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PANTHER PROWLER Friday October 31, 2014
Issue III
Newbury Park High School
456 N. Reino Rd., Newbury Park, CA 91320
Take a walk down “Lou Lane” Haley Berardinelli Features Editor Alyssa Boedigheimer Staff Writer
Lou Lane - At his retirement party, school security officer Lou Trevisan displays the new sign for the recently renamed service road that cuts through campus. Samantha Meyer/ Prowler
After 23 years of working as a campus supervisor and school security enforcer, 93-yearold Louis “Lou” Trevisan retired on Oct. 29. Students, faculty, and staff gathered in the quad during lunch on the day of Trevisan’s retirement to celebrate and thank him. Later, the faculty held a more intimate celebration where they shared humorous stories and memories over cake. In honor of his many years of service to the school, the faculty decided to dedicate the service road to Trevisan. During the faculty celebration, Assistant Principal of Athletics Kelly Welch surprised Trevisan with a street sign that reads “Lou Lane”, to match the one that has been hung on the road. Originally, Trevisan did not anticipate working on campus for as long as he did. “I thought I’d take a chance, but I never knew I would be here all these years,” Trevisan said. “I think it’s a great school … I would have worked here even if they didn’t pay me.” Social science department chair Steve Johnson has known Trevisan for about 20 years. Johnson was happy to see Trevisan able to retire in good health and on his own terms. However, he added, “it’s going to be sad not to see him around campus.” Even while Trevisan’s retirement is bittersweet, the faculty has been trying to look on the bright side, recalling all the good memories they have of him. When Trevisan was keeping food and drinks
out of the gym during a basketball game, Johnson watched as he “controlled a crowd of 1500 people and had everyone respect what he was saying,” said Johnson. “He makes a very difficult job look easy.” Lynn Baum, physical education and health teacher, reminisced about when Trevisan was escorting celebrities Bob Saget, Tim Allen, and Howie Mandel to the faculty cafeteria. “(He) was having so much fun with them, making them laugh. And they’re the comedians!” Baum said. Baum shared that she will miss Trevisan’s smile, his sunny disposition, and how he is always willing to tell a story. “Just him driving around in his golf cart and being with all the kids is always (going to be) a happy memory,” Baum said. Trevisan may be leaving the school, but he is also leaving his wisdom to all the students, faculty and staff who pass through. “Always think positive, don’t put your head down; keep on going,” Trevisan said. Trevisan also shared his personal beliefs about the importance of education. “There’s nothing like a good education,” Trevisan said, “(so) do the best that you can. They give you a diploma after graduating high school, but they don’t give you a diploma to life. Life is tough, and you’ve got to go out there and fight for yourself.” During his speech at Trevisan’s retirement party, Principal Josh Eby said, “Lou is definitely a big part of our family here at Newbury Park, and he will be missed.”
Clubs tackle new community service requirement Victoria Juan DPS Editor Preparing for the Southern California Super State competition has been Chess Club’s focus every year. However, this year, along with the rest of the clubs on campus, they will have something else on their agenda: a community service project. As of this year, all clubs are required to complete a community service project, and 80 percent of its members must participate. Project proposals are due on Dec. 1 to Dean of Activities Carly Adams, with a verification form as evidence of the completed community service due May 1. According to Adams, the requirement is meant to promote more community involvement. “We want to get our students out there working with the community,” she said. “We’re also hoping that the clubs have greater meaning, not just meeting because they like a certain interest.” Some clubs foresee obstacles with the implementation of this project, such as finding a time that works for the majority of members and the logistics involved for off-campus activities. “We’ve been ignoring it recently and we don’t have many plans yet,” said Jessica Han, junior president of the Speech and Debate club. “We have to have enough people going, and a lot
of people may not want to spend extra time outside of school on a day that they may have other plans.” For service clubs such as Interact Club and Key Club, the requirement has not brought up many problems. “Our club as a whole hasn’t really been affected by the new requirement, but we really like the requirement because it encourages others to take part in community service,” said Dani Moors, sophomore and secretary of Key Club. Despite the additional challenges that clubs now face, the requirement has also been received with positivity. “I think for students, this is actually an opportunity to be outside of school and see things that they’re not used to seeing. It gives them the opportunity to be exposed,” math teacher Miharu Altmire, advisor of several clubs including Speech and Debate, said. Brandon Chen, junior and president of Chemistry Club, also sees it as a positive addition. “I think we will get more kids interested in chemistry and (create) a stronger science program,” Chen said. “We make our community a better place not only through direct community service but through spreading knowledge about what we’re doing in high school.”
The service requirement may undergo adjustments in the future. “We think it’s a great idea... However, it would probably make sense if we had different requirements (for different clubs),” senior Quinn Creger, president of Chess Club, said. “Some clubs such as NHS are targeted towards community service, whereas others such as Robotics and Chess Club have a different focus.” Responding to this issue, Adams said, “We’re going to see how this year goes, and we might need to make some revisions, maybe make the requirements more specific. We might need to tweak it a little bit.” In fact, changes are already in order this year. The ASG Constitution lists the service requirement vaguely under Article XVIII, Section 6, reading: “A club must actively contribute to the school by sponsoring activities or services….” Adams said that “the constitution...is not written properly,” and presented to ASG on Oct. 29 in hopes of encouraging amendments to the constitution. ASG has yet to vote on the changes during the next few weeks’ convention, but Adams looks forward to the implementation of community service for years to come.