Gia Saputo

features Panther Prowler • Sept. 20, 2019 10 Camille Lee rises to TikTok fame

Over the summer, many students at NPHS gained new hobbies. Camille Lee, senior, spent her time becoming famous on Tiktok, a social media app where people can make music video clips and share them with the public. Also known as @ camillexlee, Lee participates frequently on TikTok and has recently become extremely popular. She has been creating these videos since February and currently has 295,700 followers and 5.2 million likes.

Lee said she initially became popular with “the TikTok I created with Jake Lidman, who goes to ! ousand Oaks High School, who was TikTok famous before me, so I basically used his clout and then I got big.”

Lidman, @goopgiver12, currently has 48,800 followers and 374,000 hearts and features Lee in several of his videos. ! e video that skyrocketed Lee’s career, with 29,800 likes, uses the song “Mama I’m a Big Girl Now” by Maddie Baillio and it includes Lidman among her other friends.

Lee’s fame has greatly a" ected her as well as her friends and family. Some close to her were confused at # rst in regards to the app but still supported her. Kalyna Lewis, sophomore, is a close friend of Lee and said, “At football games, kids will come up and Reese Kelem Photographer

And I oop-nd I oop- Lee’s account gets extremely close to her goal of 300ee’s account gets extremely close to her goal of 300 thousand followers with only about 500 followers left to gain. Lee’s videoshousand followers with only about 500 followers left to gain. Lee’s videos have spiked in popularity in the community since she began makingave spiked in popularity in the community since she began making TikToks in February.ikToks in February. Camille Lee/With Permissionamille Lee/With Permission

tell her they’ve seen her on TikTok and get a picture.”

Lee also thought that it was a bit weird at # rst. “I was like all these little girls and little boys are like obsessing over me but it’s whatever,” Lee said.

Despite Lee’s popularity, “Camille is still super humble and doesn’t brag about anything now and as a person she hasn’t changed,” Lewis said. Becca Romain, sophomore and another friend of Lee, said that Lee has had a very positive impact on the TikTok community.

“I’ve never seen her post anything negative” Romain said.

When Lee returned to school in August, her popularity on the app led to people calling her “the TikTok girl.” Lee comes up on the “For You Page” quite o& en, or the section of the app that suggests videos for viewers. Romain says she has watched Lee’s videos about two or three times since she has downloaded the app during summer.

“I wasn’t surprised because I knew she had a lot of followers, but it was exciting to see someone I knew,” Romain said. Lewis says she sees Lee’s videos frequently and that they have had a positive impact.

“She makes me laugh,” Lewis commented.

Lee says she will continue to make videos, and hopes to remain popular on this rising social media app.

5things you did not know about Guess who?

Manas Khatore Entertainment Editor

Guess who this issue’s featured teacher is, and you could be mentioned in our next newspaper!

They lift weights fi ve times a week.

They love to relax on beaches in Hawaii.

They love to teach Lord of the Flies for its lessons on human nature.

They graduated from CSU Northridge.

They have a stash of chocolate in their room at all times.

Guess the teacher by filling out the Google formuess the teacher by filling out the Google form found on our website and posted on our socialound on our website and posted on our social media! Responses must be submitted by Octoberedia! Responses must be submitted by October 1 4. To win, you must be the first person to guess4. To win, you must be the first person to guess correctly.orrectly.

Gia Saputo makes Snapchat sparkle

Emily Augustine Front Cover Editor

A 2012 iMac sits in front of her as she places the small, shiny sparkles exactly where she wants them. When she is happy with the # nal product, she releases it for thousands of people who use it to make their surroundings look magical.

Gia Saputo, junior, is a 16 year old O$ cial Lens Creator (OLC) for the social media app Snapchat. With 36,000 people subscribed to her account, she creates her own original lenses on her computer which Snapchat posts on the Discover page.

Lenses are visual e" ects or # lters that can be applied to a Snapchat photo or video. It ranges from funny faces to % attering # lters, and the possibilities are endless as to what lenses can be created.

“It was November of last year and it was during the # res, and I had nothing to do because it was two weeks o" , and I was sitting at home,” Gia said. “It doesn’t seem too hard, but actually it was pretty hard to # gure out at # rst and then I published my # rst lens.” Gia’s # rst lens became one of her most popular lenses.

“I got an email from someone at Lens Studio which is the application that I use,” Gia said, “so I applied and I was on a conference call with people who are like the head of the OLC stu" , and they really liked me and so I became an o$ cial lens creator in November 25 (2018).”

A Snapchat OLC is provided with free Snapchat merchandise, exclusive invitations to certain events put on by Snapchat and more publicity for their lenses. “I like a lot of vibrant things... I like magical stu" , so like a lot of my lenses have to do with like sparkles or like super bright colors,” Gia said. She uses Lens

Studio, a so& ware for lens creators that partners with Snapchat.

“I get a lot of like anonymous messages of like people saying they are really inspired by me, and they want to do what I do,” Gia said, “It’s really interesting that people that I don’t know from di" erent countries or di" erent states or like area codes, they think that I’m inspiring and it’s really motivating.” Gia links an anonymous messaging program to her Snapchat known as YOLO where viewers o& en send her a variety of responses ranging from criticism to compliments.

“I’m actually...going to a festival in October called Lens Fest,” Gia said, “so I get to meet all my friends that I’ve made through this community. I’ve made one really close friend, Ana Casciello.” Lens Fest is a convention for OLC’s, and Ana Casciello has been creating lenses since October of last year.

“We met each other, I want to say through (direct messaging). We both had made lenses and we talked to each other, like almost looking for help with something that we were stuck on, and then we just kind of became friends through that,” Casciello said. She is currently a freshman at Virginia Tech with a major in Computer Science Engineering.

“I love everyone in the (OLC) community. I’m friends with a lot of people in the community so I de# nitely

Magic- Gia Saputo,ia Saputo, junior, poses for a selfiunior, poses for a sel e using one of her ownsing one of her own Snapchat lenses that shenapchat lenses that she created. She does notreated. She does not have a set schedule forave a set schedule for the release of her lenses,he release of her lenses, although Lens Studiolthough Lens Studio contacts her monthly andontacts her monthly and gives recommended datesives recommended dates to post.o post. Jessica Zhou/essica Zhou/ Prowler

feel like Snapchat did a great job of like allowing us to communicate with each other.” Casciello said. Casciello o& en seeks help from other OLCs to balance lens creating with school work.

“A lot of people ask me if I get paid, and I do not, but people can pay me to make them a lens,” Gia said. She has never accepted any requests to create a lens for pay, and she intends to decline until a company contacts her to create one.

“I don’t think anybody in our family has ever, you know, they don’t have traditional jobs...everybody is kind of creative,” Dana Saputo, Gia’s mother, said. It was not until Gia’s # rst lens became popular on Snapchat that she discovered Gia’s lens creations.

“We don’t have any scientists (in the family). Let me put it that way,” Dana said. ! e Saputo family consists of three generations of creative types ranging from illustrators to designers to art directors, and Gia is proven to be no di" erent.

“I didn’t think that I would be doing this at all, like this is something that has changed my life,” Gia said. “It’s opening a lot of doors.”

Teacher

1Name all of the Spirit Days last week Coull: “PJ, Boujee, Red Rose, Class Colors” Magnante: “PJ, Hawaiian, Bouje, Red, Class Colors” Answer: PJ Day, Tropical Tuesday, Bad & Boujee, Red Rose Day, & Class Colors Both out with a bang, and at 1-1 each!

2What’s the second most popular sport in the world? Coull: “Football” Magnante: “Rugby” Answer: Cricket Their fatal mistake was not knowing their animals. 1-1

3Where was the first middle school in the U.S.?

Coull: “New York” Magnante: “Connecticut, you know why? They are so much more progressive than us.” Answer: Columbus, Ohio And their roll begins to slow with two more incorrect answers! 1-1

What was the score of first football game against TO high school? 4

Coull: “Do you know why I am probably closer? Because she fell asleep on the couch at 5pm, 41-7” Magnante: “29-13” Answer: 44-21 Once again neither of them win the point! Seems like bedtime doesn’t quite determine school spirit… 1-1

VS

Sarena Kabir Staff Writer

Adalia Luo Staff Writer

2-2 It’s a tie!

Reese Kelem/ Prowler

Teacher

5

What color are aircraft black boxes?

Coull: “I was thinking of a game at fi rst… Grey” Magnante: “Orange is the new black” Answer: Bright Orange Magnante pulls out a win, and with a little sass 2-1 Magnante

6

What country are beavers the national emblem of?

Coull: “Canada” Magnante: “Brazil” Answer: Canada And in a fi nal twist, Coull brings it back and wins the point! Both tied once again! 2-2

7

Where do kiwis originate from?

Coull: “New Zealand” Magnante: “New Zealand” Answer: China Great minds think alike, or so they thought. 2-2

8Who was the bachelorette last season? Coull: “Becca” Magnante: “I don’t know, I’ll say Uniconnie” Answer: Hannah And that is it! No one steals the point and the fi nal score is 2-2

Richard Kick clicks and computes

Jacob Malone Back Cover Editor

! e internet is an essential tool to today’s society, yet very few know what it truly is. However, with a smile on his face and a pep in his step, one teacher on campus helps young techies navigate the complex realm of code. Richard Kick is his name and computer science is his game.

Kick may be known as the friendly, Tesla-driving, technology fanatic of Newbury Park High School, but there is much more to his life than what is seen on the surface.

It all started in Kankakee, Illinois, where Kick was born and raised. “It was at one point, national study ranked the worst place to live in the United States,” Kick said. “! at was all I knew. It was normal, and then a" er I le" it, I found out it was not a normal place. It was pretty bad.”

Kick began his teaching career as early as freshman year when he realized he could use his acquired knowledge and knack for teaching to help others. “I taught algebra, the teacher taught geometry, and I knew from the beginning of freshman year that I was going to love teaching,” Kick said. ! is early dip into teaching was interrupted as Kick began college at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and married his wife during his junior year of college.

“In eighth grade, we were going steady, and then we broke up and didn’t really talk much until senior (year) in high school, and then we started dating again. We were very serious and knew by the time we were going to college, we would get married,” Kick said.

A" er acquiring his bachelor’s degree in Illinois, Kick moved to the Chicago suburbs where he taught math to high school students, coached various sports teams and started his family.

“(My) two children were with me while I was coaching and # lming basketball games,” Kick said. “! ey would be in the gym Lecture-Mr. Kick stands in the front of his classroom. Mr. Kick has been teaching for 40 years. Before teaching Mr Kick, “played baseball at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and I started playing tennis for USTA tennis teams,” he said. Jacob Malone/ Prowler

with me running around and jumping on all the mats and kind of grew up in a school environment.”

Kick’s daughter attended UC Berkeley and is now a lawyer while his younger son is a so" ware engineer and UCLA graduate. “My daughter was very much into chorus, and very much into math team and very much into academics, and my son was very much into sports, wrestling, (and) football,” Kick said.

Upon his arrival as a math and computer science teacher at NPHS, Kick serves as a role model to his students. “What I admire most about Mr. Kick is his passion; his passion for his career, his accomplishments, and his students,” Stephen Liu, senior, said. Liu is currently taking AP Computer Science A a" er having taken AP Computer Science Principles the previous year.

Kick’s teaching style has been proven to stand out against other teachers due to his frequent hands-on approach. “I think Mr. Kick is successful because he has a unique teaching style,” Taylor Grimes, senior, said. “He teaches us so that we understand and are not simply copying everything down.” ! is is Grimes’ # rst year taking a computer science class, and he had joined the class with little to no prior knowledge of the subject.

A" er teaching at four high schools and three colleges, Kick joined the NPHS sta$ in 2007. “13 years is the longest I’ve ever taught (on one campus), so obviously, this has been a very enjoyable place for me,” Kick said.