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PANTHER PROWLER Friday, May 1, 2015
Issue VII
Newbury Park High School
456 N. Reino Rd., Newbury Park, CA 91320
Student art to be displayed in Capitol Building Grace O’Toole Co-Editor-in-Chief On April 27, junior Jessica Han missed a call from Congresswoman Julia Brownley. So, instead of finding out that she had won the District-wide U.S. Congress High School Visual Arts Competition from the Congresswoman herself, she found out from a voicemail. Han’s piece, a portrait she titled “Auburn”, was chosen to represent California’s 26th Congressional District. It will hang for a year in the Cannon Tunnel, the passageway connecting the House Office Building and the Capitol in Washington D.C, alongside other works from Congressional Districts across the country. She will be traveling to D.C. this summer to be recognized and to view her art in the Capitol. According to Jennifer Kaye, AP and IB Art teacher, Newbury Park students participate in the Congressional art competition every year. “This is the first time we’ve had a winner or an honorable mention,” Kaye said. “I’m very excited that (Han) won”. Senior Ernesto Ambrocio was also recognized with an honorable mention for his piece “E Pluribus Unum”,
Ernesto Ambrocio/With Permission
a photograph of water droplets refracting the seal of the House of Representatives. According to Ambrocio, his photo aims to represent how 435 diverse Congressional Districts come together to form one House of Representatives. “I felt that my picture was symbolic of how our government is supposed to work and how it does work,” Ambrocio said. “I was very proud,” added Eric Lindroth, AP and IB Photography teacher. Although Ambrocio has had less than a year of photography experience, Lindroth admires how he “stepped up and put a lot of effort in to do something creative like that.” Han entered the competition as both a freshman and a sophomore, but didn’t win either year. When she entered the competition this year, she didn’t expect to place, let alone win the entire contest. “The piece I entered last year I liked a lot more than the piece I entered this year,” Han said. “I thought I was going to do worse this year … it feels a lot better winning having lost.” Ambrocio didn’t expect to be recognized either. “I wasn’t expecting it at all,” Ambrocio said. “I thought that out of the whole county I wouldn’t get anywhere near (winning). But it was a surprise and an honor, especially coming from Congresswoman Julia Brownley.” Although submissions generally have a regional element, neither Han nor Ambrocio had that in mind when creating their pieces. Han actually drew inspiration for her piece from her IB Art portfolio theme of partially covered faces after browsing last year’s winners and seeing a large number of portraits among the winning pieces. “I’m not emotional or creative, or have deep insights or thoughts. I like doing things with perspective,” Han said. Lindroth hopes Ambrocio and Han will inspire future students to enter the competition. “I’m going to push (more students) to (enter) next year,” he said.
Looking ahead - Above, Jessica Han’s watercolor and acrylic portrait titled “Auburn” won first place and will be displayed in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Left, Ernesto Ambrocio’s photograph, titled “E Pluribus Unum”, won honorable mention. Jessica Han/With Permission
Community rallies around Ryan Wilson Rachna Deshpande Staff Writer Mariam Syed News Editor “Tomorrow is never guaranteed.” Most people don’t recognize this truth until the day that they are forced to. Ryan Wilson encountered that day one month ago. After falling sick with what appeared to be the common cold, Wilson, junior, felt his hands go unusually numb when he was playing video games. His health drastically deteriorated almost immediately after and upon being rushed to the hospital, he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome. Wilson was admitted to the ICU at the Tarzana Medical Center on a ventilator and was unable to move or eat on his own. According to his fundraiser page, Wilson’s case is “among the most serious.” In mid April, Wilson was transferred to Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA. As of today, he has been moved to a rehabilitation facility at the Children’s Hospital. While he still has some complications due to the medicine’s side effects and his lack of mobility, he is on the road to recovery. “It’s the baby steps that mean the world. There was one day where he was slouching over and he was able to sit himself up back straight. The worst of it is over. He [has] just gotten off a ventilator and he’s gotten a little movement back,” said Maddie Pappous, junior, who has known Wilson since kindergarden. According to Wilson’s family, “he has many months of intense physical therapy ahead of him, but is expected to make a full recovery.”
Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a rare disorder, with less than 20,000 United States cases diagnosed each year. GBS is a nervous system disorder in which the immune system attacks one’s own nerves. This condition can causes muscle weakness, and in some cases complete paralysis. Although treatable, this disorder is extremely expensive to treat, often called the “million dollar disease.” To manage GBS, special blood treatments such as plasma exchange and immunoglobulin therapy are administered to the patient, as well as necessary physical therapy. More often than not, the purpose of these treatments is to relieve symptoms - not cure the disease. “It’s one of those things you never expect to happen to someone you’re close to,” Pappous said. She added that Wilson’s illness only appeared several weeks ago, and that “it’s totally out of the blue. It really sucks to see someone you know that well in that much pain.” The illness has not only taken a toll on both Wilson and his family, but also to those who have heard his story. Members of the community and close friends of the Wilson family have created an online fundraiser, hoping to help with medical expenses. In the month since the fundraiser has been set up, they have raised almost $19,000. “We’re all trying to do as much as we can to help,” said Pappous. At school, FHA-Hero set up a medical help fundraiser for Wilson at the Quad on April 16. Before becoming ill, Wilson was a member of the Foods & Nutrition 1 and 2 class and
FHA-Hero wanted to make an effort to help out one of their own. FHA-Hero members offered cookies to those who made any donation. “People don’t really come back (financially) from a situation like this,” said Zach Archuleta, junior and FHA-Hero member. “It’s called a million dollar disease because it’s so ridiculously expensive (to treat). His mom couldn’t work because she was with him a lot, and the fundraiser was to help his mom pay the bills.” Archuleta, who has known Wilson for seven years, knows that it is easy to look past situations like these in the daily hustle and bustle of school. “We go to a school full of people who base their life on materialistic objects,” Archuleta said. “They don’t understand the gravity of the situation. When it finally happens to a loved one, people take a step back and realize ‘oh. This is real. This can happen to me’ … A lot of kids at our school aren’t really going to care that much, but they should.” As of now, Wilson will most likely not return to campus for the rest of his junior year, and will take independent study classes to make up his missed coursework. However, he plans on returning to school for his senior year..
Although Wilson has started to regain his mobility, any donations would help his family immensely. To donate, visit Wilson’s gofundme page here: http://www.gofundme.com/qexncgg.