2015-2016 Issue 2 (October 23, 2015)

PANTHER PROWLER Friday September 25, 2015

Issue II

Newbury Park High School

456 N. Reino Rd., Newbury Park, CA 91320

Kicking it Off page 15

PlannedParenthood8

NPBands4

CameronRising13

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table of contents Panther Prowler • Oct. 23, 2015

3 5 7 9 11 13 15

- Presidential debates heat up

- Gun control: targeting the issue

- DPS: Planned Parenthood

- Student vs. Teacher - Flipped classroom - DPS: Planned Parenthood

- The impact of grade skipping

- Sentimental spooks - Zombie run

- Beware of Crimson Peak

- Rising to the challenge - Kick it to win it

This Day in the Past 425 - At the age of 6, Valentinian III is made Roman emperor 1941 - Walt Disney releases the first animations of Dumbo 1981 - US National debt hits one trillion 2001 - Apple released the iPod 1976 - Ryan Reynolds was born

4 6 8 10 12 14 16

- Forgery on campus

- Visual Photography - CAHSEE

- Beach boys

table of contents.

- Photo Essay: Homecoming

News Brief: Planned Parenthood Fire On Sept. 30, yet another attack occurred on the Planned Parenthood health institute, this time in Thousand Oaks on Hillcrest. According to a Ventura County police report, “investigators determined an unknown suspect wearing clothing to protect his identity crudely threw a large piece of masonry through a window on the south side of the building.”

After throwing the object through the window, the subject intentionally lit a fire in the building using an unidentifiable chemical which did little damage as the sprinkler system was triggered soon after.

Even though the incident was quickly over, yet several local

community members have lashed out negatively against the act of violence. Students such as sophomore Misa Nguyen have expressed their concerns regarding the fire. “I actually live pretty close to it, and it is pretty scary,” Nguyen said. “Why can’t we coexist and not do mean things to each other?”

“I think somebody is angry at Planned Parenthood and they wanted everyone to know about it,” Lorena Caulfield, health teacher, said.

The local Planned Parenthood has recovered from the damage from incident, mostly caused by water, and has reopened in full function.

news Panther Prowler • Oct. 23, 2015

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Portrait delays create YB challenges Nina Chiuchiarelli Staff Writer Alyssa Boedigheimer Opinion Editor Visual Photography’s first deadline to submit the portraits disc for the yearbook was Oct. 7, which should have contained all underclassmen and faculty pictures. The yearbook staff did not receive it until Oct. 9, at which point they found a number of issues on the disc.

The disc Visual Photography submitted to the yearbook staff consisted of numerous errors such as coloring, duplicates, pictures placed with the incorrect student, and 352 missing portraits.

“In previous years, Visual always submitted the portraits before the deadline and it was always error free,” said Michelle Saremi, yearbook and newspaper adviser. “This year the pictures were two different sizes, the coloring was too dark on over half, and the formatting wasn’t right.”

Visual submitted a flash drive of the edited photos on Oct. 16 so the coloring, sizes and formatting were fixed, but the same 352 portraits were missing from the disc, which was a compilation of 86 faculty members, 4 freshmen, 92 sophomores, and 180 juniors.

In attempt to remedy the setbacks, the yearbook “as a whole staff have (had) to go through (the disc) and look through each picture, see which ones are right and which

ones we have to change,” said Camilla Wise, coEditor-in-Chief of yearbook. “It (has) caused us a lot of setbacks which is, in turn, really hurting our production into the next deadline.”

Saremi has borrowed a backdrop from a friend and is scheduled to retake the pictures on Tuesday, Oct. 27. “In order for yearbook production to continue, we must get those portrait pages in, albeit a week late. This is why we decided to take the pictures internally. Fortunately, we have an incredible photo department that has volunteered their time to help,” said Saremi.

The missing images have held up yearbook production, which has delayed the proofing process and caused yearbook to miss its first deadline with Jostens, the company the yearbook is printed through.

“We have a contract and deadline agreement with Jostens,” said Saremi, “When you don’t meet a deadline, you are fined. Our yearbook rep is aware of the situation and has been very supportive. If we do get fined, it will be Visual’s responsibility to pay it.”

As of right now, Len Quinlan, the representative for Jostens yearbooks, is hopeful

that the Pawprint will be able to submit the late pages once the portraits are all accounted for.

“Potentially we are still early enough in the year that we could get back on track for production but it’s certainly going to delay this first deadline,” said Quinlan.

Visual’s next deadline for NPHS is Nov. 1 which requires them to deliver a disc with all of the senior portraits. During a meeting on Sept. 29, Visual informed Saremi that they still did not have 113 seniors portraits taken. “This is a concerning number of seniors and while I hope it’s changed, parents have emailed and called stating that they have yet to make an appointment for their senior because they can’t get ahold of anyone at the company,” said Saremi.

In every attempt to contact Visual to comment, their phone line has been continuously busy and they remain unreachable.

Not only has the conflict with Visual led to issues regarding senior pictures and yearbook production, “but it has (also) affected our ID cards; there has been a lot of issues with that,” Joshua Eby, principal of NPHS, said.

Rachel Grennan, sophomore, did not receive her ID card at sophomore orientation as expected.

New law suspends CAHSEE and awards retrospective diplomas

Her sister, Melissa Grennan, senior, received her ID card, however it had Rachel’s picture on it.

“When I went (into the office) they (the office) just didn’t have my ID card,” said Rachel. Visual had yet to provide ID cards to administration. “I think a lot of people just didn’t get one. So they had put my picture in the wrong grade and they had lost my sister’s picture.”

Not having an ID card led to inconvenience for Rachel when it came to school functions. “I needed my ID picture, I was worried I might not have it for homecoming and for the first couple of games they had to have my name on a list, because I had (ordered) a sac card,” said Rachel.

Regardless of the issues with senior portraits, missing underclassmen and faculty as well as the lack of necessary ID cards, yearbook production is still in motion.

“Despite everything, I am confident that all of this will soon be behind us because the Pawprint staff is going to create an amazing yearbook, so make sure you pre-order your yearbook. We plan to sell out again this year,” said Saremi.

Local Pizza Hut Suffers from Robbery Read the article online

pantherprowler.org

New Standards - With the California High School Exit Exam no longer a graduation requirement, students only have to meet the requirements for class credits. Samantha Meyer/Prowler

Victoria Juan Features Designer Lindsay Filgas News Designer Students who have not passed the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) since 2006 will now be able to receive their high school diplomas after Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill No. 172 on Wednesday, Oct. 7. The exam will also be suspended until the 2017-2018 school year.

According to the California Department of Education, the current CAHSEE, introduced in 2006, tests Englishlanguage arts and mathematics content standards and is a requirement, in addition to other class credit graduation prerequisites, for earning a diploma. Students first take the test in tenth grade and have up to eight chances to take and pass the test before the end of senior year.

“Our pass rate here at Newbury Park High School is close to 99 percent,” said principal Joshua Eby, “So it has never really had a huge effect on our graduation numbers.”

On her website, Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge) indicated that she authored SB 172 in February amid concerns that the CAHSEE no longer reflected California’s new Common Core standards.

The law suspending the test will take effect in January and award diplomas to those who have met all other requirements besides passing the CAHSEE if they contact their school districts. While there will be no exit exam for the next three years, committees will be working to create a new test that reflects the new standards.

“It will be nice for us to go back to our students from the previous nine years and grant diplomas to, I would say, under 10 students that met all of the high school graduation requirements except for that test,” Eby said.

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news Panther Prowler • Oct. 23, 2015

Forgery on Campus Nina Chiuchiarelli Staff Writer Bella Robakowski Sports Designer Receiving an off-campus pass is a benefit for upperclassmen that must be earned. This year, however, a handful of students who didn’t qualify for an off-campus pass have tried to circumvent the rules and take advantage of this privilege.

According to the CVUSD Policy and Procedures manual, the criteria for receiving an off-campus pass includes the conditions of satisfactory citizenship, academic standing (at least a 2.0), and attendance (no full day truancies during the previous semester).

“We consider an ID card an official school document,” said Mrs. Thomas, Dean of Activities. “If you change it in any way there (are) consequences... (Students are going) off campus illegally and their parents have not signed for them to be off.”

Drew Smith*, junior, was one of these particular students who took it upon himself to create his own off-campus pass.

Smith photocopied a legitimate pass and taped it onto his own school ID,enabling him to leave campus numerous times.

Eventually he was caught. “(The campus supervisor) ran her finger over it and I knew that I had been caught,” Smith said of the incident, “she asked ‘Wait can I see that?’ ... and of course I knew I was busted.”

When it came time for Smith to receive his punishment, he was shocked by the result.

“They said I was being punished for defacing school property,” Smith said, “but I mean technically I went off campus illegally for like thirty days. I was surprised that I only got one Saturday school.”

Dealing with this issue has caused administration to review procedure for letting students off campus during lunch. “We have to literally stop and make the kids pull out their IDs,” says Patty Goldstein, an off campus supervisor,

Rush Hour - As the lunch bell rings students get out their ID cards and hustle to make it off campus. Samantha Meyer/ Prowler

“and we have to feel (the passes) and look at them to make sure the kids haven’t tried to alter them in any way.”

Security at the gates has become increasingly tighter and now there is the future possibility of consequence for

Gay Straight Alliance club conducts a drive Rachna Deshpande Ad Manager Alyssa Boedigheimer Opinion Editor This October, The Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) club is conducting a drive called H2 Outreach to gather toiletries for LGBTQ youth who have been kicked out of their homes by their unsupportive families. All proceeds are donated to LGBTQ teens currently living in a housing facility of LifeWorks, a non-profit organization aimed at helping teens and parents manage personal issues at work and home.

“Life Works has a shelter for LGBTQ youth who were kicked out of their homes or who couldn’t get hormone treatment in their homes, if they were trans or non-binary,” Adina Van Etten, junior and secretary of GSA, said. “You could call them homeless, but it depends on the situation.”

GSA started the drive last year for the first time, collecting canned foods. This year, the club decided to bring back the drive but with a new approach. The drive is now collecting donations of dental and hair care products, such as toothbrushes, toothpastes, and shampoos. These items can be donated via H2 Outreach bags in every third-period classroom until October 30th.

Thus far, both H2 Outreach drives have not only had successful turnouts for LGBTQ youth, but also for the GSA club on campus.

“Since starting the drive, we’ve made many connections with outside groups like LifeWorks and GSA clubs at other high schools,” Mrs. Lemieux, advisor of GSA club, said. “It has allowed us to get more and more involved in the community as a GSA club and the kids felt it was really important to do.”

However, according to Dani Kascle, junior and GSA club member, donating toiletries is not the only way to support LGBTQ youth.

“If you can’t show support by bringing toiletries, you can always show moral support.

You can always join GSA and spread the love.

That’s what we are trying to do,” Castle said.

H2 Outreach has allowed GSA members to educate other students as well as themselves about spreading the message of support.

“I think it’s very important that the drive is conducted by students on campus because I think that school is not just for teaching English or math or science. It’s for helping a student become a full, participating citizen in their community,” Lemieux said. “By conducting drives of this sort, it contributes to students’ sense of giving through random acts of kindness.”

those who have properly earned an off-campus pass as well.

“If (forging off-campus passes) continues to get out of hand it could be very possible that eventually they will get taken away,” Goldstein said.

PSAT date changes to a weekday Angela Swartz Entertainment Designer This school year, the College Board changed the date of the PSAT from its usual time on a Saturday to Wednesday, Oct. 14. The school district was notified about the date change last spring.

“It was without any given reason and (we were) not given an option to change,” said Bennett Wutkee, vice principal.

Last spring, administration had a meeting with the heads of the department to explain the missed day. An email of the minutes from the meeting was sent to all the teachers informing them that they had to reschedule around the PSAT this year.

“Administration hopes this will be the only weekday and it will be back on a Saturday next year,” said Brianna Harris, biology teacher.

Even though teachers were notified beforehand, it was still a learning day lost and extra work

was needed to reschedule the work.

“It has drastically affected my lesson plans. Most of my 10th graders from 2nd and 3rd period were gone but they were all there for 4th so I couldn’t have some classes ahead of the others and unbalanced,” said Harris.

“I had to make up extra work for classes that I missed after the PSAT which kind of sucked… and I didn’t have as much time to study for it due to homework ,” added Emily Adams, sophomore.

The College Board maintains that taking the PSAT on a Saturday provides the best source of data. “(Taking the test on a Saturday) helps simplify logistics for schools giving multiple assessments or testing multiple grades on the same day,” The College Board’s website said.

staff editorial Panther Prowler • Oct. 23, 2015

Gun Control Targeting the issue A virus is spreading through our nation, infecting our schools, and killing America’s youth. Its name is gun violence.

On Oct. 1, a shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore. left ten dead and nine injured. “Somehow, this has become routine,” President Barack Obama said in a national address later that day. “We’ve become numb to this.”

According to CNN, 18 major incidents involving gun violence on or near a school campus have occurred since 2012.

Our nation needs to take action to address this horrifying “routine” of school massacres, so schools nationwide are not left vulnerable. Protecting the lives of American students and educators must go beyond the safety protocols that merely aim at mitigating casualty.

After a mass shooting, the public typically calls for either better care for those with mental illnesses or for stricter gun control. Some argue that if we can identify patients with violent tendencies early on, address their illnesses, and alert authorities, many shootings could be prevented. However, based on the profiles of past shooters, no singular set of symptoms categorize all perpetrators of gun violence, not to mention that for every shooter with some psychological problem, there are dozens of others with the same illness who never commit any crime.

Additionally, it’s impractical to force people to involuntarily commit themselves to mental counseling. Therefore, we should strive to better our mental health care, but that alone will not have a major impact in reducing school shootings.

Sometimes school shooters are students who are in a possession of a firearm, but who do not have a history of mental illness, and fire their weapon in an on campus altercation. Take, for example, an incident that occurred last October at Langston Hughes High School in Fairburn, Ga., where an 18-year-old student with a gun on his person got into an argument with a 17-year-old student from another school during a homecoming football game and subsequently shot and killed him. Situations like these affirm the idea that though the country should strive to better its mental health care, that alone will not guarantee protection for America’s youth.

Guns are a more definite aspect of shootings, but the history of gun control is a long, complicated and emotionally charged one. Gun rights advocates cite the second amendment as the Constitutional protection of their right to own firearms. But

when the Founding Fathers included the second amendment in the Bill of Rights, they did so because citizens of the new frontier needed protection not against their own neighbors, but rather against British soldiers, other peoples, and, most importantly, their own fresh revolutionary government in the event it turned to tyranny. After more than 200 years, our government’s check and balance system has functioned well to protect citizens’ rights, and an effective law and order system ensures their safety. The circumstances for the second amendment have thus drastically changed.

In his speech, President Obama has endorsed the Australian form of gun control. Within two weeks after a 1996 massacre in Tasmania that left 35 dead, the Australian government passed legislation that banned all semi-automatic and rapidfire rifles and instituted a mandatory buyback program for the aforementioned firearms already in circulation. Almost two decades later, the rate of gun-related homicides in Australia has decreased 59 percent to 0.14 per 100,000 population, which is more than 21 times lower than the United States’ rate of 2.97 for every 100,000 population. More impressively, there have not been any incidents of mass shooting since. Australia’s model is a worthy precedent to consider for our own country. According to the Gallup Poll, more than one third of American households own guns and the top three reasons for gun ownership are for self-protection, hunting and recreational/target shooting.

Banning assault weapons will not affect individual owners’ needs for these purposes; rather, it will alleviate regular gun owners’ worries of being outgunned by criminals, and it will certainly diminish the potential damage of a school shooting because mass killing is hard to achieve without these high powered weapons.

Gun control and gun rights should not be pitted against each other. The solution to this problem will lie in a multifaceted compromise that includes heightened attention to public mental healthcare and working gun control legislation.

Let’s come together as a nation and start a serious dialogue that will lead to action in our capital. Just as we updated our Constitution to incorporate minority rights and suffrage for all, Congress needs to create gun legislation reform in the context of modern times and place restrictions on assault firearms so our campuses and our nation can stay safe and rid of this gruesome virus.

PANTHER PROWLER 2015-2016 staff Editors-in-Chief Shreya Chattopadhyay Adrianna Robakowski Entertainment Designer Nevnit Gill Alyssa Boedigheimer Copy Editors Alyssa Boedigheimer Lexi Foultz Features Designer Alyssa Boedigheimer Nina Chiuchiarelli

News Designer Lindsay Filgas Opinion Designer Kellie Levine Angela Swartz Photographer Chief / Samantha Meyer Caitlin Henderson Connor Keep Ad Manager Rachna Deshpande

Online Editors Victoria Juan Harsh Karia Rachna Deshpande Sports Editor Kyle Popok Sports Designer Bella Robakowski

DPS Editor Victoria Juan

Staff Writers Nina Chiuchiarelli Caitlin Henderson Connor Keep Nikita Prokhorov Kate Foultz

Graphic Artist Cover Designers Chief / Michael Hellard Nelson Kappas Alyssa Boedigheimer Kyle Popok

5

152 School Shootings In America Since 2013

9,956 Gun deaths in 2015

more than

1/3 Michael Hellard/Prowler

Of American households own guns

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 four 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

Adviser Michelle Saremi For the record...

In Issue I, Sam Ellison was omitted from the bylines of the “Fall Sports Preview” and “Recruited, Committed Athletes.” Ellison wrote both the articles with Staff Writer Connor Keep.

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opinion Panther Prowler • Oct. 23, 2015

Presidential debates heat up

Harsh Karia Online Editor

With less than four months to go until the Iowa Caucuses, the presidential primaries are heating up. So far, the Republican Party has held two debates, and the Democratic Party held its first debate on Oct. 13. Debates are known to sway polls drastically, as they provide a platform for all the candidates to advocate for themselves on the same Michael Hellard/Prowler stage.

The Republican candidates for president are Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Rick Santorum, Ted Cruz.

The last two republican debates have led to increased attention on supposed “underdog” candidates. In the first “kids table” debate, Carly Fiorina made a remarkable impression on many Republican voters, and her rising poll numbers allowed her to debate with the other frontrunners for the second debate. Trump is still leading the polls, followed by Carson.

The first democratic debate had only five candidates on stage: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley, Jim Webb, and Lincoln Chafee. Most of the serious debating was between the two frontrunners, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. The two had intriguing banter.

Sanders exclaimed “the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails!”defending Clinton, and this led to the two

rivals shaking hands and sharing a laugh with the audience. Sanders’ comment was smart, because it showed his desire to talk about the real issues, and that might be effective to convince the strong democrats on Hillary’s side to evaluate Sanders.

Both Sanders and Clinton shined in communicating their stances to the American people. I look forward to see this friendly rivalry continue, as it is in stark contrast to Trump and his fellow Republican rivals’ combative and often disrespectful attitude towards one another.

The former governor of Maryland, Martin O’Malley showed the public that he was well versed on the issues, and reiterated perfectly the democrats’ unified stance on the issues when he said “On this stage you didn’t hear anyone denigrate women, you didn’t hear anyone make racist comments about new immigrants, you didn’t hear anyone speak ill of anyone because of their religious belief.”

This is hard to disagree with, following Trump’s remarks in the first two Republican debates. In fact, this statement was just one of many shining moments from O’Malley, who showed his strength throughout the debate.

A lot can change in the four months leading up to the Iowa Caucuses, and the playing field is still open for candidates who are in the middle of the pack to prove to the American people their ability to hold the most powerful political position in the world.

Planned Parenthood: to defund or not to defund Nikita Prokhorov Staff Writer In a series of videos produced and released by The Center for Medical Progress (CMP) various Planned Parenthood officials and affiliates are shown discussing legal loopholes, cover ups, and illegal partial-birth abortions. In the fifth video released by CMP on July 30, 2015 a doctor from a Planned Parenthood affiliate said that “if you’re talking to other Planned Parenthood’s, we sort of all have to be on the same page,” to an actor posing as a representative of a biomedical company looking to pay money for tissue samples. This comment is soon followed by a shocking exchange where one of the actors says, “so it could look like we’re paying you for specimens,” followed by the doctor’s comment, “we all know that, yes, that’s what we’re doing.” While some claim that these videos are excessively edited, the full interviews were released by CMP and they continue to show Planned Parenthood purchasing fetal tissue.

What many Planned Parenthood supporters seem to ignore is the fact that even if abortion was morally OK, it would still be breaking federal laws regarding the sale and transfer of human tissue. According to the law 42U.S.Code289g-2, “it shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly acquire, receive, or otherwise transfer any human fetal tissue for valuable consideration if the transfer affects interstate commerce.”

The purpose of this law was to prevent markets for human flesh from forming. These illegal sales are the reason that Planned Parenthood must be defunded, not because of the immorality of abortion, but because they are breaking federal laws. That should invalidate them from receiving government funding. Various Planned Parenthood doctors and officials have admitted to covering up the sale of the baby organs in the videos released by CMP and the current defense of the facilities is a horrifying defense of abortion.

If abortion is truly a women’s rights issue then whose body is being harvested and sold to biomedical companies? Certainly not the mothers. The Planned Parenthood doctors in the videos released by CMP, and in Planned Parenthood clinics performing the abortions can clearly identify the fetuses are matured enough where they can identify the gender. Thus, Planned Parenthood is nothing short of a health clinic which doubles as a contractor for biomedical companies. As an informed and compassionate citizen of this country, I find it impossible and incomprehensible to support an organization selling fetal tissue with taxpayer dollars.

Caitlin Henderson Staff Writer Upon hearing the name, “Planned Parenthood,” many conservatives shriek in terror. “Planned Parenthood are murderers!” they scream, as one anti-abortion activist shoots Dr. David Gunn three times in the back.

Abortions are a mere fraction of what Planned Parenthood does for people. It provides contraceptives, methods of birth control, ultrasounds, and prenatal vitamins as well as safe sex education to millions of people. Roughly 61 million women in the US are within childbearing years, and about 70 percent of them are at risk of unintended pregnancy, including married women. Without Planned Parenthood to reach these people, we are affecting the reproductive health of 42.7 million women. Planned Parenthood provides free STI exams and cancer screenings. If it is defunded, not only those 42.7 million women will be affected, but many more who are also at risk for cancer.

Regarding the issue of selling fetal tissue, it is illegal for Planned Parenthood to sell the tissue itself, but not illegal to charge for shipping, which is the fee scientists have to pay. Many researchers use this tissue for research on eye diseases, diabetes, and muscular dystrophy, which could not have been done without the study of fetal stem cells. The videos released by the right wing political organization, Center for Medical Progress show Planned Parenthood selling the fetal tissue, however the shipping fees range from $30-$100, which is not enough to make a profit.

Defunding Planned Parenthood will also not stop abortions from happening. Women would still have unwanted pregnancies, and they would still receive abortions, yet at a much higher risk.

Historically, women have used coat hangers to give themselves abortions, which poses a much higher risk than clinical abortions.

As famous scientist Bill Nye states in an online video, by defunding Planned Parenthood, “Whom are you going to imprison? Every woman who’s had a fertilized egg pass through her? Every guy whose sperm has fertilized an egg and then it didn’t become a human?”

And at last, Bill Nye closes his video with, “When it comes to reproductive rights, I think we should leave it to women.” In this case, I just have to agree with everyone’s favorite science guy.

Goodbyes and Good Fries Kellie Levine Opinion Designer I hate hanging up the phone. I’ve never watched a season finale of a TV show without shedding a tear. When I finish a book, I am overcome by a sense of loss, as if by finishing it I have betrayed the characters and ended their story with the turn of the final page. I’m not good with endings or goodbyes or anything that disrupts what was once constant in my life.

The most recent of my difficult endings was my departure from my job at McDonald’s. To those who are more sane than I (full disclosure, that’s probably most of you), leaving a job that pays minimum wage for being yelled at by the majority of the population of Newbury Park and constantly smelling like french fries seems like an easy choice. But for me, leaving somewhere I had spent approximately 600 hours presented one of my more difficult endings.

After clocking out for the last time, I struggled to bring myself to leave, walking in circles throughout the back of the restaurant, saying goodbye to people that I logically knew I would see again soon.

When I finally left, I drove around, as I often do, and thought about my departure. Suddenly, the most terrifying fact hit me as I realized that I would have a much more difficult goodbye coming soon. I am going to have to graduate high school.

I know, I know, high school is seen as the most miserable time in a person’s life, except for the elite few who make the most of it. But the end of high school, much like the end of my McDonald’s career, is bittersweet.

Similar to my McJob, leaving high school means leaving behind an excess of grease, whether it be that of the fryer vats or the faces of the freshmen.

The end of my McJob also means the end of a regimented schedule that I have seemingly no control over, in the way that those four dings of the bell control me now. And while these things may all be positive, with them comes the end of an era.

For McDonald’s it has been 600 hours and for high school it has been four years, but the end of high school also represents the end of childhood.

It’s something we have all been dreaming of since the days of kindergarten when we were asked the age old question, “what do you wanna be when you grow up?” But as the reality comes closer and closer, the ending comes with more dread than pure excitement and possibility.

However it is this amalgam of dread and possibility that makes up all real-life endings.

Even the most painful experiences, whether it be a horrible job or all of high school, have their good and bad, so rather than anticipate the ending, think of the bittersweet departure that will one day come, and try to revel in the sweet aspects, because those are the ones you will remember when you are nostalgically romanticizing the past.

And when high school finally does come to an end, think of it less as the ending of a TV series or book and more of a season finale or an installment in a series. The characters do not end their story, they merely change their plot to avoid redundancy.

features

STUDENT Kevin Norgaard/Senior

VS

Panther Prowler • Oct. 23, 2015

TEACHER Marty Maciel/Physical Education

Connor Keep Staff Writer

1

Who has scored the most points in NBA history?

Norgaard: Kobe!!

Maciel: It’s not Michael, it’s not Malone, is it Abdul Jabbar?

Answer: Abdul Jabbar.

8 How many weeks are in a

IT’S A TIE!

Kobe is third and still playing, Abdul Jabbar has scored 38,387 points in his career. Mr. Maciel with a 1-0 lead.

4-4

year?

Norgaard: 36, that is weeks in a school year, 52?

Maciel: 52.

Answer: 52.

Both of them are correct, Kevin caught himself on the last question.

Norgaard and Maciel end in a 4-4 tie!

7

2 Who is on the $20 bill?

Which state was the first to secede from the Union during the Civil War? Norgaard: South Carolina.

Maciel: Kentucky.

Answer: South Carolina.

Norgaard: The worst president, Andrew Jackson Maciel: Hamilton

Answer: President Franklin Roosevelt.

Alexander Hamilton is on the $10 bill, not the $20. Kevin gets it right with Jackson, and pulls back to tie it up at 1-1.

Looks like AP U.S. History paid off for Kevin. The score is now tied at 3-3.

is the highest paid 6 What band in history?

tha Me yer/Pro wler

3 In what year did Ronald Reagan take office?

Norgaard: Probably the Beatles.

Maciel: The Beatles.

Answer: The Beatles.

Saman

Norgaard: 1968?

Maciel: 1984?

Answer: 1980.

Both Kevin and Mr. Maciel recognized the fame of The Beatles. The score is now 3-2 Mr. Maciel still in the lead.

Mr. Maciel was very close, just not quite. The score is still 1-1.

wore the Norgaard: Bob Jones? I don’tBeing a PE teacher, cross country, 5 How old is Bill Norgaard: I have no idea.

4 Who and track coach, Mr. Maciel has first pair of Nike know.

69?

Gates? shoes?

7

Maciel: Prefontaine.

Answer: Prefontaine.

some knowledge about running.

Now 2-1 in favor of Mr. Maciel.

Maciel: Is he 53?

Answer: 59 years old.

Neither of them got it. He is 59 years old. The score stays at 2-1 Mr. Maciel.

The Flipped Classroom Harsh Karia Online Manager One size does not fit all. Traditionally, teachers have used a model that has one instructor, one textbook, and one lesson plan to fit a class of 30 students. Michael Weingarden, who teaches statistics and algebra 2, has been using an alternative, “flipped classroom” method for over two years. The flipped classroom structures courses so that students watch video lectures at home, and then do practice problems in class with the teacher present and available to help.

Weingarden creates many of the video lectures himself, often using a drawing tablet, a microphone, and a computer to record and upload the lesson to YouTube.

“The idea is to make sure that when class is being conducted, that students are engaged in learning as much as possible, not just sitting there and watching and listening to what one person at the front of the room is saying,” Weingarden said.

“My goal is to use technology to accomplish things that cannot be accomplished without it,” added Weingarden. He believes that the use of technology to compliment the practice problems in the flipped classroom allows students to achieve better results.

Shane Sipes, senior, who is currently taking the statistics course Weingarden teaches, prefers the flipped classroom model. “I think it is a smart idea for the students to do their work in the classroom while the teacher is there so they can actually get help if they need it and ask questions to the teacher,” Sipes said, “I am actually doing better in this math class

than I have in past math classes.”

“One of my goals, aside from academic achievement, is to provide an environment that students feel serves their needs, and so in that regard, I definitely believe that the flipped classroom is superior to the way I did things before,” Weingarden added.

Jing Hu, who teaches AP statistics, has seen her students’ performances improve with the flipped classroom.

However, Hu says that there is still room for improvement. “One thing we have to think of is how to make sure students actually watch the videos,” Hu said.

A Flipped PerspectiveStudents in Mr. Weingarden’s class work to complete practice problems based on a video lecture watched at home.

Samantha Meyer/Prowler

8

planned parenthood Panther Prowler • Oct. 23, 2015

PLANNED PA R E N T H O O Kate Foultz Social Media Editor Kellie Levine Opinion Designer Samantha Meyer Chief Photographer

Under fire for issues regarding abortion services, Planned Parenthood, a reproductive health organization, is facing a demand for defunding.

F

Family forever - On Sept. 30, the Thousand Oaks Planned Parenthood at Hillcrest was attacked by an unidentified suspect who smashed a window with masonry and lit the building on fire; the building suffered little damage as the sprinkler system quickly put it out. Samantha Meyer/Prowler

W an

or some, Planned Parenthood is a retroac solution associated with shame and re However, for Rory Smith, sophomore, Plan Parenthood provides easily accessible and necessary Until about a month ago, Smith suffered from se menstrual cramps. After confiding in her parents receiving a recommendation from her doctor, she ag that taking birth control was the best solution to re her discomfort and purchasing it at Planned Parenth was cheaper than a prescription from her primary do “Planned Parenthood (is the most affordable w for me to take the medicine that I need to live a p free life,” Smith said.

April Dull*, junior, also decided to purchase b control from Planned Parenthood with the suppo her mother.

“My doctor diagnosed me with endometriosis I had been in severe pain, and she gave me the optio getting birth control from her or Planned Parentho Dull said. “My mom wanted to support Plan Parenthood, and it’s significantly more affordable fo family, so we went with Planned Parenthood.”

After using birth control for one year as purel analgesic medication, Dull made the decision to bec sexually active, and as such, the medication becam preventative measure to avoid pregnancy.

Olivia Saad, a close friend of Dull’s, believes the services that Planned Parenthood provides, suc pregnancy prevention, are extremely valuable. “(Teenagers) need to know about the dangers tha along with sex …there are ways to prevent those dang Saad said. “Planned Parenthood is very preemptiv you can be proactive about it.”

Although Austin Tapola, senior, takes issue some aspects of Planned Parenthood, he can unders the value of the services it provides.

“While I’m not for premarital sex, I find tha good (Planned Parenthood) is providing birth con

Panther Prowler • Oct. 23, 2015

25% are for defunding Planned Parenthood;

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anyways,” Austin said. Additionally, he sees the value in the existence of the clinics “in case something like an STD comes up (so that) people still know where to go and and they have resources available for them.”

Angela Todd, a nurse practitioner at a Planned Parenthood affiliate in Sonoma, California, has firsthand experience with the extensive resources the facility offers.

“I see mostly women who are interested in starting or continuing their method of birth control, as well as women or men who would like screening for sexually transmitted infections,” Todd said. “(I also see) men and women who think they might have symptoms of an infection and want an exam.”

Although Planned Parenthood clinics provide a wide range of services, many people are unable to overlook one service in particular: abortions.

Jordan Tapola, senior, feels that the practice of abortion undermines any other value of the organization.

“Planned Parenthood does a lot of good stuff ... with all the medical treatments for women and everything,” Jordan said. “But I can’t morally reconcile that with how they perform abortions and are potentially selling the fetal tissue.”

This sentiment, in addition to recent videos released by the Center for Medical Progress as part of their “Human Capital” project, has catalyzed a movement to revoke any government funding Planned Parenthood receives.

According to their website, “The Human Capital project is a 30-month-long investigative journalism study by The Center for Medical Progress, documenting how Planned Parenthood sells the body parts of aborted babies.” The most prominent portion of this project in the public eye has been their graphic undercover videos featuring actors posing as scientists looking to receive fetal tissue donations for research.

The controversy is a result of the exchange of money

75%

$528 million provided to the organization by government funding in 2014.

are against defunding Planned Parenthood.

Services offered at Planned Parenthood include:

What’s Planned Parenthood nd why does it matter?

9

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breast exams mammogram referrals primary care doctor referrals

in conjunction with the donation of the fetal tissue. 42 U.S. Code 289g-2 states that the selling of fetal tissue is illegal, although women are allowed to donate fetal tissue after an abortion, according to the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993.

The law prohibits “valuable consideration” for fetal tissue donations, however “valuable consideration does not include reasonable payments associated with the transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, quality control, or storage of human fetal tissue.”

In the videos, the actors and Planned Parenthood representatives are seen haggling over what the cost of a single, intact aborted specimen would be considered reasonable to satisfy both the clinic and the faux buyer.

There is confusion regarding what exactly crosses the line from legal to illegal activity, even from within Planned Parenthood. In one of the videos released by the Center for Medical Progress, a Planned Parenthood representative says to the researcher “we’re not in it for the money, and we don’t want to be in a position of being accused of selling tissue, and stuff like that. On the other hand, there are costs associated with the use of our space.”

It is this paradox, coupled with the alarming undercover videos that depict the dismembering of fetal tissue, that have led to the movement to defund Planned Parenthood.

Austin Tapola is part of the popular movement to defund Planned Parenthood due to his strong belief in the immorality of abortion and the subsequent donation of tissue.

“Life is sacred from the point of conception, so therefore it’s against any sort of morals to be killing a fetus because it still has a life of its own and deserves to be protected,” Austin said.

Many students are troubled by the fact the government is supplying millions of dollars to an organization that performs abortions. Planned

STD screenings birth control plans infection exams Pap smear abortions sex education

Parenthood maintains that only three percent of all health services offered at the clinic are abortion related.

If the proposed defunding of Planned Parenthood were to occur, it would affect thousands of people who attend the clinic for reasons other than abortion.

According to Todd, “Patients come in to see me who haven’t had any medical care in 20 years, and I can set them up with a Pap smear, breast exam, mammogram referral, referral to a primary care doctor, dentist, therapist, draw their blood and check for high cholesterol or diabetes and educate them on birth control and safe sex or on what they can do to ready themselves to have a baby if they are seeking pregnancy. If we were defunded it would be much more difficult to provide these great services to our patients.”

Todd defends Planned Parenthood in saying that the clinic, “is striving to lower abortion rates by lowering the rates of unplanned pregnancies through education and birth control services.” According to Planned Parenthood, the “estimated number of abortions averted by (the clinic’s) contraceptive services each year is 216,000.”

Based on last year’s reported numbers, the potential defunding and revoking of federal money would decrease Planned Parenthood’s revenue by $528 million.

Saad concurs that the defunding of Planned Parenthood would leave great repercussions. For those strongly opposed to Planned Parenthood and the services it provides, she requests them to be a more receptive audience. “It’s not the same for everyone. There are millions of other people who don’t believe the same thing and who are in completely different situations than you are. Open mindedness is key.”

Austin agrees with the necessity for a widespread discussion about the practices of Planned Parenthood. “(People) should bring a dialogue about it … there should be some sort of conversation between the legislatures … and the people,” Austin said.

10

features Panther Prowler • Oct. 23, 2015

you did n ot know ab ou t

things

5

Working towards a job Lindsay Filgas News Editor

Addison Ott // Substitute counselor

Caitlin Henderson/Prowler

Connor Keep Staff Writer

1 Has one baby, who is eight months old. being a counselor at a high school, 2 Before she worked for celebrities doing educational consulting with their kids.

3 Has traveled to many countries, but she would like to visit Spain the most.

4 Has two older sisters.

5 Even though she is Jewish, her favorite

holiday is Christmas because she loves the spirit of Christmas.

Whether it’s to earn a little extra money or to get real world experience, many high school students find themselves searching for a job. To prepare for the responsibility of working in a real job, some students have found their start in entrance level jobs and internships.

Macey Klipp, senior, works as a sales associate at Off Broadway Shoes. Last year, Klipp enrolled in Regional Occupational Placement (ROP). The ROP program is designed to allow students to gain experience in the career paths they’re interested in by helping them find internships.

“Any profession that you want to get into ... it helps give you a step into it and gives you some insight as to ‘do you really want to pursue this?’” Klipp said.

Another program available to students is the Majors Program, which requires students to complete 30 hours of an internship as well as 30 class credits in one field. Nicholas Colangelo works in the College and Career Center to help students find internships that can lead students to future careers. Colangelo helps students draft their resumes and locate opportunities for internships.

“The resume is important for getting your foot in the door and getting the interview that could get the internship,” Colangelo said.

Colangelo added that in different industries, it can be hard to find an internship that correlates directly to what the student is interested in.

“We think of creative solutions to help students take this step that will lead to the next step, to the next step, and ultimately to their Stacking to success- Macey Klipp, senior, stacks boxes at her career goal,” Colangelo added. career at Off Broadway Shoes, a job that she obtained through Anthony Arevalo, a graduate from the class of 2015, got his start ROP. Macey Klipp/With Permission in the majors program. After taking various culinary classes, he found an internship working in the cafeteria and deli at California State University Channel Islands.

“I wanted to explore different opportunities to hone my skill at a job site where I was serving the public and furthering my on-the-job skills,” Arevalo said.

During his internship, Arevalo picked up many tricks and collected advice from the chefs he worked alongside. Once he completed the internship, Arevalo was offered an application to work at University Glen.

“I immediately jumped for a chance at the market,” Arevalo said.

Like Arevalo, Klipp decided to look into jobs that would be similar to her work as an intern. “I’m graduating this year so I need some real life experience,” Klipp said. “I have this (internship) experience under my belt, why not just apply for a job?”

Colangelo emphasized the importance of finding an internship that you are interested in and pursuing it.

“Experience is so valuable and connections are so valuable,” Colangelo said. “It helps the student to really be fully immersed in the industry experience outside of an academic experience.”

Arevalo agrees. “The classroom and the workplace are two different extremes. This applies for every profession,” Arevalo said.

“You can learn everything about something, but if you can’t combine the knowledge with the grind without feeling overwhelmed than the profession isn’t for you.”

The impact of skipping grades Nelson Kappas Cover Designer When Odysseus Pyrinis, junior, skipped kindergarten and entered first grade, he had a lot of work to make up.

“First grade was the first time I ever experienced pulling something close to two, three in the morning studying,” he said.

Like multiple other students on campus, Pyrinis is one of the few students who have accelerated their schooling, skipping one or even multiple grades in their academic careers.

The academic achievements of Pyrinis, who is now 14, did not stop after skipping kindergarten.

“The second grade I skipped was from third to fourth.

That one was a little easier in transition,” he said.

15-year-old Andy Reddy, junior, also moved up a grade.

“I skipped first grade partially because my mom thought I was bored in the class. I didn’t really care if I skipped or not, but the teacher had nothing to give me so they pushed me up,” Reddy said.

When transitioning up a grade, Pyrinis had to face new academic objectives.

“It was challenging, mostly because of the amount of work I had (to make up) in such as small period of time” Pyrinis said.

For Reddy, being younger does not affect his ability to succeed academically in high school. Reddy explained that for him, the work is about the same.

Both Reddy and Pyrinis agree that their ages have not made it hard to fit in socially.

“I actually have quite a few people who know me, and they never held it against me that I was younger than them,” Pyrinis said.

Reddy agrees. “(Students) kind of just care whether you are a good kid or not, a good friend, if you like to hang out with them, if you are a likable person, then they will accept you,” he said.

However, school counselor José Ireta explained that he has encountered some students who have struggled to fit in.

“It is a little difficult because of the size of students and maturity level...say for example they may be sophomores or juniors and all their peers are driving already and they are not, it makes it difficult,” Ireta said, “(Normally aged students) are not sure how to relate to (younger students) because their peer groups are different outside the school.”

However, out of about six students who have skipped grades for whom Mr. Ireta has been a counselor, only one or two have really had these problems.

Reddy emphasized that if a person is going to succeed skipping a grade, what really matters is how the person behaves.

“It depends on your maturity level ... as long as you are mature enough, you are fine,” q said.

Ahead of the times - Juniors Andy Reddy (left) and Odysseus Pyrinis (right) have both skipped grades, making them younger than most of their classmates.

Samantha Meyer/Prowler

entertainment Panther Prowler • Oct. 23, 2015

11

Teachers remember Halloweens past Nikita Prokhorov Staff Writer

A different Halloween- When Peggy Walker was a child, she would make homemade costumes; a tradition that is now uncommon with the convience of store-bought costumes. Peggy Walker / With Permission

Fall is a season of change, a precursor to the rebirth of spring. One of America’s greatest fall traditions, Halloween, has also seen many changes throughout the years. In order to better understand the changes that Halloween has seen over the years, we have decided to investigate how the teachers of Newbury Park have celebrated the spooky jamboree as children compared to how they see it nowadays.

A growing number of parents seem to be increasingly concerned for the safety of their children during Halloween in part due to the scope of neighborhoods that their brave knights and princesses trek across in their quest for candy as well as the growing fear of stranger danger, the concept that strangers cannot be trusted especially during times such as Halloween.

Despite popular belief trick or treaters did share this cautiousness and fear of “stranger danger” in friendlier times.

Newbury Park French and Spanish teacher Jackie MarinelloSweeney recalled that, “I would tend to go to the houses not too far from my house and we would usually go to the houses of people we knew. We knew where it was safe and we knew the people who have lived there enough years so it was pretty safe.”

While many trick or treaters felt safe it was because they knew most of the people that they were trick or treating not because there were less evil wicked people.

The costumes that kids wear have also changed considerably.

While some parents or trick or treaters may make their own costumes for the eerie jamboree many more prefer to head to

their local Halloween costume shop and choose a pre-made costume that suits their fancy. When psychology teacher Peggy Walker was growing up she would make her own costumes.

“I never bought costumes. We made our own. That’s why I was usually a hobo or something easy to do,” Walker said.

While many more people consider buying their costumes from special warehouses for the sake of convenience nowadays the store bought costumes and accessories were anything but convenient when Walker was growing up. While homemade costumes could have kept the sly spooks warm and were often convenient, accessories such as masks were “little plastic things that were uncomfortable to wear” and makeup served the same purpose without the hassle.

Not only have the costumes and parents changed but so have the festivities. While teenagers have continued to party or scare unsuspecting youngsters, the children used to participate in more organized and community based events such as Walker’s mother’s haunted house. According to Walker, “One of my favorite memories was of my mom dressing up as a witch and scaring people to death” inside of the haunted house they would play games such as bobbing for apples or feast on donuts and hot cider at her friends’ houses as they would celebrate Halloween together at various locations.

Halloween appears to be a very dynamic holiday, changing from generation to generation. Social science department chair and history teacher Steve Johnson notes that, “It’s become more commercial with more haunted houses, displays, and decorations.” While money is more involved in Halloween, according to Johnson, he also says that, “It’s not necessarily a bad thing, it just reflects the changes in our society and there are more opportunities for people to celebrate it.” It appears that Johnson perfectly summarizes the changes that have occurred in Halloween over a couple generations, while money and businesses have become more involved in the holiday the amount of opportunities have also increased for those that want to celebrate.

Just be faster than your friends Alyssa Boedigheimer Copy Editor “You can run, you can walk, you can crawl. As long as you make it through.”

These are the words of Emily Goldstein, junior and head of the committee in charge of coordinating the annual Zombie Run put on by the drama club.

Zombie Run is a course set up around the school that mixes a haunted house style atmosphere with a obstacle course. Students dressed up as zombies are set up at places around the course to attempt to scare the participants.

“The entire way you are trying not to get infected by zombies,” said Kylie Kelleher, drama club president. “At the end of the course you get scanned by a blacklight and they tell you whether or not you’ve caught the zombie outbreak.”

According to Max Oliver, sophomore and makeup artist for the Zombie Run, the zombies will have a powder on their hands so that when they touch a participant, the “virus” will show up under the blacklight upon returning to the PAC. The course for this year is school themed.

“What’s scarier than school?,” Kelleher said.

The Zombie Run is one of the major fundraisers for

the drama department. According to Kelleher, most of the funds for Zombie Run come from donations from stores such as Party City and Spirit of Halloween.

“Last year we had Zombie Run on the actual day of Halloween so the attendance was very low,” Goldstein said, “This is a big fundraiser for us because we don’t spend a lot of money and we gain a lot of attendance, but the fundraiser was very weak last year. Plus it was raining so no one wanted to come.”

In order to improve the fundraising potential this year, the course was rain proofed and the date of the event was moved one week prior to Halloween. The drama club is also spending more time on advertising.

“We are...advertising a lot more using the new Panther TV set up,” said Goldstein.

In order to prepare for the event, the actors and artists leave class early to get ready. “Everyone gets there at noon and we all set up the maze which goes around different parts of school, said Oliver, “We basically get the zombies ready and the security guards set up around (the school).”

This year, Zombie Run will occur on Oct. 24 from 7 to 9. Admittance into the event is 5 dollars.

Samantha Meyer/Prowler

12

entertainment Panther Prowler • Oct. 23, 2015

Beware of Crimson Peak

Nevnit Gill Entertainment Designer

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Released on Oct. 16 and directed by the renowned Guillermo del Toro, the R rated film “Crimson Peak” is far better than its trailers. Horror author Stephen King claimed it to be “terrifying,” and pretty much everyone can agree Stephen King knows a thing or two about horror. The film was marketed as a gothic romance/horror film, but it turned out to be slightly too little of either gothic romance or gothic horror, with some stabbing and incest on the side.

The film features a cute and spicy feminist writer, Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) as the lead. Edith falls in love with the handsome stranger, Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), who is taking his chances in American business with Cushing’s father, despite being originally English. Along with him is his rather intimidating sister, Lady Lucille Sharpe ( Jessica Chastain), whose dark background greatly adds to the intrigue of the story.

The film begins with Edith describing her belief in ghosts. “Ghosts are real. That much I know.” Edith’s mother died while Edith was still a child, and as a result Edith met her mother in ghost form, who warned her to “beware of Crimson Peak.” It then fast-forwards to a much older Edith, who struggles to make it as a female writer during the end of the Victorian Era. While working on her story, she meets Sir Thomas Sharpe, who takes a liking to her as well as the story she is writing. Over a short period of time, they grow to like each other, while Thomas’ cautious sister shows an obvious disliking for Edith. Despite this, Edith and Thomas get married and Edith is brought to Thomas and

Lucille’s home at Crimson Peak, which just so happens to be littered with terrifying ghosts.

While the film features many ghosts, with slightly unsettling CGI appearances, the ghosts have almost no purpose. The film is about two hours long, with a beginning sequence able to pique the viewer’s interest, and an absolutely brilliant end. But the middle is disappointing. On too many occasions, Edith wakes up in the middle of the night after hearing a noise, leaves to explore it, and finds a ghost; as this act is repeated so many times, it loses the “horror” factor. If the film were shortened by about 30 minutes, it could have been exponentially better and have achieved the same effect. But the murderous and incredibly intriguing mystery of the Sharpes and their evil background still makes the film worth viewing. By the end of the film, after a beautifully performed end scene, del Toro’s intended element of horror is human, and the film is far more complex than one might expect only halfway through the movie.

The actors were all brilliant. Del Toro used very well-known people in his film, so this is unsurprising. Most notably, Jessica Chastain’s performance as Lady Lucille Sharpe was deserving of award, as it was unbelievably impressive.

While “Crimson Peak” is not exactly a horror or a romance film, it is impressive to watch and will serve most people’s desired purpose of entertainment. Some parts of the film are not particularly interesting, but the last 30 minutes are very fantastic and make the less interesting parts worth watching. It earns a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. All I can say is beware of “Crimson Peak.”

Local teens keep rocking on Caitlin Henderson Staff Writer From commercially successful bands such as The Neighbourhood and AWOLNATION, to popular local bands Full Measure, Paper, and Static, Newbury Park has been a place for rock bands to get their start.

The alternative rock band Static, which was formed at Rock Nation School in Agoura, consists of singer/guitarist Mikey Netka, guitarist Zane Vandevort, drummer Trevor Smith and bassist Kyle Hart.

“Once upon a time, Kyle’s parents threatened to take him out of Rock Nation if he didn’t make a band, because all of his friends had bands. So after school one day, I got a Snapchat, and he’s like, ‘Hey. Wanna start a band?’ and I was like, ‘No.’ But then after a couple of days, I was like, ‘Yeah,’” Netka said.

After starting at several open mics, Static plays at gigs three to four times a month, which allows them to gain exposure.

Many local venues are available to young musicians such as the Canyon Club in Agoura, The Thousand Oaks Teen Center, and Rock and Roll Pizza in Moorpark. “(Our first gig) was really cool because we were playing live for a while, so (playing live) wasn’t really an issue,” Hart said.

Struggles regarding feeling comfortable in front of an audience vary from each member.

“During my early stages as a drummer, I as hindered by the pressure of an audience,”Jeff Demorest, drummer and backup

vocalist for the band Paper, said. “However, it wasn’t long before I became confident in my ability and was no longer phased negatively by a crowd.” The members also like the publicity that their band receives, and how it feels to be onstage.

“All your worries go away because all you’re focusing on is playing and having a good time,” Vandevort added. “I feel at home. I feel like I should be there.” The musicians each try to keep the crowd going while they are onstage.

“Our style of music is very high energy, and I get a lot of adrenaline from performing,” Demorest said. “Being onstage feels very natural to me. I love being able to share my passion with all who are willing to observe.”

Full Measure, another band from the Thousand Oaks area, got their start at Rock Nation School. The band consists of Angel Torres on bass, Trevor Smith on drums, Conner O’Brien, who attends Agoura High School, on vocals, and Shane Peterson, who attends Moorpark High School, on guitar.

“Probably about almost a year ago, after one of the Rock Nation concerts, Shane asked Trevor if we wanted to make a band, then they needed a bassist, so they asked me,” Torres began, “and then from there we just made a couple of originals, and the singer Conner, he came late into the band, but since then we’ve just been jamming together and just writing songs.”

Writing songs has also been a key component in how the

bands interact with one another. While musical influences play a big part in shaping the bands’ sound, each member has a different aspect to add to the process of creating a song.

“It’s really just emotion, sort of what you go through in your life and it inspires us to write different songs,” Peterson said about Full Measure, “Sometimes, you just need to sit down and write, and that turns into some pretty cool stuff.” Each band has a different way of attaining creative energy.

“At first we had trouble writing music. But then, one day, we decided to like, cut the crap, get down to business,” Netka said pertaining to Static. “We kind of took a while and had trouble writing, but we decided to just all go home and write stuff separately, so it was easier for us to just do it by ourselves.”

Overall, performing with each other has been an exciting experience for both of the bands.

“It’s more of just adrenaline rush to just go up there and have as much fun as you can,” Peterson said.

“It’s great. I love performing, and that’s what we get to do in this band,” Netka added. The members each hope that their band will be successful in the course of the next few years.

“I’m pretty serious about it,” Hart said. “I don’t know how far we’ll go, but I’d like to see what happens in a few years.”

sports Panther Prowler • Oct. 23, 2015

13

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE sophomore steps up as starter

Lexi Foultz Copy Editor Lindsay Filgas News Designer After only seven games as a starting quarterback on the varsity football team, sophomore Cameron Rising has made his name one to remember.

In the football game against Dos Pueblos High School on Sept. 18, Rising made seven touchdown passes, tying the Ventura County record for the most touchdown passes in a single game. In the past months, his skills have garnered attention from both local media outlets such as the Thousand Oaks Acorn and LA Times, and college and university football programs.

This year, Rising’s transition from the freshman to varsity team forced him to grow as a player and adapt to the heightened intensity a varsity team requires. “(On varsity) there’s stronger players, faster players, bigger guys. You gotta make reads...faster,” Rising said. Despite the change of pace, Keith Smith, varsity football coach and former NPHS quarterback said, “he’s playing above where I thought he was going to be.”

According to MaxPreps, Rising has accumulated a total of 2215 passing yards, 31 touchdown passes, and 117 pass completions so far in his debut varsity season. Rising’s stats has led the local news outlet, the Thousand Oaks Acorn to name him a “breakout sophomore star.” Coach Keith Smith noted that quarterbacks typically attract much attention because they can make or break a game.

“It’s just something that you … never think would happen this young,” Rising said in regard to his success and acclaim.

Smith attributed Rising’s success to his confidence and optimism during games and at practice. “(He is) coming to practice every day with a positive attitude, literally every single day. And I think that becomes infectious,” Smith said.

Rising credits his teammates and coaches with his success this year. Throughout the season, his linemen and receivers have provided him with support and mentorship, making him the leader he is today. “(Rising has) brought explosiveness to our offense,” said Jacob Blackburn, a right guard and defensive tackle player, “He’s the person that brings it all together for us.”

Seth Evans, one of the team’s captains, added, “We’re proud of him and proud of the way he handles situations in the game.”

Pass- Sophomore, Cameron Rising prepares to throw a pass while The NPHS varsity football team will be squaring off against Adolfo Camarillo High School on Friday, Oct. 23, Prepping for a Pass under pressure from Westlake High School’s offensive line. Adrianna Robakowski/ where Rising will once again be crucial in allowing the team to gain a victory. “You always got to go 100 percent, so Prowler I’m always trying to go 110 percent,” Rising said.

RISING BY THE NUMBERS DATE

RESULT

OPPONENT C

08/28

L 22-20

Birmingham 20 35

09/04

W 26-14

Saugus

11

22

187

4

79

09/11

W 58-34 Agoura

13

17

388 .765 29.8 6

94

09/18

W 56-12

Dos Pueblos 16

24

428 .667 26.8 7

85

09/25

W 49-34 Venice

28 38

462 .737 16.5 5

63

10/02

W 56-21

Simi Valley

13

19

250 .684 19.2 4

47

10/16

L 35-24

Westlake

16

40

243 .400 15.2 3

37

TOTALS

Att

Yds

C%

257 .571

Avg TD Lng

12.9 2

.500 17.0

36

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sports Panther Prowler • Oct. 23, 2015

Boys’ Volleyball hits the beach Kyle Popok Sports Editor

Ballin’ on the BeachBeach The varsity beach volleyball team poses after a sucsessful day in the sun. Jordan Moses/With Permission

Bump, set, spike. Bump, set, spike. This rhythm has to be repeated over and over again, late into the afternoon sun, sand flying everywhere. It has be repeated, because the players have to be in perfect sync, each in tune with the other. They have to know what the other is going to do, and how to react to it. There has to be intuition between them, a reaction to a move before their teammate even makes it. And this requires practice, and so the rhythm continues. Bump, set, spike, bump, set, spike. . .

The Beach Volleyball club finished their season second in their league, beating Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, and Calabasas. The team made it all the way to the CIF playoffs before losing to Arroyo Grande. Though the season ended with a playoff appearance, it initially started with a few bumps and bruises.

In an early season match against Simi Valley, the team was beaten badly. “As a team we definitely should have beat them, but it just didn’t happen. We couldn’t let that happen, so we had to make adjustments,” senior Ian Eschenberg, co-founder of the club, said.

Head Coach Jorge Ostrovsky also remembers the initial problems of the team.

“If you’re not doing well, (the other team) will pick on you the whole match,” Ostrovsky said.

To try to increase the chance of success for his team, Ostrovsky decided to change the pairs who were playing together.

“I initially had Ian and Ryan playing together, but then I came to realize that there should be a little bit of senior leadership on each team, and that (on each team) it would be a mentorship process,” Ostrovsky said.

Jordan Moses, junior, remembers first practicing with his new partner.

“It was just trying to get better with your partner and communicating a lot more,” Moses said. “You have to be able to talk more, and just make up a play as you go.”

However, the change eventually paid off. By the end of the season, the team found itself playing against Calabasas in the league finals.

“Our teams played well and were able to adapt to each other. It was close, a really good game, and we were able to get the victory over them,” Eschenberg said.

Ostrovsky, too, is satisfied with the team’s performance this season.

“It (was) amazing to watch these guys get so much better in such a short period of time.

Things started clicking, and these guys skill levels went up dramatically,” Ostrovsky said.

Equestrian team preps to compete Caitlin Henderson Staff Writer Each day at the barn is always filled with something to do, whether it’s working on the horse’s abilities or the rider’s. The Newbury Park equestrian team constantly prepares to participate in competitions as a team and individually.

Megan Vlietstra and Chloe Staiano, sophomores, have been riding for as long as they can remember. Staiano even stated that she could ride “before (she) could walk.”

The equestrian team is split up into four “classes” or divisions; novice, freshmen, JV and varsity. The levels differ according to how high the horses are required to jump in competition.

“It’s very stressful. There’s usually a lot going on and it’s kind of chaotic, but most of the time, it’s a lot of waiting in between your classes and when you’re ready to go. That’s when the stress kicks in, and there’s a ton of people,” Staiano said about her competitions. The equestrian team travels to various locations, including the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, the Santa Barbara Equestrian Center and the Sylmar Hansen Dam Equestrian Center.

“We’re going to the Oaks early next year, and I’m really, really excited about that, because it’s a big horse show in San Juan Capistrano,” Vlietstra said.

In addition to traveling and participating in the Interscholastic Equestrian League, or IEL, some riders take part in competitions at their barn.

“I just went to Santa Barbara with them, and then I show against some of the kids in my barn because some of us have the same classes, but I go to a lot of outside shows too,” junior Klarissa Barley, president of the equestrian team, said. Each year, the riders watch their skills grow as they score high in their competitions.

“The new show season is going to start so that’s going to be really fun, and I’m definitely starting to rack up more points with the IEL, or the equestrian team this year,” Barley said. “I think we have a really strong team this year and I think we’re more of a team this year.

Everybody on there is a really good rider so I think we should be doing well.”

Their schedule is also jam-packed with working on different aspects of horseback riding, which is what makes equestrian team a core part of the riders’ daily lives. Their schedules range from three times a week, to every day, which requires multiple trainers.

While training, the horseback riders work on the horse’s ability to jump, the rider’s ability

to control their horse, and dressage, which tests a horse’s obedience, strength, flexibility and balance. “I have one main trainer but there’s two at the barn,” Vlietstra said. “One is a dressage, one is jumping (trainer), and I go with the jumping one, but then every now and then I’ll go with the dressage trainer.”

The equestrian team members not only train their horses, but themselves as well. It is important to be “aware of everything that’s around you, because the horse can see stuff that you’re not aware of and it’s a lot scarier to them,” Barley said. A big part of riding is also recognizing “that sometimes it’s not the horse’s mistake. Sometimes it’s yours.”

Bonding During Practice- Megan Vliestra, sophomore, poses for a photo with her horse, Rhett, during practice.

Megan Vliestra/With Permission

sports

Tackling Transfers Lexi Foultz Copy Editor Connor Keep Staff Writer Although the top priority of American high schools has always been to provide the best education to their students, athletics has become an increasingly important factor in the high school experience. Because colleges and universities recruit athletes, high school athletic programs are being increasingly scrutinized, with more attention than ever being focused on student athletes who transfer schools.

Newbury Park High School athletics is monitored by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) which, according to aims to “reinforce the principle that students attend school to receive an education first; athletic participation is secondary” (CIF website).

The rules laid out by the CIF are designed to create an equal chance of success for every school. Student transfers who wish to play sports must be thoroughly screened for athletic motivation, which CIF views as a threat to the equality of schools, especially if the particular transfer student is being unlawfully recruited. The CIF states that, “offices may limit eligibility for a student when there is evidence the transfer, or move is made to acquire athletic participation at School B.” As a standard penalty for transferring schools within the CIF, the student must not play in any game or match within the time of the designated sit out period. The designated period the athlete has to sit out is five games.

Kelly Welch, Athletic Director and Assistant Principal, is very involved in the athletic screening process for transfers. “For CIF I have to ... do unannounced visits to the home (and) make sure that they are not giving a fake address... or that multiple people aren’t using the same address,” Welch said. This year, N.P has had 33 student transfers, reflecting a growing trend in California high schools . “I think in the last couple years in southern California within the southern section of CIF it does appear that things have gotten a little bit out of control with the transfers.” Welch commented.

This year, the Newbury Park transfer students include senior, Dominic Thomas and junior, Isabella Manos, who run track and cross country.

Dominic Thomas, who attended Thousand Oaks High School until this year, said, “it’s been

Panther Prowler • Oct. 23, 2015

Worth the Wait - After transferring from Thousand Oaks High School, Dominic Thomas, senior, had to wait an allotted amount of time before being able to race. Samantha Meyer/Prowler

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Ready to RunRun After the sit-out period for CIF fall sports transfers ended on Oct.5, Isabella Manos, junior, was allowed to start participate in cross country meets. Samantha Meyer/Prowler

a bit of a burden having to wait a couple of months to run, but I understand why the rules are in place. I’m just glad that I’m going to be able to support my team at the end of the year when it really counts.”

Manos made the switch from La Reina this year, and now runs track. She commented that during her transition, her parents “were anxious at first and nervous, but now they’re fine with it and they’re confident in my decision.” According to the CIF’s website, the sit out period for fall sports ended earlier this month on Oct. 5. “It was frustrating not being able to run, but it was fun cheering on my teammates,” Manos said.

Though the CIF continues to be a powerful force within high school athletics, its authority may begin to dwindle as increasing numbers of transfers overwhelm the system. “It does appear that there are a lot of transfers and (still) a lot of questions about students transferring for athletic motivation,” Welch said.

Kick it to win it Victoria Juan DPS Designer Her bright blonde hair and powerful parabolic kicks grace the soccer field in winter, but this year they can be spotted early among hard helmets and leather footballs. Sophomore Katie Meyer -- varsity soccer goalkeeper, US national team player, and Stanford soccer team commit -- is a football player.

Meyer joined the football team near the end of September as a points-after-touchdown (PAT) kicker after being asked by the coaches to join the team and receiving her parents’ approval despite their initial hesitance.

“Katie was hanging out at the field after practice kicking a soccer ball and a football...”

Gary Fabricius, head football coach, said about his first encounter with Meyer. “She drilled the ball, it went right through (the posts). And I thought, wow, that is pretty good.”

“I figured it would be something cool for the school and I wanted to help the team,” Meyer explained as her reason for officially joining the team.

As a soccer goalkeeper, Meyer adjusted quickly to kicking the football because she has experience with soccer goal kicks: large, almost full-court kicks taken after the ball has crossed the goal line to restart play.

Scott Ellis, football kicking coach, supervised Meyer during her adjustment to the new skills. “In practice so far, there has been no different treatment,” he said. “She’s an athlete that can do what we’re doing….She has the right mentality.”

Because she is a kicker, Meyer will not normally be involved in the tackling part of the game unless. However, there is one exception. “I’m pretty sure I have to either pick up the ball and run into the touchdown for a two point conversion or I have to make a run and hope someone throws me the ball, but that’s only if (the ball) gets blocked,” Meyer said.

Although Meyer, as a female, is different from the rest of the guys on the team, she has been supported by both her coaches and teammates.

“I think we just embrace the fact that I am a girl and they’re all guys,” Meyer said. “We just get along really well and we have a lot of fun.”

Ellis also attested to the collaborative atmosphere between Meyer and the other players.

“The other cool thing is that you can see teammates help her with tips and pointers,” he added.

Since she joined in the middle of the season, Meyer will not be eligible to play until the last few games, but she has had perspective of the game from the sidelines. “I love the energy. I love when we score because everyone’s screaming and cheering,” she said.

“Even if she doesn’t kick this year, she’s only a sophomore and we thought we could get her working for us,” Fabricius added. “She could be our kicker junior and senior year.”

Although it may be football season, Meyer is still, and always, involved in soccer. On Oct. 10, she officially committed to Stanford with an athletic scholarship to play on the soccer team.

“I (hope to) play after college too. Football is probably just going to be a high school thing,” she said.

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sports Panther Prowler • Oct. 23, 2015

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