality on defense has to be limited to a safe amount.” we are not playing with contact and trying our best to remain socially Each person on the team plays a critical role in how distanced throughout drills,” Sophia Laubner, a junior and captain of the well they do in the end. Guyette has been on the team team. Sophia Laubner/With Permission for three years as goalie and has now committed to

Syracuse University for division one lacrosse. “I see [the goalie] as the backbone of the team. If I make a save at a critical moment it allows everyone to take a second and reset for the next possession.”

Laubner likes the combination of defense and offense, encouraging her to move to midfield. “Midfield gave me the opportunity to play both sides of the field,” Laubner said. “And put all of my skills into play such as speed, ground balls, transitions/ clears, shooting and defense.” After three hardworking years of varsity, Laubner is now captain of the team.

While the sport in its entirety is important to these athletes, all of the players have found certain qualities to be particularly special.

Ashlyn Smilor, a junior, who plays defense, likes the teamwork aspect. “My favorite thing about lacrosse is that we all work together and we all work together to make each other better.”

“I’ve made so many friendships through lacrosse, especially since the sport is on the smaller size,” Guyette adds.

Along with this, lacrosse has a unique competitive spirit that draws these athletes in. “It’s a very fast sport with quick plays. I love the competitiveness it has while also being super fun.” Laubner said.

Girls tennis strikes through COVID-19 Dhruv Patel Ad Team

Allison Nguyen Staff Writer

With there being less chances for the girls tennis team to go back to the courts, this season has not been like any other.

Among other various sports teams having to adapt to these new changes, these girls have adapted and changed their routine to accommodate quickly and successfully.

Playing on the team since last year, Rachel Hu, sophomore, has been adjusting to practices on her own. “In the past few weeks we’ve been doing Zoom meetings with Coach Mulligan, and we’ve just been talking about how much tennis we played [in private lessons],” Hu said.

The girls are also actively finding ways to combat the absence of practicing. Anna Li, junior, has been on the team for three years and had some trouble figuring out how to keep herself physically in shape. “I’ve definitely lost some strength and endurance, but that’s why I’ve been doing some, like sort of cross training,” Li said. “Instead of hitting, I do like workouts at home, and I run to keep myself in shape while I’m off the

courts.”

Having to deal with the stress of her senior year, Ramya Ukkan, is disappointed to be spending her final year on the team being separated. “Personally, it’s been a little difficult for me to actually get out and play tennis because I’m a senior and I’m really busy with college apps... I’m planning on getting back on the courts on the weekends and I’m just trying to get out of the rusty phase that always seems to be there when you start playing for the first time,” Ukkan said.

Even though the team has faced immense difficulties and drastic changes from past seasons, this does not stop them from continuing their season with the hopes of reuniting with their team. This team spirit is what will carry the tennis team throughout the hardships that COVID-19 brings, and it will help them when their practices and season starts. “We’re gonna actually go to the courts and do conditioning, it’ll be nice to meet everyone after a couple of months,” Hu said.

Smash The Newbury Park High School girls tennis team poses for a team Smashpicture after playing a match.Although practicing and bonding have been a new experience, this won’t stop the girls from continuing their season. “I kind of miss having that routine and that schedule of going to the courts right after school and hitting with girls on my team and just creating those friendships that we have,” Ukkan said. Rachel Hu/With Permission

Baseball swings back into season McGlauthlon Fleming IV Staff Writer

Batter upup The Newbury Park High School baseball team gathers together during this season to celebrate Halloween while wearing masks. Luca Staiano, junior, has been practicing these past few months despite the start doing some games which are supposed to start in spring. It’s annoying Luca Staiano/ With Permission

Baseball has always fascinated people, whether it has been through major victories or pop culture icons like Babe Ruth.

But now what has been called America’s pastime has joined the legions of things that have been changed due to COVID-19.

Griffin Campero, junior, is a member of NPHS baseball.

Like other sports, the team has had to adhere to restrictions placed on the game. “We have to stay six feet apart from each other, wear masks and stuff like that,” Campero said. “We can only have two people throwing to each other at a time, so I can’t throw with you one day and then warm up with somebody else another day...we gotta keep as few people interacting with the baseballs as we can.”

Nick Leehey, senior, believes that the restrictions are not as strict as they may be perceived. “[The restrictions are] not as crazy as you would probably think. Three people maximum for one ball before it has to get sanitized again. When the balls are thrown and we hit, the coach has to pick them up,” Leehey said.

Along with the restrictions, players are worried about getting back on the field. Campero thinks that it is best to observe the statistics to deem when it would be safe to start

playing games. “I want to get out there and play as soon as possible. But, the biggest thing obviously is just staying safe...I think that we, personally, should not play games until January,” Campero said. “That is the time where everyone is allowed to go back to school...if our cases have started to go down by then that would be a good point to actually start playing games.”

Leehey, however, thinks that they should start playing as soon as possible. “I definitely want to get a schedule in this year and a season in this year so... I think that there [are] obviously the safety precautions and what not but I do believe that we should get a season in no matter what,” Leehey said.

Curtis Scott, coach of the varsity team, believes that baseball is still worth playing, even with the restrictions. “We haven’t been out as a team since March when everything shut down and now that we’re in Phase 2 the guys can do some baseball activities as long as we can follow all the protocols….it’s good for morale and it’s good for the guys to be around each other and it’s good for the coaches like myself and the other coaches to be interacting with the players,” Scott said.

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pumpkin carving contest Panther Prowler • Nov. 6, 2020

Students carve pu mpk i ns for Halloween contes t

Cole Kessler, senior: “My girlfriend, Mia Brooks, wanted to do [the carving contest] and it sounded cool.

Mia is like a Pinterest god, so we were snooping around there. I decided to add some toothpicks to mine... Turned out pretty good… It brought back memories from when I was a lil’ guy. That used to be my favorite part about Halloween.”

Cole Kessler/With Permission

Jaiden Bacciocco/With Permission

Parker Bohl Staff Writer Gwen Buchanan Back Cover Editor Sarena Kabir News Editor

Stick i ng to the theme of how hau nti ng 2020 has already been, NPHS students and families have made the most of th is creepy holiday. AS G hosted a pumpk i n carvi ng contest for students to submit pictures of their creatively carved pumpk i ns. T his past October has proved that despite many obstacles, Newbury Park was still filled with “fa-B OO-lous” Halloween spirit.

Cal Taggart, sophomore: “I knew I wanted to make my pumpkin super detailed this year...I decided to go with a Hogwarts-themed pumpkin. I thought it was a great idea because the Harry Potter series was getting popular again...I was also excited to do this design because I was able to let out my inner sixth grade fanboy for the series again.”

Cal Taggart/With Permission

Emma McCoy, sophomore: “I’ve been into a lot of crafty stuff lately...

I got the [news] that they were doing a contest and I was like, “okay I’ll just enter whatever I was doing”… I just love anything related to pumpkins.”

Emma McCoy/With Permission