Healthcare

Animals are the way to go

Carter Castillo Features Editor

Animation is a medium that inherently promotes and enables constructs. It is inherently easier for any person to watch the movie and

creativity otherwise impossible in a live-action equivalent. It is through relate to say, Nick Wilde, than to Tom Hanks.

this suspension of reality that people are able to immerse themselves into Another paramount piece of media is the recent Net ix TV show

a story and relate to the characters regardless of what life they may lead “Beastars,” another medium that utilizes anthropomorphic animals.

in the real world. e use of animals as the titular characters serves as a way to create

is is what makes animation a truly unique art form; through the use more universal relatability. e con icts of the story are driven and

of anthropomorphized characters animators are able to create ctional characterized by the fact that everyone is an animal. Further, the animals

characters that are universally relatable. Diversity is a problem in modern serve as characterization. We stereotype a rat as shrewd and scummy

media, with a lack of animated lms containing BIPOC in signi cant while a fox is charismatic and sly. However, what makes “Beastars” a

roles, and while this is getting better with the release of movies like masterclass in the art of animation is the subversion of these assumed

“Soul,” the beauty of anthropomorphized characters is that they do not stereotypes. e wolf is a socially awkward loner, the rabbit is strong-

abide by the same societal standards of race as humans do. willed and determined and the deer ambitious and a natural leader.

A key example of this in action is Disney’s “Zootopia,” which utilizes Animation serves as a testament to how anthropomorphic creatures

its bipedal animal characters to emulate modern day issues about race. can enrich a story with thematic messaging and create more universally

While the message the movie is trying to convey is clear, the fact that the relatable characters.

characters are animals allows them to be separated from society’s social “Loving Vincent” showcases creativity Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

Prasheetha Karthikeyan Sports Editor

It is more common than ever for people to complain about the lack of creativity in the movie Armand, must hand deliver a letter to Vincent Van Gogh’s brother and simultaneously documents industry. e incessant grumbling about how no one can make an “original movie” is in itself a the little known intricacies involving Van Gogh’s death. Although it has been o cially ruled a monologue that is overused, although it is not unwarranted; the majority of 21st century movies suicide, the movie explores the minute details through Armand’s eyes that don’t seem to add up. (especially rom coms, action and horror movies) not only have the same basic storyline, but also Ironically, when discussing the concept of creativity, it is nearly impossible to avoid bringing basically look the same. If you watched one and switched it out for another halfway through, you’d up Van Gogh. Van Gogh’s legacy as a creative, unorthodox artist can serve as inspiration in any barely recognize a di erence. Although it seems as though human existence has gone through artistic endeavor, including lmmaking. His surpassing of the artistic boundaries during his time every possible movie idea at least once, the movie “Loving Vincent” proves that there is much more truly allows “Loving Vincent” to be the perfect representation of the creative potential the movie potential we have yet to unlock. industry still has.

“Loving Vincent,” quite literally, is a work of art. e movie was independently released in 2017 “Loving Vincent” undoubtedly dismantles the notion that the movie industry has run out of and can now be found on Hulu. It features over 65,000 frames of oil paintings, painted by over 100 ideas. e movie has broken boundaries, and despite its award nominations at a variety of lm painters on over 1,000 canvases digitally sewn together and voiced over to create its own class of festivals, deserves much more recognition than it has. e independent group that created “Loving “animated” lm. e scenes were rst shot with a normal camera, then sent to the artists, who broke Vincent” constructed a lm of mind-blowing creativity for a budget of 5.5 million dollars. In it up into the frames and used individual canvases for each scene. e movie is, as its website claims, contrast, a typical blockbuster movie has a budget of about 65 million dollars on average, not to the world’s rst ever fully painted lm. e lmmakers saw it as essential to create the movie in this mention a wider variety of resources. way, citing that “you cannot truly tell Vincent’s story without his paintings, so we needed to bring Creativity is not dead. Movie studios and its directors can do better, instead of rotating through his paintings to life.” the same ve movie tropes. “Loving Vincent” is proof of this, and again, there is no one better than e movie is an astounding, visual masterpiece. Words can barely describe how truly remarkable Van Gogh to express the importance of creativity: “Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to the movie’s artistry is. Even the trailer does not do it justice, so I implore you to check it out. Plot- walk, but no owers grow on it.” wise, the movie uses an interesting perspective, albeit a little slow paced. e son of a postman, Biden voters, don’t be apathetic

Abby Gorman Editorial Editor

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

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

However, we cannot view these next four years as a break from advocating about important issues, misnconstrued by the belief that just because Trump is no longer in o ce, all these big social issues will handle themselves. is is the root of the problem: complacency. Complacency in the Biden voters who loudly expressed their discontent for Trump on social media, but will comfortably continue their lives una ected once these issues aren’t trending anymore. Complacency in the Republican politicians who spoke out against Trump in recent months, but will now fade out of the limelight and remain complicit as their party passes harmful legislation.

So, to those who believe now is the time to relax: Biden’s win does not mean you have a four-year pass of staying silent on the issues you have advocated so strongly for during the past administration. Whatever returning to “normal” means to you is not enough. Your BIPOC, poor, immigrant, disabled and LGBTQ+ friends, family, peers and coworkers do not have this choice. Having the privilege to ignore these problems until they were trending on Twitter - and to forget them a er - is why the United States fails to progress. ese systemic failings didn’t just disappear on Jan. 20. Bigotry lives on in the millions of Americans who voted for Trump, including the thousands of domestic terrorists seen storming the Capitol on Jan. 6.

At the end of the day, we must remember what Biden represents above all: safety. His staunch neutrality on issues that could drive away moderate voters is the reason he was selected as the Democratic candidate in the rst place. Rather than his campaign being driven by his own policies, it focused on one thing; the fact that he isn’t Trump.

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

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

Carter Castillo/Prowler

Healthcare workers power

Sarena Kabir/Prowler

through pandemic

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Graphic Artist Allison Nguyen Staff Writer

Reese Kelem Chief Photographer Sarena Kabir News Editor

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

ER Capacity

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

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

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

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

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

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

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

In order to help balance the shortage of supplies, new protocols were put in place. “Patients that call 911 for something not so serious, might [be treated or referred], meaning we won’t necessarily take him to the hospital. We might be able to treat them on scene, or we might be able to refer them to their primary care doctor,” Burgoyne said.

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

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

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

Vaccination

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

Smriti Campeau, a laboratory and point of care worker at Dignity Health at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, has been working at her current hospital for almost two years. Campeau is one healthcare worker that has received the rst dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. “Healthcare workers and people who are in nursing homes are getting the vaccine. As far as California is concerned, I think Governor Newsom is looking at distributing this vaccine according to the age group and people over 75 will get to go get it,” Campeau said.

Vaccinated- Kelley Lund, a healthcare worker in Los Robles Medical Center, shows off her new COVID-19 vaccination card. Those who have received the coronavirus vaccine receive a card as proof of their vaccination. Lund fshows hers to the camera with a smile. Kelley Lund/With Permission

Urgent Care

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

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

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

Other healthcare workers, such as Diana Cabrera, a surgical tech at Cedars Sinai, were weary of getting the vaccine because it is so new. “I was kind of nervous to get it. Just because it’s so new, but bene ts outweighed the risks... so that’s why I took it,” Cabrera said.

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

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

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

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

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

At Exer Urgent Care, Brianna Krboyan and Drew Ziegler are both the front-desk workers who greet patients that come in.“We de nitely have to step into some bigger issues...because we’re the rst ones to see the patient. So whatever we see, we have to report to the back, and it’s mostly COVID,” Krboyan said. “One time, we could tell [a patient] wasn’t looking too good. We went and told our clinical team and we ended up having to call 911 [because] he was having a heart attack. So we de nitely had to be more attentive [because they could be] here for one thing, but it ends up being a whole di erent reason for that visit.”

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

Around the time of the holidays, the number of cases spiked, as well as the number of patients going to Exer. “We had people lining up here, probably 50 to 60 people line up. And we were holding that line almost all day during the holidays,” Ziegler said. e sta members at the urgent care not only need to be prepared to face whatever is thrown at them, but they also need to be ready to adapt and shi as things change overtime. “Everything just changes so quick, just depending on how serious it gets. When the numbers were rising for COVID... we couldn’t let anyone in. And then we have to change how we text them, and we have to change how we screen them, so the whole process has been hard,” Krboyan said.

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

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

Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021 Latino Connections spreads culture

Nandini Patro Staff Writer

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

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

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

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

Specifically, Latino students can connect to their culture during the meetings. “We do a lot of cultural events... for Hispanic Heritage Month the students did presentations about their heritage, where their families are from,” Martinez said. “For Dia de los Muertos, we set up the altar Idea time-The Latino Connections board meeting begins to prepare for their upcoming events and meetings. “We always have a senior advisor, a junior advisor, a sophomore advisor and freshman advisor. We tried to have a pretty big board because we want to have like a good size where we can get more ideas,” Martinez said. Julieta Rodriguez /With and had food.” Permission Padilla enjoys being in the club for many reasons. “The people are like the best part of it. Everyone in the club. When we were in school, even now, they were really funny and it was like a really great environment to be in,” Padilla said. “I made so many new friends in that club, so that’s what really sold me.”

Maddy Mekari flexes her kicks

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Graphic Artist

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

Running a small business is hard work, but for Maddy Mekari, junior, it’s worth it. Maddy paints custom shoes and runs her business on Instagram. She posts all of her commissions on her page, @maddys_custom_kicks, and people can directly message her if they want her to customize a pair of shoes for them.

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

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

Maddy started up her Instagram account for the shoes last summer and has gotten around 16 custom orders. To hand paint the shoes, she first creates a design on paper, which she then transfers to the shoe. After that, Mekari fills in the color and details. “After I get the sketch, it’s like a coloring book basically,” Maddy said.

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

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

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

Charly Taylor embroiders her way to success

Allison Nguyen Staff Writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

Before starting her company, Taylor wanted to create something with her free time. “I knew I wanted to do something with my time so I took months figuring out what I was good at and what I genuinely enjoy doing. I also took lots of time to make sure I researched everything, that way my customers would have the best products they could get,” Taylor said.

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

with

Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021 features11

Michael Lindroth

Anna Johnson Entertainment Editor

Michael Lindroth/With Permission

As Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts come into high school, some prepare to tackle the ultimate project in their Scouts’ career: the rank of Eagle Scout or the completion of the Girl Scout Gold Award.

In order to become an Eagle Scout, candidates have to organize and execute a complex community service project from beginning to end, o en requiring them to recruit and manage many volunteers. “A very detailed proposal has to be submitted and approved by a local council of leaders... e whole process can take up to six months from the beginning of the planning phase to when it is actually executed,” Ethan Baker, senior, said.

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

Evan Lin, senior and an Eagle Scout, centered his project around helping those a ected by COVID-19 by making reusable masks for our low-income communities. “I chose this project because there were a lot of people in danger of becoming sick due to the coronavirus and I thought this would be the best way to help out,” Lin said.

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

Inspired by her long time hobby of piano, Wu shared her love for music by teaching piano basics to a number of underprivileged children, then donated all materials to the local Boys and Girls Club. “I’ve been playing piano since 1st grade, Michael Lindroth, junior, works hard everyday to make school a better place for all students. As a member of both the Student District Advisory Council (SDAC) and Unity Conejo, Lindroth wants to make schools more safe and inclusive. Read this Tea Time to nd out more about Lindroth’s responsibilities!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scouts impress with impact community projects

Sera Mohammed Staff Writer

in an e ort to increase the community

Cynthia Gao Managing Editor

at’s a good question. I would probably change it to a J name like Jack. so it’s been a big part of my life,” Wu said. “It can be really relaxing, and with the pandemic going on, I thought it would be good for kids to have piano to fall back on to destress and have something to do.”

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

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

Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021

“If Anything Happens I Love You” breaks hearts

Gwen Buchanan Back Cover Editor

“If Anything Happens I Love You” is a moving and heartsinking short lm that Net ix released in November. e lm tells the story of two parents grieving the loss of their young daughter, who was killed in a school shooting. Although the duration of the short is a mere 12 minutes, any viewer will surely nd themselves deeply impacted and contemplating the experience for long a er the initial watch. e young girl’s parents are displayed in their home in the opening scene, grieving their daughter and remembering her fondly. Most of the lm has no color and is a pencil-like animation, but the young girl’s possessions lying round the house are bright colors, and the viewer is taken back in time to when she was alive to see her experiences growing up before the tragedy. e short contains a variety of music during di erent scenes. e majority is mellow instrumental music, but while the viewer is witnessing the young girl’s experiences, and in a way, getting to know her, a cheerful pop song is played, creating a contrasting e ect to the short lm’s overall dark mood. Besides music, the lm contains light sound e ects but no dialogue whatsoever, bringing the animation and art to the spotlight to convey a deeper and more impactful story.

A little over half way through the short lm, the girl makes her way into a school building. Inside, an American ag is hung Prasheetha Karthikeyan Sports Editor

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

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

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

Like Sabri, Cassey Ho of the channel Blogilates, who has been popular on tness YouTube for a while now, has an extensive assortment of exercises for just about everything. Her workouts are de nitely on the beginner-intermediate di culty range, but there is no shortage of videos, especially if you get bored easily. e moves in her videos are pilates driven, hence the name, and she speaks to you throughout the entire video, which can be a above classroom doors in bright blue and red colors. en gunshots and screams are heard. e scene then cuts to the young girl’s phone, where she sends one last text message to her parents: “If anything happens I love you.” e lm is not based on one true story, but the daughter’s last message to her parents and the title of the lm could be a reference to the Parkland shooting in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where a 19-year-old student came onto campus with a gun and killed 17 people. While the active shooter was on campus, many students called or sent goodbye texts to their parents, just like the daughter in the short lm.

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

While “If Anything Happens I Love You” is not a light or even an enjoyable watch, it is important to watch to understand just a fraction of some of the tragedies that have occured in the past. Countless parents have had to mourn the loss of their children who did not deserve to die. It is with lms like this, where we can learn to empathize with them, and understand that our country

Emerson FuentesAlabanza/Prowler

YouTube workouts break a sweat

is far from perfect. positive or negative aspect depending on what you like.

Mad t has many typical videos you would see on other channels, but she also has multiple dance workouts, with music ranging from Taylor Swi to seasonal music to compilations of TikTok music. Her dance videos are primarily cardio over strength training, but this makes it ideal for those of all abilities. e best part of the dance videos is that if you mess up, you can just move on with the workout without stressing too much over proper form. is was de nitely one of my favorites, as they get you moving without even realizing you’re exercising.

Although Daisy Keech is not necessarily a tness youtuber, she is de nitely worth mentioning as her workouts have gone viral and have gotten hundreds of thousands to millions of views each. As of now, she only has four at home workouts on her channel, but all four of them are intense and incredible for strength without equipment. She takes basic moves, many of which are reminiscent of Chloe Ting’s most popular moves, and combines them into supersets with more reps and shorter breaks in a well thought out order to create the most optimal workout. e workouts themselves range from about 8-12 minutes, which is great if you have a shorter attention span.

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

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