2017-2018 Issue 3 (October 21, 2017)

50 Pa years nthe r P of ride

PANTHER

PROWLER Friday Oct. 27, 2017 • Issue !!I • Newbury Park High School 456 N. Reino Rd., Newbury Park, CA 91320 • pantherprowler.org

IN THIS ISSUE: 2 3 4

Going Green Shooting Drill Club Day

@npprowler

7 8-9 10

Halloween Spirit Vaping Coull Baking

12 14 16

DWTSP Holly Maine Equestrians

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staff editorial Panther Prowler • Oct. 27, 2017

Stop being passive about going green During the Obama administration, it seemed as if government would take charge in regards to environmental issues. The United States agreed to the Paris climate accords and Obama passed the Clean Power Plan. However, these progressive decisions were disregarded with the arrival of a new president.

President Trump himself called climate change a “hoax.” EPA director Scott Pruitt-- a man with no science background-- does not believe in the connection between carbon dioxide and a rise in temperature. Over the summer, Trump announced his decision to pull out of the Paris climate accords, and now, Pruitt is repealing the Clean Power Plan.

While the United States government will not take action in regards to environmental sustainability, ordinary citizens still have the ability to enact change. It is imperative, now more than ever, that we take action as individual citizens.

Though one person’s actions seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, every small action adds up. We have the power to make a much larger difference by continually contributing in any way we can, no matter how nonessential it looks. We must start actively working towards the causes we care about.

Here are some ways to start:

1.) Carpool with friends Carpooling reduces the amount of cars on the road, so there are less emissions of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. These pollutants react in the environment, causing photochemical smog and ground-level ozone, which are damaging to human health. Ground-level ozone and smog irritate the respiratory system and cause lung inflammation. Instead of using separate cars to reach the same place, going together is much more efficient in preserving clean and safe air.

4.) Make sure to recycle

2.) Recycle clothing

This might sound obvious, but tons of recyclable items actually end up in trash dumps: as the EPA reports, only 34.3 percent of Americans recycle plastic. Remembering to put your trash in the right bin reduces the amount of unnecessary waste in landfills. Paper, plastic and aluminum are recyclable.

Every time something new needs to be created, factories expend energy, which releases harmful emissions like carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. Obtaining the natural resources to create a product also takes a toll on the environment, since materials like coal, water and petroleum are often necessary in the production of textiles, specifically polyester fabrics. These nonrenewable resources require mining, which damages the land, releases particulate matter, emits greenhouse gases and can pollute water sources nearby. By buying recycled or re-purposed clothing, less energy is being used, thus the environmental impact will be lower. Thrift stores, which are filled with recycled clothing, also prevent the items from ending up in landfills. According to the EPA, in America alone we produce 15.1 million tons of textile waste. The best way to lower the amount of waste in landfills is to prevent it from ending up there in the first place.

5.) Buy fish that was captured with sustainable methods The fishing industry often uses unsustainable methods that deplete resources and damage oceanic ecosystems. “Bycatch”-- any unintended species captured while fishing-- ends up dead and thrown back into the ocean. However, some industries ensure that their methods are ecologically safe, so before you buy fish, make sure the company is FOS certified or marked Dolphin-safe. Also, the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood app can help you make smart, sustainable choices by providing detailed information about the fish you are buying. Also, certain brands like Wild Planet and Ocean Naturals provide eco-safe fish to consumers.

3.) Check laundry detergent for low phosphate contents

Of course, there are thousands of other ways to make sure your lifestyle is more sustainable, but implementing these five suggestions can greatly lower your negative impact on the environment.

Phosphates from detergent often end up in small bodies of water, which wreaks havoc on the ecosystems by causing cultural eutrophication. Cultural eutrophication results in the deoxygenation of water, ultimately killing the organisms living in the affected waters. Cascade All in 1 and Finish Quantum are both very low in phosphates.

Statistics from johnsrefuse.com

PANTHER PROWLER

2017-2018 staff

Editors-in-Chief Caitlin Henderson Lindsay Filgas

Sports Editors Gianna Longo Clare Wang

Entertainment Editor Kessa Chavez

DPS Editor Alyssa Boedigheimer

Copy Editors Gianna Longo Emily Nagamoto Jaycen Sussman

News Editors Connor Keep Nidhi Satyagal

Cover Editor Jaycen Sussman

Features Editor Angela Swartz

Online Manager/ Angela Swartz Daria Azizad Clare Wang Staff Writers James Pratt Rahul D’Souza Aditya Vunnum

Ad Managers Manger/ Nidhi Satyagal Broadcast Maya Chari Manager/ Jaycen Sussman Daria Azizad Graphic Artist Alyssa Boedigheimer Alyssa Boedigheimer Connor Keep Angela Swartz

Opinion Editors Daria Azizad Kavita Rai Photographers Chief / Megan Vlietstra Sarah Lu Emily Nagamoto Logan Nichols Maya Chari Adviser Michelle Saremi

The Panther Prowler is the official 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 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 throughout the school year by American Foothill Publishing Co. For advertisement information, visit www.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 are subject to discretion and editing for taste, length and libel. Letters can be submitted to the email posted below.

Newbury Park High School 456 North Reino Road, Newbury Park, California 91320 (805) 498-3676 x 1110 prowler.newspaper@gmail.com

news

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Panther Prowler • Oct. 27, 2017

Committee presents opt-out policy Maya Chari Photographer The district has been grappling with how to decide on a viable compromise that both supports an in-class literature opt-out policy for concerned parents and maintains student and teacher rights. On Oct. 25, two members of a recently formed teacheradministrator coalition proposed to school board members Pat Phelps and Sandee Everett a solution to the problem that has been perturbing the community since July.

The decision to make a committee that would decide on a setin-stone opt-out policy was made at the discussion session board meeting on Sept. 25, when a teacher committee, representative of all high schools and a middle school of the district, and the school board first discussed forming an opt-out policy committee.

The idea was solidified and put into action at a special meeting between the interim superintendent’s office, concerned parents and several teachers, from which the agreement over the formation of the committee was made final. District Interim Superintendent Mark McLaughlin appointed a committee including Robert Iezza, deputy superintendent of the district, James Garza, district director for secondary education and Jennifer Boone, director of curriculum and instruction, along with teachers from all three CVUSD high schools, and some administrators and faculty from middle schools, to work together to write a proposal for the new policy.

The primary goal of the committee was to “Address the need for more communication to parents and provide an alternative assignment for students or parents who did not find a core title appropriate,” Jon Fleming, English Department chair at TOHS, said. The committee was tasked with creating policy that makes

required reading books more accessible to parents and that presents the opt-out as more of an option and less of a nuisance.

McLaughlin also appointed two board members, Phelps and Connolly as the “Ad Hoc” committee. Instead of bringing the superintendent’s committee’s decision directly to the school board, the proposal was brought to an editing committee of Phelps and Connolly. “The Ad Hoc committee is two board members, and those two board members have the right to do whatever they want with this information,” Magnante said, in reference to the proposal.

Teachers, administrators and staff who helped to draft the opt-out proposal will no longer be able to work on the proposal.

Instead, this task has now been transferred two the two Ad Hoc committee members only. The Ad Hoc committee’s decision to submit to the school board will ultimately be the policy in question.

“This is a little bit of a nerve-racking time... just waiting to see what that final document looks like when it comes to the board,” Magnante said.

Magnante emphasized the importance of understanding the role of the superintendent’s committee in the policy making, and the role of English teachers in its acceptance.

“It’s really important to know that the teachers’ mindset was to accommodate requests out of respect for parents and families rights, and to respect their beliefs, but it doesn’t mean that we have to agree with their opinion or with their choices,” Magnante said. “It’s always scary to think about what we are doing; we know that we aren’t going to be able to make everyone happy and that is

News Briefs NPHS faculty trained on combatting mass shooters James Pratt Staff Writer While tired students found themselves enjoying a peaceful morning slumber, teachers, administrators and staff met in the cafeteria to discuss mass shootings and what do in the face of one. A presentation on district protocol and law enforcement response was given by Sheriff Scott Duffner to refresh staff on how to respond to violent threats.

Not sparked by any event in particular, administration felt it was a good idea to brush up on protocol. “We hadn’t provided teachers with this type of a training for at least a couple years so we felt it was a good opportunity to refresh everybody’s information.” Steve Lepire, principal, said.

“Just like fire drills and earthquake preparedness, planning in advance makes all the difference,” Duffner said. Conducting his presentation in front of 127 staff members, Duffner explained what to do during an active shooter situation to save yourself and others.

“Run, hide or fight!” Duffner said. Teachers were taught that the best plan for any active shooter situation is to run, with hiding and fighting being suboptimal alternatives.

However, with almost 30 students to a class, running is not an option, so locking or barricading the doors and turning off the lights is the best they can do.

Emphasizing the role every member of the school plays in combating such tragedy, Duffner mentioned the right each student has to defend themselves by any means necessary.

“When in a situation where someone is trying to kill you, you have the legal right to defend yourself ” Duffner said.

The staff is also making sure to keep the student body informed, with brand new tips soon making appearances around campus. “During the year what were gonna do is work with Panther TV to do some public service announcements about ‘Hey, if this happens, this is what you guys need to do,’” Lepire said.

Michael Hellard/Prowler

a really difficult place to be in.”

Opt-Out - School board members Betsy Connolly, interim superintendent Mark McLaughlin, Mike Dunn, Sandy Everett, and Pat Phelps from left to right, discuss a possible opt-out policy at the discussion session on Sept. 25. The decision to write a policy has since been solidified and a proposal created by a teacher and district faculty committee appointed by the interim superintendent. Prior to this, opting out didn’t have set guidelines; “There was no consistent procedure and sometimes students and teachers felt that the process was difficult,” Jon Fleming, English teacher at TOHS, said. The teacher committee submitted a possible opt-out policy to board members Phelps and Everett on Oct. 25, and the policy may be discussed publicly as soon as Nov. 7. Maya Chari/ Prowler

Vandalism in Dos Vientos goes overlooked Kavita Rai Opinion Editor On Sunday Oct. 8 at the intersection of Borchard Road and Rancho Dos Vientos, a neighborhood sign was vandalized in Dos Vientos, Newbury Park. The graffiti was derogatory towards religion. Madison Kasper, senior, saw the graffiti being painted over at around 8 a.m. that day; however, she she later found out what the graffiti initially was. “When I heard about it, it didn’t necessarily scare me, I just thought it was extremely hateful,” Kasper said.

The Dos Vientos Forum Facebook has provided pictures of this derogatory statement. They also provided pictures of vandalized lampposts near Dos Vientos Park. The graffiti written on these lamppost were also derogatory messages directed towards religion.

Rindi Kessler, senior, not only saw the vandalized neighborhood sign, but she also saw the steps in the Dos Vientos Village vandalized with “crosses and devil signs” on that same day. Kessler feels scared that there are people in her community that feel this hateful towards others’ religious beliefs. “It is disgusting that people think this way and act out in this kind of manner,” Kessler said.

This is not the first incident of vandalism in Dos Vientos. On June 18, a racial slur was painted on the walls of the Trader Market.

Also over the summer, swastikas were drawn over the baseball fields in the Dos Vientos Community Center Park. Lauren Corleto, a member of the community center staff, sees these acts as immature.

“Everybody was pretty outraged. This shouldn’t be happening at a community center where there are kids. They shouldn’t be exposed to that,” Corleto said.

There have been numerous incidents vandalism spreading threatening messages in Dos Vientos over the past three months.

There is currently no public information about who committed the recent vandalism on Oct. 8.

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news Panther Prowler • Oct. 27, 2017

Food regulations restrict clubs Aditya Vunnum Staff Writer The quad filled up with the stands from nearly every club on campus on Oct. 11 at lunch, with club members raising money and informing high school students about their unique groups.

However, several of these groups were either unable to fundraise or forced to find new foods to sell last-minute because of the new guidelines about food on campus. The California Health East Schools Act placed regulations on food served on campus, including decreasing the amounts of trans fat, sodium and sugar.

“The law changed Jan.1 2017, and the rules became a lot stricter across the entire district, I believe. They had to alter food guidelines to fit the new law, and there is a new person at the district who is following the guidelines more closely than years past,” Carly Adams, Assistant Principal of Activities, said.

Requirements for food sold on campus

175

calories per item/container (no exceptions)

35%

sugar by weight (except fruit*, non-fried veggies, dried fruit+nut/seed combo with no added fat/sugar)

0.5

grams trans fat per serving (no exceptions)

Clubs such as as Technology Student Association (TSA) attempted to get their food items approved to sell on Club Day. “Originally, we were going to sell these layered chocolate cakes called trifles that we had baked, but we had to submit something else to the district saying that we were using fruit and applesauce in our dish because we wouldn’t be able to get it otherwise. It was a lot harder to bake it, and in the end they didn’t even check if we actually used those ingredients so it was pointless to even put those restrictions in at all,” Smith* said.

Science Olympiad was also impacted significantly due to the stricter rules. In years past, the group has sold Chinese food and has been quite successful at Club Day, but with the arrival of harsher regulations, Club Day was quite different for them.

“After we found out (Chinese food) had been rejected, we were forced to come up with an idea really quickly, which was one of the reasons we didn’t make as much of a profit this year,” Kevin Chen, senior and Science Olympiad treasurer, said.

The group went from making hundreds of dollars last year to making less than $20 this year, and are now turning to different ways to fundraise for their competitions.

“We have been sending out a lot more emails to remind people to pay their membership fees because they are so much more important this year,” Chen said.

Pizza and Chinese food were two of the largest contenders from last year’s Club Day, but they were both denied because of the new law passed, and several clubs such as Science Olympiad and FBLA were impacted by the change.

“I think (students) are very disappointed, as am I,” Adams said. “You will go off-campus and have the same kind of foods off-campus, and for two days a year, on Club Day and International Day, it would be nice to sell what we like, but we have to follow district guidelines and the rules and policies.”

Students and teachers alike have similar opinions on the new laws passed.

“It’s a kids own choice to buy the food, and we do try to make it as healthy as we can, but even if it is a dessert, they are choosing to buy it,” Smith said. “They have the choice to decide what they eat, and they are paying money to get it, so they know what they are putting in their bodies.” *Name changed upon request

English 11 teachers deal with the disappearance of “Salinger” Angela Swartz Features Editor As a followup to reading the famous novel “Catcher in the Rye,” in English classes, juniors are shown the documentary “Salinger” about the author J.D. Salinger. The movie details Salinger’s life and legacy on the literary world, and is considered

by Vanessa Denchfield, English teacher, to give students a deeper understanding about the book and the author.

“You have to know who Salinger is and his life experiences to understand the book because he pours himself so much into Holden Caulfield,” Denchfield said. “It’s his whole psyche manifested in the book.”

In comparison, IB English teachers also show the film, but for the purpose of developing film analysis skills instead.

“Some teachers use it for film literacy and film analysis because we do watch a lot of film documentaries in (the) 11 IB school year, so it is a good way as a start to how to dissect the film and get information out of it,” Robin Lilly, English teacher, said.

The English teachers typically would use Netflix as their main platform for their students to view the movie. However, when the teachers went to plan their schedule for the “Catcher in the Rye” unit earlier this year, they discovered that the documentary was no longer available on the website. After noticing this, Denchfield emailed all the 11th grade English teachers to alert them about this upcoming problem. However, after that the teachers did not meet together to discuss the issue and instead dealt with it separately.

“We haven’t had a chance to meet about the schedule, because we have been so busy,” Lilly said. “But we do meet together to

talk and plan for just about every unit.”

Denchfield and Jennifer Halpert, English teacher, took matters into their own hands and emailed Netflix about the missing documentary. In response, they learned that not only was the movie unavailable on the website, but also in a DVD copy. The 11th grade English teachers collectively searched the Internet and local sources, but discovered that “Salinger” could not be found.

“It was spooky; it was almost reflective of Salinger’s character and how he was a recluse,” Denchfield said.

Denchfield had already played half the movie before it was taken off of Netflix, which she claims to be “better than nothing”.

To fill the gap in the schedule and in student’s understanding, she decided to show the film “Saving Private Ryan,” as it displays a soldier’s experience in World War II, similar to Salinger’s.

However, Halpert was able to receive a copy from 11 IB English teacher Alana Bond and continued to show the original film. “‘Salinger’ is essential to understanding ‘Catcher in the Rye’ and I don’t know how the students would be able to grasp the book in the same depth without it,” Halpert said.

In comparison, Lilly asserts that the removal of “Salinger” was a minor issue for the IB curriculum, and not necessary to the student’s learning. This year, she has shown “The Crucible” instead for developing film understanding.

“I did use the Salinger documentary last year and I do understand it has some value,” Lilly said. “But when it wasn’t

available, I thought I can use other texts.”

In the future, Denchfield says that the teachers may look for a different movie to replace the “Salinger” showing completely.

She will see how the students absorb and apply the information from “Saving Private Ryan,” and decide how next year’s unit will go after that.

“Sometimes restrictions or limitations pushes people to be more creative,” Denchfield said. “When stuff like this happens it pushes you to think what can I do instead, and maybe you will come up with an even better idea.”

Alyssa Boedigheimer/Prowler

news Panther Prowler • Oct. 27, 2017

From start to finish

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Teachers have been with us all the way

Connor Keep News Editor The Panther Prowler is celebrating its 50th year of being published. Let’s go back 39 years when the school was only ten years old.

The year is 1978. The Camp David Accords were signed between Israel and Egypt, the New York Yankees won the World Series and the first Garfield comic strip was put into newspapers in June. Also, there were two NPHS students who will later become influential in Newbury Park’s history. Their names: Steve Johnson, senior, and Christine Hodson, junior.

Johnson, now a history teacher for 34 years, has dedicated his life to the school. He is an assistant varsity basketball coach, Department Chair of Social Science and the adviser of the NPHS Ambassadors and the Amnesty International Club.

Including his days as a student, Johnson has been at Newbury Park High School for 28 years.

When Johnson was in high school he was active throughout Newbury Park. He worked a part time job at the Carl’s Junior in the Oaks Mall and played on the basketball and tennis teams.

His best experiences in high school were with “the friends I made and going through the various classes we took together,” Johnson said. “Other great experiences that I had in high school revolved around playing on the basketball team.”

The school in 1978 had less of an emphasis on college preparedness, according to Johnson.

“When I was in high school we had about 600 more students than the school has now and we had one section of (AP U.S. History). There weren’t as many AP classes and there wasn’t any IB classes and it just wasn’t something people talked about or emphasized,” Johnson said.

The theme of Johnson’s senior yearbook was “Newberries.” Everything, from the graphics to the headings, was related to berries. These headings included “School Berries,” “Busy Berries” and “Sports Berries.”

Christine Hodson, English and Theory of Knowledge teacher, has been at Newbury Park High School for 12 years. During high school she participated in extracurriculars such as choir and ASG. Hodson attended NPHS from 1975 to 1979. Her best memory “would be the friends that I cultivated, here on this campus.”

As well, during the school year, Hodson was taking a year-long photography class and had her art portfolio stolen from the office. Two of the pictures that were in that portfolio ended up in the 1978 yearbook.

“By the time this yearbook was published at the end of my junior year in June, I found,

mysteriously, two of the pictures from my binder were published,” Hodson said. “Clearly, it was someone who was in the yearbook class that needed credit for doing this and they got it from my book.”

Hodson gets excited when she can connect with her old friends, and she invites them onto the campus. “We try to rack our memories of whether or not we took a class in (B-33) and I actually did take an English class in here. So, friends that I have had from high school will take a walk around campus and just go down memory lane,” Hodson said.

Once a Panther, always a Panther- Stephen Johnson, left, and Christine Hodson, right, pose for their senior pictures in the Pawprint yearbook. Johnson graduated in 1978, while Hodson graduated in 1979 from Newbury Park High School. During high school, Johnson was interested in sports and Hodson was interested in the student body and singing. Both Johnson and Hodson attribute the friends they made to their great school experiences. As Hodson said, “It’s the friendships that stick out for me.” Currently, Johnson teaches IB History of the Americas and IB 20th Century. Hodson teaches English 12 IB and Theory of Knowledge.

PANTHER PROWLER’S CAPTION CONTEST #3 Drawing by Alyssa Boedigheimer Concept by Maya Chari This cartoon needs a caption- by you! Each month, the Prowler presents a new cartoon on our website where you can submit your most clever caption ideas. The top three captions will be voted on by the Prowler staff and will be posted online in order for you to vote for your favorite. The winning caption will be present in the following issue of the Panther Prowler. You can submit a caption by visiting our social media pages or emailing prowler.newspaper@gmail. com with the subject “Issue III Caption Contest.” Remember to submit your name and keep your caption under 250 characters. Any person of any age is welcome to participate.

Best of luck!

MAKE A SUBMISSION Issue II Winner: “Does it taste like chicken?” Ziv Carmi

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opinion

6 The little things are gone Panther Prowler • Oct. 27, 2017

Megan Vlietstra/Prowler

Caitlin Henderson Editor-in-Chief Monday morning. I take a sip from my coffee and yell at my dear brother that I’ll wait for him in the car. It’s 6:55.

As I warm up the car, which is covered in frost from the June-gloom mornings that somehow still exist in October, I tune into my favorite radio stations: 93.1 Jack FM, 106.7, 98.7 and 100.3 The Sound.

Of course, the modern rock stations, 106.7 and 98.7, hardly ever play music and are usually overrun by ads and radio show hosts. In my aggravated morning state, I aggressively push the channel button.

Ah, yes. 100.3 is playing Boston again.

No annoying radio show hosts. My brother gets in the car and I hum along to “Rock N’ Roll Band” as I cruise down Borchard road. The sun always gets in my eyes but you know what? It doesn’t matter. When I find myself in times of trouble, the sweet guitar of classic rock comes to me. The little things in my morning brighten up the dreary, waytoo-early Monday. I get to school on-time, perky and ready to get started.

Except this particular Monday I find out that the Boston anthem will no longer be a part of my monotonous morning of driving to school.

My beloved station, The Sound, is being bought out by the Educational Media

Foundation, meaning 100.3 will now be a Christian music station. Instead of the dad-rock classics that add just a taste of culture to my boring suburban morning, now I will be stuck with the four-chord torture that is Christian music. Praise be to thee, megachurch giants!

There’s nothing satisfying about four chords. And hey, nothing wrong with wanting to sing out your faith, but to replace Boston, Led Zeppelin and all my favorites is beyond unacceptable. This is a tragedy. A part of my life that I will never be able to get back.

“But there’s Jack FM!” they tell me. It is no use. Jack FM has radio show hosts. It will never be as perfect, as reliable as The Sound.

There is nothing as unimportantly frustrating as Monday morning. There is nothing as minuscule, as irrelevant as sitting in the car, driving your younger brother to high school. When it is time to complain, to wallow in self-pity, we have to sit down and think “well at least I have this.”

The little things get you through the morning. The sun may be in your eyes, but you have to just slip on some heartshaped sunglasses and listen to some

Fleetwood Mac. You may have gone to sleep at 1:30 a.m., but look at you! Driving down Borchard road with 15 minutes to spare.

If it had only been any other Monday, maybe I’d appreciate my radio station while I still had it. I took it for granted, like “Bob’s Burgers” being on Netflix. In the words of the great singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, “you don’t know what you got ‘till it’s gone.

They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot.”

“It’s the little things!” they tell you.

They’re so right.

The Sound was my little thing. It is gone.

Angela Swartz Features Editor

Alyssa Boedigheimer/ Prowler

mazon dominates the market

Graphic by Alyssa Boedigheimer/ Prowler

Rahul D’Souza Staff Writer The world wouldn’t be the same without two-day deliveries from almost everyone’s favorite online shopping site. Over the years, Amazon has acquired several other companies and recently, they even bought Whole Foods, a popular organic grocery store.

Many don’t know of the long list of popular companies that now belong to Amazon. This list includes major businesses like IMDB, Alexa.com, Audible, Box Office Mojo, Abebooks, Zappos, Goodreads, Double Helix Games, Twitch, Shopbop and Quidsi.

When they also added Whole Foods to their arsenal, their plans became clearer.

Now they can compete with companies like Blue Apron, GrubHub and other food delivery services, being able to not only deliver an endless supply of home appliances and portable tools directly to your home, but now also sending food and spices when someone is too lazy to go to the grocery store down the street.

So far, Amazon hasn’t made much use of Whole Foods except for an extra income source. In fact, they haven’t made much use of any of their companies, considering how almost nobody knew about most of the companies Amazon owns. Hopefully we may see something done with all of Amazon’s numerous resources; they haven’t hinted at any big change in the company, so any predictions

Spend more time with friends

are simply speculation at this point.

With Amazon’s drones hopefully soon to hit the skies, a future where food is delivered right to your doorstep may not be too far away. It sounds convenient but Amazon, with so many companies up its sleeve, could basically start an empire. They would be responsible for almost everything ordered online, from movies, to video games, to electronics and now even food. As with every corporate empire, there are always bad decisions.

With so much control over daily functions of society, it would most likely prove disastrous. Corporate decisions occur at the expense of the hard-working employees or the paying customers.

Even when everybody is upset with Amazon, by then it would be too late, for they would already control to much.

Just as Apple and Google have complete control over the cellphone market, Amazon has the same level of control, if not more, over even more aspects of modern life. Although this has a chance of being a terrible decision, this doesn’t call for drastic measures such as boycotting Amazon. The best thing to do would be to wait for results on Amazon’s ventures. More action can be taken based off of the observations.

After school? I was studying. Weekends? I was studying. Summers? You guessed it, I was studying.

Ever since I can remember, I have spent all my free time on school and extracurriculars. Even when it was unnecessary, I found myself staying at home in attempt to get further ahead and study more (even though I ended up just taking naps). My Fridays were completely open, yet I still was at home by myself with an open textbook and pencil in hand.

Whenever I would visit doctors or family friends, they would always ask what I did for fun, in attempt of showing care.

I was stumped. “I just take naps,” I shrugged.

Apparently this is not considered something one was supposed to do for ‘fun.’

However, it all seemed so normal to me: all my friends would do the same thing. We were, and are still, so focused on the letter on top of papers and getting into a ‘good’ college. Our conversations always somehow seem to come back to school or college apps. It was fun at first to complain about similar struggles, but it always left me drained and stressed about minute details that really shouldn’t have affected me.

Caring about your grades is all fine and good, but it became too much. It was all I would think about.

I would fall asleep stressing about the next day’s Calc. test and wake up worrying about my score on the English essay I had turned in the previous week.

I would completely neglect spending time with friends or doing things for fun.

Recently, I have dedicated more time to hanging out my friends, despite being busier than ever. I have realized that I will probably be on the other side of the country from all my friends in less than year, and I won’t be able to see them nearly as much.

I would be in a totally different environment, regretting not knowing that well the people I called my best friends. And guess what: I have time for it.

I was just lying to myself the whole time that I had to study every free minute of my day to do well in school. There can be a balance.

I’m so much happier. The weeks don’t drag on so long, because I actually have events to look forward to. Sure, my thoughts are still mainly focused on my progress in school, but it’s not 24/7… and that’s how it should be.

opinion Panther Prowler • Oct. 27, 2017

7

Sarah Lu Photographer People set out jack-o-lanterns to fend off ghosts. Starbucks is selling their famous Pumpkin Spice Latte. It’s that time of year again-- Halloween!

With Halloween comes candy, and with candy comes children. But how old can you be to celebrate Halloween before you get “too old?” Many people stop dressing up and going out to trick-or-treat by the time they are in their teens. While this is probably not without reason, it seems as though teenagers stop celebrating the Halloween spirit completely.

long, and Halloween is the perfect little break to relieve stress by hanging out with friends and binge eating sweet treats.

Even if you can’t do anything on the actual day of Halloween (since it’s on a Tuesday), you can always do Halloween-related things on the weekends before it, like going to a pumpkin patch or a haunted house with friends. Picking out the right pumpkin is not an easy task, but it will take your mind off of school, at least for a little while. Going to a haunted house is a great way to be able to scream loudly (possibly about your problems, possibly because you are scared, but who will know?) without getting weird looks.

And of course, you can always dress up for the actual Halloween day. It’s the perfect way to be goofy and express your artistic and creative talent, all while being able to scare people wherever you go (more than usual). If you are really crunched for time like most high schoolers, you can dress up as a bag of trash, or as salt and pepper if you want to pair up with someone else. Or, as my brother and his friends did sometime ago, all get horse masks and be a herd of horses, because why not?

You are never too old to celebrate Halloween. You may not have enough time to trick-or-treat, but other aspects of Halloween are not age-restrictive and can also relieve stress. From haunted houses, to pumpkin patches, to dressing up at school, there are so many options to embrace your Halloween spirit.

Graphic/Alyssa Boedigheimer Halloween has always been a fun time for kids to dress up as someone they look up to, as well as to get candy. For teenagers, it should be a way to be free of stress for at least one night.

Part of the lack of spirit may be because of school. This year, Halloween is on a Tuesday, meaning it is sandwiched between two school days. Most ways of celebrating Halloween include candy and staying up late, but with the excessive amount of homework that school gives, students don’t have time to stay up late celebrating Halloween, they’re staying up late for a much less fun reason.

However, sometimes, students need a break; there’s only so much stress and homework a person can take. People should celebrate Halloween more. It’s right in the middle of the beginning of school and Thanksgiving break. The months in between the two are always very

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A #hashtag can spark a movement Logan Nichols Photographer I was recently informed about the #metoo trend that seems to be parading around all over social media as of late. It originally stemmed from all of the sexual allegations towards American film producer Harvey Weinstein as a multitude of women seeking a profession in acting came forward and replayed the stories of their sexually explicit accounts with Weinstein. This hashtag has acted as a baseline for women all over the world who have been sexually assaulted or harassed, to try to bring attention to how serious of a problem sexual exploitation is.

This is a wonderful thing. It is such a magnificent concept that women, globally, are brave enough to come out, having enough confidence to no longer hide their experiences in order to alert the world of this man-made pandemic.

In spite of saying that sexual assault is atrocious, I do not want to give off the feeling that I, in any way, shape or

form, know what it feels like to have been sexually exploited.

Because I do not. And that is a feeling that I would never wish to experience. I do not know what it feels like, and, in the attempt to help someone who does, I would never even try to relate. I have known, both male and female, people who have gone through events similar to those that as the women who testified against Weinstein went through. The most I could do, and all I knew I could do, was support them.

Because, sexual assault and harassment is not something that you can simulate in your mind in order to relate to someone.

There is no way, unless you have been in their situation, that you will ever be able to truly empathize with what this person is feeling. And, in speaking, to tell someone that they need to just “forget it” and “let it go,” or that “it will get better” and “it will go away in time,” is portraying utter ignorance on your part. I only mention these phrases, because each person,

each victim-- I have spoken to about this, has told me that people told them to just “forget it” and that “it will go away in time.” That a type of occasion that will not just leave you, and it will not just “go away in time.”

And though I have never personally been in a situation as such, that does not mean, under any circumstance; it does not make it to me, under any circumstance- an absolute atrocity that needs to be addressed just as much as the next.

In order to be sure that things such as sexual assault begin to close, more than just this #metoo must happen. People must slowly begin to pay attention and make a conscious effort to help put a stop to such kinds of exploitation.

Otherwise, there is one other part of life that will be far out of reach for making the world a little less awful.

For the record...

In Issue II: Police Tickets was not on page 3. School Disasters was on page 6. Fantasy Football was on page 15.

Alyssa Boedigheimer drew the graphics on page 2 and 15.

Megan Vlietstra’s name was misspelled on page 2.

The Panther Prowler deeply regrets and apologizes for any errors we made. If you spot any errors we have missed, help us correct them by sending mistakes to: panther.newspaper@gmail.com.

8

vaping Panther Prowler • Oct. 27, 2017

smoke and mirrors Juuls, suorins and e-cigarettes: These vaporization devices, or “vapes” are making daily appearances in the lunchroom, quad and bathrooms alike.

Although these devices were originally created as a safer alternative to smoking, vapes are becoming more common among high school students for recreational use.

Vapes contain a concoction of vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, nicotine and flavoring. The e-liquid is vaporized immediately before inhalation by heated conductive nickel or titanium coils inside the vape.

This technology is used to consume several different kinds of psychoactive substances, with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and nicotine being the most common. The latter, however, has been soaring in popularity amongst high school students in the Conejo Valley area.

“I know adults who have vapes to stop cigarette smoking, and that’s what the actual use of those this is. But now, it’s just turned into something people are addicted to. Young people, too. It’s really widespread,” Frank*, senior said.

Ronald*, who owns a local vape store, seconds Frank’s point. He believes many companies that manufacture the devices originally had wellplaced intentions to help adults quit smoking. However, an unintended consequence has been the younger generation’s fascination with the ostensibly “trendy” devices. “The problem is, to sell something it has to be cool, and unfortunately kids want cool things,” Ronald said.

While the tar and toxins filling cigarettes have since been removed in vapes, nicotine is still a major ingredient. As a result, its addictive properties are still a major problem for the students that use them.

When propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin are vaporized, the particles can cause respiratory distress. Heating propylene glycol can produce small amounts of formaldehyde, a chemical with a proven link to asthma and cancer. The Center for Environmental Health found the compound in more than half the vapes they tested, but even more concerning is the high concentration of nicotine found in their liquids.

The short-term effects of nicotine vary from the long-term effects. After inhaling nicotine, the user’s brain will trigger neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, both of which are associated with pleasure. The deeper the inhalation, the more relaxed the user will feel. Users generally call this feeling a “head rush.”

“You can ghost it, which is when you inhale (the vapor) and continue to inhale it, and it gives you a dome which is a term for when you get a head rush,” Frank said.

For Frank, a head rush feels similar to going on a roller coaster: “It feels like when you go up and up, and then dip straight down.”

Andrew*, freshman, started vaping this year with his friends. While vaping at a park, a local market or a friend’s house, Andrew got a first-hand account of the side effects. After inhaling off a juul or suorin, his friends “fall over or just start going crazy-- they just start running laps or doing back-flips.”

These effects do not concern him. “It’s kind of funny. We don’t really think about it, we just do it,” Andrew said.

In the long-term, nicotine has been proven to inflame, weaken and ultimately damage lung tissue. The amount of nicotine in a vapor device is

also up to seven times more than that of a traditional cigarette. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, from Jan. 1, 2017 to Sept. 30, 2017, there have been 1,797 incidents of nicotine exposure.

“I know a person who would vape constantly. He had a reaction to it.

Once he stopped, he was sick. His body would be shaking with a cold, cold sweat,” Frank said.

why people vape Besides the addictive properties of nicotine, there are other reasons behind the growing popularity of vape usage. Many students feel that they have to vape to fit in.

“I think (my usage) might have started because of peer pressure because I didn’t really do that kind of stuff before,” Frank said. “When I started going to this school, I guess a bunch of my friends did it so I just did it. No real good reason, I guess. It’s not a good thing.”

Andrew shares a similar experience. “My friends were vaping and they were like ‘Hey, you should try it,’ so it was like peer pressure, I guess,” Andrew said.

Other students have joined in on the trend for amusement. “It’s just fun.

You can do tricks with it. You can do French inhales-- where you let the vapor come out through your nose-- or Os-- blowing vapor in an O shape.

It’s just a way to pass time,” Will said.

Jane*, senior, agrees with Will. “I think the suorin is just fun, I don’t know,” she said.

“Regardless of what I’m selling, so long as it’s perceived as cool or trendy, a kid is going to want to get his hands on it. A lot times they say ‘We’re not gonna buy anything, we’re just looking.’” Ronald said, explaining the younger audience’s fascination with vaping. “At that point you’re just dealing with a bunch of people looking for what’s cool. Unfortunately, that goes on to the younger generation-- that’s just how it works.”

accessibility In 2016, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill to increase the legal age to buy tobacco related products from 18 to 21.

Ronald, whose store has a strict policy against selling vapes to minors, finds that many high schoolers, especially freshmen, enter his store at the beginning of the school year to purchase vapes. “The youngest (kid) that came in was 10 years old, and I told him I would call the cops if he doesn’t show me an ID,” Ronald said.

To prevent minors from purchasing vape-related products, Ronald makes sure to be cautious. “Anything e-liquid related, or vape-related this close to a high school, I pretty much card anyone who looks under 30. There’s not really any legal repercussions that I can take, but if it becomes a recurring issue, I will call the police,” Ronald said.

However, Ronald’s store’s aversion to selling minors is not shared by all vape shops in the area. Ronald himself is aware of a few stores nearby that sell to students.

Frank affirmed there are three vape shops in Newbury Park, one of which will sell to minors. “Some stores ask for ID. But I know a place that’s reliable that doesn’t ask for ID. Of course, unreliable for the state, reliable for the

If you or someone you know have a vaping or smoking addiction, call +1 (877) 448-7848, the National Cancer Institute’s addiction hotline.

fiends.”

Frank finds the easy accessibility unsettling. “The guy that I know, he’ll sell it to whoever,” Frank said (suorins) for freshmen the other da can get them one.”

Andrew confirms that he, along way. “People buy (our juuls or suo stores and then give it to us.”

administratio

The growing prevalence of va discussion concerning vape laws an administration has a zero-tolerance “We are a (vape)-free environme is zero tolerance for any of it,” Kelly said.

Welch explains that vaping is Code 48901 and the penalty, which length of an individual student’s sus substance they were carrying and th Despite these restrictions, stud “People will be vaping in class, or doing. Sometimes they’re out and a be vaping,” Andrew said.

Sarah*, junior, recently had an class. The student next to Sarah w seats. “I couldn’t focus because (the “Here’s how I see it: I don’t care wh it in class-- it’s inconsiderate.”

According to Sarah, her attemp among students on campus. “It misunderstanding. Everyone think “It really should be kept more priva Students like Sarah, Frank and W regarding new district policies for rumored policy where students are Steve Lepire, principal, rejects th rumors are) totally unfounded. 100 a reward, nobody is giving an award According to Lepire, the school r about vaping on campus through t Snapchat stories, where many stude vaping.

“People have a choice to do wh when it’s on campus, it’s pretty clea cannot have,” Lepire said.

Lepire encourages students to co (students) came to us and said, ‘I h what we’re here for,” Lepire said. “W that are free.”

vaping Panther Prowler • Oct. 27, 2017

Daria Azizad Opinion Editor James Pratt Staff Writer Nidhi Satyagal News Editor

*of 177 students surveyed Caitlin Henderson/Prowler

y to vapes, especially for younger students, he’s just looking to make a profit, like d. “I’ve seen someone who bought some ay. Freshmen will come up and ask if you

with fellow freshmen, get their vapes this orins) from local vape stores or tobacco

on’s response

aping has led to a more contentious nd rules both on and off of campus. The e policy on the subject. ent by the state of California, and so there y Welch, assistant principal of attendance,

a violation of the California Education is district-determined, is suspension. The spension is determined by the amount of he overall severity of their offense. dents still bring their vapes to school. you can go into the bathroom they’ll be about, walking around school, and they’ll

incident with peers who were vaping in was vaping, so she requested to change e vapor) was right in my face,” Sarah said. hat you do outside of school, just don’t do

pts to change her seat were exaggerated turned into a big mess and a lot of ks that I ratted someone out,” Sarah said. ate.”

Will*, senior, have all heard several claims vaping. All three of them had heard of a paid a $50 reward for reporting vapers. hese claims as completely baseless. “(The percent untrue. The police are not giving d. It’s just not true,” Lepire said. receives the majority of their information teachers reporting incidents or students’ ents post pictures or videos of themselves

hat they want when they’re at home, but arly spelled out to them what they can or

ome and get help from administration. “If have a problem, I need help with it,’ that’s We have resources we can refer them to

*Names changed to protect anonymity

9

10

features Panther Prowler • Oct. 27, 2017

History has never been so sweet Emily Nagamoto Photographer AP European History and sugar cookies do not seem be related, yet among the interests of Tiffani Coull, they live in harmony. By school day, she is an AP European and CP US History teacher; after 2:05 pm she is the baker extraordinaire of her own business.

“It’s (called) Sweet Jane. My daughter came up with it, because both of our middle names are Jane,” Coull said.

A couple years ago, Coull challenged herself to learn how to bake. Receiving positive feedback from everyone who tried her treats, she decided to sell them. She gave goods to her coworkers and students, baking treats for her monthly department meetings as well, and she steadily grew in popularity from a word-ofmouth basis.

Despite only having a business card and a price list, she normally receives three orders a month, tripling during the holidays. Any order can be hectic, though, especially when it is last minute.

“I definitely like at least two weeks notice,” Coull said. “That gives me time to order the ingredients … especially if it’s … (a) specialty flavor… anything less than a week I tend to laugh, and then do it anyway. ” However, this element of personal commitment is what Coull thinks will draw patrons to her instead of other bakeries; she also credits her “fresh” flavors and creativity. Customers can say what they want or give her a theme and she works with that, using ideas from Pinterest for designs, chocolate molds for edible

Like her original goal of learning how to bake, Johnson thinks this challenge will be met with signature Coull style.

“She’s talented,” Johnson said. “She seems to really enjoy it. I think those are the two things that when combined with a great work ethic, which she has, it can lead to success… And I would be first in line to be her customer.”

Scary sweet treats- In honor of the upcoming holiday of Halloween, Tiffani Coull, history teacher, makes ghost, pumpkin and acorn decorated sugar cookies and gives them to her TA’s, coworkers and her customers.

Being one of her most popular items, she has once fulfilled an order of 250 decorated cookies, and although it was hectic, she enjoys making the cookies fun and unique. “(I) like the cookies because it’s like coloring, and it is very soothing,” Coull said. Her own favorite treat to bake was discovered when she was experimenting with flavors, a chocolate, caramel, pretzel cupcake. Emily Nagamoto/Prowler.

Students debut original clothing designs on campus

things

5 yo u d id not know ab out

decorations and specially ordered ingredients like Belgian dark chocolate. Her creative genius, though, is what discovered a frosting recipe that Coull believes is her secret to success.

“I won’t tell people what it is,” Coull said. “I don’t really like buttercream (and) I feel like cream cheese frostings are too heavy, so I found a way to combine the two. I think it’s my frosting that sets me apart, I really do.”

Surprisingly, Coull does not like any frosting, but her customers clearly do not share this opinion; her frosted treats, specifically her cupcakes, are some of the stars of her collection.

Sarah Sager, senior and teacher’s assistant in one of Coull’s classes, admits that although she enjoys all of Coull’s treats and would “definitely” buy them, the cupcakes are her favorite.

Steve Johnson, history teacher, agreed, saying the “chocolate cupcakes for our most recent department meeting … were just out of this world.” In the past, Johnson brought Coull’s sugar cookies to a party, and after recalling their wild popularity, says he is going to be a frequent customer during this year’s holiday season.

“Anything that comes out of her oven is fantastic and our department is always looking forward to the next meeting,” Johnson said.

Looking beyond the next history department meeting, Coull’s new challenge is to eventually open her own bakery.

“A cupcake, cookie, pie shop… Maybe when I retire,” Coull said. “That would be awesome. I would like that a lot.”

Clare Wang Sports Editor

Megan Vlietstra/Prowler

Alana Bond // English Megan Vlietstra Chief Photographer

1

She was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York but she has little to no New York accent.

2

While she was in high school, Bond was featured in two episodes of a television game show called “City Smarts” where she answered trivia about the geography and culture of New York City.

3

She attended Dartmouth which is located in New Hampshire. Go Big Green!

4

Recently, Bond has picked up traveling and traveled to Iceland.

5

Bond has learned how to speak Mandarin.

Cutting fabric and creating magic. Sketching designs and sewing hemlines. Marketing clothes and monitoring shows.

From the first inspiration to the final product, some students have dedicated themselves to the oftentimes tedious process of making clothing.

Designers discover their interest in fashion in many different forms.

When he returned to his childhood home in Fairfax, CA, Stephen Barkus, senior, noticed that “there were a bunch of new clothing stores and they just caught my attention for some reason...I thought I could contribute something to the world of fashion.”

Meanwhile, Melody Hellard, junior, was practically raised as a designer.

“I started taking lessons with my grandma when I was eight years old, and my mom sews too, so it kind of took off from there,” said Hellard.

Similarly, Cali Greenidge, junior, has “always liked putting outfits together,” and started sewing when she was eight years old, so she capitalized on an opportunity to design for a school fashion show.

The process of producing clothes includes two phases: designing and constructing.

Barkus prefers the designing aspect because “it can reflect my mood or issues I’ve had...it’s almost therapeutic.”

Greenidge has a similar philosophy.“ I feel like it’s just a cool way of self expression because you can do whatever you want and express yourself in any way,” Greenidge said.

Experiencing the same process differently, Hellard favors the constructing aspect, saying, “I like physically making things and feeling the fabrics...I’m better at 3D than 2D.” All wear their own designs and plan to pursue a career in fashion, although they each have different approaches to showcasing their talent.

Barkus has created his own brand called Secladoria and has spent the span of his high school career developing a company.

“My clothing is a mix between fashion and skateboarding because back a few years ago people were starting to combine

skateboarding fashion and regular high-end fashion,” Barkus said.

Hellard creates the costumes for the school theater productions and has done some custom designs.

“The 60s is definitely an inspiration. I just love the colors, the silhouettes and the prints,” Hellard said. “I go to Comic Con every year, so I’m inspired by pop culture, movies and old fashion icons.”

Greenidge has also made custom designs and sold headbands with all proceeds going to aid the recovery effort in Haiti after the earthquake in 2010.

“I feel like my style is a day-to-night look, so things you can wear during the day or something you can wear at night.

Something comfortable and casual,” Greenidge said.

While it may seem too late to begin making clothes, age is not a factor in fashion and Greenidge encourages anyone with inspiration to pursue it as a hobby or career.

“It doesn’t matter when you start (designing), but if you’re really passionate about it, keep going. It doesn’t just mean that you know how to sew or you can just design, there’s so many different things you can do,” Greenidge said.

Calling all the fashionistas- Cali Greenidge, junior, makes her finishing touches to one of her fashion designs in her notebook.

Greenidge, along with other students here on campus, enjoy designing their own unique styles of clothing. “I feel like someday I want to become as big as Anna Wintour, one of those names that everybody knows,” Greenidge said. She likes to add pockets to dresses and other clothes.

Sarah Lu/Prowler.

features Panther Prowler • Oct. 27, 2017

Student Sarah Babij/Senior

1

What is the largest freshwater lake in the world?

Lockwood: Lake Michigan Babij: Lake Superior A: Lake Superior Although Lake Michigan is big, Lake Superior can hold all the water from all the other Great Lakes combined.

0-1

VS

Teacher Jennifer Lockwood/ Science teacher

Megan Vlietstra Chief Photographer

4-2 Lockwood Wins!

2 What is the diameter of Earth?

What did Persephone eat in the Underworld that prevented her from being able to return to her mother?

Lockwood: A poison apple Babij: *laughs* I dont’ know.

A: A pomegranate I think Lockwood was thinking of Snow White.

2-2

Lockwood: Seattle, Washington Babij: Somewhere in the US… A: Seattle, Washington

Well, Lockwood wasn’t wrong…

0-1

Although Babij was on the right track, Lockwood knew more about the history of the famous coffee chain.

3-2

When did the Cold War end?

3Lockwood: 1989

the Lion King, where does 7 InMufasa and his family live?

Babij: 1991?

A: 1989

Lockwood: Its called something… Big Rock?

Babij: No clue. Somewhere in Africa?

Lockwood knew the year because she graduated at the same time.

1-1

It seems that these two need to brush up on their Disney history.

3-2

won the 2017 US Open 8 Who tournament for men’s tennis?

What TV show is hosted by Chip and Joanna Gaines?

Lockwood: Nadal Babij: Some British dude?

A: Rafael Nadal

Lockwood: Fixer Upper Babij: I know this! Fixer Upper A: Fixer Upper

It seems that Chip and Joanna are famous in Newbury Park as well as Waco.

2-2

5

was the original Starbucks 6 Where founded? (city and state)

Lockwood: Huge Babij: I have no idea.

A: 8,000 miles

4

11

Megan Vlietstra/ Prowler

With this final question, Lockwood takes the win! It’s a good thing she watched the tournament.

4-2

Teaching special needs is her specialty Sarah Lu Photographer Music can be heard coming out of E-5, as students in the classroom dance around to songs like “Cha Cha Slide.” Jillian Ackerman, a student teacher for Anne Alvarez’s special day class, smiles and laughs as she watches from the sidelines. Soon, she gets pulled into the dancing, and spins around with her students.

Through a credential teaching program at California University University, Ackerman started student-teaching at Newbury at the beginning of the year.

Alvarez explained the difficulties that student-teachers in her classroom face.

“My students aren’t real friendly at first because they don’t know what to expect, so (Ackerman is) learning how with each student you have to interact a little bit differently with,” Alvarez said. “Even though some of the kids can’t talk, you can see attention they need, and she’s learning what they like, and what they don’t like. She’s learning when to step in and when to let

kids struggle a little bit so they can learn.”

Despite all of these challenges, Ackerman is teaching the math, reading and communication portion of the class, and will soon also teach the life skills class as well. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without her at the beginning of the school year,” Alvarez said. “She’s done a great job.”

Paula Gomez, a sophomore in Alvarez’s class, describes a usual day in class. They learn “math, english and stuff like that.” Gomez visits the school garden at least once a day. On Tuesdays and Fridays, the class dances. Gomez says that Ackerman is always happy and makes the class more interesting.

Ackerman wanted to go into this profession from a young age, starting in elementary school. “A lot of the deaf and hard of hearing were mainstreamed into our classrooms, and it kind of peaked my interest. I actually have a background in American Sign Language,” Ackerman said. “I knew I always wanted to be a

teacher, so I think having that sign language background is good for some of our students who have limited language.”

After she completes her program in mid-December, Ackerman plans to “explore the various school districts and programs. I know that there is a lot out there, so I know I can learn a lot from many different environments.”

Ackerman’s favorite part of student teaching is “actually being in the classroom, building that rapport with the students, and that relationship, and seeing different strategies… and figuring out how to make them work.”

Ackerman enjoys teaching and can’t wait to be able to spread her passion and learnings onto others. “This whole process has affirmed that my passion has really confirmed that this is where I’m supposed to be, and it’s really exciting to think that I’ll eventually get my classroom, soon, and get to actually implement these strategies and practices that I’ve learned,” Ackerman said.

12

entertainment Panther Prowler • Oct. 27, 2017

Panthers dance the night away Megan Vlietstra Photographer

Surfing to victory-Dancing victoryon their surfboards in the gym, Rick Sagerman, campus supervisor, and Bella Braid, senior, perform a musical theater dance with the song, “Surfing in the USA” blasting in the background. During Dancing with the Stars Panthers on Oct. 13, members of the NPHS dance team danced with their Panther stars, such as athletes, club members and the campus supervisor Sagerman, to performances choreographed by each dance team member. “It’s crazy, everybody was so good. The competition was amazing. You know, we just were glad to be in it,” Sagerman said. Sagerman and Braid won first place and took home the trophy, and after that night, Sagerman said his new favorite dance move is the “dab.” Sarah Congeliere/Pawprint

The house lights dim and a blue light shines on a couple standing in the middle of the gym. Music pumps through the speakers as the couple sashay across the dance floor, twirling the entire way down. The couple finish their dance with a final leap before posing in front of the judges, and the crowd erupts into applause. Dancing With the Stars Panthers was a night full of amazing performances, striking costumes and spectacular choreography: a night to remember.

Dancing With the Stars Panthers attracted hundreds of viewers who packed in the gym on Oct. 13 to watch their friends and family members perform. Every year, Dance Team hosts Dancing With the Start Panthers: an event where one member of Dance Team pairs up with a non-Dance Team member. Together, they choreograph and create a dance that they perform in front of three judges, who give them scores out of ten. At the end of the event, the partners with the top five scores are voted on by the student body and the winners are announced. The teachers and staff from NPHS and local dance schools perform at the event as well.

“We do this to get funding for us and to get costumes or buses or stuff for our competitions. It’s mostly getting our name out there.” Katherine Martel, senior and Dance Team member, said.

Martel paired up with Jack Sampson, senior, for an African style dance.

“In our dance, we incorporated a lot of lifts. They were probably the most challenging thing because I’ve never done any of those before,” Sampson said. Sampson has never had any past dance experience, which added to the difficulty of the event.

Jubal Rancourt, senior, and Samantha Parker, senior, paired up to perform disco. Rancourt has taken dance classes in the past and is currently helping to lead the Dance for Hope event which will take place later this year. He has also participated in the Talent Show and Stud Pageant last year where he performed dance routines.

Rancourt was happy to have been able to participate in the show. “(It was) such a fun experience and it’s a once in a lifetime thing. Since I am a senior, I’m never going to have an experience like this again. I’m definitely going to remember it,” Rancourt said.

Many of the Panther stars did not have previous dance

experience, they all left their hearts on the dance floor and gave it their all.

“It felt surreal, just dancing out there. I don’t really dance much so just to get out of my comfort zone and have a good time,” Sampson said.

Split- Samantha Parker, senior, and Jubal Rancourt, senior, strike a pose while performing a disco routine.The pair filled their dance with excitement, which caught the attention of the audience and the judges.

“Just feeling and vibing with the music, it was the best feeling ever,” Rancourt said. “Being in front of the crowd and being able to entertain them was the best feeling in the world.” The pair received a perfect score and won second place. Rebecca Gabra/Pawprint

Tara’s Himalayan Cuisine spices up local restaurant options Nidhi Satyagal News Editor It’s easy to miss the rather unassuming exterior of Tara’s Himalayan Cuisine-- other than an inconspicuous banner hung over the old Pasta and Pizza sign, there are no signs that a new business has been opened. However, the food, with its complex spices and exotic ingredients, is anything but simple and unassuming.

Tara’s is a newly opened Nepalese restaurant in the Trader Joe’s shopping complex. It replaced the long standing Italian restaurant located in the corner next to Fitness 19. The restaurant is run by Tara and her family, who also own two other very successful restaurants, also called Tara’s Himalayan Cuisine.

When you enter the restaurant, it is immediately evident that you are in a family run establishment. Tara, her husband, and her son, Pradeep Gurung, who is a junior at NPHS, all work at the restaurant.

I walked into the restaurant and was eagerly greeted by the family and the staff. The homey atmosphere continues into the restaurant itself, which is cozy, quiet and decorated with bright and friendly yellows and greens.

The food itself takes inspiration from both Tibetan and

Indian cuisines, but with a twist of their own special Nepalese spices. Some iconic Nepalese dishes featured on the menu include Momos, a type of dumpling, and dal-bhat-tarkari.

Gurung particularly recommends the chicken chow mein and the momos.

I ordered a potato curry, noodle soup, naan, and momos.

Since the restaurant serves a lot of Indian and Nepalese, there is a plethora of vegetarian and vegan options, which I greatly appreciated. While all the items I ordered were good, my favorite by far was the potato curry. The curry contained bell peppers, onions and large pieces of potatoes all seasoned with the aforementioned special Nepalese spices. The spices perfectly complemented the potatoes; they were just spicy and savory enough without being overwhelming. It reminded me of breakfast potatoes on steroids.

One of the greatest things about having a new restaurant open near the school are the increased options for off-campus lunch spots, especially for students who cannot drive.

The convenience, incredible food and warm, friendly service make Tara’s Himalayan Cuisine a great addition to local restaurants and a great place to diversify and try Nepalese cuisine.

Food from across the globe-The globenew restaurant Tara’s Himalayan Cuisine is ready for business, serving up Indian, Tibetan and Nepalese classics. Recently, the restaurant just opened in the Trader Joe’s shopping complex, replacing an Italian restaurant. “We (are) similar to Indian, but (use) different unique spices. Our food has a different taste, like our dumplings which look like Chinese dumplings but taste different,” Pradeep Gurung, junior and worker at the restaurant, said. Tara’s Himalayan Cuisine has to other locations, in Venice and Artesia. Emily Nagamoto/Prowler

entertainment Panther Prowler • Oct. 27, 2017

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Performances raise awareness for mental illness Logan Nichols Photographer

Spotlight on mental illness-The illnessone-act, "Selfie," was performed on the Newbury Park High School's stage on Saturday, Oct. 21. Tyler (left), played by Max Oliver, senior, confronts Nicole (right), played by Megan Morales, about her changing personality. She then begins to change herself in accordance to what she thinks will make her 'popular' and 'noticed.' "('Selfie' is) a really beautiful show and it’s just so real and raw and it just speaks worlds to the real issues that teenagers go through..."

Morales said. Nicole is unable to see the beauty in herself, no matter how many times she hears it from others. This is a very prevalent issue with, not only teenagers, but all people, in regards to a negative selfimage and a low self-esteem. Logan Nichols/Prowler

Lights, camera, recovery. The Newbury Park High School Theatre Department hosted an event in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) on Oct. 21 in conjunction with Ventura County’s National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to help raise awareness for a variety of mental illnesses; such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, suffering body image, exclusion and isolation, as well as family issues.

This performance was hosted by Cathy Ladman, a standup comedian that has been featured multiple times on “The Tonight Show,” “The Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and twice on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show Anniversary.”

Ladman opened the show by revealing that she had been anorexic for 42 years, then going on to give a brief introduction to her story and journey of anorexia.

In the process of bringing mental disorders to light, nine students from the NPHS Theatre Department put on a quick performance of the one-act “Selfie.” Originally a play by Bradley Hayward, the story follows a group of high school seniors, from all different backgrounds, environments and states of mind, and all of the hardships that most teenagers face.

The school performance starred the following students: Jillian Cotone, senior, as Kaitlin; Craig Hastings, junior, as Sam; Allison Martinez, junior, as Laura; Megan Morales, senior, as Nicole; Max Oliver, senior, as Tyler; Rory Smith, senior, as Jessie; Noah Varav, senior, as Zach; and Red Weiss, senior, as

Morgan. Each of these characters were going through a specific hardship that affected their overall happiness; such as isolation, body image, and social acceptance.

Directed by Kylie Vincent, senior, the show ended with a hard round of applause and a standing ovation. “(The show is) really powerful. My favorite part about watching them through this process was just their growth… because a lot of them have channeled things that we haven’t gotten to see them do before on the Newbury Park High School stage,” Vincent said.

The universal issues that were covered in the one-act were situations the whole cast found would be extremely relatable to high schoolers and very personal to the cast as well. Not only were the portrayals of each individual character a highly emotional experience, just the script in itself was equally powerful for the actors and directors.

“The first couple times I read through it, I honestly started tearing up,” Morales said.

Because of the depth and internal movement that the performance pulled out of each actor, it left many of them in a more understanding and accepting state.

“Selfie,” which was personal and close to heart for everyone involved, helped to not only bring awareness to the prevalent cases of mental illnesses, but also to raise funds for NAMI and their recovery programs.

“I think that I’ve become (a) better person, and more of a understanding person because of the subject matter of the show,” Martinez said. It seemed to touch, not only them, but the audience as well in hopes that the stigma that rests upon mental illness may be lifted.

Two terrors provide a thrilling night Universal Horror Nights With an $89 ticket and a group of friends, the anticipation builds for a frightful night. This would be my first time visiting the haunting Horror Nights at Universal Studios and I was looking forward to an adventure. The park opened at 5:00 p.m. for early guests who wanted to get a glimpse of some of the available rides and mazes, but the night officially began at 7:00 p.m.. Once your ticket is scanned, people pile up near the front gate where haunting characters and actors in makeup appear ready to welcome anyone.

The music becomes creepier and grows louder when suddenly the gates open and everyone runs. The thrill and fright of running from zombies and ghosts increases your adrenaline.

Everyone runs for a spot in line for available mazes and a certain selection of rides, including the Mummy and Jurassic Park.

Going on a Friday night, long waits were inevitable, ranging from 30 minutes to 75 minutes. From tiring walks to planning the order in which mazes to go first, our feet grew tired by the end of the night. However, the mazes were worth every penny and every feetaching moment.

In each maze there were strobe lights, pitch black rooms, small lights and booming music that ached up everyone’s spine.

Universal did an amazing job with scaring everyone through the music and lighting portrayed within every maze. Every turn that was taken was a surprise: either an actor would pop out to scare the crowd or special effects created a chilling atmospheres.

Everything about the mazes seemed to be put together with much care and thought.

One of the much other best parts, were the availability to go on the everyday rides the park has to offer. Some of the best rides: Jurassic Park and the Mummy were open if any groups needed a break from the scare of the mazes. These rides had less wait due to the excitement of the mazes.

Overall, by the end of the night, even with the aching feet and tired bodies, the night was worth every scare. The mazes were well put together and included the perfect atmosphere to get scared in.

Gianna Longo Sports Editor Sarah Lu Photographer

Reign of Terror Blood-curling screams rang through the air as I walked through the dark and foreboding attraction. Our group huddled in a tight circle in hopes of blocking out the monsters of the 18th annual Reign of Terror (ROT) Haunted House at the Janss marketplace, but it was to no avail.

While I usually pride myself in not getting scared, at least in regards to scary movies, But with this haunted house, I was pleasantly surprised (and scared); it was awesome!

When I went on Saturday, the price was $25 and I was a little iff y on whether or not the price would be worth it. We also could not use credit or debit, and I ended up having to pay a transaction fee for a nearby ATM. Yet, the haunted house was totally worth the price; other amusement parks usually cost at least twice the price, not to mention gas money.

There were some minor issues that I had at the beginning of the excursion.

For one, there was false advertising. We had to go through two lines before the scares actually started.

Another issue I had was that I was in a group that had eight people (myself included). I was really looking forward to witnessing my brother get scared, which would have given me a good laugh. Instead, the worker split us up! We had to go in two groups of four. And not only that, but right after the first group of four went in, the worker let in a group with seven people. Seven!

What’s one more person? So that was just a little disappointing.

Once we were inside the haunted house, though, my complaints were soon forgotten. There was a great use of jumps scares, compressed air and, probably the most impressive in my opinion, technology. It made the whole experience feel very real.

The jump-scares made the haunted house terrifying. It seemed like the actors would actually touch you, and I fell to the floor multiple times as a self defense mechanism. All of the life-like effects made the whole trip much more exciting and suspenseful. You never knew when something would pop out at you.

I would 10/10 recommend this to everyone. It’s a great way to hang out with your friends, and it was actually scary. ROT is also local and relatively cheap compared to the other options. We definitely picked the right scare to chill us to our bones.

Walking Dead- At Universal Studios Horror Nights, a Walking Dead themed maze was put together replicating the TV show. Zombies and similar themes were portrayed throughout the maze intended to scare the crowd. For those who are fans of the TV show, many scenes were portrayed throughout the rooms in the maze. Gianna Longo/Prowler

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sports Panther Prowler • Oct. 27, 2017

Maine takes life one wave at a time Emily Nagamoto Photographer

Winner, winner- After the 2016 National Lifeguard Championships in Hermosa Beach, California, Bella Seiring, left, and Holly Maine, senior, right, pose in front of the beach with their medals, winning. Maine not only has been winning at national conferences, but she has been attending international ones as well; however, she was recovering from a minor concussion she received on Sunday, Oct. 8. “I got it training actually. On Sunday the waves were really big, and I was curdling my board, (when) you turn it over to go under a big wave, and I did it terribly… The board just smacked me in the face,” Maine said. She admitted that she was used to getting hit with boards and that she was not stopping her from training for her next competition, the international conference in New Zealand this winter. Holly Maine/ With Permission

Almost everyone has been to the beach and for many it is their “happy place.” Yet for the lucky few, the beach is where they come to work everyday. Holly Maine, senior, hopes to make the beach her office as she trains to become a lifeguard.

“I am hoping that will be my career… I am definitely going to be a lifeguard for as long as my body will let me keep doing it,” Maine said. At her test to be an ocean lifeguard on Oct. 21, she placed 25 out of 300, the fifth female to finish and one of the youngest to tryout.

Her journey in the water started when she was young, learning to play water polo when she was 11-years-old, which

she currently plays at NPHS. This is where she met Delanie Lavacude-klenck, senior and fellow water polo player. Despite starting on different teams, they became close, and LavacudeKlenck has watched Maine’s progress in the water.

“She has a really good work ethic,” Lavacude-Klenck said.

“She’s really experienced… (and) I think she just really enjoys it.”

Maine’s real passion, however, was found when she joined the junior lifeguards at Zuma Beach in fifth grade and went to the lifeguarding competitions.

“I immediately found the competitive side (of lifeguarding),” Maine said. “I won on the paddle board (event) at nationals, and

I (thought) ‘Oh my gosh, I didn’t even really train for this, if I trained I could do so much … I really want to put my time into this.’”

It was sophomore year that these competitions became her entire focus, as she thoroughly enjoyed the events like swim relays, board paddling in the ocean and her ultimate favorite, the “iron man,” or “iron guard,” which combines swimming, paddling and an event called surf ski, Maine describing it “like a big ocean kayak.”

Placing at nationals brought her a new opportunity: competing on the USA team for international lifeguarding competition.

According to Casey Graham, the volunteer head coach of youth national team for the United States Lifesaving Association, Maine is the only person in the country who has been on the team for four years in a row. He credits her dedication as being a key factor in her success.

“She is just very dedicated and driven. She knows what she wants and she knows how to get it, so when she decides that she wants to be a champion, she becomes a champion,” Graham said.

Maine has been to international competitions in three countries so far: France, Australia and the Netherlands, and this year she is going to New Zealand. Graham predicts she’ll do “very well.”

In addition to the competition aspect, Maine likes exploring the different places that the competitions have been in, and racing against different people.

“It’s just really cool to travel to all of these places and meet these people who have the same passion as me,” Maine said. “Most people at this school probably don’t even know that lifeguarding is a sport… I just wish it was bigger here.”

She wishes the same thing for junior lifeguards, calling it “the best program (she’s) ever done,” hoping other kids will join the summer program.

Maine trains three hours daily, describing it as “like death… basically just going hard for three hours.” However, this hard work had its drawbacks, like not being able to take AP classes because of the long trips, although Maine believes it is worth it.

Lavacude-Klenck also thinks that it paid off in the end.

“I think it’s fantastic that she has accomplished so much,” Lavacude-Klenck said. “She really is a good role model to everyone.”

New hockey team takes the ice Gianna Longo Sports Editor The puck is hit and slides across the ice right to the player in front of the goal. The crowd grows loud as everyone’s attention is on him. The player raises his hockey stick and takes a shot straight to the goal. The buzzer rings throughout the entire stadium as the whole crowd cheers.

Through his excitement and love for hockey, Beau Lawrence, senior, started a Newbury Park hockey team to represent the school. His idea to put together a team stemmed from an old club on campus for hockey players. He decided to restart the old club and turn it into a official team.

“I think it’s really good to integrate hockey as a growing sport in California and it’s pretty cool to have something involved with the student body and play with people that you go to school with every day,” Lawrence said.

Lawrence was able to reach out to many students who play on separate hockey clubs, and create a team.

Hunter Hoskins, senior, has been playing hockey since he was seven, and recently joined the team, “I think we have a great group of guys and it is just easy to bond with everyone because we all play hockey and have a common goal,” Hoskins said.

Skating across the ice- Beau Lawrence, senior, hits the hockey puck past his opponent, a player from Royal, during Newbury Park’s first ice hockey game of the season. At the Simi Valley Iceoplex on Sat. 14, the Panther supporters filled the stands, including a group from the Panther Pit, cheering on the players. “It was a really good experience just to get on the ice with our true high school team, and I thought that regardless of the outcome it was really good to get that exposure. And it was cool to have people from the school watching as well,” Lawrence said. Despite losing their game 3-4, the Panther hockey players said they are excited to for the rest of their season and hope to make it to the championship. Emily Nagamoto/Prowler

With much experience and team bonding, “The best part [about hockey] is getting to share the joy of scoring goals with my fellow teammates and peers. It is cool to see people around school that you also get to athletically participate (with),” Lawrence said.

Bryan Hooker, senior, has played hockey in club teams during the past and played along side many of his teammates now, “A lot of the players have played club as well, so we have all played against or with each other for the most part. The chemistry is there and we are all bonding pretty well,” Hooker said.

With many experienced players, playoffs and championships are not too far away, “I think we are really good and have a lot of talent. I think we can really excel every area of this sport,” Hoskins said.

“I’m really excited to top off my senior year with being able to play for my school, something I have not been really able to do very legitimately throughout high school,” Lawrence said.

sports Panther Prowler • Oct. 27, 2017

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Aaron Roher matches the fencing world Jaycen Sussman Cover Editor Focus, determination and concentration are and even teammate Jason Lin’s expectations. few of the traits that Aaron Roher, senior, takes Lin, junior, has been fencing with Roher for the into each fencing match. Fencing, an Olympic last three years and the two travel constantly for sport, is competed worldwide by high school tournaments and matches. students, yet unlike other popular sports, fencing “Aaron has been fencing for longer than me, so is an individual sport. All preparations and forms he’s kind of just like a role model to me,” Lin said. of readiness come from the individual fencer, “He puts a lot of thought into fencing.” differentiating it from most team sports people Lin has been able to learn from Roher’s know of. “energetic style” of fencing. The two constantly “Fencing, unlike other sports, is an individual work together to improve their skills and shape sport, so it’s more about what you can do and their weaknesses into strengths. how you perform,” Roher said. “Basically, you Sean Flaherty, advisor of Fencing Club, values need to train yourself to get better, so it’s not the sport just as much as Roher and Lin. really a team sport where you are working with “I’ve fenced most of my life. When I started other players, but more of ‘how do you train to teaching at NP in 2002, I asked around to meet a be the best while competing against people who few students that were fencing in Thousand Oaks do the same thing?’” and together we started the club. Students keen Roher has devoted five years of his life to the on fencing have kept it going all of these years.” sport, fencing since the age of 12. He believes Flaherty said. that there is little that separates fencing from Tackling the plays - Ronald Gellenbeck plays a significant role in NPHS’ home sports games, but his story does not The Fencing Club on-campus is always looking end there. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with family and friends as well as watching basketball games. His other sports that many high schools offer. for new faces to join the sport, as their goal is to favorite announcing gigs are when he has the opportunity to cover our wrestling team’s home matches. He especially “There are physical preparations for enjoys the constant action that keeps the audience on their feet. Sandy Gellenbeck/ With Permission help students grow as mature fencers. The club tournaments that are a part of your practice. You meets Tuesdays after fifth period, and Roher really also have to be mentally prepared going encourages those who are interested to join. into the tournament, not saying ‘I don’t care if I win or lose this one.’ It’s just all about how you “A lot of people have a misconception about fencing as a sport itself. They generally see it as a fence,” Roher said. phony club or something to join, but it’s really not.” Roher said. “It’s an Olympic sport and that’s Putting in eight to 10 hours a week to prepare for each match, Roher has made a name for the fencing that we do. We train to be the high caliber of fencers so that everything we do is to train himself in the fencing world, ranking 77th in the nation. to get better. It’s a very physical as well as it is a mental sport.”

The hard work and determination to be a success in this sport has lead Roher to exceed his coaches

Cheer team works to prevent injuries Kessa Chavez Entertainment Editor “Cheerleading is in the top 10 most dangerous contact sports just above football. Unlike other sports, we don’t have padding to protect us. Girls are literally being thrown in the air and the only (barrier) they have to the ground is someone else’s hands,” Galante said. “The entire group has to work together in order for the stunt to work. One person not paying attention can make a huge difference. Carelessness, lack of effort, and poor technique can lead to minor or very serious injuries.”

Maddy Weise, junior, has been on the cheer team for three years and has seen as well as experienced injuries such as, broken wrists and fingers, fractured necks, and concussions. Both the coaches and the team have been working to ensure the safety of all team members. “Now I think we are starting to realize just how dangerous stunting is and we are taking more precautions,” Weise said.

While not all injuries can be prevented, proper technique and communication make all the difference when it comes to the safety of the team.

“Other athletes throw balls. We throw athletes,” Kling said. “These girls are high school girls but they are doing incredible things and they just need to remember to always be vigilant and make sure that they are always being safe in whatever they do.”

Cheer Team - Osmara Rios, Karli Keller and Lauren Dickerson. BACK. Maddy Weise, Taylor Pearson, Cori Galante, Gabrielle Hardy and Jennifer Forca. The girls pose for a picture of cheerleaders who have gotten concussions, broken bones or other serious injuries while cheering. Cheerleaders often get hurt when doing stunts where they are thrown up in the air. “The culture of cheer is understood that falling is a part of cheer and to brush it off, but it should be taken a lot more seriously,” Wiese said. Cheerleaders are often thrown up 10-15 feet up in the air during stunts. Sarah Lu/ Prowler

From broken fingers to back injuries, cheer team has been through it all. When people are being thrown into the air, the stakes are high, so when given the responsibility to ensure the safety of a teammate, it is key to have proper technique.

When the team gets ready to stunt, the coaches work to ensure they are as safe as possible. Rachel Kling, cheer coach, has been with the team for three years.

“When we stunt, we make sure that they go through a progressionary stage. At first I teach them safety grips and how to catch and spot properly. They never move on from a stunt until they have completed or successfully done the first stunt,” Kling said.

However, despite their best efforts, the team continues to suffer injuries. Co-captain Cori Galante, junior, seriously injured her T-3 vertebrae, which has left her in a neck brace.

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sports Panther Prowler • Oct. 27, 2017

Even though the horse show season is just about to start, Chloe Staiano, senior, has been preparing all year for this particular show season. Staiano is one of the presidents of the Interscholastic Equestrian League, a team of horseback riders who compete at four horse shows and gather points for the team. Last year, NPHS was ranked in the top ten schools for points in our district. This year, they hope to redeem that title once again.

3...2...1...Jump- This year, Staiano decided that she wanted to move into the varsity arena. She will be jumping an obstacle that is three feet and six inches high with her horse Santiago (Santi). “I've been wanting to do move up for a long time and I finally have a horse that can take me there, Staiano said. Over the course of her life, Staiano has had nine horses. Megan Vlietstra/Prowler

Canter- Flatwork is one of the most important things for equestrians.

Before riders can jump, they have to learn how to control their horses without jumps in front of them. “Flatwork is one of the most important things for horse and their riders,” Staiano said. “It helps both partners build up muscle and helps you work on the bond between the horse and rider.” Before she jumps, Staiano typically takes her horse on a trail ride before she continues her training with flatwork. Megan Vlietstra/ Prowler

It's all about teamwork- Staiano jumps over an obstacle called a “flower box” with Santi's help. Being in the saddle was second nature for Staiano who has been around horses her entire life. “It all started when I was a baby and my grandpa had horses and he took me out riding when I was little,” Staiano said. “Ever since then I fell in love with horses and have been riding.” Staiano was on a horse before she could walk which grew into a lifelong dedication to the animals. Megan Vlietstra/Prowler

Hugs- After a hard lesson, Staiano gives Santi a big hug and treats, thanking him for being a good boy. Over the years that she has had Santi, Staiano and Santi have developed a very close connection. “The connection between a horse and its rider is one of the most special bonds there is. There is nothing but trust there,” Staiano said. “That is why I like the idea of working with animals and being able to have a partner in crime.”

Staiano wants to pursue a degree in business in college so she can open up her own ranch in the future. Megan Vlietstra/Prowler