Ding, ding, ding. The late bell rings for class and once again, in a matter of seconds, I arrive moments before I am marked tardy. I was waiting in line for the restroom. Personally, I can’t speak for the males on campus, but the line to use the female restroom is out the door and blocking the halls. The girls’ restrooms at our school are home to many girls waiting to finish their business and get back to socializing, meeting with teachers or walking across the school to their next class. 

You would think it would take around two minutes to get in and out of the bathroom, yet for many girls, their whole break is wasted standing in line. Many girls, including myself, don’t even bother to wait in the long lines anymore and hold it until class gets out for lunch. Since I don’t have a class fourth period, I normally wait to use the restroom until I get home after school, yet not all female students have this advantage.

Holding your pee is extremely harmful to the body, and speaking from personal experience, can cause an increase in urinary tract infections (UTIs). When it’s “that” time of the month, I suffer severe cramping, and holding my pee greatly increases my cramps. In class, I am barely able to move due to my pain. My concentration and focus also decrease because I am only thinking about when I’ll get to use the restroom, even when I’m not on my period.

Teachers partially contribute to the reason many girls don’t want to leave class to use the restroom. I have had many teachers assign bathroom passes to try and limit the amount of time we leave the class, and reward students who don’t use them with extra credit. 

This is frustrating because as a student, I never want to leave class because I don’t want to lose the extra points. Furthermore, due to block scheduling, teachers have to fit more curriculum into the class periods and tend to move at a fast pace. Many girls and I have the fear of being gone and missing material.

The number of girls who wait to use the restroom is about triple the amount of stalls in the three girls bathrooms accessible to us, as shown by the long lines seen in the halls. There are only three and four stalls in the B and C buildings respectively, yet over 12 people waiting in line at break.

Our school needs to either reconsider the amount of time in our breaks or build more bathrooms on campus so girls such as myself have the ability to use the restroom as necessary without being punished. This bathroom situation is severe and it affects the psychological and physical well-being of female students at school.

The post A girl has got to go appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

Pennywise the Dancing Clown makes his return in “IT Chapter Two,” which was released on Sept. 6 as a sequel to the highly successful “IT” from 2017. “IT Chapter Two” takes place 27 years later and features our original gang of clown fighters as adults, all of whom have parted ways and largely forgotten the horrors of Derry, Maine. However, Pennywise has been sighted again and the group must return to Derry to defeat the evil once and for all. 

Prior to seeing the movie, we were a little put off by the reviews found online. On Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, “IT Chapter Two” has a rating of 63 and 59 percent respectively. Additionally, several audience reviews claimed the movie was long, cliched and disappointing. However, remembering how good “IT” was, we decided to follow through and give the movie a chance. In a mostly empty theater, we saw the movie and left disappointed.

First off, “IT Chapter Two” rings in at a whopping two hours and 50 minutes. Although there are several phenomenal movies that are longer in length, this is not one of them. The movie feels extremely long, and we could not help checking our phones at several points to gauge how much time was left. This is largely due to the subpar plot, which drags on and provides little excitement. The only mildly exciting part was when Pennywise turned into a giant spider at the end of the movie, which was pretty ridiculous after a couple of minutes.

Furthermore, “IT Chapter Two” failed to jump out of the structure of a typical horror movie. All the jump scares were predictable and many of the characters served no purpose other than to add “horror” to the movie. While we thought it was mostly going to be centered around Pennywise, it turned out to be Pennywise’s zombies that took the spotlight. Henry Bowers, the main characters’ bully in “IT,” also makes a return as he escapes jail with a knife and a zombie companion. But after stabbing Eddy in the face and attempting to murder Mike, he ends up being killed after a roughly ten minutes of screentime, with his overall purpose in the movie being a head scratcher. 

Overall, “IT Chapter Two” is approximately three hours that we will never get back. If you are a huge Stephen King fan, it might be worth your time to see the movie. But if you are looking for a horror movie that is as good as the first installment of the franchise was, we recommend you stay away.

The post “IT” is “two” disappointing appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

In the past four years, something interesting has happened to journalism. News has become more sensationalized, facts have become optional and the political spectrum has become more polarized than ever. It’s becoming harder to discern fact from fiction, causing confusion amongst the public.

Conejo Valley is not immune to these trends. Our school board meetings have turned into pit fights, lasting until 1:00 a.m., devoted to censure attempts of board members instead of focusing on the students. The tension is palpable, with liberals and conservatives unwilling to see eye to eye or compromise.

There are some that wish for our student voice to be silent, but it is important now more than ever for us to be heard. The role of the student journalist is to make the news of our school and community accessible to everyone, and the Panther Prowler will continue to do just that. Our goal is not to support one political agenda over another, or to only show the good side of our community, but to surface the truth and report the facts.

Facts are the pinnacle of journalism, and according to Newsweek editor Jonathan Alter, “that is the essence of democracy–open government; the press is a critical part of that, and if in the future we don’t have investigative reporters…we will live in a less democratic America.”

Throughout history, there have been times when the rights and responsibilities of the press have been questioned and challenged. In the 1960s, the Vietnam War led to conflicts between school publications and administration. Articles containing anti-war sentiments were censored, but students found a way to express their opinions with integrity. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the 1969 case “Tinker vs. Des Moines” that protected student expression did not stop at the schoolhouse gate. In 1977, California Education Code 48907 was written into law, guaranteeing students the same rights as professional journalists to freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Under California Ed. Code 48907, student journalists are safe to voice their opinions and cover controversial issues without the fear of being censored. It is essential that high school journalists are able to cover uncomfortable topics that could be relevant to our student body, because it is in high school where we must learn to be adults and we must begin practicing life skills before entering the real world. 

The student editors of the Panther Prowler publication are the ones responsible for assigning and editing content, not administration or the journalism adviser.  Instead the adviser’s role is “to supervise the production of the pupil staff, to maintain professional standards of English and journalism and to maintain the provisions of (the Ed. Code 48907).” 

Just like the brave student journalists that came before us, it is our duty to cover the real issues that impact our community because our students have the right to know what is happening on their campus. 

The post Student voices are meant to be heard appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

The European experience

The Summer of 2019 was full of many exciting experiences for NPHS students. From Northern California to Europe, many educational and enjoyable opportunities have taken place over the past few months. While some people took the summer to improve their talents, such as dance and art, others got to explore the world through immersive experiences throughout Europe and the United States. 

Alyssa Michalek, senior, went on a trip to Europe with Tiffany Coull, history teacher, and four other students during the summer. They visited Germany, Austria and Switzerland over the course of 12 days. Filled with amazing food, cute antique shops and wonderful scenery, Munich was by far Alyssa’s favorite city. 

“In Munich we saw a lot of dogs walking around with leashes, and we learned that they get to go to puppy school, and if they graduate, they get to walk around freely with their owners,” Michalek said. 

Michalek was able to do a variety of activities as they went from one city to another. They took bus rides to a new city everyday. They started from Vienna and continued to other cities such as Salzberg, Freiburg, and Lucerne. They ended their trip in Cologne. 

“It was so cool to wake up everyday and go to completely different cities possibly in completely different countries. There was always something to be looking at, even on the long bus rides, because everything was just so picturesque,” Michalek said. 

Madeline Shain, senior, was also one of the students in Michalek’s group. Shane had heard about the trip from her friends and was eager to join. Her favorite destination was Switzerland. 

“We stayed at this really cool place and you could like hear the cowbells outside. There were like a bunch of cows and it was a super quaint little town we stayed in,” Shain said. 

During the trip, the Europe heat wave reached its peak, setting all time high temperature records in multiple cities, including the city where Shain’s group stayed. The highest temperature reached over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  

While Coull’s group was enjoying their time in Europe, Jenny Wang, senior, went on another educational trip to Europe, with a group led by Keith Brock, swim coach and math teacher. Wang visited many cities in the Mediterranean including Venice, Florence, Rome, Greece and Adelphi in 17 days. 

“I was also interested in the artwork and stuff, especially in Italy. And then I really liked Greek mythology. So going to Greece is really nice for that. And the fact that since he was my swim coach, it made everything so much easier,” Wang said.

Wang and her group stayed the longest in Florence, which gave her the opportunity to learn more about the people and culture. She was given free time to roam around and explore the foriegn cities on her own. 

“The main reason Florence was my favorite was because of all the flea markets and being able to climb the duomo,” Wang said. “But the Mercado central made our visit so much more interesting because it was a giant food court of gourmet Italian food and it was walking distance so every morning we would go there.” 

While Wang enjoyed most of her time in Europe, there were some difficulties she had to face when staying in a foriegn country. 

“One night in Venice, we took the wrong bus back to our hotel and we ended up riding that bus around the entire city for about two hours. It was a really interesting ride since it was about 10 p.m. and all of us weren’t that great with Italian,” Wang said. 

Many people have seen Europe through the media and learned about it in textbooks but these students were able to experience Europe’s culture in person and they fully recommend a summer trip to Europe. 

“It is a one in a lifetime experience. A lot of history was made there. It is a chance to roam around different cities and enjoy the different cultures in each place. It is a very nice break from America,” Wang said.

Outdoor adventures

While some people prefer to spend the entirety of the summer within the confines of society, others enjoy going outside their comfort zone and travel off of the beaten path into the wilderness.

Megan Hague, sophomore, was able to go on an exciting river rafting and hiking trip to Northern California this August. 

“I went to Sacramento for river rafting which was a lot of fun, very adventurous,” Hague said.

 This trip was full of new experiences for Hague; this being her first time going river rafting, as well as camping. “This was my first time camping, camping. We slept in a tent – we normally sleep in a cabin,” Hague said. 

One especially notable memory was an unexpected visitor on their hike through the mountains of Devil’s Peak, California. 

“There was this big stream we had to cross, and then, between the trees, we could see the little bears. So we had to back away and go all the way back,” Hague said. Although it may have cut their hike short, she felt it was an awesome opportunity to see all of the wildlife in nature and her trip was overall a success. 

Matt Lippert, sophomore, Justin McAlister, senior, and Ryan Younes, senior, spent two weeks of their summer at Philmont Scout Ranch, a 140,177 acre “Scouting Paradise” located in New Mexico. Before arriving at Philmont, the Boy Scouts needed to decide on the possible routes and activities the crew could do. Each route was 11 days in duration and had varying distances.

During his time at Philmont, Lippert was able to participate in exciting activities, such as archery, shotgun shooting, blacksmithing and dealing with nature’s unpredictability.

“One time we were caught in the middle of a massive hailstorm, and all 12 of us were all huddled underneath one tarp as the hail fell all around us,” Lippert said. “It was a total bruh moment.”

Lippert, McAllister and Younes went on their desired trek as a part of a crew of 12 people, four adults and eight boy scouts. Along their trek, it seemed as if each day brought a new challenge, which just served to showcase the adversity of the Boy Scouts. 

“The most difficult thing I did over there had to be between navigating through a several mile open field with no trail, or peaking three mountains in one day,” McAlister said. 

Amongst these challenges, the scouts shared funny moments and made several memories. “My favorite memory was on Day nine; it had been raining and hailing on and off the whole trip and most of the guys just decided to lose it for 30 mins during a thunderstorm,” Younes said.  “I just sat back and watched, and I’m never forgetting that.” 

However, it’s not necessary to be a Boy Scout to go on a trek at Philmont. “I would definitely recommend others go to Philmont, since it’s a journey not only physically, but spiritually as well,” McAlister said. “You learn a lot about yourself and your crew when you are faced with two weeks in the wild.”

The Arts

Over the summer, a few students went out of state to expand their knowledge of the arts, as well as enjoying their time spent.

Marie Amelle-Thenoz, senior, went to a summer intensive at Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, Washington. 

“They have a summer training program each year that lasts five weeks in July and some of August. Girls and boys from all over the country and the world ranging from ages 12 to 19, come to pursue ballet training,” Amelle-Thenoz said.

This was Amelle-Thenoz’s second year, and she has progressed to the top level of the program, jumping two levels from last year. Amelle-Thenoz says she not only learned new skills at the training, but also created lasting memories.

“In the highest level, we were required to do all of our ballet classes on pointe, which is considerably harder. I did do a bunch of new scary lifts this summer. I (also) got a lot better at hops on pointe (as well as) être-chat-six,” said Amelle-Thenoz.

“I adored getting to meet so many eclectic people that all have a fiery passion for dance. I also was in love with the dance studios we got to dance in. They are right behind the Space Needle in the Heart of Seattle, and one of the best parts about being in the pre-professional level was being able to have actual professional PNB (Pacific Northwest Ballet) company members,” Amelle-Thenoz said.

Even though Amelle-Thenoz is not completely sure of what she wants in her career, she feels the program prepared her in multiple ways if she wanted to go into that field.

“The program definitely gave me the confidence and assurance to know that if I want to be a dancer, I think I could. Having classes with a variety of different teachers over a short, but packed period of time, taught me that… I needed to be my own teacher and to hold myself to high standards even when the teacher was looking at something else,” Amelle-Thenoz said.

Similarly, another student had witnessed a program involving the arts. Instead of dance, Jack Martino, sophomore, attended Berklee School of Music in Boston over the summer for a rigorous music program. 

“I really just wanted to have the experience of going to the college that I want to go to when I’m done with high school,” Martino said,“I was there for around seven weeks or so. The program itself was five weeks, but there was testing and auditions which took up extra time.”

Martino felt that this program gave him a lot of experience and growth in his musicality. “I learned many new [music] theory concepts along with new perspectives,” Martino said.

Not only did Berklee give him the opportunity to grow, it also allowed him to take matters into his own hands. “I used to write music mainly for other people, but now I more or less write for myself. The people who truly understand you will enjoy your music no matter what, (and) those are the people you want around you,” Martino explained.

In Boston, there were plenty to do for the several weeks Martino had spent there. “Some nights, we’d be out late having parties at the docks, or in my dorm just watching movies with my roomies and friends. I would walk around the city for hours with a friend or two, mostly because I like one on one time with people, (since) it’s more genuine” Martino said.

“Newbury Park and Boston are obviously very different, but when I go back, it will be both for the city and college” Martino said.

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

Unified Physical Education, a pilot course, that was to be led by Samantha Stewart, Adaptive Physical Education teacher, has yet to be approved. This physical education class was meant for students with and without disabilities to form a regular PE class in which the students learn about wellness, exercise, healthy eating habits and inclusion. 

The class was supported and approved by Steve Lepire, principal of NPHS, yet the class could not run its course this semester. There was concern about the students getting the necessary amount of minutes dedicated to their support if Stewart was to take on both groups of students. Lepire noted there would have to be two teachers for this course, one for the general education students, along with Stewart for the special education students. 

“In order to run the class the proper way to ensure that all students and adaptive physical education received their required minutes, we would have to have a general ed teacher and an adaptive PE teacher into the unified PE class. The reason why we need to have a general education teacher in there is to make sure that the students that are in there because of their adaptive physical education class, is to ensure they receive all their minutes that are required and in their IEP (Individualized Education Program) by their physical education teacher. The class is postponed until we can find a way to run the class effectively,” Lepire said.

Stewart has many goals for the class and wanted to focus on inclusion and getting more students involved in the special education program. 

“Through this course and having inclusion, and our school does an awesome job with our Unified Sports, Panther Pals, all of that, we are inclusive, but it’s stepping it up another notch,” Stewart said.

Another supporter of the Unified Physical Education class is Anne Alvarez, a teacher for the severely handicapped. Alvarez believes the class would be beneficial to both special education and general education students.

“I think our students would have worked harder to reach goals that they thought might have been beyond them, but now they say ‘Oh I can do this if someone’s with me.’ I think that they would have felt better about themselves and communicated better with the kids around campus, and I think the kids around campus would have communicated better with our students,” Alvarez said.

Stewart and Alvarez are going to continue pushing for the class to happen in the upcoming second semester. This class would also help to inform and teach students about inclusion and how they should interact with and treat students with disabilities.

Despite the class being postponed, the Unified Sports Club is another outlet for students to interact and connect. This club is led by Jennifer Finger, junior and club president, and is participating in upcoming Unified Sports tournaments in kickball, basketball, etc.

Austin Moncourtois, sophomore and student in Stewart’s adaptive physical education class, was going to be a part of this new course, and is a member of the Unified Sports Club.

“I like competing against the other teams and just playing with my teammates and all that. I am upset that we didn’t get to do that because I was looking forward to playing on the team,” Moncourtois said.

The post Unified Physical Education class has yet to be approved appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

Guess who this issue’s featured teacher is! Here are the five clues:

1. They lift weights five times a week.
2. They love to relax on beaches in Hawaii.
3. They love to teach Lord of the Flies for its lessons on human nature.
4. They graduated from CSU Northridge.
5. They have a stash of chocolate in their room at all times.

If you are the first to guess correctly, you’ll be mentioned in the next issue!

Click on the link to the Google form below to guess!

https://forms.gle/qQBr26iMBSZtPhoDA

The post Guess this teacher! appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

From Wallows releasing two end of summer jams to Green Day’s pulsating return, the recent overflow of new alternative and rock music is looking particularly good as fall approaches.

Speaking of Wallows, the trio is growing increasingly popular every day. Their new singles “Trust Fall” and “Just Like a Movie” are weave-ins to the basket of alternative they’ve created, and following the release of their debut album “Nothing Happens,” listeners are bombarded in the best way possible with the band’s new music. 

Moving on, The Growlers latest release of “Try Hard Fool” is a perfect blend of the band’s earlier, grittier sound and their more recent, synthesizer-heavy record “Casual Acquaintances.” Lead singer Brooks Neilson’s vocals are on full display per usual, but the overwhelming feeling of the song is one of simplicity and casualty, with a more polished sound throughout.

Returning to the topic of Green Day, the rock band is back again with Billie Joe Armstrong trolling the entirety of his fan base for the millionth time.The band’s newest single and title track for their upcoming new album, “Father of All…” is exactly what you would expect from the band sound wise. However, the band is veering away from the specificity of politics and more into the topic of the world right now in general when it comes to lyrics. We can expect “a lot of depression, but with a sense of humor,” Armstrong said. 

In anticipation of the band’s new album “Beneath The Eyrie,” Pixies are back with a three song contribution of “St. Nazaire”, another great example of the band’s ability to achieve the signature Pixies sound without ripping it off or overdoing it. While over the years they have gone through a hefty amount of aesthetic and sound changes, they have kept their flare and impulsivity which is what makes great music, and one can only hope the full length record follows this path too.

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

On Sept. 6 from 5:00 a.m. to  6:40 a.m., the senior class of 2020 gathered at the bleachers of the football field to watch the sunrise together. This is the first time NPHS has ever had a senior sunrise. The event was coordinated by the senior class board, AJ DeVos, Emily Nagamoto,  Kyle Wonders and Nikki Usares.  

As president, DeVos took the lead in coordinating the event and making sure everything ran smoothly.“A lot of work went into preparing for senior sunrise because it was the first event of the year” DeVos said. “It was an amazing turnout. I think everyone had a lot of fun. The performers were all great, and the sunrise was beautiful.” 

For the last performance of the event, Evan Metcalf, senior, sang “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles while Ryan Younes, senior, played electric guitar.

“I usually don’t want to show my voice to people because I’m shy, and then (Younes) just went into the center and wrote my name down without my permission and here I am,” Metcalf said. 

“Regarding all the singers, like Liv (Udall) and Evan Metcalf and Ryan Younes, I thought they were very good,” Jackson Rice, senior and attendee of the event said, “I found a lot of my friends and…I really liked how they gave free food and drinks out.” 

With coffee and donuts in hand, the class of 2020 watched the sun emerge from the horizon. “I think this was just a really great way to start off senior year,” DeVos said.

The post Seniors start the year with a sunrise appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

Ding, ding, ding. The late bell rings for class and once again, in a matter of seconds, I arrive moments before I am marked tardy. I was waiting in line for the restroom. Personally, I can’t speak for the males on campus, but the line to use the female restroom is out the door and blocking the halls. The girls’ restrooms at our school are home to many girls waiting to finish their business and get back to socializing, meeting with teachers or walking across the school to their next class. 

You would think it would take around two minutes to get in and out of the bathroom, yet for many girls, their whole break is wasted standing in line. Many girls, including myself, don’t even bother to wait in the long lines anymore and hold it until class gets out for lunch. Since I don’t have a class fourth period, I normally wait to use the restroom until I get home after school, yet not all female students have this advantage.

Holding your pee is extremely harmful to the body, and speaking from personal experience, can cause an increase in urinary tract infections (UTIs). When it’s “that” time of the month, I suffer severe cramping, and holding my pee greatly increases my cramps. In class, I am barely able to move due to my pain. My concentration and focus also decrease because I am only thinking about when I’ll get to use the restroom, even when I’m not on my period.

Teachers partially contribute to the reason many girls don’t want to leave class to use the restroom. I have had many teachers assign bathroom passes to try and limit the amount of time we leave the class, and reward students who don’t use them with extra credit. 

This is frustrating because as a student, I never want to leave class because I don’t want to lose the extra points. Furthermore, due to block scheduling, teachers have to fit more curriculum into the class periods and tend to move at a fast pace. Many girls and I have the fear of being gone and missing material.

The number of girls who wait to use the restroom is about triple the amount of stalls in the three girls bathrooms accessible to us, as shown by the long lines seen in the halls. There are only three and four stalls in the B and C buildings respectively, yet over 12 people waiting in line at break.

Our school needs to either reconsider the amount of time in our breaks or build more bathrooms on campus so girls such as myself have the ability to use the restroom as necessary without being punished. This bathroom situation is severe and it affects the psychological and physical well-being of female students at school.

The post A girl has got to go appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

Pennywise the Dancing Clown makes his return in “IT Chapter Two,” which was released on Sept. 6 as a sequel to the highly successful “IT” from 2017. “IT Chapter Two” takes place 27 years later and features our original gang of clown fighters as adults, all of whom have parted ways and largely forgotten the horrors of Derry, Maine. However, Pennywise has been sighted again and the group must return to Derry to defeat the evil once and for all. 

Prior to seeing the movie, we were a little put off by the reviews found online. On Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, “IT Chapter Two” has a rating of 63 and 59 percent respectively. Additionally, several audience reviews claimed the movie was long, cliched and disappointing. However, remembering how good “IT” was, we decided to follow through and give the movie a chance. In a mostly empty theater, we saw the movie and left disappointed.

First off, “IT Chapter Two” rings in at a whopping two hours and 50 minutes. Although there are several phenomenal movies that are longer in length, this is not one of them. The movie feels extremely long, and we could not help checking our phones at several points to gauge how much time was left. This is largely due to the subpar plot, which drags on and provides little excitement. The only mildly exciting part was when Pennywise turned into a giant spider at the end of the movie, which was pretty ridiculous after a couple of minutes.

Furthermore, “IT Chapter Two” failed to jump out of the structure of a typical horror movie. All the jump scares were predictable and many of the characters served no purpose other than to add “horror” to the movie. While we thought it was mostly going to be centered around Pennywise, it turned out to be Pennywise’s zombies that took the spotlight. Henry Bowers, the main characters’ bully in “IT,” also makes a return as he escapes jail with a knife and a zombie companion. But after stabbing Eddy in the face and attempting to murder Mike, he ends up being killed after a roughly ten minutes of screentime, with his overall purpose in the movie being a head scratcher. 

Overall, “IT Chapter Two” is approximately three hours that we will never get back. If you are a huge Stephen King fan, it might be worth your time to see the movie. But if you are looking for a horror movie that is as good as the first installment of the franchise was, we recommend you stay away.

The post “IT” is “two” disappointing appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

In the past four years, something interesting has happened to journalism. News has become more sensationalized, facts have become optional and the political spectrum has become more polarized than ever. It’s becoming harder to discern fact from fiction, causing confusion amongst the public.

Conejo Valley is not immune to these trends. Our school board meetings have turned into pit fights, lasting until 1:00 a.m., devoted to censure attempts of board members instead of focusing on the students. The tension is palpable, with liberals and conservatives unwilling to see eye to eye or compromise.

There are some that wish for our student voice to be silent, but it is important now more than ever for us to be heard. The role of the student journalist is to make the news of our school and community accessible to everyone, and the Panther Prowler will continue to do just that. Our goal is not to support one political agenda over another, or to only show the good side of our community, but to surface the truth and report the facts.

Facts are the pinnacle of journalism, and according to Newsweek editor Jonathan Alter, “that is the essence of democracy–open government; the press is a critical part of that, and if in the future we don’t have investigative reporters…we will live in a less democratic America.”

Throughout history, there have been times when the rights and responsibilities of the press have been questioned and challenged. In the 1960s, the Vietnam War led to conflicts between school publications and administration. Articles containing anti-war sentiments were censored, but students found a way to express their opinions with integrity. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the 1969 case “Tinker vs. Des Moines” that protected student expression did not stop at the schoolhouse gate. In 1977, California Education Code 48907 was written into law, guaranteeing students the same rights as professional journalists to freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Under California Ed. Code 48907, student journalists are safe to voice their opinions and cover controversial issues without the fear of being censored. It is essential that high school journalists are able to cover uncomfortable topics that could be relevant to our student body, because it is in high school where we must learn to be adults and we must begin practicing life skills before entering the real world. 

The student editors of the Panther Prowler publication are the ones responsible for assigning and editing content, not administration or the journalism adviser.  Instead the adviser’s role is “to supervise the production of the pupil staff, to maintain professional standards of English and journalism and to maintain the provisions of (the Ed. Code 48907).” 

Just like the brave student journalists that came before us, it is our duty to cover the real issues that impact our community because our students have the right to know what is happening on their campus. 

The post Student voices are meant to be heard appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

The European experience

The Summer of 2019 was full of many exciting experiences for NPHS students. From Northern California to Europe, many educational and enjoyable opportunities have taken place over the past few months. While some people took the summer to improve their talents, such as dance and art, others got to explore the world through immersive experiences throughout Europe and the United States. 

Alyssa Michalek, senior, went on a trip to Europe with Tiffany Coull, history teacher, and four other students during the summer. They visited Germany, Austria and Switzerland over the course of 12 days. Filled with amazing food, cute antique shops and wonderful scenery, Munich was by far Alyssa’s favorite city. 

“In Munich we saw a lot of dogs walking around with leashes, and we learned that they get to go to puppy school, and if they graduate, they get to walk around freely with their owners,” Michalek said. 

Michalek was able to do a variety of activities as they went from one city to another. They took bus rides to a new city everyday. They started from Vienna and continued to other cities such as Salzberg, Freiburg, and Lucerne. They ended their trip in Cologne. 

“It was so cool to wake up everyday and go to completely different cities possibly in completely different countries. There was always something to be looking at, even on the long bus rides, because everything was just so picturesque,” Michalek said. 

Madeline Shain, senior, was also one of the students in Michalek’s group. Shane had heard about the trip from her friends and was eager to join. Her favorite destination was Switzerland. 

“We stayed at this really cool place and you could like hear the cowbells outside. There were like a bunch of cows and it was a super quaint little town we stayed in,” Shain said. 

During the trip, the Europe heat wave reached its peak, setting all time high temperature records in multiple cities, including the city where Shain’s group stayed. The highest temperature reached over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  

While Coull’s group was enjoying their time in Europe, Jenny Wang, senior, went on another educational trip to Europe, with a group led by Keith Brock, swim coach and math teacher. Wang visited many cities in the Mediterranean including Venice, Florence, Rome, Greece and Adelphi in 17 days. 

“I was also interested in the artwork and stuff, especially in Italy. And then I really liked Greek mythology. So going to Greece is really nice for that. And the fact that since he was my swim coach, it made everything so much easier,” Wang said.

Wang and her group stayed the longest in Florence, which gave her the opportunity to learn more about the people and culture. She was given free time to roam around and explore the foriegn cities on her own. 

“The main reason Florence was my favorite was because of all the flea markets and being able to climb the duomo,” Wang said. “But the Mercado central made our visit so much more interesting because it was a giant food court of gourmet Italian food and it was walking distance so every morning we would go there.” 

While Wang enjoyed most of her time in Europe, there were some difficulties she had to face when staying in a foriegn country. 

“One night in Venice, we took the wrong bus back to our hotel and we ended up riding that bus around the entire city for about two hours. It was a really interesting ride since it was about 10 p.m. and all of us weren’t that great with Italian,” Wang said. 

Many people have seen Europe through the media and learned about it in textbooks but these students were able to experience Europe’s culture in person and they fully recommend a summer trip to Europe. 

“It is a one in a lifetime experience. A lot of history was made there. It is a chance to roam around different cities and enjoy the different cultures in each place. It is a very nice break from America,” Wang said.

Outdoor adventures

While some people prefer to spend the entirety of the summer within the confines of society, others enjoy going outside their comfort zone and travel off of the beaten path into the wilderness.

Megan Hague, sophomore, was able to go on an exciting river rafting and hiking trip to Northern California this August. 

“I went to Sacramento for river rafting which was a lot of fun, very adventurous,” Hague said.

 This trip was full of new experiences for Hague; this being her first time going river rafting, as well as camping. “This was my first time camping, camping. We slept in a tent – we normally sleep in a cabin,” Hague said. 

One especially notable memory was an unexpected visitor on their hike through the mountains of Devil’s Peak, California. 

“There was this big stream we had to cross, and then, between the trees, we could see the little bears. So we had to back away and go all the way back,” Hague said. Although it may have cut their hike short, she felt it was an awesome opportunity to see all of the wildlife in nature and her trip was overall a success. 

Matt Lippert, sophomore, Justin McAlister, senior, and Ryan Younes, senior, spent two weeks of their summer at Philmont Scout Ranch, a 140,177 acre “Scouting Paradise” located in New Mexico. Before arriving at Philmont, the Boy Scouts needed to decide on the possible routes and activities the crew could do. Each route was 11 days in duration and had varying distances.

During his time at Philmont, Lippert was able to participate in exciting activities, such as archery, shotgun shooting, blacksmithing and dealing with nature’s unpredictability.

“One time we were caught in the middle of a massive hailstorm, and all 12 of us were all huddled underneath one tarp as the hail fell all around us,” Lippert said. “It was a total bruh moment.”

Lippert, McAllister and Younes went on their desired trek as a part of a crew of 12 people, four adults and eight boy scouts. Along their trek, it seemed as if each day brought a new challenge, which just served to showcase the adversity of the Boy Scouts. 

“The most difficult thing I did over there had to be between navigating through a several mile open field with no trail, or peaking three mountains in one day,” McAlister said. 

Amongst these challenges, the scouts shared funny moments and made several memories. “My favorite memory was on Day nine; it had been raining and hailing on and off the whole trip and most of the guys just decided to lose it for 30 mins during a thunderstorm,” Younes said.  “I just sat back and watched, and I’m never forgetting that.” 

However, it’s not necessary to be a Boy Scout to go on a trek at Philmont. “I would definitely recommend others go to Philmont, since it’s a journey not only physically, but spiritually as well,” McAlister said. “You learn a lot about yourself and your crew when you are faced with two weeks in the wild.”

The Arts

Over the summer, a few students went out of state to expand their knowledge of the arts, as well as enjoying their time spent.

Marie Amelle-Thenoz, senior, went to a summer intensive at Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, Washington. 

“They have a summer training program each year that lasts five weeks in July and some of August. Girls and boys from all over the country and the world ranging from ages 12 to 19, come to pursue ballet training,” Amelle-Thenoz said.

This was Amelle-Thenoz’s second year, and she has progressed to the top level of the program, jumping two levels from last year. Amelle-Thenoz says she not only learned new skills at the training, but also created lasting memories.

“In the highest level, we were required to do all of our ballet classes on pointe, which is considerably harder. I did do a bunch of new scary lifts this summer. I (also) got a lot better at hops on pointe (as well as) être-chat-six,” said Amelle-Thenoz.

“I adored getting to meet so many eclectic people that all have a fiery passion for dance. I also was in love with the dance studios we got to dance in. They are right behind the Space Needle in the Heart of Seattle, and one of the best parts about being in the pre-professional level was being able to have actual professional PNB (Pacific Northwest Ballet) company members,” Amelle-Thenoz said.

Even though Amelle-Thenoz is not completely sure of what she wants in her career, she feels the program prepared her in multiple ways if she wanted to go into that field.

“The program definitely gave me the confidence and assurance to know that if I want to be a dancer, I think I could. Having classes with a variety of different teachers over a short, but packed period of time, taught me that… I needed to be my own teacher and to hold myself to high standards even when the teacher was looking at something else,” Amelle-Thenoz said.

Similarly, another student had witnessed a program involving the arts. Instead of dance, Jack Martino, sophomore, attended Berklee School of Music in Boston over the summer for a rigorous music program. 

“I really just wanted to have the experience of going to the college that I want to go to when I’m done with high school,” Martino said,“I was there for around seven weeks or so. The program itself was five weeks, but there was testing and auditions which took up extra time.”

Martino felt that this program gave him a lot of experience and growth in his musicality. “I learned many new [music] theory concepts along with new perspectives,” Martino said.

Not only did Berklee give him the opportunity to grow, it also allowed him to take matters into his own hands. “I used to write music mainly for other people, but now I more or less write for myself. The people who truly understand you will enjoy your music no matter what, (and) those are the people you want around you,” Martino explained.

In Boston, there were plenty to do for the several weeks Martino had spent there. “Some nights, we’d be out late having parties at the docks, or in my dorm just watching movies with my roomies and friends. I would walk around the city for hours with a friend or two, mostly because I like one on one time with people, (since) it’s more genuine” Martino said.

“Newbury Park and Boston are obviously very different, but when I go back, it will be both for the city and college” Martino said.

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Unified Physical Education, a pilot course, that was to be led by Samantha Stewart, Adaptive Physical Education teacher, has yet to be approved. This physical education class was meant for students with and without disabilities to form a regular PE class in which the students learn about wellness, exercise, healthy eating habits and inclusion. 

The class was supported and approved by Steve Lepire, principal of NPHS, yet the class could not run its course this semester. There was concern about the students getting the necessary amount of minutes dedicated to their support if Stewart was to take on both groups of students. Lepire noted there would have to be two teachers for this course, one for the general education students, along with Stewart for the special education students. 

“In order to run the class the proper way to ensure that all students and adaptive physical education received their required minutes, we would have to have a general ed teacher and an adaptive PE teacher into the unified PE class. The reason why we need to have a general education teacher in there is to make sure that the students that are in there because of their adaptive physical education class, is to ensure they receive all their minutes that are required and in their IEP (Individualized Education Program) by their physical education teacher. The class is postponed until we can find a way to run the class effectively,” Lepire said.

Stewart has many goals for the class and wanted to focus on inclusion and getting more students involved in the special education program. 

“Through this course and having inclusion, and our school does an awesome job with our Unified Sports, Panther Pals, all of that, we are inclusive, but it’s stepping it up another notch,” Stewart said.

Another supporter of the Unified Physical Education class is Anne Alvarez, a teacher for the severely handicapped. Alvarez believes the class would be beneficial to both special education and general education students.

“I think our students would have worked harder to reach goals that they thought might have been beyond them, but now they say ‘Oh I can do this if someone’s with me.’ I think that they would have felt better about themselves and communicated better with the kids around campus, and I think the kids around campus would have communicated better with our students,” Alvarez said.

Stewart and Alvarez are going to continue pushing for the class to happen in the upcoming second semester. This class would also help to inform and teach students about inclusion and how they should interact with and treat students with disabilities.

Despite the class being postponed, the Unified Sports Club is another outlet for students to interact and connect. This club is led by Jennifer Finger, junior and club president, and is participating in upcoming Unified Sports tournaments in kickball, basketball, etc.

Austin Moncourtois, sophomore and student in Stewart’s adaptive physical education class, was going to be a part of this new course, and is a member of the Unified Sports Club.

“I like competing against the other teams and just playing with my teammates and all that. I am upset that we didn’t get to do that because I was looking forward to playing on the team,” Moncourtois said.

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Guess who this issue’s featured teacher is! Here are the five clues:

1. They lift weights five times a week.
2. They love to relax on beaches in Hawaii.
3. They love to teach Lord of the Flies for its lessons on human nature.
4. They graduated from CSU Northridge.
5. They have a stash of chocolate in their room at all times.

If you are the first to guess correctly, you’ll be mentioned in the next issue!

Click on the link to the Google form below to guess!

https://forms.gle/qQBr26iMBSZtPhoDA

The post Guess this teacher! appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

Once again, the maniacal laughter and criminal lunacy of the Joker makes it to the big screen. Joaquin Phoenix dons the purple suit and makeup for the character’s first-ever solo film. Following the amazing performance of the late Heath Ledger in “The Dark Night”, Phoenix had lots to measure up to.  

Phoenix’s performance was nothing short of genuinely creepy. Certain scenes had the audience clenching their fists, wondering if the Joker would kill the next guy or not. Ledger gave us a taste of a theatrical psychopath, whereas Phoenix took the route of an abandoned, deranged criminal.

The film follows the origins of the Joker, never before explored in DC cinema. The audience witnesses an innocent, mentally ill man, Arthur Fleck, fall to his demons, slowly losing his sanity. A series of unfortunate events causes a chain reaction, ultimately leading to the creation of his alter-ego. Beginning with the loss of his job, followed by the death of his mother and ending with a tainted lifetime idol, each successive event makes Fleck resent society more and more. 

As for Phoenix’s portrayal of the Joker, once the persona is fully developed and introduced, it is somewhat inconsistent. At times it follows the original comic book interpretation of the character: an anarchist clown whose “jokes” mainly consist of killing people.The Joker can be seen dancing down a flight of stairs, and then running from the cops while laughing the entire time. 

Phoenix’s character strays from the comic book Joker in that he pursues a goal: he wants revenge against a society that abandoned him. Having a goal-oriented Joker strips an important aspect from the character. The original concept of the Joker was a criminal lunatic with no goal in mind but to “watch the world burn”, as Michael Cain put it perfectly. The mystery that shrouded the Joker before has also been stripped away, because now the fans know his origin story.

In this sense, Phoenix’s performance cannot live up to Ledgers, but it still may be the closest thing we’ve seen. Because of the different approaches to the character, and the wide interpretations of the Joker’s motives, it is hard to compare the two actors. Each brings their unique perspective to the role, and each gives a different performance.

Overall, “The Joker” was a great film. I would give it an 8/10 due to the lack of anarchy and mystery surrounding Joker. There are a healthy amount of easter eggs that have the fans anticipating what’s to come. It is a must-watch for any comic book fan.

The post Joaquin Phoenix does not disappoint in The Joker appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

At the second annual Conejo Pride Festival, the community gathered once again to show their support for the LGBTQ community. The festival took place on Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in front of the Civic Arts Plaza. 

On the field, many booths were set up for merchants, political parties and support organizations. Performances were also held at the event which included drag queens, the Trans Chorus of LA and the LGBTQ Country Line Dancers. American Idol’s David Hernandez and Effie Passero also made an appearance in the finale. 

Betty Black, performer, was a drag queen who danced to the song “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from the musical “Dreamgirls.” While Black has been to many pride festivals in the past, this is her first time participating as a performer. She decided to give a performance because she saw this as an opportunity to give back to the community. She loves to perform in her free time to share her art with other people and put smiles on their faces. 

“The most meaningful part of this is that we are all coming together as a community, because there is so much going on in the world. We are just spreading love here and that’s what I love about it,” Black said. 

Emily Wells, organizer of Free Mom Hugs, led a group of volunteers to give free hugs to people as they walked into the festival. Free Mom Hugs was first started by a mom whose son came out to her but was struggling as the community was not accepting of him. She posted a Facebook post offering to be a stand-in mom at same-sex marriages. As the post went viral, she started the organization Free Mom Hugs. 

“We go to any event where someone can organize. We get volunteers, parents of different genders and races. We have some who are in the LGBTQ community and the rest are parents of LGBT. And we are here, we are encouraging, we try to create a safe space and just to give a hug,” Wells said. 

For Jamie Jewett, senior, this was her first pride festival. Jewett read about the festival on Facebook and decided to come experience the festival for herself. 

“This shows me that people are really making an effort and trying to do something. So it is just good for me to see that this is going on,” Jewett said. 

The post Conejo Pride shines its colors appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

Katie O’Neill is a busy teacher. Between coaching Speech and Debate and Mock Trial, leading the science center, and teaching IB Chemistry, O’Neill has a lot on her plate. Fortunately, I was able to sit down with her with a few minutes and discuss her time at NPHS as a teacher.

When and how did you know you wanted to become a teacher?

“It’s something I’d kind of always thought about it, but was scared to kind of jump into, and just kind of talking about with my boyfriend and our future and just changing a job into a career, I couldn’t think of anything else I really wanted to do. Even going through the teaching program it was really scary because I have this giant fear of public speaking, and so in my teaching classes I would cry before giving speeches and stuff, so I was still not sure it was for me, but then my first week teaching was honestly one of the best weeks of my life ever, and so it was something that from the moment I started doing it I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

What has been your all-time favorite experience while teaching?

“I love when kids get excited because they’ve figured something out, struggling with it and working and asking questions, but then when they actually get excited because it clicks, that moment, I could live for that moment every day.”

What are some of your hobbies outside of work?

“I actually just bought a mountain bike and I’ve been trying to take it out on the trails behind my house, and I live over at Mission Oaks, and so we’ve been doing a lot of exploring on mountain bike and getting used to it. So before that, I hadn’t ridden a bike since I was like 12, so it’s a lot of fun.”

Can you describe one moment of validation in your teaching profession?

I think any little thing I see where my students are successful makes me feel like I’m doing something to help them. If I had to pick one shining moment, there was one student that graduated last year that got her extended essay accepted by the city of Thousand Oaks, in terms of helping reduce energy emissions and stuff like that. It was really cool. It was something she was inspired by when I had her as a freshman, we did a debate on nuclear energy, and it really sparked her interest in renewable energy and she started a whole foundation on it, and just seeing her really take the idea and run with it and be really successful in science is kind of like, She’s gonna change the world one day, I know she is. She already is, so just seeing that come to life has been really cool.

What is your proudest moment as a teacher?

That’s a hard one. I mean, I’m proud all the time. Especially, I think, having a difficult class, for lack of a better term, a class that doesn’t seem to be buying in as much, and then being able to kind of turn that around and get them interested in loving science again, seeing the class as a whole kind of turn around, it makes me feel like I’ve figured it out myself. But aside from that, you know, I’m always proud of my students, seeing students struggle and then turn that around into success always makes me feel really proud of them.

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His videos can be found on PTV, or even on YouTube. But regardless of where they are found, Jack Muir’s skills as a video producer are indisputable.

Muir, senior, began making videos in the fourth grade, dabbling around here and there with his friends. Everything changed, however, when he took the digital video production class at NPHS. Now, with his clips broadcast to a large audience, Muir felt he had to step up his game. 

“I used my junior year to be creative and make all the videos that I wanted, which is where I found my passion for video production,” Muir said. 

In addition to his videos for PTV, Muir carries on his passion at home. When he edits the videos, which he says is his favorite part, Muir stitches together all the various parts into a coherent story.

“Some of my favorite projects are the video I made for the Panther Pit on the Panther Pit Instagram, the basketball highlight edits I made for my friends, and the Panther TV story on Drew Magnante,” Muir said. 

He applies the knowledge he learned in class, as well as his practical knowledge that he learned himself, to improve his videos. A fan-favorite, “A Day in the Life of Nikhil Patel,” available to watch on YouTube, exemplified his skills and dedication, adding his own creativity to the video, while still keeping a professional look.

“Jack has an extremely strong work ethic, as he often stays up late at night in the studio, editing and working on his films,” Dean Magnante, senior, said.

Magnante believes that the video about Nikhil Patel was “legendary,” expressing his own disbelief at Muir’s skills as he talked about them. Having been friends with Muir and Patel for many years, Magnante could fully appreciate the masterpiece that unfolded before him. He followed the journey from conception to publication.

“I think he has made so much progress since that video and I cannot wait to see what’s next. He really is a beast when it comes to making videos,” Patel said. 

As the star for many of Muir’s productions, Patel can directly attest to his skill, dedication and passion. “Once he gets started on something nobody can make him stop until the task is done. I’ve known him for about 6 years and he does not like to quit,” Patel said.

Muir’s dedication to video production is no easy task, however, and requires a lot of his time. After the successes of rap sensation, “Lil J”, earlier this year, many fans have been demanding new music, but Muir has put his up-and-coming rap career on hold for his video productions.

“I promise that I will come back soon and better than ever. Maybe a sick music video will come out soon too,” Muir said. 

The fans are waiting, Lil J. The fans will be waiting.

The post Jack Muir scales up his audience appeared first on Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School.

In a world where people need to be held accountable for their actions, where racism, homophobia, and all around bigotry have no place, Urban Outfitters, with their ridiculous business model and continuous scandals, simply does not make the cut, and no one is talking about it.

Urban Outfitters (UO) has been provoking controversy for years, its most notable scandal being in September 2014, the selling of a “vintage” faux blood stained Kent State sweatshirt, directly referencing the Kent State massacre of 1970. Referencing a horrific mass shooting like this is deeply disturbing and disgusting. 

The company also has a history of making products incredibly offensive to just about every ethnicity. In April 2012, UO was sold shirts reminiscent of what Jews wore during the Holocaust, only pulling it after many were offended. The shirt designer’s response was simply that the shirt was not meant to be for sale, which begs the question: why was it even designed to begin with? Three years later, UO released a gray striped tapestry with pink triangles, similar to what gay men wore in concentration camps. Other ethnic groups that have been attacked by UO’s products include Irish-Americans, African-Americans,Native Americans, Indian-Americans and Mexican-Americans.

Urban Outfitters also has a history of romanticizing mental illness and addiction. In 2010, after major backlash from eating disorder activists, UO was forced to remove a shirt with the words “Eat Less.” In 2016, both a “Shampoo for Suicidal Hair” and a crop top covered with the word “depression,” both of which were later pulled in 2016, turned the dangerous mental illness into a trendy fashion statement. A line of prescription bottle themed items romanticizing prescription drug abuse, such as glasses and flasks, was removed in 2013.

The worst part of this is that whenever UO is caught in the act, they seldom issue an apology. When they do, it’s usually the “sorry, not sorry” type. This conduct is severely overlooked by this generation, primarily because UO’s target audience is the privileged white teens who are ignorant to prejudice because it doesn’t affect them or they only care about the “aesthetic appeal” of the brand.

Many articles suggest that the cause of UO’s recurring immoral behavior is a PR strategy to make the company look edgy because, obviously, being racist is the new quirky. Other articles attribute it to pure negligence. However, after the outrageous number of run-ins UO has had, it’s fair to conclude that such incidents are not accidental. 

In a way, it is the perfect plan. With privileged consumers buying products for the brand uner the impression that it’s fun and trendy, they are promoting this bigoted agenda, unknownst to themselves. We should be holding UO accountable and boycotting them for this behavior.

Although Urban Outfitters is not the only company to have its share of controversies, given its immense popularity among teens, it is currently one of the most significant. But It is so easy not to support this odious brand, because there are a large number of alternatives. The best one that equally fits the aesthetic? Thrifting. Not only can it carry the same vibe as a piece of clothing from UO, but it is also a form of sustainable shopping, which is good for the environment. Plus, you do not have to worry about carrying the weight of those whose oppression you have endorsed to buy a pair of jeans that are overpriced anyway.

Young people are starting to become more educated about social-political conflicts and oppression fueled by large corporations, which has caused more people to speak out about it. But it takes a larger, collective effort. We need to become aware enough to hold people and corporations accountable even when it is not convenient for us. Urban Outfitters, unfortunately, has not received this kind of and I implore everyone to help spark the change.

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The Conejo Schools Foundation (CSF) will not be registering as a booster this fiscal year. CSF will now operate solely under the CVUSD bylaws by the board of education, as stated in policy 1260, in order to maintain official business with the school district. CSF has always been under this policy, however they are no longer going to be recognized as a booster program.

The policy is meant to allow CSF to support CVUSD financially and with programs such as the GetAhead program run by CSF which lasts 24.5 days. It also explicitly states that even though an outside organization may support CVUSD, the two are completely separate from a legal standpoint. School board policy 1260 states, “The Board recognizes that an educational foundation is a separate legal entity, independent of the district.” 

When the foundation first started, it was registered as a booster because it did not initially carry its own insurance, but that changed before they obtained their WASC accreditation when they acquired insurance and because the district no longer required it. A booster organization is a non-profit organization that’s goal is to support a club, entity, or organization and will often times hold events to raise money and help promote their cause. Despite the fact that CSF obtained their own insurance, their classification as a booster continued.

Mike Soules, the president of CSF, spoke at the school board meeting on Sept. 17, trying to clarify any misconceptions about the organization’s former classification. “It was important to sign the booster agreement so that we had coverage in terms of our liability and also being covered in terms of being recognized as a booster organization,” he said. 

Cindy Goldberg, school board member and executive director of CSF, said, “There was no CVUSD Board Policy in place and the District wanted to be able to codify the relationship. (The booster agreement) was the only mechanism available at that time. It never was intended to, nor did it in actuality, operate as a traditional booster club.” 

 At recent board meetings, community members like Amy Chen, a candidate who lost in the 2018 CVUSD school board election, shared their concerns about CSF’s designation. Chen asked the board to compare the treatment of the Thousand Oaks Chinese School with CSF saying that “(the Chinese school) is charged $70K… so (CSF gets $550K) of our taxpayer money, while another nonprofit has to pay above and beyond the direct costs to the district.” 

Dr. Victor Hayek, Assistant Superintendent of Business, said that, “the chinese school is on there but the csf is not” referring to the blinded list of the direct cost of each organization, and that the Thousand Oaks Chinese school was and CSF was not on the list. The list was brought up in a presentation by Hayek, and it presented the direct cost of each organization and the facilities it uses, however it did not mention the name of the organization, and as Dr. Hayek stated, CSF was not on the blinded list.

CSF’s GetAhead program is a WASC-accredited (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) program that hires its own teachers and principal, pays for the space they use, exists as a separate entity from CVUSD, and only uses school facilities in the summer for 24.5 days. In addition, the school district receives the money that CSF pays from rent.

As Goldberg stated, CSF will continue to “support programs and schools within the CVUSD, provide Cash4Conejo Classrooms grants, offer programs such as the All District Music Festival, Tedx youth conejo, parent/guardian education workshops, and many other enrichment opportunities for students, teachers, and families.”

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