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Fourteen athletes stood on the stage in the quad and announced where they were going to college this Wednesday, Feb. 1. Everyone watched as these top athletes accepted offers to their dream colleges on National Signing Day.

Twins Madison and Skyler Wood, seniors, committed to University of California (UC), Davis for golf.

“I absolutely loved the campus and what the school had to offer for student athletes, and I also spent a lot of time with the women’s golf coach and felt like I could really fit in with the golf program they had there,” Madison said.

The boys and girls varsity soccer teams brought in many college offers this year. Tara McKeown, senior, committed to University of Southern California, Kate Manzione, senior, signed to The Citadel, and Alissa Greenblatt, senior chose New Mexico State. Chandler Schioppi, senior, committed to Southern Oregon and Julianne Oswald, senior, signed to Arcadia University. Isaiah Garza will be attending Air Force Academy, Jennifer Grossman California State University, Monterey Bay and Freddy Kleemann University of Washington.

Tabitha Dyer, senior and a softball player, committed to the University of Pennsylvania. Cole Falksen, Zach Nissim, Braden Ashmore and Shay Whitcomb, seniors, committed this year as well. Nissim and Falksen committed to California State University, Chico, Whitcomb to UC San Diego and Ashmore to UC Irvine.

“I chose Chico because of the baseball program Coach Taylor runs up there,” said Falksen. “I also liked the college atmosphere when I went up to visit. Right after I visited the school I knew it could be my home for the next four years.”

Marquese Evans, the only football player on the stage, committed to Boise State University.

Nicole Burch, senior and runner for the girl’s cross country team, committed to UC Santa Barbara.

“When I committed I was so happy, words can’t even describe. I was so anxious and nervous before, then I just called the coach up and told him I wanted to verbally commit now and that was about it… I called the day after my official. I was jumping up and down and couldn’t stop saying how happy I was after the call,” Burch said.

Congratulations to these seniors who worked hard academically and athletically to achieve this milestone in their careers.

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From left to right, Christine Liggett, Max Oliver, Ashley Mansour, and Jolie Rafealson, juniors, perform a bollywood dance to “Dola Re Dola.”

Swirling and twirling in the spotlight, the performers at the eighth annual Dance for Hope charity event on Feb. 3 poured their hearts on the floor as they raised money for cancer research.

The Interact Club project, led by Amiya Prasad, sophomore, and Sonia Patel, senior, was designed to showcase and unite different cultures and to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

In the past, the multicultural dance benefit presented traditional and modernized ethnic dances, and this year their main events included African tribal dances, Indian fusion dances, Bollywood dancing and more.

With such a big event comes a lot of work and preparation, and Prasad especially invested much effort into the occasion.

“I designed the programs and printed [them at the] publishing place, and I [put] all the audio from everyone into a playlist. Then I got some of the food, including all the desserts. . . I dealt with [people] who wanted to cancel at the last minute and managed to get them to come,” she said.

Prasad hoped that “people [would] know that there’s more cultures that you can explore and learn about, and it’s not just limited to one, and anyone can be exposed to any of these cultures, and you can do a lot to help people who have cancer.”

After preparing since November of last year, Patel, who helped choreograph and performed in the finale Bollywood dance, said before the show that she was both excited and nervous for the event to begin.

“I really hope everything goes off without a hinge, but I am really excited to see what people have brought to perform today,” she said.

To close out the show, Sonia Patel, senior, and Jubal Rancourt, junior, perform a dance to “D Se Dance,” choreographed by Patel, Rachna Desphande, and Amaan Kazi, seniors.

In the two dance-packed acts of the show, there were appearances from nearby dance studios Aspire, Bobbies and Thrive, as well as the Hindi film dance team USC Zeher, the Newbury Park Dance Team and members from the IB world dance class.

There were also women from the Latin/Bollywood dance fusion DanZifit, a solo from the Lark Detweiler, junior and member of the dance team, as well as from Azonto dance sisters from Interact club. While IB dancer Max Oliver, junior, worked this event last year, this time he was center stage and definitely wants to do it again next year.

“I think it went absolutely amazing. I was really nervous at first, but going on stage and being with my group, our chemistry just really combined and it was awesome,” Oliver said.

Host Tessa Azani, senior, also thought the benefit went well, calling the result “phenomenal,” and “a huge success.” In the show, she and her co-host Leo Vodantis, senior, announced that Dance for Hope raised over $1,500, more than ever before.

Each dance was unique and received warm applause from the audience, but the final performance of the night procured a wildly appreciative response, with screams, cheering and clapping the entire way through, some even giving them a standing ovation. Arianna Greenidge, one of the Azonto dancers, which is a Ghana dance style, said that the Bollywood finale was her favorite, as did Azani.

“I was just mind blown, because they put this together just for this show, [they do not] dance outside all together at a company, so I was in shock. . . [and] really impressed,” she said, going on to explain why she thought this event was so amazing. “It was cool having so many people I knew in the show. . . This is so different and so cool and it was just really cool seeing all of it.”

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The Turbulent Turbines of Torture (aka the plane) finally landed at 2:30 am despite the onslaught of delays that seemed just about endless. The frigid New York air was like a cool breath that pummelled my jet lagged senses into a quasi-alertness. The fact that I was currently standing in a crowd just outside the airport was nothing but infuriating, since all I wanted was to be sound asleep.

After being crammed between the window and a fellow passenger- who had her music blasting loud enough that it might as well have been a concert- I was left to resort to bodily origami. I don’t recommend it in any way, shape, or form. Literally and figuratively speaking.

I clung to the idea that I would soon be able to actually sleep. This dream was soon to become a reality because an Uber driver would be taking my mom and me to our destination in no time.

Or so I thought.

My mom opened up her Uber app and checked the location of our driver-to-be. “He’s right over–” she paused, “Are you kidding me? My phone just died!”. Three-and-a-half eyerolls later, I quickly downloaded the app on my phone and got a driver coming our way.

As we aimlessly walked around the perimeter of the airport, several cab drivers surrounded us.

Cab drivers are like the hyenas of airports. They lurk around every corner, waiting for their opportunity to scavenge through the tired and confused travellers. They have no mercy. None. I wouldn’t be surprised if they could smell desperation.

Soon six cab drivers were each bargaining to give us the cheapest and best ride. We denied their offers while backing away to make our escape quickly.

But the escape was futile– after several call attempts to the Uber, we officially determined that the driver had ghosted us. At this point it was about 3:15 am and it was becoming increasingly difficult to stay awake.

Like an impala who couldn’t run any longer, we finally gave into the hyenas.

The cab smelled like cigarette smoke and old cologne, but beggars can’t be choosers, I told myself. My mom told the driver where we needed to be and we were finally off.

About 15 minutes into the ride, my mom gets a quizzical look on her face and tells the driver, “You’re going the wrong way”.

The driver fires back, “I know where I am going. We are going to the Bronx,” in a heavily accented voice. As our destination was definitely not anywhere near the Bronx whatsoever, my mom and him ensued in a shouting match over directions. This is going to be a longer night than I thought.

After figuring out where we were and where we needed to be, the driver rerouted and pushed on through the foggy parkway at an astonishing 30 miles per hour. The erratic stops in the middle of the road and unruly jolts to start made me reflect on the wonder of seatbelts. Through the nausea and annoyance, I drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up, we were at a random gas station in a desolate town far from where we needed to be.

In the most aggravated voice possible, my mom informed me, “His GPS broke.” I pulled up Google Maps so that the driver could find his way back on route. Nearly 40 minutes later, we made it home.

Even though traveling is a hassle, there’s never a way to avoid the unexpected adventures it takes you on. Focusing on the destination to the point where we can no longer reflect on the journey doesn’t make any sense. So if you ever happen to find yourself in a sketchy cab in the middle of nowhere, just take a deep breath and remember to enjoy the ride.

The post Travels appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

One of the biggest clubs on campus, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is a group where students can compete at sectional, state, and national competitions by taking tests in real world topics of their choice. They competed in their regional tournament at Westlake High School on Saturday, Feb. 4.

Meeting in English teacher Brandon Janes’ room almost every Thursday since September, members chose their competitions, paid their dues, signed their forms and studied hard for their tests.

These tests were taken on a computer, each an hour long and covering subjects from Introduction to Business to Health Care Administration. There were also group competitions and public speaking events.

For freshman Varna Kanapuram, competing in Insurance and Risk Management, this was her first time participating in the event.

“While taking the test, I went through basically a full spectrum of emotions, ranging from immense confidence to me completely freaking out,” she said.

After four sessions of tests, the results were announced at the awards ceremony in the afternoon, where the state qualifiers, or the top six to seven students from each test, were announced. Other students who scored in the top ten were also recognized. For Kanapuram, making it to the state competition was one of the only things on her mind.

“After being called up,” she said, “the only thing I was hoping for was my name not to be called for the first four names, so that I would be able to move onto state.”

Kanapuram was among more than 35 NPHS participants that qualified for state, taking first in her competition.

Jeffrey Sun, senior, club president of the club and Vice President of Membership for the Gold Coast region, also won first in his competition, though this is nothing new for him, since he has placed first in the Business Calculations test for the past four years.

He originally joined FBLA because he “was interested in going into a career in business,” and has found that others share his interest.

“We had the biggest group we’ve had for a while, total membership being just over 100 (but not all went to sectionals). Also we had a lot of underclassmen compared to previous years,” Sun said.

NPHS also won the Sweepstakes award, which means students from NPHS won the most number of awards out of all the schools attending.

“When I heard NPHS won sweepstakes I was incredibly happy for everyone, and in awe that this was our second consecutive year of winning this award,” Kanapuram said.

While Sun is excited to go to the state competition, as a senior, he knows this is his last year participating in the event, and wants others to continue to join, work hard and win awards for NPHS.

“We have a large proportion of members graduating,” Sun said, “and I really hope after we graduate our younger members can continue our legacy and keep the chapter alive and winning.”

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Kindness. Such a simple word can hold so much value to a person. People all know what the word means, yet rarely do they act on kindness in their everyday lives. Motivational speaker, Houston Kraft, shared his message of kindness to the student body at an assembly on Feb. 1, through a telling of personal stories with a mix of humor and earnesty.

Kraft was first enlightened by helping others his junior year in high school through the Random Acts of Kindness Etc. club, or  “RAKE.”

“My goal was to get remembered for anything. I wanted to be remembered for making people feel valued, and making people feel important. Those are the moments we don’t forget: Moments in our life, where someone makes us feel loved, or unloved,” Kraft said. “We remember that, and I wanted to give people as much of those moments as possible.”

Rachel Brown, senior and Associated Student Government president, first heard Kraft speak last April at a leadership conference. It was Kraft’s “energy and positive attitude” that influenced her to invite him to speak at NPHS.

“Our school is really great, but sometimes we miss some of the small things like having the kindness, the compassion, and the love. I thought (Kraft’s) message was really relatable. I think everybody can use a little more kindness in their heart, and a little more love in the world- regardless of who you are or what you’re into. I felt like that was a good message for NPHS to have,” Brown said.

Kraft believes kindness and compassion is not an unreachable standard in society, but rather something people acquire through experience and growth.

“I really believe that love and kindness are skills in our life. Sometimes they get portrayed as virtues or ideas, which I think is dangerous. It’s hard to work on a virtue.  If I think of kindness as a skill: it’s something I can practice, I can get better at,” Kraft said.

Maddy Wiese, sophomore, was deeply touched by Kraft’s words, and found it light-hearted at the same time. She believes that practicing kindness will only radiate positive energy and contribute to a positive school atmosphere.

“Kindness unites everyone, so it doesn’t matter who you are being kind to, it is going to ripple across to everyone,” said Weise.

However, practicing kindness is not always second nature. Like most people, Brown will not always “step out of the box” to say something nice to someone.

 “I realized you think about (being kind), but you don’t actually act on it. Hearing (Kraft) kind of gave me the inspiration to make the effort of making someone’s day,” she said.

Weise also agrees that Kraft’s words motivated her to try and make a person’s day a little brighter.

“Something small makes a difference,” Weise said

Kraft has started a leadership curriculum that teaches young people, like Brown and Weise, how to practice kindness in their everyday lives.

“We have a leadership curriculum and a full school curriculum, and we started teacher training. We teach teachers, principals, and counselors how to create a community that’s built in character and compassion,” Kraft said. “Over the next few years, that will be my big focus.”

Alongside the new curriculum, on Kraft’s website is a link to an app called Character Strong.

“Character Strong is…a daily challenge. Everyday it’ll send you a push notification with a simple practical way to exercise love in your life,” Kraft said.

To hear more about Kraft’s movement, you can visit his website houstonkraft.com or see him live in Los Angeles during his upcoming kindness tour in May.

The post Houston Kraft preaches kindness appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

For many, testing ends once students leave the classroom, but not for Academic Decathlon members who spend their free time preparing for the Ventura County Academic Decathlon competition hosted at Pacifica High School. With pencils bubbling in Scantrons and legs nervously bouncing up and down, students competed against 20 other high schools in the Ventura County region on Feb. 4.

Academic Decathlon is a fifth period class where students study seven subjects: art, economics, language and literature, mathematics, music, science and social science focused on a certain topic. This year it was World War II, which Albert Qian, senior and A team member, and others found to be compelling.   

“The history of World War II and its effects and battles and whatnot appealed to our interests, Qian said.”

In addition to the multiple choice test subjects, members also participate in essay writing, speech and interviews, and for every academic category from each team, the Super Quiz, where teams must answer questions in front of a live audience.

Individuals spend all year long preparing for the one full day of competing.  

“We have packets and other materials which we can use to study and prepare. Mr. Brock (Academic Decathlon adviser) also helped with review sessions, lectures, and whatnot and we just wrote our speeches. There’s a lot of work that goes into it,” Alex Wang, junior and alternate, said.

Students are separated into three categories, Honors, Scholastic and Varsity, based on their GPA, and compete with teams of the same level from other schools; NPHS has two teams, A and B. Even though testing is an individual effort, students from all teams experience the same struggles and form friendships from the process.

“(The competition) is very long and you’re just taking test after test, and (you are) last minute studying in each break, so it’s pretty taxing. But at the same time they’re fun because everyone kind of bonds with the people taking the tests in the same room as them, like we all ask about hard questions afterward or joke about how we are going to fail,” Victoria Dzieciol, sophomore and B team member, said.

The awards ceremony was held on Feb.7, where individual and team awards were handed out. The A Team received third place for the math category, and many individuals placed in many events. Leon Xu, senior and A team member, achieved the highest score in the school at 7,845.2 out of 10,000 points.

Even though Dzieciol’s team did not bring home any awards and the NPHS team will not be advancing to the state competition, she still reflects on the experience in a positive manner and plans to continue next year.

“We had some really good scores and won a bunch of medals which was pretty exciting. I know I’m going to do it next year because it’s really fun and I’m hoping to do even better than I did this year in terms of total score and number of places,” Dzieciol said.

Qian viewed the competition as a happy ending to his high school academic decathlon career. “I was enthusiastic to be with my friends and Mr. Brock is a great coach. In addition, as for the future I think we can do well especially because our B team has some really good students so they can easily take up the mantle and accomplish as much as we did,” Qian said.

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The post Prowler Weekly Episode 18 appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

United by a passion to support girls around the world and to make a difference in their community, the members of Girl Up club meet every other week to plan activities to raise money for the international Girl Up organization.

“Girl Up is all about simultaneously empowering girls in third world countries and locally,” Catie Parker, sophomore, said. As a club, Girl Up works to organize fundraisers that support efforts to provide education and health care to girls in third world countries.

When the idea for the club was first suggested, “people were really excited about the idea and really took hold to it,” Parker explained. The club held it’s first meeting in December and has since gained about 25 members and held its first fundraiser.

One of the founding members, Hannah Neiyer, sophomore, joined because “I think a lot of people don’t have enough compassion for other people in other parts of the world and it kind of is an eye opener to see the privileges we do have here and it’s good to take what privileges we do have and share (them) with other people.”

Vice president of the club, Maddy Weise, sophomore, stressed  that everyone should increase their involvement in supporting human rights and female rights, two things she believes are vital in today’s society.

On Feb. 12, volunteers stood outside of Trader Joe’s selling a variety of homemade baked goods. As people stopped by to purchase the treats, the volunteers spread the message of Girl Up and their goals for helping girls around the world.

The fundraiser was just the first of many to come for Girl Up. “We have a hike coming up in late March,” Weise says.

Parker expressed that in the future, the club hopes to not only raise more money, but also expand their outreach. “Right now we have, obviously, a very big girl population in the club. We also want to expand it more to involve boys in this too,” Parker said. “We’re hoping to just start making a difference as many ways as we can.”

Weise hopes that more NPHS student will join Girl Up because as she explains: “girls’ rights are human rights.”

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Scrolling through my Twitter feed is like walking through a battleground of thousand protests and counter-protests and counter-protests of the counter-protests. It’s insane. There are so much sharing and calls to actions as social media become saturated with the opinions of millions of people. What’s not to love?

Twitter is the single greatest soap box of our time. You can reach a massive audience from the comfort of your own WiFi connected home. It is a powerful tool for ordinary citizens and even more so for our politicians. Our congresswomen and men are adopting Twitter as a new style of open communication by posting pictures of meetings and votes they cast on policy decisions in their respective houses. In fact, it is now essentially political suicide not to have a Twitter account. It directly connects the constituency with their representatives in an unprecedented way and it is important to know how to use this awesome weapon of political information.

The first thing you need to know before embarking on a journey through the maelstrom that is the bright, blue sea of political commentary is that you need to follow a wide spectrum of political accounts. It is imperative not to wrap yourself up in the rhetoric bubble of like-minded people for the comfort of knowing at least someone else in the world is sane. Branch out! Follow people you would never agree with to see their concerns and perspectives. It is political education on a whole new level.

 Another rule of navigating is to always evaluate your sources. Sometimes you come across tweets that sound impossible to be true and chances are they aren’t.  Always remind yourself that  the 140 character snippets are only a fraction of the whole story. Try to get the context from reliable news outlets. It never hurts to follow political fact checking accounts too.

Finally, be mindful of your followers. Retweets and replies will become almost compulsory over time. Like I said, Twitter can be a great way to spread content, but oversaturation can overwhelm and desensitize you and your followers. Maintain a balance between politics and everything else in your retweets and your home feed. With these tips in mind, be active and get involved in this new platform of American news and culture.

The post How to Twitter because… politics appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

Offseason track brings with it the promise of hard work paying off in winning races and improving times.

“Offseason begins after cross country ends,” said Lexi Bolanos, junior, “We begin preparing for our spring season so we race in some indoor meets and outdoor meets that are local or we just had one in Seattle last Saturday.”

The races run from January to March, with the normal track season starting at the end of March. The offseason is coached by Sean Brosnan, Marty Maciel and Sean Fought.

Since California does not have an official winter track season, the offseason races force the team to travel in order to compete. “So far the guys’ team has only been to three (meets),” Nathaniel Garner, junior, said. “Arcadia offseason, one down in Semi, which was (way) too windy…(and) we went down to one in Washington University in Seattle.”

“The meets we go to are called All Comer meets,” Nicole Burch, senior, said. “They are normal track races except they are (the) indoor series, but it’s outdoor track. The races are different so (the mile) is the 1500 (meters), you’ll run the 600 instead of the 800…so just different races. They have the 400m hurdles instead of the 300m hurdles.”

In addition to the changes in the races, the participants of offseason meets are competing for a different prize than the season races.

“It’s people who want to qualify for the indoor state championship,” said Burch. “Everyone is running fast, there are no slow people in it, it’s all people who take it seriously, because usually people who don’t take track seriously don’t do it.”

Offseason track gives athletes the chance to test their skills against new opponents.

“With the offseason there’s the opportunity to run against people not in your league,” Garner said, “and maybe you can get into some open college races that push you to be faster. It’s also a good way to gauge how fast you are going before the season starts.”

For Bolanos, the offseason and the season races are both enjoyable. “I like both of them,” she said, “because by the time preseason starts for the winter season, I’m excited to race again, but spring season is more of a reward  because you’ve been training for longer and the meets start to count for things. You start going to finals and prelims and CIF, so you have things to work towards.”

The offseason track races let the team see where they are and get ready to compete for the Marmonte League.

“It’s just a good opportunity to start running and get that feeling of racing before the spring season starts,” Bolanos said.

The post The race is on: offseason track races change the competition appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

“Gong Xi Fa Chai.” These words greeted millions around the world, as a good wish for the Chinese New Year. The celebration of the new year started on Jan. 28, or the new year eve in the Chinese calendar, and ended on Feb. 12, the 15th day of the first lunar month, sending away the year of the monkey and ushering in the year of the fire rooster.

To celebrate the independence, kindness, self-respect and quick mindedness of the rooster, there was a Chinese New Year Festival at the Camarillo library on Jan. 28.  The celebration included the traditional Chinese lion dance with two people dressing up in a large, decorated lion costume and  mimicking the movements of the animal.

Darrell Chen, sophomore, participated in the lion dance, working one of the headpieces. The significance of the lion dance goes back to thousands of years ago, when “there used to be this beast. So basically these people came out with their music and fire, ….to drive away the beast.”

When he first started the lion dance, “my dad had to bribe me with a Wii to do my first show, and then I noticed, ‘Oh I love this!’, so I kept doing it,” Darrell recalls. One of the highlights of the dance for him is “playing with the audience.”

“It’s fun playing with the kids,” he added.

There are many other traditions that come with celebrating this cultural event, including eating special foods, setting off fireworks, and wearing red clothes.

Kevin Chen, junior, also used the legend of the ancient beast to explain other Chinese traditions during their New Year’s celebrations.

“They scared away this monster by setting off firecrackers and wearing red, since the monster was scared of the color red, so that’s the wearing red tradition comes from, and setting off firecrackers, that’s where it comes from too,” Kevin said.

Another aspect of Chinese New Year is the red envelopes that adults give to children. Jing Hu, Chinese teacher, explained the symbolic importance of  the envelopes in her family’s traditions.

“First of all, [we have] our whole family, together, so that’s the Chinese New Year tradition, the reunion,” Hu said. “Second, we eat a lot of traditional Chinese food, and of course, we have the red envelope, [which is giving] your kids money for the best wishes.”

Her favorite part of Chinese New year is “family and friends [getting] together, and of course [having] good food, and just chatting, and you know, just [have] a happy mood for celebrating the new year.”

Brian Xi, junior, also talked about gathering of friends and family as an important part of social connection during the celebration.

“It is cool to see all of those people watching it together, it’s cool that it brings people together,” Xi said.

While every family’s practices could be different, most agree that Chinese New Year is an crucial part of keeping their heritage.

“You can’t just ignore your culture, you gotta be apart of it.” Xi said.

Hu agrees, saying, “We grew up this way. I know Chinese New Year is the most important festival to me.”

The post Happy Chinese New Year: Celebrating the five thousand year old tradition appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

Protestors gathered at the Islamic Center of Conejo Valley on Feb. 5 listen to one of the many speakers that took the stage at the rally. These speakers included U.S. Representative Julia Brownley, California Lutherna University professor Desta Goehner, and Imam Ahmed Patel from the Islamic Center of Conejo Valley. Rhea Zaib/with permission

A peaceful rally was held outside the Islamic Center of Conejo Valley on Feb. 5. People of all religions and ethnicities gathered to support the mosque amidst the recent political turmoil.

Around 300 people lined along the sidewalks holding signs and chanting passionately as cars passed by in support of the mosque. The signs varied from “DUMP TRUMP” to “HONK FOR PEACE.” On this day, the divides between race and religion vanished and the unity spurred by president Donald Trump’s travel ban brought the community together.

“I felt like I was a part of something bigger. I was protesting something that was unfair against people who have never done anything, and fighting for what I believe,” Maya Patel, freshman, said.

Patel joined the rally as a result of a spontaneous decision to stand with her community after she drove by and saw the gathering

Unlike Patel, Mohamad Rayshouny, sophomore, came to the rally with plans to support his mosque..

“My local mosque informed me and my family that there was a rally going on, and I was very excited to be part of it,” Rayshouny said.

“I met so many new people from other religions, such as rabbis and priests of churches and temples nearby the mosque,” Rayshouny said. He believed that rallying with people made a difference in our society that day.

American flags waved over the heads of the protesters that filled the parking lot of the Islamic Center of Conejo Valley on Feb. 5. Signs of protest dotted the crowd, including one that read “NO MUSLIM BAN NO BORDER WALL OUR CITIES STAND TALL.” Rhea Zaib/with permission

Another member of Conejo Valley’s Muslim community, Ibrahim Syed, sophomore, also participated in the rally. He is very active in the mosque and has participated in other food drives and rallies in the past.

“It felt great being part of the rally because of all the work I have dedicated to the mosque. It was amazing seeing almost 300 people standing with us since last rally we only had about 100 people who attended,” Syed said.

People of all religions wait in uneasy anticipation for future actions from the presidential office. However, the rally and the community support displayed brought hope to many people. Everyone stood as one on that day.  

The post Conejo Valley stands with mosque appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

As we enter into Spring and welcome all the new adventures it brings, we wave goodbye to winter and the sports that came with it: boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, wrestling and girls water polo.

Wrestling wrapped up their season on Feb. 5. The team was able to practice conditioning during 5th period with a new coach, “I thought that was great since we never had (the opportunity) before” Warren Luo, junior, said.

One of the aspects of wrestling that appeals to Luo is the “specialized weight classes where you compete against others in your weight,”. Although Luo’s team did not make it to the championship, another team qualified for CIF’s and will continue to wrestle until they lose.

Boys varsity soccer finished a “bit under par” according to Isaiah Garza, senior. The season officially ended this week (Feb. 12). However, Ryan Barr, senior, has high hopes for the future of the varsity soccer team. “These next few years you can expect the soccer team to do extremely well, as they will have many returning varsity players with great attitudes and skill,” Barr said.

The JV soccer season ended on Feb. 9. Matthew Melgar, junior, felt that the team “learned to play as a team so our teamwork and communication is above par.” For Melgar, the relationship that the team built was crucial to their success on the field. They ended their season with a 7-1-1 record.

Girls soccer will end their season when playoffs and the race for the state championship come to a close. Glory Smith, junior, transferred to NP this year and made it onto the varsity team.

Smith ranks this season as her favorite because “the environment is always intense, but always fun. We have incredible coaches. We have an incredible field to call home. We have everything that I could ask for and more.”

Boys basketball ended their season with many of the players moving on to the start of club basketball. This season was not very different from previous seasons for Matthew Soloman, sophomore. Instead, Soloman focused on building relationships with new team members and is looking forward to playing again next year.

Girls varsity basketball’s season ended this past week. After losing the final game against Thousand Oaks in a coin toss, the team looks towards next season and its fresh opportunities.

After losing eight seniors last year, the team focused on rebuilding and strengthening their relationship both on and off the court. Monroe Farris, junior, thought that “this season has helped me become a stronger and more skilled player but it has also helped our team develop a bond and help us work together to achieve our goals.”

Girls water polo finished their season strongly. Varsity water polo qualified for CIF’s while the JV season ended on Feb. 7. Mary Grosswent, freshman, felt that the team “has also become more confident with their playing and we’ve improved on teamwork and that’s definitely due to our chemistry outside of the pool.”

The frosh-soph team’s season is over as well but that does not stop the girls from supporting the varsity panthers who are headed to CIF’s.

Although the winter sports are ending, you still have a few chances to watch the Panthers one last time before the season officially ends. Stay tuned for updates about spring sports and make sure you go out and support the Panthers!

The post Say goodbye to winter sports appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

Where creepy crawlies sneak, and drama students creak, the Newbury Park theater department meets in the night to eat. Oh the horrors, do you think you’re ready? Murder will be on the plate along with your spaghetti.

“Mystery dinner is in the cafeteria, and everyone is sitting and eating while the show goes on around you.” Kylie Vincent, junior, said. “It’s a whole improv experience.”  The cast, made up of solely NPHS theater students, play the role of a rambunctious vacation cruise staff faced with the task of having to discover the murderer among them! In addition to the staff, the story includes an arrogant billionaire, his daughter, two texan cowboys, and an undialed LAPD Agent. “I’m detective Keanu Kawabunga from the LAPD, if you didn’t get that from the show, and I’m a stupid surfer dude from SoCal who really doesn’t know what he’s doing, but somehow his questioning leads to the killer being revealed,” Carlos Idea, senior, said. The event is also a creative opportunity, opening doors to other types of theater the department would not be able explore in their normal productions.

“I think my favorite part is interacting with all the people because I’m part of the theater department and its events, and this is the only time we get to fully immerse ourselves in our audience and interact with them.” Idea said.

This was the theater department’s second year hosting the mystery dinner night to fundraise. “Other schools and companies have done dinner theaters before and we thought it was a really cool concept,” Vincent said.

“Last year we raised quite a bit. This year we’re well on our way, so it’s a really nice fundraiser and it’s easy to put together, and it’s a lot of fun,” Marylin Strange, department director, said. The profits from this event go into the general fund and help the department with putting up new productions and going on trips for theater related activities like state and regional tournaments.

Not only is this the department’s second year hosting Mystery Dinner Theater Night, but after Strange was temporarily absent due to personal needs, the cruise staff had to step up to the plate. “Kylie Vincent just stepped in, I’ve been kind of in-and-out, so she was able to step in and help coordinate and get them on the path, and then I would just come in and tweak a little bit and remind them of some of the things to think about.” Strange said. This ship has already set sail, but with some success both this time and last time around, you can safely expect another mystery dinner next year.

“I’m just so proud of them. I was just blown away by the talent and some of the answers they have to come up with off the cuff I mean, we don’t rehearse that stuff. I mean, I throw questions in here and there during rehearsal, but I can’t think of everything that they’re going to be asked, and you know, some of the stuff that was out there was a little wacky,” Strange said. “They did a really great job. I’m really proud of all the hard work they did. This is something we’re going to be doing annually, so hopefully we’ll start to pick up a little more momentum and word will get out next year, about kind of what it is and how much fun it is, and we’ll see bigger and bigger audiences.”

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From #NeverTrumpers to #ImWithHers, jabs at the Trump campaign over comments and possible ties with the Russian government were incessant. Recently, some concerns about Russia’s involvement with the American government were realized. This began when Michael Flynn, former National Security advisor, resigned from the Trump administration on Feb. 13.

His resignation followed a request to step down by President Trump. In his letter, he cited his action in misleading the then vice president elect Mike Pence in his previous calls with a Russian ambassador in December. The claims made against Flynn are that he led the Russian government to believe that the sanctions imposed by President Obama before his departure of office would be revoked. These sanctions were set in motion because of Russian interference in our election process. Trump knew weeks before about Flynn’s misstatements, while Pence did not.

There is still a veneer of uncertainty veiled over the developing story. Questions are now being raised about Paul Manafort, a former campaign manager for Trump, and his connection to Russia when he was involved early on in the campaign. Even still, the cyber attacks on the Democratic National Committee during the campaign seasons by Russia could be linked to the Trump campaign.

The most prevalent question that remains is: how far will the investigation go? The FBI, an agency of the DOJ, has already interviewed Flynn about his Russian calls. Yet, it is still unknown if the federal investigation will continue or if Congress will ever take up an investigation of the Trump administration’s ties with Russia.

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February might be the biggest thorn in your heart, or it might be the month you excitedly look forward to. No matter what, these songs will hopefully brighten your day.

1. “Fergalicious” by Fergie and will.i.am – Unless you have been living under a rock, you know how this song took the world by storm in the early 2000’s. But even though Fergie’s era is over, you can throw a dance party to  her song’s upbeat pop melodies even today.  
2. “Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears – Britney Spears is the queen. I admit she isn’t the best singer, but she sure knows how to produce a hit pop song. It may be 20 years later, but many can still relate to the song’s lyrics about missing an ex, and Britney’s classic vocals will never go out of style.
3. “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne – Stealing someone else’s boyfriend is not a good message to preach, but Avril Lavigne still rocks the song. Her songs and fashion style may all be a cliche, but she definitely is a representation of my childhood and is nice to listen to for a good ol’ throwback.
4. “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani – I may have followed all the rules when I was little, but listening to this song sure made me feel cool and rebellious. Stefani combines grunge and pop to produce this catchy song about being yourself.
5. “I Kissed A Girl” by Katy Perry – Thanks Katy Perry for helping the media realize that not everyone is a heterosexual and being attracted to the same sex happens. Her sickly sweet pop style is not for all, but her songs are definitely something to sing with your friends.
6. “The Less I Know the Better” by Tame Impala – Tame Impala is that kind of band that you listen to with your indie girlfriend on some record player. “The Less I Know the Better” has a guitar hook that makes you want to nod your head and dance at three a.m. with friends.
7. “Born This Way- The Country Version” by Lady Gaga- Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl performance might have been the best thing that’s happened since Beyoncé announced her twins, even though she didn’t include very many “Joanne” tracks. This version of her hit song sounds soulful and shows off Lady Gaga’s amazing voice.
8. “Under the Table” by Banks- Banks is usually known for her darker pop vibes, but this song is softer. Of Banks’ two albums, “Goddess” is the older and better of the two, because it sounds more unique, and the songs are generally more interesting. “Under the Table” is a gentle piano song, while most of Banks songs have heavy bass. This song leaves you with nothing but good feelings.
9. “Mother Earth” by Banks- “Mother Earth” is from Banks new album, “The Altar,” but it’s still good, I promise. Like “Under the Table,” it’s a little more stripped down from Banks’ normal aesthetic, with acoustic guitar and layered vocals. It also doesn’t feel soft and loving like “Under the Table,” but it has a surreal, earthly vibe to it.
10. “Creep” by Postmodern Jukebox- Postmodern Jukebox is a group that takes popular songs and covers them, but they make it sound as if it were from an older decade. It’s a unique spin on lovable, recognizable songs, and the musicians’ talent blows everyone away.

https://open.spotify.com/user/pantherprowlermusic/playlist/3JqB3Cts7swBQkyjVs0dj2

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“Are you okay? I’m sorry,” seems to be my motto. Everyday I’m constantly nagging my friends to drink water and get enough sleep. Am I the mom friend? Maybe. I would drop anything to comfort someone. When I ask, “Are you okay?” I’m not saying it to be polite. I mean it, and if you’re not “okay,” I’m worried.

The problem with this kind of mindset is that I don’t think about myself enough. As a result, it leads me into regretful relationships and hours wasted over someone’s well-being. I can’t dedicate my life to civil service when people generally don’t want to reciprocate the care.

While caring about people is a virtue, I can’t let it become my weakness. I go out of my way to help people, but at the end of the day, I should be the priority. I am responsible for myself, and no one else. I have goals that other people will not get in the way of, and I will not apologize for achieving my goals.

I need to stop saying “I’m sorry” all the time. I haven’t done anything wrong. I have opinions, and I’m going to voice them. Others don’t have to agree with me and they can react how they wish.

I do not think it is selfish to put yourself above others. I do not think it is selfish to drop toxic relationships or to tell a friend that you are too busy to help them. Comforting friends is important, but they must be willing to give you the same support, and you both must be able to hold your own.

We are not a force that needs to bend in a million different shapes to fit another person’s expectations.                                                                                 

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During the talent portion of the Stud Pageant, Anderson Hill, senior, played ukulele and sang to a Nickelback song. This performance helped Hill win the crown at the end of the show.

Wolf whistles can be heard from all around the auditorium as the “studs” of 2017 are introduced during the annual Stud Pageant hosted by the NPHS Key Club. Starting in 2012, the Stud Pageant has continuously been used as a vehicle to raise money for the Illuminate Project, a partnership between UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Fund) and Kiwanis to help eliminate Maternal Neonatal Tetanus (MNT).

MNT is “a disease that affects mothers and their newborn babies in third world countries, because in third world countries, their umbilical care practices aren’t as sanitary as they would be in first world countries, so often times to stop the bleeding of the umbilical cord they will rub dirt or something into it,” Dani Moors, senior and co-president of Key Club, said.

“Each vaccine costs $1.80, [and] every ticket for the Stud Pageant costs $5, so you’re saving at least a few lives with every ticket,” Moors further explained.

Steve Johnson, history teacher, has been the Key Club adviser for “around 20 years” and is retiring from his position as adviser this year. To him, this event has always been “just a great evening for a great cause. It’s really fun to be a part of,” he said.

Johnson’s favorite part of the whole Stud Pageant is “seeing the finished product. I know how much work goes into it and how much organization there is and trying to get the bake sales and get the music and get the MCs. So to see it all come together is definitely my favorite part.”

The Stud Pageant consisted of three components: the spirit catwalk, the talent portion and the question session.

In the spirit catwalk, the participants dressed up in outfits considered “unconventional.” This section featured Anderson Hill, senior, walking the catwalk in a hula skirt and a coconut bra while Jack Sampson, junior, showed off a matching collared shirt and shorts combo, among other noticeable outfits.

The talent portion allowed the studs to showcase their skills. From solving math equations, dancing, and flipping, every single talent that the Panthers exhibited was unique to the cheering and applauding audience members.

In the third and final portion of the pageant, the studs dressed up in formal attire and answered several questions that were asked by the MCs. These questions ranged from “Do you believe in soulmates?” to “Why are you single?”, each one raising laughter from the audience.

After the three sections were complete, viewers took out their phones and voted for who they wanted to crown as the main stud, while the studs themselves paraded on the stage and around the PAC encouraging people to vote for them. After a couple of minutes, the hosts emerged with the name of the winner of the Stud Pageant.

In honor of the famous blunder Steve Harvey made while announcing Miss Universe in 2016, the winner who was initially announced was Patrick Harley, senior. In the midst of his thank you speech, one of the hosts apologized, saying they made a mistake. The real winner was Hill, who was still fully decked out in a hula skirt and a coconut bra.

Hill was pleased and surprised with his victory. “It’s cool. I feel like the tiara says a lot and the pink sash compliments the blazer,” he said.

Hill’s talent that won the audience over was his tribute to Nickelback while playing the ukulele. He also joined his friends onstage while they were dancing, which was his favorite part of the night. While on stage, Hill was “just working the hips. I was kind of freaking out about that but once I decided to do it, it was totally worth it.”

Harley’s talent was being “an executive grandmaster water bottle flipper,” as he put it. Unfortunately, the landing was off, and his bottle did not flip, but fell. However, Harley did not let that upset his good mood. “I wanted to be out there and I wanted make everyone laugh. I’m one of those people where you’re either laughing with me or at me,” he said.

The mix-up which ended the pageant was decided soon before the winner was to be announced, and Harley volunteered to be the mistaken winner. “We were looking around and I was like, ‘I’ll take one for the team’. I’ve got pretty thick skin but this was all in fun. As long as everyone had fun, that’s all that matters.”

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