2020-2021 Issue 7 (March 5, 2021)

PANTHER

PROWLER

Friday, March 5, 2021 • Issue VII • Newbury Park High School 456 N Reino Rd, Newbury Park, CA 91320 • pantherprowler.org

2 Editorial 3 Mock Trial 4 Mars Rover 5 Texas Power Outages 6 Golden Globes 7 COVID-19 Culture 8-9 VPA 10 Virtual Rally 11 Tea Time 12 To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before 13 Lupin 14 Sparkles 15 Waterpolo 16 Dance

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editorial Panther Prowler • March 5, 2021

Affordable housing is not the end of Thousand Oaks Proposals to build affordable housing in Thousand Oaks have frequently been met with staunch criticism from community members who claim the projects will harm the community in one way or another. Not only is this untrue, but Thousand Oaks needs to face the rising costs of living in California and create even more affordable housing. In reality, Thousand Oaks is neither some suburban utopia nor a rural outpost, but a city with over 120,000 people, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to afford houses here.

The densest housing project in Thousand Oaks history has recently moved into the next stage of planning following a city council vote on Feb. 9, in which councilmembers Bob Engler and Al Adam were joined by Mayor Claudia Bill-de-laPeña in approving the project to continue with a further evaluation process. Councilmembers Ed Jones and Kevin McNamee voted against the proposal. This specific project is proposed to be built at 500 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., with current plans including 300 apartments for the 6.12-acre lot.

Countless stances against the proposals are painted under the guise of wanting to preserve the suburban feel of Thousand Oaks. However, it must be recognized that these arguments are entirely rooted in classist ideals and disregard the actual issue at hand: the city is changing, and the growing population needs to be accommodated.

Pushing this rhetoric comes from a place of

privilege - it demonstrates the ability to turn a blind eye to the issues facing low-income citizens until their lives affect yours in a superficial manner.

People seem to look at Thousand Oaks through rose-tinted glasses, glossing over the issues that are built into this city. According to the 2019 Census estimate, the median housing value of an owner-occupied housing unit in Thousand Oaks was $726,100, while the median housing value of an owner-occupied housing unit in California was $505,000, already well above the national average. As most cities expand, they create varied zoning areas with differing price-bracket housing goals to accommodate all residents. It is disingenuous to articulate that creating denser housing units will result in Thousand Oaks becoming an urban center; the goal of these projects is not to transform Thousand Oaks into downtown Los Angeles.

City council members and local residents have to consider the needs of people who have been marginalized due to the classism present in Thousand Oaks. While the specific proposals still have a large amount of time to go through revisions, the need for more affordable housing must remain a priority to city council members.

Instead of thinking about how affordable housing may ruin the “aesthetic” of Thousand Oaks, consider the people who need help instead.

PANTHER PROWLER Editors-in-Chief Manas Khatore Jessica Zhou

2020-2021 staff

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

Carter Castillo/Prowler

Corrections from Issue VI:

Carter Castillo should have also been credited for “COVID-19 cases decline statewide” on page 3.

Front Cover Caption:

Our cover story this issue features several of the talented visual performing artists on campus. In the upper left, Lauren MacLean, senior, works on a recent art project (Lauren MacLean/With Permission). Below, Stephanie Zager, senior, practices playing the ukelele (Stephanie Zager/With Permission). On the right, Luke Lawson, freshman, takes photos at the Mt. Boney trailhead (Luke Lawson/With Permission).

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

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news Panther Prowler • March 5, 2021

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NPHS Mock Trial serves in semis Téa Sklar Graphic Artist

Complete with virtual backgrounds and business attire, both Mock Trial teams succeeded in making it to the top eight. After a week-long competition against 26 schools in Ventura County, the Panther team placed sixth and the Gold team placed fifth on March 1.

Students put in long hours and late nights in preparation for the competition, especially because the online format created a whole new set of challenges. Leticia Reis, sophomore and Panther bailiff, said that the challenges even included mass technology failures.

“In the third round of competition, there was an issue with the internet and half of the teams, including multiple scoring jurors and even the judge, and the round had to be postponed a day,” Reis said.

Rachel Goldstein, junior, and one of the lead attorneys on the Gold prosecution team, felt that competing virtually and having an online season was very different compared to her past years of competing in-person at the courthouse. “There are a lot of logistical aspects of competing, like being able to read non-verbal communication from the judge and witnesses, and communicating with co-counsel during trial,” Goldstein said. “A big part of the entire experience of Mock Trial in-person was just being able to bond and spend time with the team, which obviously doesn’t translate as well in an online setting.”

Although competing online had its fair share of inconveniences, Mina Nguyen, sophomore and Panther lead attorney, believed that there were some advantages to online versus in-person.

“It was easier to compete online since we could wear our suits on the top half, and then pajamas for the bottom half. It was so nice that we could be comfortable in suits, especially since wearing suits and high heels after a while gets uncomfortable,” Nguyen said.

In addition to the relaxed clothing requirements, Nguyen believes that the online format did not hinder collaboration. “We could collaborate more with each other since in-person, it was hard to have one’s voice heard, but in breakout rooms, everyone had the opportunity to chime in when needed.”

However, if Nguyen had the chance to compete online again, she would have focused more on securing the foundation for objections at the beginning of the year. “Moreover, I would have spent more time on training the team to maintain eye contact with the camera,” she said.

Under the circumstances, the team and the adviser Katie O’Neill were proud of how far they

Objection, your honorhonor- After much work and much time, both of Newbury Park’s Mock Trial teams make it to Ventura County’s semifinals, even under such a drastic change in circumstances from in-person competition to online. “At first I thought it would be a really big change from in person to online, thinking that in person Mock Trial would be a lot more personal, letting us talk and get to know everyone in the club, but this year we made it work. The group of people we had this past year kept the personal aspect of Mock Trial alive even though we were fully online. The beginning had a rocky start for sure, but thankfully, this wonderful group that is Mock Trial pulled together,” Phillip Feinbloom, junior and Panther lead defense attorney, said. Nandini Patro/Prowler

got. In O’Neill’s announcement, she said that “only eight teams from the entire county make it to this level, and we have two of the spots. There were a lot of students who worked very hard for this.”

Speech and debate wins big at state qualifiers Hayden Meixner Staff Writer

The debate team competed in the online state qualifiers on Feb. 27 and achieved positive results. All of the club members that participated in the Zoom tournament earned high speaker scores and one partnership, Adalia Luo and Carter Castillo, juniors, even got first place in the entire tournament, securing their spot at state finals.

Adi Chattopadhyay, sophomore, has been doing debate for several years. “You learn a lot about things that are happening around you and it teaches you how to voice your opinions more,” Chattopadhyay said. Although he and his partner did not make it to state finals, Chattopadhyay was still happy with the results, “I think I gave some of my best speeches during the tournament, and I got solid speaking scores so I’m proud of my performance,” Chattopadyay said.

Having done debate since sixth grade, Ananya Arvind, freshman, was sure to bring a lot to the table at the tournament. Arvind was happy about the scores she earned last Saturday. “I think I did pretty good because I got really high speaker scores for most of the rounds. In fact, for one of the rounds, I got the highest possible speaker score,” Arvind said. Arvind was excited to compete in this year’s state qualifiers, hoping to learn some valuable lessons from the other debaters. “[The tournament] allowed me to connect with my club and work under extreme pressure,” Arvind said.

Aayaan Ahmed, freshman, was honored to be chosen to show off his debate skills at the tournament. “Being chosen for state qualifiers is pretty exciting since I’ve worked hard on my speaking skills since 7th grade,” Ahmed said. The competition was tough, but the team was able to pull through despite having a smaller debate program. “I’m very proud of NP for having the team with the best record in the whole tournament while not being a private school with a proper debate class,” Ahmed said.

Speech and debate has been meeting and competing strictly by Zoom this year. “There’s a little bit less of a sense of environment and community because you don’t always get to see everyone that you’re with,” Chattopadhyay said. However, the teams did not let this hold them

Celebrating- Debaters pose for a picture after a long day competing in state qualifiers. “I think we were Celebratingwell prepared for this tournament, and our success as a school backs that up,” Aayaan Ahmed, freshman, said. Adi Chattopadhyay/With Permission

back from succeeding. “We also don’t have to attend tournaments in-person and dress nicely to them (though it is helpful to appeal to judges), which is a huge plus in terms of comfort,” Ahmed said.

Speech and debate club meets every Friday and anyone can join by attending a meeting. “You talk to these people more than you talk to anyone, really because it’s debate and you don’t really do that in any other club,” Chattopadhyay said.

4 Perseverance lands on Mars news

Panther Prowler • March 5, 2021

Téa Sklar Graphic Artist

The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover landed on the Red Planet on Feb. 18. According to a statement from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the rover’s main task is to “seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.”

The rover, manufactured by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is approximately 10 feet long, 9 feet wide and about 7 feet tall.

NASA refers to the body of the rover as the warm electronics box (WEB). The main function of the WEB is to “carry and protect the computer, electronic and instrument systems.”

The rover is built similarly to a convertible car with a small helicopter, named Ingenuity, tucked underneath it. Cameras sit on top of the vehicle at the “Rover Equipment Deck,” allowing for clear shots of the terrain as the rover moves. Perseverance’s creation heavily relied on the design of the Curiosity rover,

which launched in 2011, although there are some differences.

Perseverance has a larger turret, or hand, and thus the body was altered to accommodate the heavier attachment, making it bigger and heavier. Weight plays a significant role in the rover’s ability to land properly.

In order to complete the journey, Perseverance was traveling at nearly 12,500 miles per hour. A few minutes before entering Mars’s atmosphere, the rover released its cruise stage, which included solar panels, radios and fuel tanks that were used during its journey. Only the protective layer and the rover itself continued the descent.

Immediately after landing, Perseverance took three pictures of the terrain and got a recording of the planet’s atmosphere, allowing NASA to receive more data about Mars.

Scientists writing historyhistory- Perseverance lands on Mars after seven months of travel. Photo courtesy of NASA

NPHS changes plans for AP and IB exams Sera Mohammed Staff Writer

Nandini Patro Staff Writer

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

CVUSD confirmed on Feb. 19 that the majority of AP tests will be online this year, with a few happening in-person. The normal test date has been pushed back to late May for digital tests, and there will also be an alternative date in June for people retaking exams that had technical issues on the original exam date. NPHS also made the official decision on March 1 that there will be no IB written exams this year.

Kristina Keener, the assistant principal of instruction, was involved in communicating information about AP exams to the student body. This year, the exam dates are flexible, meaning schools could choose between digital or in-person exams, aside from a few exceptions. “Some exams are only offered in person, paper pencil, so that would be your world language exams and music theory. If students want to take those exams, they have to because of the content and the nature of the test, they have to come onto campus,” Keener said. In an effort to prevent cheating with the majority of these tests being online, some content has been modified as well.

The cancellation of in-person IB exams for NPHS students was due to the lack of comfort students reported and the potential inaccuracy of scores with digital exams. Deborah Dogancay, the IB coordinator, reports that IB made the

decision that schools must verify that they can test 100% of their registered students in-person. “We surveyed our remote students and found that nearly 75% did not feel safe,” Dogancay said. Instead of the actual exam, the school will take a different route in assessing students and awarding an official score. “[Teachers] have a time-tested assessment coursework that is submitted online for examiners to score in order to determine IB marks this year,” Dogancay said.

Dogancay clarifies that there are a few exceptions to this rule. “There are no changes at all to the IB exams for IB Dance, IB Visual Arts, IB Theatre or the IB Core components as these subjects already had assessment procedures in place that did not involve sitting for a May exam,” Dogancay said. Danielle Ellis, AP Psychology teacher, believes participation plays a significant role in being successful on AP exams. “I think that students who have paid attention and participated during our class Zoom sessions and used their extension time wisely will do great on their exams this year. On the other hand, students who have checked out and done very little due to the lack of accountability and consequences this year will probably struggle,” Ellis said.

The Australian Open continues through a pandemic Dhruv Patel Ad Team

Nandini Patro Staff Writer

Over the last two months, two new grand slam champions were awarded their titles at the Australian Open, with Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic adding to their already existing collection of accolades. Players from all over the world came to compete for the grand slam title.

Naomi Osaka won her fourth Grand Slam title on Feb. 20, at only 23 years of age. She is currently seed number three in the world.

Osaka played Serena Williams, former number one woman in the world, in the semi-finals. The two players have a close mentor-student relationship that was established the first time they played, with Williams serving as a major inspiration in Osaka’s tennis career. Novak Djokovic won the gentlemen’s division of the Australian Open, this grand slam title adding to his long list of 18 grand slams. Djokovic maneuvered his way to the finals and maintained his number one position in the world.

The tournament saw many matchups that were exciting to tennis fans, including Aslan Karatsev proving himself as a relatively

unknown qualifier. Karatsev started out playing consistently in the first few rounds and even beat seeds eight and six. Karatsev made it to the semi-finals where he lost to Novak Djokovic, seed one. Karatsev is only 27 years old and with the Australian Open, Karatsev went from rank 114 to 42 and earned $658,000, doubling his career earnings.

In Melbourne, the COVID-19 situation is a lot more under control compared to the United States. This allowed the Australian Open to commence with nearly as many players as they normally have; however, stadiums were not allowed to be filled up completely. For the first week of the tournament, the bleachers were empty, but the following week, the stadiums had 50 percent capacity.

Players had to take precautions and quarantine for two weeks before playing. However, once the tournament started, they were given a bit of freedom and only had to wear masks on the transit to their hotels.

Even with all the precautions, there were multiple cases of COVID-19 reported during the tournament, but the tournament directors worked proactively to make sure that the threat did not elevate.

Shining in its gloryglory- The Australian Open trophy cup represents the best, most skillful player who deserves the title of Grand Slam Champion. The winner also receives 4.1 million dollars as the reward. Photo courtesy of Australian Open TV

news

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Panther Prowler • March 5, 2021

Severe blizzards plague Texas Deepa Venkat Staff Writer

Allison Nguyen Staff Writer

A series of intense blizzards and harsh weather conditions hit the state of Texas on Feb. 10. The storms and deadly cold left the state top to bottom in sheets of snow.

More than 30 gigawatts of electricity were taken out, leaving more than four million Texans without power in their homes.

When the first wave of power outages hit across the state, nearly two million people living in Texas were struggling to survive without any power to support their houses. Now, even after many power lines have been restored, 325,000 people still remain without power due to downed power lines.

The abrupt storm left families struggling for food and heat. Food banks became empty due to the cold storms making it extremely difficult for people to step outside of their homes. School meal programs were suspended and food deliveries were stopped due to hazardous road conditions. Families were seen lining up outside of grocery stores to salvage whatever they could.

Due to the freezing temperatures caused by the storms, nearly 12 million Texans have been greatly affected by frozen pipelines and electricity issues. Keeping faucets running, families across the state hope to keep their pipes from bursting to have fresh water to drink and use. In 141 different Texas counties, 590 different public water systems have experienced interference due to the weather conditions.

Texas is on a separate power grid, which contributed to the loss of power. With the infrastructure not made to handle these weather conditions, the isolated power grid was not able to receive power from other states. Until now, Texas made a decision to not require equipment upgrades to better withstand winter temperatures, which left the state in a crisis when the storm hit.

As of now, the state is working to ensure necessary funding to help restore power in homes. With the low amounts of electricity, food and resources to support the Cold-- On Feb. 10, a series of cold snow storms hit the southern state of Texas, leaving over four million people standing in the people living in affected communities, residents have been forced to adjust to their Cold cold. Texans from around the area have had to readjust their living spaces to keep themselves warm while surviving off of the little current living conditions and cope with this tragedy that plagues their home state. supplies that were in their homes. Deepa Venkat/Prowler

Trump acquitted by the Senate for the second time Carter Castillo Features Editor

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Graphic Artist

Former Pres. Donald Trump was acquitted by the Senate in his second impeachment trial on Feb. 13. The Senate voted 57-43 in favor of convicting Trump of inciting an insurrection against the U.S. Capitol, which was not enough for the two-thirds requirement to formally convict and prevent Trump from holding public office in the future.

All Democratic senators voted to convict, along with seven Republican senators: Mitt Romney from Utah, Susan Collins from Maine, Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, Richard Burr from North Carolina, Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania and Ben Sasse from Nebraska.

On Jan. 6, Trump made a speech to his supporters while Congress began to count votes to confirm the next president of the United States; in this speech, he allegedly encouraged them to storm the Capitol. Soon

after, Trump’s supporters began to riot and break into the Capitol building.

On Jan. 13, the House impeached Trump on the basis of “incitement of insurrection.” When the trial began, the prosecution brought forth videos and interviews with rioters to argue that their motivation for rioting was Trump’s speech.

To counter this, Trump’s lawyers denied that his speech was the cause of the violence at the Capitol. Further, they argued that this trial would be redundant as Trump was no longer in office. The team’s main defense was that Trump was protected under the first amendment and therefore should not be prosecuted.

With ten House Republicans voting to impeach and seven Senate Republicans voting to convict, this was the most bipartisan impeachment in American history.

Carter Castillo/Prowler

High schools are set to reopen March 8 McGlauthon Fleming IV Staff Writer After almost a year of remote learning, high school students are returning back to campus after CVUSD received a waiver from the California Department of Public Health to reopen high schools.

The high schools will begin in-person instruction on March 8 for blended students. The cohort system will still be in effect, meaning that a fraction of the student population will be on campus at once. The first two weeks will also only have two days in person: Monday and Thursday on the week of March 8 and Tuesday and Friday on the week of March 15, while the rest will be remote. Starting the week of March 22, there will be four days

of in-person instruction for blended students and Wednesday will be a remote day for all students. There will be no more than 700 students on campus at once, which makes it easier to enforce social-distancing guidelines and mask-wearing. Temperature checks for each student arriving on campus will also be held at the gates.

Many students are looking forward to stepping back into the classrooms, especially Zoey Blair, freshman. “I am pleased to be going back because I’ll get to leave my room to do homework and I am excited about seeing people again,” Blair said.

While students are excited, they are also anticipating how

much in-person instruction has changed from the last school year. Kayla Robinson, freshman, shares this concern. “I’m scared of how different the dynamic will be from last year, and to see what has changed,” Robinson said.

Despite this, Lauren Markus, senior, feels excited at the announcement and believes that in-person instruction will be beneficial for her education. “I’m looking forward to seeing people face to face and being able to talk with my friends in between classes. I also think that is a lot easier while in person because it’s easier to stay focused, and it’s easier to engage with the teacher and ask questions,” Markus said.

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opinion Panther Prowler • March 5, 2021

The Golden Globes make a mockery of talent

Adalia Luo DPS Editor

Deepa Venkat Staff Writer

The Golden Globes nominations this year were a spit on the diverse scope of talented people in the industry and the progress entertainment has begun making in representation by boosting, almost singularly, white actors and directors.

Award shows, being the primary portrayers of success, have an obligation to reinforce and properly recognize the entire, diverse range of media. No matter how discredited the Golden Globes are by the general public and media, they have a significant impact on credibility within the industry itself. These awards have a responsibility to improve their nominations.

The film “Music,” directed by neurotypical singer Sia, was nominated for best picture in the musical/comedy category, despite facing deserved controversy for featuring no autistic actors, making a mockery and caricaturing their autistic characters and partnering with Autism Speaks, an organization famously hated by autistic people. The autistic community was deprived of having accurate representation in mainstream media with this indulgence project forced against them. The Golden Globes’s inane choice to reward such a damaging film is a million steps backwards, and not only perpetuates harmful autistic stereotypes, but encourages them.

In the best actress categories, white women dominated the nominations. For one example, Lily Collins was nominated for best television actress in a comedy/musical series for her show “Emily in Paris” on Netflix. While the show was entertaining and lighthearted, television shows that sent powerful meanings,

reflected on crucial issues that the world faces and starred women of color were left with no nominations.

Despite the lack of diversity and representation of talent throughout the Golden Globe nominations, some of the nominations were worthy. “The Queen’s Gambit’’ picked up two nominations for best limited series and Anya-Taylor Joy for best actress in a limited series. The homage to chess represented through a young girl stepping up to take center stage is enjoyable to watch and contributes to the world advancing in acknowledging female intellect.

“I May Destroy You” starring Michaela Coel was deprived of a single nomination. This show pushed the boundaries of television with incomparable storytelling. This show takes the viewer on the journey of a woman of color not being able to reverse her life after being assaulted as she reevalutes her purpose in life.

The precedent that the Golden Globes set with this year’s nominations was appalling and evidence of their continued failures to move forward with representation. While not wholly unsurprising, it’s disappointing to see these respected institutions perennially disrespect their audiences and perpetuate racism, sexism, ableism and a whole host of other -isms. As long as the Golden Globes and all their sibling award shows have a platform, they must do better.

Téa Sklar/Prowler

Easter can be celebrated by anyone Gwen Buchanan Back Cover Editor Before Easter became a Christian holiday, it was traditionally celebrated by pagans as a celebration of spring. In the Bible, there is no mention of the exact date of when Christ was resurrected, yet this event is celebrated on a pagan holiday that really has nothing to do with Christ. It is unfair that Easter has become a commercialized Christian holiday when in reality, anyone of any faith can celebrate the approaching spring season.

While it is completely acceptable for Christians to celebrate Easter as the resurrection of Christ, it is not right for the holiday to be advertised as simply that. If Easter was presented as it once was, which was the celebration of spring and nature beginning to regrow with warm weather, then anyone could celebrate it. This false advertising is creating a barrier where non-Christians are discouraged from celebrating Easter.

Even the holiday’s name has nothing to do with Christian beliefs. The word “Easter” comes from a pre-Christianity goddess worshiped in England named Eostre (also called Ostara). Eostre was worshipped during the spring equinox, a pagan holiday celebrated when night and day are exactly equal (usually around March 19-22). She was worshipped at this time because she was considered the goddess of dawn and spring.

Eostre was often represented or portrayed with a rabbit because of their abundance in springtime, as well as represented with the egg as a symbol of fertility and the birth of animals during the season. These two symbols are used today as figures such as “The Easter Bunny” and in the chocolate eggs often distributed during the holiday. Yet, many people do not know how or why these symbols are correlated with Easter. Even despite the fact that bunnies and eggs have absolutely nothing to do with the resurrection of Christ, Easter is still considered a Christian holiday.

When most people think of Easter, they think of Easter Sunday or the religious connection, and can you blame them?

Everywhere Easter is advertised, it seems to be in the Christian form of the holiday, with stuffed animal bunnies, chocolate eggs and wooden crosses that have no real connection. Most people don’t even know who Eostre or Ostara is, when it was her worship that led to the holiday we all know so well as Christian-based.

It is completely acceptable and respectable to celebrate the resurrection of Christ on Easter, yet the holiday should not center around that one belief. If Easter was advertised as and considered a holiday that simply welcomed spring and warm weather every year, then anyone could celebrate it despite their religious beliefs.

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

Mindset means everything Prasheetha Karthikeyan Sports Editor Every morning, I wake up to the sun glinting at me through the blinds along my windows and an alarm clock graciously reminding me that I have another 24 hours at my disposal.

Another 24 hours that I can fill with beautiful moments and mold in such a way that makes me happy. I climb out of my warm bed, grab a cup of premade black coffee, brush out my hair and head down the hallway to my desk for my first Zoom call of the day, the first of many wonderful activities.

Chances are my mornings are not so different from your own. The only difference is the way we perceive them.

Changing your mindset is a difficult process. With COVID-19 restrictions, most of us have found ourselves spending a lot of time with ourselves, which is difficult, as humans are meant to be social beings and have regular interactions. However, we can also view this as an opportunity to improve ourselves individually, and the best way to do so is with your outlook on life.

Obviously, we all want to naturally have the coveted “positive mindset.” I’ve found that instead of simply diving into it out of desperation for a sense of satisfaction with life, the easier way to achieve this is to romanticize your life.

Essentially, you have to pretend that every second of your life, even the most seemingly uneventful or uninteresting moments, is fun and exciting. You have to treat each day as an exciting adventure, even the mornings where you’re dragging yourself to your Zoom calls or you’re on your third cup of coffee and you’re still tired (been there, done that).

Although I personally see this phrase as overused, essentially what you are doing is acting like the main character.

By doing so, you’re placing yourself in a position of self care by putting yourself on the pedestal you’d normally save for your comfort character in a movie.

This mindset works because it forces you to subconsciously look at yourself from an outside perspective, like viewing a movie. It involves pulling small pieces of life that you’re grateful for (for my mornings as described, it was the warm bed and the light shining through the blinds), and translating them into a greater love for the world around you. It also makes you want to add in little activities into your day that make you happy. For some, it may be an afternoon fruit plate, or a yoga session or an evening playing with your dog. Instead of trying to take out what makes you “miserable,” adjusting your mindset around those activities while simultaneously adding in enjoyable activities is more effective.

Romanticizing your life also works because it shifts the way we perceive life. What I’ve found is that life goes from being a stagnant entity that we are fighting against to a progressing concept that always has the potential to improve. Through this, romanticization inspires you to make your life better by subconsciously implementing that desire for yourself.

That being said, it’s still not an easy process. It’s a never ending process, because we never stop growing as people. But the process is worth it in the long run. I implore you to join me. Try romanticizing your life for a month, a week, a day.

Become the best version of yourself.

opinion Panther Prowler • March 5, 2021

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American culture contributes to COVID-19 spread Prasheetha Karthikeyan Sports Editor

Prasheetha Karthikeyan/Prowler

It seems like the U.S. can hardly catch a break with its COVID-19 cases. We are still topping the COVID-19 World-o-meter and with little evidence of this slowing. This is especially upsetting considering that some nations, such as New Zealand, are COVID-19 free altogether, and many others, such as Singapore, have daily case numbers in the double digits. It becomes apparent that there is a correlation between the COVID-19 response of a country, at both a governmental and individual level, and the cultural views held by the country.

In the U.S., we have bred a culture of individualism as a byproduct of our capitalism. While there are a wide range of opinions as to whether or not this is a good thing, it is irrefutable that this has driven us into an “every man for himself ” type mindset. Normally, this mindset is found in the context of socio-economic mobility. Now, that idea has been translated into not catching an illness.

If capitalism is to individualism, then socialism is to collectivism, due to the analogy of government system to mindset. Americans have become so conditioned to be afraid of collectivism and social coordination due to its close links to socialism to the point where we care more about our “personal freedoms,” such as not wearing a mask, than saving the lives of others.

The most dangerous thing told to our individualistic nation at the beginning of the pandemic was that masks are to be worn to protect those around you. Although studies have since proven that wearing a mask protects the user as well, this initial sentiment turned many off from wearing a mask to begin with simply because it does not affect them.

It is terrifying the little regard for others some of the people around us have.

Conversely, this issue does not seem to pop up nearly as much in other countries, especially those who hold more of a collectivist mindset. New Zealand, for example, was able to lock down without major opposition. Harvard Political Review reported on a study from the University of California, stating that “countries with a generally collectivist framework have a faster, more effective response, as their citizens are more likely to comply with social distancing and hygiene practices that help reduce the spread, while individualist countries respond less successively.”

Similarly, a study conducted jointly by two University of California professors and a Kent State University professor after the Ebola outbreak tested protection efficacy, the feeling that one could protect oneself from the virus, in a number of Asian collectivist societies. The protection’s efficacy was measured at three levels: personal, community and country.

The results found that “collectivistic people, especially in the face of a perceived risk, tend to have a higher sense of efficacy, meaning that my group will do something to protect me or my community. And those protective processes are coordinated and work together.”

Evidently, other countries don’t experience the same political turbulence associated with collectivist efforts as the United States does. The matter here has become political whereas in other places it has remained what it is: a human rights issue. Culture is a major determinant of the spread of COVID-19 in the United States, and the lack of social coordination and fear of government collectivism is preventing improvement of the situation. As long as we don’t do anything to shift the culture or change individuals’ mindsets in the United States, nothing COVID-19 related is going to change.

Respect Taylor Swift’s right to own her own music Adalia Luo DPS Editor On Jun. 30, 2019, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift’s masters were sold by her ex-label’s owner Scott Borchetta to Scooter Braun, a music manager known for having severely harassed Swift in the past. Swift was informed of the purchase of her life’s work, all the officially released recordings of her music at that point (namely, her first six albums), at the same moment it was released to the public. In a lengthy statement published on social media, Swift shared her side of the story. “[Borchetta] knew what he was doing; [Borchetta and Braun] both did. Controlling a woman who didn’t want to be associated with them. In perpetuity. That means forever.”

Entering the industry at 15 and immediately finding success for her lyricism and vocals, Swift rapidly rose to the top of the charts and overtook the genres of both country and pop, one of the only artists to ever do so successfully. Following the release of her two most recent albums, alternative could even be added to that list, which would make her the only artist to have ever done this successfully.

None of what she created belonged to her. Never was she even given the opportunity to buy it back.

“This is my worst case scenario. This is what happens when you sign a deal at fifteen to someone for whom the term ‘loyalty’ is clearly just a contractual concept. When that man says ‘Music has value,’ he means its value is beholden to men who had no part in creating it.”

The exploitation Swift faces reflects the standard of the music industry for women, stripping them of any respect, independence or autonomy. As one of the most famous and successful artists in all of history, Swift’s situation is doubly horrifying.

The quotes pulled for this article were from her 2019 statement. Since then, her masters have been passed around into the hands of others, again without Swift’s knowledge or permission, and still under a contract that Braun still profits from.

Swift has since made the decision to re-record all of her music and release it a second time under a label that believes in artists owning their own music, Universal Music Group, thus devaluing the original copies and taking back what power she can. On Feb. 12, Swift released the first re-recorded single, “Love Story,” an iconic song off of her second album, “Fearless.” The rest of the album will be released on April 9.

The moment that these re-recordings are released, it is the responsibility of any listener of Swift’s,

casual or diehard, to listen to only the re-recordings. For all intents and purposes, the original masters might as well cease to exist.

Respect Swift by recognizing the impact of her re-recordings, and streaming with the artist behind the music in mind. On a broader level, respect the precedent she will set for future artists treated in the same dehumanizing manner. Swift’s re-recordings are historic and the first sign of a hopeful change brewing within creative industries, emphasizing the importance of the artist owning their own art.

Prasheetha Karthikeyan/Prowler

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visual performing arts Panther Prowler • March 5, 2021

Dhruv Patel Ad Team Gwen Buchanan Backcover Editor Abby Gorman Editorial Editor Parker Bohl Staff Writer Allison Nyguyen Staff Writer Reese

Whether it be through participating in classes at school or as a hobby on the side, Newbury Park High School students find ways to demonstrate their creativity across a variety of mediums.

For some, COVID-19 has placed limits on the ability to gather for their craft, but artists across campus have adapted to the situation as necessary to continue to improve their skills and work alongside others.

Music The music community between students at NPHS has learned to flourish under the harsh challenges of COVID-19.

Whether it be school choir or independent production, music is in the air.

Choir is a dazzling part of NPHS’s performing arts program that many students enjoy and have built a community from.

Although the pandemic has brought many changes to choir, the singers have still found a way to express themselves through their voices and keep their community thriving.

John Sargent, choral music director, is pleased to be able to teach some of his choir classes in-person. “We’ve been in person for the concert choir, which meets fifth period,” Sargent said. “We’ve had anywhere from 16 to 20 singers at a time so we have been able to do outside rehearsals. That’s been really valuable and helps the music learning go a lot faster.”

Sargent also teaches the Barbershop choir, which sings acapella, and invites anyone interested to join. “We’re also running our Barbershop acapella group on Mondays. We have been able to rehearse and sing outdoors since November,” Sargent said.

During the online classes, the choirs rehearse songs and prepare for their virtual concerts. Sierra Askren, a junior in choir, says that the program has gotten a handle on how to function remotely. “We get voice recordings of the music to learn it,” Askren said. “Or use solfege to learn it then we usually turn it into a video.” Solfege is a musical system that gives each scale it’s own syllable: do, re, mi fa, sol, la and ti, before starting over again at do.

Despite the inconvenience of remote learning, it has simultaneously opened up new opportunities of the class, many of which Sargent has been taking advantage of. “I have what’s known as guest artist speakers. I’ve had some of our alumni and people working in the community...we also brought on some of the family members of some of our choir members as guest speakers,” Sargent said. “In addition to that, we’ve offered intro sessions, so a lot of music, technology, music history, intro sessions, composition intro sessions, things that we could not normally do in a rehearsal because we don’t really have the time we’ve been able to [have] online.”

Choir has already performed virtually, including at their yearly winter concert, which was posted on YouTube. “We had a winter concert where we just sent in videos of us singing and we had specific rules of what to wear and where to film so we could match,” Askren said. “It turned out great, I got to watch it on YouTube.”

Yet, despite the concerts and practicing, Askren argues that there is an irreplaceable sense of community while singing inperson. “You miss the experience of having all these people singing around you and making friends with those people,” Askren said.

Besides preparing for school performances, some students have taken their free time into hand as they make their own musical masterpieces in the comforts of their homes. Stephanie Zager, senior, has been songwriting on her own since she was just ten years old. “I really like having creative independence and being able to be proud of something that I can claim as

Sing A choir class is able to rehearse outside and socially-distant, which helps to keep the choir community at NPHS strong and connected. “[Choir Singis] a family within a school and parents, and the students have this feeling of togetherness,” Sargent said. John Sargent/With Permission

Strum Stephanie Zager, senior, has been creating musical production Strumon her own since she was very young. “Music is really important to me because it’s, you know, something that all my family and I can connect with. And it’s something that can allow me to express myself, beyond the way words can,” Zager said. Stephanie Zager/With Permission

completely my own,” Zager said.

As a member of NPHS’s choir and theatre programs, music has always been a really big part of Zager’s life. For some, the pandemic made performing difficult, but Zager has found this as an opportunity to help her grow as a musician. “I just got a new keyboard so I’ve been making a lot of songs with that, but nothing original right now, I like making covers and making like my own interpretations of, you know, different songs already now,” Zager said.

Although the pandemic has made physically performing and gathering quite the challenge, this has not stopped student musicians from pursuing their passions in music and keeping the choir community connected. “Once students are in choir they feel a sense of family, they feel a sense of belonging and they feel a sense of a culture that transcends what they would normally have by taking normal classes at NPHS,” Sargent said.

Theatre Ifyou know anything about high school, you know that theatre is an essential part of the experience. The theatre department’s main operations have had to adjust to the rapidly changing guidelines to help stop the spread of COVID-19, but they have found new and innovative ways to provide entertainment.

In the usual theater atmosphere, actors like Casey O’Brien, junior, devote lots of time to practicing and collaborating with other students, but with restrictions there are some difficulties. “There’s usually a lot more interaction between actors and technicians (individually and together) which we haven’t been able to do over Zoom in the same way, but they still stay in communication,” O’Brien, who has been doing theatre for three years, said. Now, the theater department has had to change their usual ways of working, but they have found ways to take advantage of their situation. “We tried to utilize Zoom as much as we could, and having virtual backgrounds really helped to substitute for not being able to have the same kind of sets as we used to,” O’Brien said.

IB Theatre also had to figure out how to give their students a proper examination through IB Theatre Night while staying remote. The IB Theatre Night normally would have students present solo and collaborative theater pieces to an audience, and then ask them questions about their performance after.

However, this year the IB Organization decided to cut out the collaborative part of the performance and just have the

visual performing arts Panther Prowler • March 5, 2021

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The Panther Prowler is looking to showcase the many NPHS artists on our social media!

Submissions can be sent to prowler.newspaper@gmail. com with a brief reflection.

e Kelem Chief Photographer

Carter Castillo and Emerson Fuentes Alabanza/Prowler for all graphics

students present their solo piece. Gus Gress, senior and drama club president, prepared for the IB Theater Night, which took place March 2, by finding new and innovative ways to present his piece, “For IB theatre night, about half of our students had pre-recorded videos that they showed and the other half of us performed live as we had been practicing live in our classes… It went really well,” Gress said.

With the modifications to the IB Theatre Night, there are bound to be some challenges for the students to overcome to have their pieces be the best possible, but there are some positive benefits with the virtual performances. With the students being at home instead of the multifunctional Performing Arts Center, they are challenged to find new ways to assemble their performances. “We’re all having to learn what kind of rooms in our house we can use to kind of set up to be our own little personal stages and how we can kind of create our own technical elements, so it’s kind of like a home theater project,” Gress said. Concerning the quizzes the audience have to take after the performances, the online format benefits everyone involved. “[It’ll] feel a little bit more natural. Because you won’t have to do this right after having performed, it’ll just be right after showing your video,” Gress said.

One of the theatre department’s most popular shows, the Mystery Dinner Theatre, came to Zoom on Feb. 19.

Grace Rebbe, senior, directed this show which was specially written for the NPHS Theatre department by writer John Logue. “I’m very, very excited to hopefully lift some people’s spirits in times like these,” Rebbe said. The mystery took place at a Comic-Con Panel, when actors discovered that the comic artist, Frank Kirby, was killed, but by who?

Although the event lacked a formal dinner, many of the performers enjoyed getting to perform. “Don’t let this year get you down,” Rebbe said. “Because we’re virtual, don’t let it get in your way of performing and being in theatre.”

Visual Artists NPHS is home to many talented artists of all mediums and backgrounds. In addition to a variety of art classes available on campus, many students spend their free time exploring different styles of art as a hobby.

Megan Huang, sophomore, has been making art since childhood but began taking her work more seriously in recent years. “I’ve only started to really focus and seriously work on my art since 6th or 7th grade,” Huang said. ”I signed up for Color and Design in my freshman year since I was interested in learning more about color theory and overall composition.”

Huang enjoyed the class because it provided an opportunity to improve her artistic skills while maintaining individuality in projects. “I really liked the freedom of that class, you were given a broad idea and you were able to personalize your piece however much you liked,” Huang said.

Watercolor Megan Huang, sophomore, created these pieces to represent the year Watercolor2020. “I wanted to thank all of the essential workers,” Huang said in an Instagram post. “The mask represented the healthcare professions, the apple and ruler for the teachers, and the paper bag and cups for the businesses.” Megan Huang/ With Permission

Inspiration MacLean has been influenced by a variety of experiences for their work. “All Inspirationmy pieces have meaning to me through an experience I got making them or the actual message of the piece itself,” MacLean said. The lower piece specifically was made as a gift for their stepdad. Lauren MacLean/With Permission

Act “A good wife always knows her place” Weymer explores the Actconsequence of sexism by portraying a woman in the 1950s. Weymer tries to mimic the theatre elements Bertolt Brecht, a German playwright, used in his many plays. Dhruv Patel/Prowler

After Luke Lawson, freshman, received a camera from his grandma, he discovered how much he enjoyed taking pictures. Quarantine has provided Lawson the opportunity to practice more than before. “I think I’ve improved ever since I have more free time,” Lawson said.

Lawson wants to pursue it as a career in more than one way. “Not like as a main career, but I would definitely like to open up a shop, like say I’ll probably get a job and later, when I’m a little bit older I’ll probably open up photography shop, I mean, even now I wouldn’t mind trying to make money [with that],” Lawson said.

Being able to experiment with different techniques is one of Lawson’s favorite parts of photography. “I can take a picture of the sunset in a cool way which you would never be likely to see so it kind of makes what you’re seeing work like, way better you know... transforming [something] that normally you wouldn’t see ever,” Lawson said.

Lauren MacLean, senior, is another NPHS student who enjoys creating art in their free time across a variety of mediums - drawing, painting, ink, and sculpting just to name a few.

“Some of my favorite tools for quick pieces are watercolor markers and micron pens,” MacLean said. “They really help speed up the water color drying process and get precise detail work.”

Both Huang and MacLean plan to keep art as a part of their lives after high school. “I really want to continue to pursue my art in the future.

I’ll probably go into graphic design and try and pursue my art career once I have a more stable job and income,” Huang said.

MacLean is looking forward to taking their artistic interests with them to college. “I plan to take as many art courses as I can through university, and after college I could see myself landing a side job as a type of artist or simply having art in my life as a hobby,” MacLean said.

Snap SnapLuke Lawson presses the shutter on his camera to capture a landscape photo everyday.

Luke Lawson/With Permission

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features Panther Prowler • March 5, 2021

Jack Bernard helps ASG film virtual rally Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Graphic Artist

Lights, camera action- Jack Bernard, sophomore, uses a computer to control the sound system for the filming of the virtual rally. Bernard directed the event and with the help of a crew, pre-recorded the rally for it to air on March 12. “[Performers] haven’t been able to perform to any students, this far this year so this was kind of a lucky opportunity for that,” Bernard said. Elise Laina/With Permission

Music rumbles through the air as dancers, cheerleaders and camera operators rush to create an unforgettable performance at the first-ever NPHS virtual rally. With no way to hold inperson events, ASG has had to come up with creative ways to engage with students and boost school spirit. In the past, rallies have been a way for ASG to bring students together and ignite NPHS pride, but this year’s first rally will take on a much different form.

At the March 2 school board meeting, Jack Bernard, a sophomore involved with PTV, was given a shoutout by the board members for coming up with and directing the NPHS virtual rally. “I had the idea of doing like this virtual rally and I brought it to ASG. And then from there, we worked together on the specifics of getting it rolling. On the day of, I kind of directed the video portion of this stuff, so just kind of guiding that process and working with the camera crew and stuff like that,” Bernard said.

The rally itself consisted of performances of groups from the dance team to orchestra. All groups involved performed as if it were in-person and the event was recorded and is set to air on March 12 on the PTV YouTube channel. “The virtual rally was really just like almost any other school rally where we asked our performers and cheer and dance and everyone that would like to...to come to the field, and we would record them,” Bernard said.

ASG had been wanting to plan a virtual rally but did not have a realistic way of executing their plans. Shaylee McKeown, senior and head of the rallies committee, was excited when Bernard came to them with a way of planning a virtual rally. “We were talking about virtual rallies but we didn’t really have any way to actually execute it because nobody in our class was like a techie or knew how to actually put it together,” McKeown said. Bernard’s expertise with film technology was a huge factor in making the virtual rally a reality.

Steven Kitchell, senior and ASG president, was really impressed with Bernard’s proactivity.

“I really thought that [a non-ASG proposed rally] is super special at ASG because we really do try to support the student body and give the best experience to our students so I thought it was an awesome thing that a student came with an idea and we were able to help make his vision become a reality,” Kitchell said.

Bernard believes that the rally will have a very positive impact on students as a whole. “I think it’s definitely a positive experience for the student body not only for the performing groups that were featured...but also I think it will be a positive experience for everyone watching the rally because they get to see their friends and do something that we usually get to do in-person that we haven’t gotten to do at all this year,” Bernard said.

Students are fueled to fix cars Reese Kelem Chief Photographer

Sarena Kabir News Editor

One of the most exciting parts about becoming a teenager is gaining the freedom to get your license and to drive your own car. Some students get to know their car on a whole new level by learning how to repair and modify their own vehicles.

Justin Copeland, junior, grew up with a family who has a background of racing. In fact, his family were the ones who inspired him to join the car enthusiast community about a year and a half ago. “A [little] while ago, I bought my own car [that] I needed to start fixing. And I realized I really like working on cars, and seeing what goes on inside of them to help them move.

And I guess that’s what started everything,” Copeland said.

When it comes to working on cars, specialists have two main worries and commitments: time and money.

“A lot of times, you could look it up online, and it could say it’s going to take 20 minutes, [but in reality] it’ll take you two hours, because you don’t really know what you’re doing,” Copeland said. “A lot of [it is also] frustration, especially with the financial part because most of everything with a car is going to be quite expensive.”

Emilio Carreon, junior, was inspired by his dad to start working on cars and has been doing so for about ten years. “It’s become an addiction for me and my dad,” Carreon said. The two have worked on many cars together over the years and just recently they were able to sell a 2017 Jeep Wrangler that they had repaired.

“I was kind of sad because I loved that car so much, because obviously [it] was my first car. It was one of the best first cars ever,” Carreon said. Repairs that Carreon

made include getting rid of the stock look (the initial, store bought look), putting on tires and rims, a 12,000 pound towing capacity winch, a new front bumper and exterior lights.

Often, it is unusual for girls to be seen working on cars, but some are unafraid to break that stereotype. Lilyana Brkic, junior at Agoura High School, got into the field of restoring cars at a young age, and has been helping her father work on cars since. Recently, she was able to get her 1963 Corvette to the top flight level. “There’s the National Corvette Restoration Society which is a board of people, and they decide what is completely original on the car, and if you restore it... change out the stuff enough to the original, [you get a] top flight certification,” Brkic said.

After working on the 1963 Corvette for a majority of Brkic’s life with her dad, she has finally been able to work on her own project. “I’ve helped my dad restore a 1963 Corvette to the top flight level… [and for] the ‘63, we’ve been working on [it] my whole life, and we just finished it,” Brkic said. “[Now,] I’m working on my own little project on a 97 Corvette… [in which] there are less things that I need to fix.”

For Copeland, he has not decided if he would pursue working on cars for his future, but it is a possibility. “If I were to be able to borrow my business revolving mechanical fixes, or auto body and paint, it can be really profitable considering that a lot of manual labor is going to be going out in the near future with all the technological advancements,” Copeland said.

Vroom Vroom-Emilio Carreon’s 2017 Jeep Wrangler (above) is ready for sale after being worked on for almost six years.

Carreon and his father have worked on several cars together for nearly ten years, the Jeep being Carreon’s very first own car. “I loved that car so much, because, obviously was my first car. It was one of the best, like first cars ever” Carreon said. The two plan to work on many other cars, including a 1995 purple Eclipse that they plan to sell soon. Emilio Carreon/With Permission

features Panther Prowler • March 5, 2021

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with Kalea Villanueva Anna Johnson Entertainment Editor Kalea Villanueva, junior, recently got into crocheting, and has turned that hobby into an online shop.

Getting inspired from social media, Villanueva took up the hobby, and practiced for months until she could make a profit from her work. Read this Tea Time to find out more, and check out her shop at https://www. etsy.com/shop/kaleaxcrochet.

When did you start to crochet?

I started in July 2020, so recently. I started because of the trend on TikTok to make the JW Anderson cardigan that Harry Styles wore. I wanted to make that so that’s why I started.

What do you like most about it?

I like making things for people, I think it’s a lot of fun. I think that it’s pretty cool when you give them the thing you made for them and they get really happy. Making things for people is my favorite part.

What has been your favorite thing you have made so far?

My favorite thing that I have made is probably some shirts that I have made, I’ve had a lot of fun making those. One specifically that looks like a heart I really enjoyed making.

What is some advice to people who are beginning to crochet?

I learned off of YouTube, so it’s really easy once you start getting into it. The first part of it is just like a learning curve and then once you like practice a lot you can make a lot of cool stuff, so I would definitely work through the hard part of it first.

When did you start your shop and how is it going?

I started my shop only about a week ago but I had set most of it up a while ago. I think it’s going pretty well!

It’s taught me a lot of things, like how to make sure I’m on top of what I’m trying to do and it keeps me organized.

How do you get inspired to start a new project?

I get inspired to start a new project by seeing the cool things people make online. I follow a lot of accounts for small crochet businesses on things like Instagram and Pinterest. Seeing the stuff that they make always inspires me to make a new project! And sometimes I just think of something that would look super cute or my friend suggests something and it inspires me to start a new project.

Is there anything you really like to make?

I really like to make shirts! There are a ton of different styles to make them in and it is always a lot of fun trying to make those different styles. The end product is probably the best too! I get to see people wearing the things I make and I think that’s really cool.

Kalea Villanueva/With Permission

SDAC speaks out for CVUSD students Karyss Amato Staff Writer

Speaking up- SDAC has numerous subcommittees that each do different jobs to make SDAC what it is. “Before there was no student voice, now with SDAC our voices are heard and it gets taken into consideration how we feel about things,” Jones said. Elise Jones/With Permission

The Student District Advisory Committee (SDAC) is in their second year as a committee of 20 students within the five CVUSD high schools. SDAC provides a voice for students in the district to find solutions to district-wide problems.

Elise Jones, junior, is the head of the publicity subcommittee.

Jones is in charge of managing SDAC’s Instagram and helping the rest of the group create their monthly student newsletter.

“I post on [Instagram] periodically about any events that we’re having such as mental health conferences, any updates from our student’s district meeting,” Jones said.

SDAC held their annual applications for students who are interested in joining next year. They were looking for students who are heavily involved in school and can bring new perspectives to the table. The goal of SDAC’s applications is to find the best candidates to recruit that are going to use their voice for the other students in the district who cannot speak up. For eligible applicants, the first round of interviews will be conducted shortly within the next month. “We want to hear from people from all across campus and you don’t necessarily have to be the best student, you just have to have opinions that you can bring to the table and that we have all the voices heard,” Jones said.

As a member of SDAC’s executive board and chairperson of

the mental health subcommittee, Michael Lindroth, junior, feels glad that he is able to help grow the students’ voices in CVUSD. “SDAC is really a way to be more involved in my community,” Lindroth said. “I really enjoy being able to provide change in the district, and I really work to make improvements in our school.”

Adera Craig, a senior at Westlake High School, is the SDAC chairperson and the district’s student board representative. Craig is often seen giving the student input on issues at the CVUSD board meetings. “It has definitely been hard this year to get students’ opinions and since, you know, we’re online and we’re not with our peers as often,” Craig said. Due to COVID-19, SDAC faced the tremendous obstacle of finding new ways to reach out to their constituency of students and listen to their concerns and opinions. “I definitely think we’ve adapted and used social media and we’ve done everything that we can to get diverse opinions,” Jones said.

The committee collects diverse student opinions to present to the board of education. “It’s really given me a purpose throughout this whole year, especially during this pandemic and everything has been super crazy, it’s been just such a great committee for students to advocate their voice and actually be heard,” Craig said.

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entertainment Panther Prowler • March 5, 2021

“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” wraps up its final film Deepa Venkat Staff Writer

Karyss Amato Staff Writer

After three years of taking fans through Lara Jean Song Covey’s high school romance, Netflix wrapped up the series on Feb. 12 by releasing the final film, “To All the Boys: Always and Forever.” Starring Lana Condor as Lara Jean and Noah Centineo as Peter Kavinsky, the final film depicts Lara Jean learning that the future does not always go as planned while she struggles to make college plans both with and without her high school boyfriend, Peter.

The film begins during the Covey family’s trip to Seoul, South Korea, where Lara Jean’s father asks her and her sisters for their blessings to propose to his girlfriend Trina, and they happily agree. Hope is in the air, including Lara Jean’s hopes to attend Stanford with Peter following her senior year in high school. When her college plans take a different direction, Lara Jean is conflicted with her decision to go to her dream college and her relationship with Peter.

In “To All the Boys: Always and Forever,” there was a pattern formed through all three movies that surely all fans noticed.

In every film, Covey and Kavinsky encounter a struggle that damages their relationship. Despite this, each film ends with

Lara Jean going back to Peter, again. The movie felt predictable in the way it would unfold.

In the wraps, there are some highlights that instantly became fan favorites. The infamous box that started it all, the blue hat box that was the keepsafe for her love letters, now becomes Peter’s memory box that Lara made for him. In the first movie, Peter Kavinsky had his classic “woah, woah, woah’s” line that became a reference in this movie, seen in Lara Jean’s dream sequence.

A good movie always has its ups and downs, and for “To All the Boys: Always and Forever,” the downs consist of Peter’s cringeworthy bowling scene in which he dances in slow motion and kisses a bowling ball. Many memes and jokes have been made out of that scene as audience members question the change in Peter Kavinsky’s character.

Following the first movie, Lara Jean and Peter shook hands in deal of their new contract. The rom-com trilogy ends with Lara Jean and Peter going off to college, and Lara Jean’s closing reflection, “And besides, you know one thing 3,000 miles is good for? Writing love letters.”

Carter Castillo/Prowler

“Cecil Hotel” docuseries is overdramatic Reese Kelem Chief Photographer

Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler

Lately, Netflix has been blowing up with their original docuseries, such as “Jeffery Epstein: Filthy Rich,” “Don’t F**k With Cats” and most recent, “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel.” Just an hour away from Newbury Park, the Cecil Hotel, also known as the Death Hotel, on Skid Row is known for its insane amount of 911 calls and a total of 17 recorded deaths, though workers say they have witnessed over 80 deaths. However, the most famous incident was the case of Elisa Lam, a Canadian tourist, who went missing and was last seen in a shocking video of the hotel’s elevator.

In the first episode of the docuseries, a lot of the time was dedicated to building up Lam’s story; how she came from Canada and her life as a blogger. I tended to zone out as the story rolled out very slowly, explaining how she planned out her trip to downtown LA and was an inexperienced traveler who went missing. Then came the video. The video of Lam acting bizarre in the elevator, the last video the police had of her raised suspicion all over the world. The blurry, supposedly edited, eight minutes of Lam acting panicky as if she was hallucinating went viral on Facebook, leading to investigation.

What interested me more about the Cecil Hotel was the staunch amount of violence and deaths occurring in the hotel, ranging from suicides, overdoses and even the housing of Richard Ramirez, the “Night Stalker,” where he allegedly “felt at home.”

The history of the hotel is so shocking, I was surprised that it was not as well known before Lam arrived. Despite the staff ’s attempt to make the hotel more trendy, they were unable to hide

its lurking haunted element.

Although the documentary dramatizes and draws out Lam’s story to an unnecessary extent, Lam’s case is truly a rollercoaster on its own. Many “mysteries” that investigators struggled to solve were just common sense. The investigation into how she got onto the roof was simple, she went up one of the two stairwells.

However, YouTuber investigators dragged this out by sneaking around the hotel and filming for content.

The last episode of the season left me with so many unanswered questions. No other major pieces of evidence were beside Lam’s body in the rooftop water tank. There were no signs of abuse; she was found naked with the tank lid closed, and many investigators assumed it could have been suicide due to her history of bipolar syndrome. All kinds of random connections were made to her story including an old movie, potential government missions, hauntings and a tuberculosis outbreak, which ultimately left me questioning the credibility of these conspiracies. There is no solid answer to her case.

A hotel with hundreds of horror stories, a haunting last video and the discovery of a body in a water tank can catch anyone’s eye without having to over-dramatize the story. The most shocking part was that I never have even heard about the Cecil Hotel until Netflix released this series. If you want to know more about the Cecil Hotel, I would definitely recommend watching this series and taking it with a grain of salt, as theatrics play a large, unnecessary influence on the story.

entertainment

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Panther Prowler • March 5, 2021

“Lupin” modernizes classic French stories Abby Gorman Editorial Editor Inspired by the classic French tales of the gentleman thief Arséne Lupin, the first half of season one of the Netflix original series “Lupin” has accumulated over 70 million views since its release on Jan. 8. Although only five episodes are currently available, the mystery-thriller has captivated viewers with its exciting and suspenseful heist scenes.

The show stars Omar Sy as Assane Diop, a young French man seeking to avenge his father, who was framed for a crime he did not commit that led to his demise. Largely influenced by the schemes of thief Lupin himself, Diop carries out carefully crafted crimes with the aid of his charisma and masterful disguises to target those who have wronged him in the past.

The emotional subplot behind the action assists in connecting viewers to the protagonist’s mission. Touching flashbacks to Diop’s childhood with his father, as well as highlighting his troubled relationship with his ex-wife and son, add an extra layer to the show that can feel rushed or simply missing in others of similar genres.

“Lupin” flawlessly integrates the symbolism of the classic character while providing a modern, elevated touch through tackling issues such as racism and classism. In episode one, the show emphasizes the difference in Diop’s treatment when he is disguised as a janitor at the Louvre as opposed to that same evening when he arrives under the guise of a wealthy entrepreneur to carry out his plan.

Since the series itself is in French, the show is best viewed with the original audio and subtitles; Sy’s performance adds an undeniable charm in a way that the dubbed version cannot compete with.

“Lupin” provides more than just the average heist show. By building up a complex backstory and painting Diop as a thief seeking justice by targeting those who have wronged him in the past, the series encourages viewers to question their own ideas of good and evil. With the last five episodes of the season set to release this summer, there is plenty of time to join in on the suspense with the millions waiting for the return of “Lupin.”

Prasheetha Karthikeyan/Prowler

Gary Larson is (almost) returning Parker Bohl Staff Writer

Téa Sklar/Prowler

McGlauthon Fleming IV Staff Writer “The Far Side” was an excellent comic series that ran every week for 15 years. Each week between 1980 and 1995, readers got another comic that within one image would contain an exploration of anything, from a joke to politics to an impactful event in history. With these ingenious illustrations, Gary Larson could paint whole realities about the human race in one image.

Although “The Far Side” officially ended 26 years ago, the artist recently started posting new comics on his website. Along with the “Daily Dose” of old comics posted every morning, Larson has been producing about one new comic per month.

The new comics are in full color, as opposed to the old ones, which are mostly in black and white.

The reason “The Far Side” initially ended was due to a loss of interest on Larson’s part. He even went so far as to explain his loss of love with the profession in a letter to his fans which explained the end of the old run and the start of the new collection. This new collection, titled “New Stuff,” is a series of comics in full color that resulted from the cartoonist’s experimentation with a tablet and digital art.

Emma Schoors Opinion Editor

Micky James’ “Live At The Met,” released on Feb. 26, is an exhilarating, electric collection of live songs performed at Philadelphia’s The Met. Demanding and utterly addicting, the live EP is full of gritty yet crisp vocals and glam-rock/pop inspired guitars. If you’ve been looking for an artist who hasn’t quite made their way into the public eye, but is destined to, Micky James is undoubtedly where it is at.

Wallows returned with “Remote (Deluxe),” and it was just that: a new version of their EP “Remote,” with a few new, exciting tunes to add to the mix. The original EP was an absolute treat: tons of experimentation and stunning lyrics, and these few new tracks are no different. Wallows is an unpredictable band when it comes to their sound, but there is one predictable element, and that’s that it will be amazing no matter what musical route they take.

February was a packed month for music, and one can only hope the rest of 2021 has similarly incredible music to offer.

With this evolution in his work, readers have seen some interesting new illustrations. Now, armed with this newfound love for the craft and no deadlines to meet, he can make comics as freely and as often as he wants without having to fall into the bottomless hole that creatives call burnout.

But the “New Stuff ” is no different with him having drawn seven comics up to this point, each one using a different ink style and different shading. It looks like Larson has been having fun experimenting with different colors, shading and tools that easily lay at his fingertips. The comics seem to have the same depth as Larson’s others but only one wants to outright tackle something while the rest are small scale.

While it is unlikely Larson will ever create “The Far Side” comics in the capacity he once did, he still has more stories to tell. We may no longer be in the golden age of “The Far Side,” but its legacy is far from over. It is likely that little bits of interesting ideas and funny phrasing will be rediscovered by people unfamiliar with the comic for years to come.

“ Though this was filmed and recorded during unprecedented times, my goal was to make a live concert experience that felt authentic and timeless.

-Micky James

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14 Sparkles motivates students to stay positive sports

Panther Prowler • March 5, 2021

Hayden Meixner Staff Writer

Karyss Amato Staff Writer The fans clapping, the players giving it their all, the enthusiasm and spirit everyone can feel from the cheerleaders. Everyone loves and misses football games, especially the hard-working Sparkles cheerleaders. Sparkles is a team that gives special ed students an opportunity to be cheerleaders. The team started in 2009 and still stands strong through COVID-19 obstacles.

Many cheerleaders have participated as either helpers or senior coaches and have truly felt impacted by the Sparkles program. Sam Scheffler, senior, is the current president of the program and has been participating for three years, “We’re trying to spread the word to more Sparkles to try to get us to build as a program together. But, we have an Instagram and we’re really focused on putting us out there and getting as many people as possible to join our club,” Scheffler said. They can be found on Instagram @nphssparklescheer The two Sparkles vice presidents are Emily Neiyer and Jenny Manzhos, seniors. Alongside Scheffler and the coaches, Neiyer and Manzhos come up with routines for the Sparkes to perform at sports games and rallies. Some of the routines they have performed this year are included in the virtual homecoming video and in the upcoming virtual pep rally that will be aired on March 12.

Averie Lomas, freshman, is one of the Sparkles’ helpers. Although Lomas is new to the Sparkles team, she already feels so much joy being around students she normally would not get to interact with. “People with disabilities or special needs often get disincluded or aren’t involved in things because of their disability,” Lomas said.

While many sports games have been cancelled, the Sparkles will still be able to experience some aspects of their regular year as they prepare their performance for the virtual pep rally. “We had been told two weeks in advance that we were doing a virtual prep rally and that we were going to a fun dance that will be filmed and put out for the whole school,” Lomas said. Although the Sparkles have been able to perform multiple times in past years, this was the first time the group was able to perform this season.

Smiles At the prep rally, Sparkles shows off their dance moves and spreads positivity. “Sparkles has made a Smileshuge impact on me, I love working with everyone, everyone is so kind and welcoming, and we honestly are like a little family and I love spending time with them, it’s awesome” Shannon McMahon, senior coach, said.

Reese Kelem/Prowler

Football season is normally an exciting time for the Sparkles team, the homecoming game in particular. “We created a dance and we were actually able to perform that dance in front of the entire school,” Scheffler said. This experience was life changing for the Sparkles cheerleaders. “It’s just an amazing feeling seeing how happy they are to dance with us and do cheers,” Lomas said.

The Sparkles team has made a huge impact on all of their helpers and coaches, along with other students and community members. Throughout the years, the Sparkles program has grown and touched the hearts of many. Hailey Knopp, sophomore, has been a part of Sparkles for a year and feels impacted and inspired by all the members on the team. “They are seriously the sweetest kids I’ve ever met and so full of joy,” Knopp said.

The Sparkles program has had a major impact on the student helpers on the spirit cheer team as well. They love being part of the community and having opportunities to perform the dances that they work so hard on. Alex Gutfleisch, senior, has been a Sparkles cheerleader for three years now and believes the program has helped him make new friends. “Sparkles is important to me because I get to meet all the new people that I normally wouldn’t hangout with and I get to go cheer on a team with all of my friends,” Gutfleisch said.

Striking a PosePose The Sparkles team poses with their coaches after practice preparing their dance for the upcoming prep rally. “We both get to share our love for cheer and they get to be a part of something too,” Lomas said. Reese Kelem/Prowler

A lot of exciting events happen in the Sparkles club for the cheerleaders to look forward to.

Sparkles member Austin Moncourtois, junior, says the best memory of being a cheerleader has been getting the chance to perform in rallies. “My favorite part about being in sparkles is hanging out with new people and cheering at football games,” Moncourtois said. Sydney Thurlkill, sophomore, felt similarly, “My favorite thing in Sparkles is going to rallies,” Thurlkill said. They all agreed that being in Sparkles made them feel happy.

Just like many other athletics, Sparkles was forced to stop meeting last year when COVID-19 hit.

They began meeting via Zoom and unfortunately lost connection with a few Sparkles. But recently, the team has been able to meet and practice in-person, “Our advisor, Debbie, was able to contact the office and we fortunately get to practice in person,” Scheffler said. This has been beneficial to the Sparkles as well as the coaches, making it easier to choreograph dances and communicate with the students. “We still do everything we normally just, we can’t physically touch but we definitely still have a lot of fun,” Knopp said.

Though this year looks much different for the Sparkles, their resilience and positive attitudes can teach all students a valuable lesson about adapting to adversity while keeping a smile on their face.

“They have taught me to be so much happier about everything in life and they just bring so much joy to everything. It’s just such an amazing opportunity to be a part of this amazing club,” Scheffler said.

Performing Jennifer Levensen, who goes by Jen, and Alex Gutfleisch are having a blast while learning a new Performingdance. “The best part about being in Sparkles is seeing how happy it makes the Sparkles,” Lomas said. Reese Kelem/Prowler

15 Water polo seniors splash out of season sports

Panther Prowler • March 5, 2021

Allison Nguyen Staff Writer

Splash- As the season comes to an end, NPHS water polo players start moving out from the pools and wrap up their final practices. Emily Flores, senior, has found this year to be quite a challenge, but is looking forward to continuing her passion through college. “As a senior, you know, I was lucky enough to be going to college to continue water polo, but it was hard to be recruited without having a recent game film and obviously the coaches understood that, but that was a really big challenge for me,” Flores said. Emily Flores/With Permission

As the season comes to an end and swimmers start to dry, many water polo players wrap up their final practices as they complete their last few weeks of practice. With high school athletics regulations changing constantly these past few days and an unknown schedule ahead of them, many players have mixed emotions about the practices coming to an end so quickly.

In early fall, players started making their way back to the pool after a hectic recovery from the quarantine notice in early 2020, and members wasted no time before getting back into conditioning and practicing. Emily Flores, senior, was lucky to be one of the players to go back to inperson practices. “We’re not allowed to have any games, or do any close contact drills and practice,” Flores said. “Now, we practice usually twice a week in pods of 10 to 15. We mostly do swimming and we’re allowed to do ball handling, but we can’t really share the balls or get within six feet of each other.”

Lauren MacLean, senior, has dealt with some similar struggles as their teammates as they adapted to the adjustments over the past few months. “It’s really hard to kind of adjust with a contact sport, because so many of our plays require being up on your defender or being up on your offense or getting close enough to steal the ball shot block or whatever it may be. We’ve kind of had to adjust our

practices to more of just a strength and endurance kind of focus,” MacLean said.

The interactions athletes have with their team members are typically some of their most important memories. Wonjin Ko, senior, has played all of his four years on the school team and has made some of his closest friends while being on the team.“ The team bonding you would have in a normal season where you would get ready for games and would bond over is all different this year,” Ko said. “There is no music, no bus rides and all that stuff because it was all cancelled, so I kind of missed that.”

Many seniors have dealt with the hardships of declined opportunities due to the current situations. “It’s been hard because I wasn’t able to go to the Junior Olympics over the summer...the experience of having your last water polo game after playing for six years, that you don’t really get to have is kind of crazy; it all happened in a flash,” MacLean said.

Although this unusual season is coming to an end, players have enjoyed their moments being on the team despite the challenges. “I wish things could have ended a little bit differently, wish we could have had more games and ended, possibly with getting into CIF, but at least we have a season,” Ko said. “On the bright side, we might be able to see some of the freshmen that are coming in and we’ll work with them before we end.”

Tennis swings into the new season Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza Graphic Artist

Dhruv Patel Managing Team

With COVID-19 cases declining across California, some high school sports have been allowed to start their seasons, including boys and girls tennis. However, tennis competition seasons are much different now than past seasons, with new regulations and rules to keep infection risk at a minimum.

Both the boys and girls NPHS teams have started playing matches with in-county schools like Westlake and Thousand Oaks, although they just received news that they will be able to play matches against schools in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties. Both of the teams normally would play doubles and singles against their opponents, but with regulations, the teams can only currently play singles. Bill Mulligan, coach for the girls’ team, has been communicating with the county to try and give the players the best experience they can. “Currently, Ventura County’s case rate is above 14 which only allows us to compete in singles. The case rate is expected to be at or below 14 soon, which will allow us to play doubles with masks,” Mulligan said.

Both teams will be competing for around two months, and are looking forward to playing a diverse set of high schools, once the case rate goes down. As of right now, the girls team is 0-1, losing against Westlake on March 1, and the boys team is 1-0, winning against Westlake.

The girls tennis team just restarted practices with the whole team on Feb. 22, but have been practicing in pods and under other safety protocols since the

summer. Since the team’s season got pushed to spring, typically when the boys tennis team plays, they have to share tennis courts with the boys team. Edyn Stepler, a junior who has been playing on the tennis team for three years, is adjusting to this new adapted court schedule. “Both girls and boys teams have to share court time. That means the girls team gets the six courts at our school on Monday and Wednesday, and the boys team gets them on Tuesday and Thursday, switching every week for who gets them on Friday,” Stepler said.

Team members are not able to share equipment, which has been a problem for many players. Chris Shen, a senior who’s been playing on the team for four years, is working to overcome the challenges the safety precautions present. “The hardest thing about restrictions would be that we can only touch our own [tennis] balls,” Shen said. While the players are actually playing tennis, they have to wear face masks and social distance from the other players. However, these regulations are needed to allow the players to play in the league. “We are lucky enough to be able to compete in our CVUSD league, wearing masks and social distancing,” Stepler said.

With the ability to have a playing season this year, both teams are grateful for the opportunity. Even with present challenges, the players are excited to jump into the new season. “Honestly this season came as a surprise to me. I didn’t think we would have a season this year, but I’m so glad we are able to,” Stepler said.

Serve Ronak Santhosh, sophomore, tosses up the ball to serve, preparing for future matches Servein the tennis season. Everyone on the tennis team is grateful for their revived season, and they are all excited to play matches against the other high schools. “Honestly this season came as a surprise to me. I didn’t think we would have a season this year, but I’m so glad we are able to,” Edyn Stepler, junior, said. Dhruv Patel/Prowler

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dance team Panther Prowler • March 5, 2021

Andrew Caswell/With Permission

Smooth- Left to Right: Sophia Distefano (sophomore), Jordyn Jaglowski (freshman), Mia Nelson (sophomore), Caitlin O’Keefe (senior), Jenna Mahoney (senior), Zeta Kalpogianni (Sophomore), Sierra Campbell (sophomore), Avie Garret (senior) and Lucy Garret (sophomore).

This group of nine dancers competed in the X-small jazz genre, and proceeded to place third. Caitlin O’Keeffe, junior, recounts her experience. “My favorite part by far was not only that we placed well but that it was a really good bonding opportunity for the team. Because of COVID-19, we haven’t been able to do many bonding activities and this competition really brought us together as a team,” O’Keefe said.

Cameo Carolan/With Permission

NPHS Dance Team rocks first in-person competition

Dedication- Left to Right: Avie Garret, Jenna Mahoney and Sydney Manders, seniors, pose for a dance team picture.

Mahoney, a four year member, contemplates her last year on the team.

“It has been bittersweet...

It’s been hard at times without having my family at competitions because these are the last times I will perform, but my teammates have made this season really special so far,” Mahoney said.

McGlauthon Fleming IV Staff Writer Sera Mohammed Staff Writer Cynthia Gao Managing Editor Cameo Carolan/With Permission

Avie Garrett/With Permission

The NPHS Dance Team spent the past year practicing and engaging in virtual events and were lucky enough to compete in their first in-person dance competition on Feb. 20 against West Coast Elite Dance and Aspire Dance Studio. The competition was held in Westlake and several groups from NPHS received awards for their performances, including first for X-Small Jazz, first for X-Small Contemporary, second for Duos and second for Medium Hip-Hop.

Cameo Carolan/With Permission

Jenna Mahoney /With Permission

Victory- The whole team performed a hiphop number and won second place overall for NPHS. Cameo Carolan, NPHS Dance Coach, looks back on their performance and is hopeful for the rest of the season. “I think we will do very well this year. Will we be the National Champions? Probably not this year because we are not willing to jeopardize the safety of our dancers, coaches or their families.

Our goal is to strive for the top 3 in all our dance categories,” Carolan said.