Newbury Park High School

Newbury Park High School
Location
Newbury Park, California, USA
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1967
Principal	Athol Wong
Faculty	106
Number of students	2,450
School Color(s)	black, gold
Athletics	45 Teams
Mascot	Panther
Website	NPHS

Newbury Park High School, founded in 1967, is a co-educational public high school located in Newbury Park, California. Newbury Park High School has approximately 2,320 students, 101 faculty, and 62 staff as of the 2006-2007 year. Newbury Park is an International Baccalaureate World School and home of the Panthers.

NPHS was named a recipient of the No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon School award in 2006.

General information

Newbury Park High School, a "California Distinguished School" and International Baccalaureate World School, is one of three four-year comprehensive high schools in the Conejo Valley Unified School District. Newbury Park High School is located in Newbury Park, California, about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles and fifty-five miles southeast of Santa Barbara. The school was built in 1967.

Newbury Park High School provides a well-balanced curriculum for every student. The high school offers an intensive block schedule that includes three ninety-five-minute class periods plus two fifty-five-minute class periods, one at the beginning and one at the end of the school day. Instructional levels include International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, Honors, College Prep, Standard, and Basic. Unique needs are met through GATE, English Language Development, Special Day, and Vocational Education programs.

Academics

NPHS was a 2006 Winner.

The school distinguishes itself academically with its International Baccalaureate diploma program. Being the only International Baccalaureate school in Ventura County, Newbury Park attracts students looking to further broaden their education beyond the Honors and Advanced Placement curriculum. Newbury Park graduates are well prepared for college. In the 2007 graduating class, Newbury Park sent students to many distinguished schools including Yale, Stanford, Oxford, Brown, Northwestern, Caltech, Georgetown, MIT and Johns Hopkins University to name a few. In addition, many Newbury Park graduates go on to attend one of the UC or Cal State Universities.

In 2006, NPHS underwent a technological overhaul including the addition of new computers and the introduction of Zangle. Implemented at the beginning of the 2006-2007 academic year, Zangle is an online system for parents to access their child's attendance and grade information.

NPHS has a technology academy on campus known as the Digital Arts and Technology Academy, or "DATA." This program is for sophomores, juniors and seniors. The students are enrolled in English, Social Science, Science, and a Technology class together.

Clubs and teams

Newbury Park High School has 44 academic teams and clubs. The Interact Club, a social service club sponsored by Rotary International, is the largest club on campus^{[citation needed]} with over one hundred members (www.nphsinteract.org). The Fencing Club is one of the longest surviving clubs on campus with over 20 sustained members. Hosted by Mr. Flaherty, they hold fencing bouts in the school cafeteria after school on Wednesdays. In addition, NPHS is home to seven competitive academic teams including: Academic Decathlon, Academic Competitions, Model United Nations, Future Business Leaders of America, Junior State of America, Mock Trial, and Speech and Debate. Speech and Debate and Mock Trial are known for routinely winning competitions at both state and regional levels. Future Business Leaders of America, although relatively recent, has already placed many members in sectional, state and national competition. In 2009, the Mock Trial team placed first in Ventura County, and seventh in the State of California. In 2010, the team took second place in Ventura County, despite a second victory over former county champion La Reina High School, and a perfect win/loss record. In its four year history, the Academic Competitions Club has also had perennial success including three first place awards and one second place award at the Geo Bowl and top finishes at the WorldQuest competitions. The Model United Nations Club has attended several regional simulations, where it has won many awards for outstanding presentation and research. Hogwarts Club has become a popular club on campus where people who share the same love for Harry Potter can come and express their excitement for all things Harry Potter. Other clubs include the Key Club, Natural and Organic Foods Club, Art Club, Multicultural Club, Red Cross Club, American Cancer Society Club, Animal Welfare Club, FHA-HERO, Invisible Children, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Club, Drama Club, Equestrian Club, Robotics Club, etc. Academic recognition clubs include both the National Honors Society and the California Scholarship Federation.

Lacrosse

The Newbury Park High School Panthers Lacrosse program was created in 2005. Initially, the program was only given 'club' status, no different than many of the other clubs mentioned above, yet in the Panthers 2009-2010 season, the team was finally given CIF status and became an officially recognized, school-sponsored varsity sport. While under the 'club-team' designation, the team could not affiliate itself with the school, and thus took on the name "Newbury Park Prowlers." In their first season of play, the Prowlers went 0-12, losing all twelve regular season games. After gaining a new head coach for the Prowlers second season, the team fought hard throughout the season and ended the 2006-2007 season with a 6-7 record. The Prowlers were ousted from the league finals in their overtime loss to rival team Westlake Village. The Prowlers third season of play accelerated the club into the local news spotlight. The varsity squad was projected into the club lacrosse state championships, losing to West Valley and becoming a state semifinalist. Coming back ever stronger, the Prowlers completed their fourth season with several accomplishments, including the 2009 SCLA League Champions (defeating rival school Thousand Oaks High School), as well as beating number one seeded Petaluma High School 8-7 and winning the California State Club championship. The Prowlers fifth season was one of change; the team was granted varsity, CIF status, allowing the team to change their name to affiliate their school in compliance with CIF rules. The Prowlers (now the Panthers) had a successful year, finishing 10-4, yet were eliminated in double overtime from the Southern Section Playoffs semifinal game. The Panthers, now in their sixth season, are rebuilding after losing many senior players.

Football

The Panthers last league victory was in 2007. Since then, the school has yet to win any titles except for their freshman (2011) squad, who won best coaching staff and placed in 2nd place in the marmonte league. The school has a very bright future in football. The upcoming freshman squad had the #1 ranked defense in the league and #3 ranked offense.

Major Championships

Baseball CIF Champion 1968, Swimming CIF Champion 1979, Wrestling State Runner Up 1984-85, Football CIF Champions 1993, Women's Basketball CIF Chanmpion and Southern California State Champions 1995

School Spirit

Newbury Park High School has, over the years, greatly increased the student participation in school activities and sporting events. Each grade level has a class color (red, blue, green or orange) that are worn on rally days. The Associated Student Government puts on many spirit days before events like Homecoming and Prom. Recently, the "Panther Pit," a new club consisting of many members of the student population, will wear black and gold and go to many sporting events to cheer on their fellow classmates.

Publications

The Panther Prowler Newspaper is Newbury Park High School's official student-produced newspaper. The Prowler is distributed during third period every three weeks. The twelve page newspaper has two pages of news, two pages of opinion, two pages of features, a double page spread, two pages of entertainment and two pages of sports. The Prowler focuses on events and issues that pertain to the student body of Newbury Park High School.

The Panther Prowler Newspaper won 4th place Best of Show for the 9-12 page category at the 2009 JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention. The Prowler competes for the Ventura County Star Best of High School Journalism and Internet Awards and participates in the TCJEA Competition every spring; the Prowler Staff has won numerous awards from the aforementioned competitions.

Performing arts

NPHS features several programs in the Performing Arts. They include an instrumental music program, a colorguard associated with the band program, a well-developed choral department.

The choral department features a large Concert Choir, a smaller Chamber Choir, and a Womens' Ensemble. All choirs consistently rank highly at Heritage Music Festivals, most recently winning gold awards in New York City.

The NPHS performing arts department was given a boost with the construction of a new performing arts center. The performing arts center, or PAC, is used for both performing arts events and school assemblies.

The school prides itself of their top-ranked Band and Pageantry which have won WBA California State Championships in 2003, 2005, and 2006. (In addition winning the WBA awards of first place Percussion in 2003 and 2006, and first place Colorguard in 2003 and 2006 at the WBA State Championships) From 2003 through 2006 the marching band only lost one competition within their division (2004 WBA Championships they placed 3rd to two northern California bands) At the WGASC Regional AA Championships they received: silver in 2005, gold in 2006, and bronze in 2007. In 2004 and 2005 the Drumline was also a finalist and placed in the top 10 both years at the WGI World Championships in the Scholastic A division. In a four year period, the marching band, colorguard, and drumline earned 3 State Marching Band Championships, 2 Fall Colorguard Championships, 2 Fall Percussion Championships, Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals for the Winterguard, and 2 time finalist at the WGI World Championships.

The NPHS drama program, also known as the "Panther Players", is known for its high quality productions. Recently, productions of Aida, Damn Yankees, Bye Bye Birdie, and The Sound of Music have been put on by the Panther Players at the school's Performing Arts Center.

Recently in 2008, NPHS choral department traveled to Seattle for the Heritage Festival of Gold and brought home seven awards: Gold first to Concert Choir, gold first to Chamber Singers, Boys tenors and bass group, Most spirit of Seattle, Adjudicator's Choice, Best Representatives of their Community, and Invitation to participate in any Gold Festival in the nation. Gold ratings are 90% and higher.

The NPHS Dance Department produces two dance concerts each year in the PAC: one in winter (usually December), and one in spring (usually April). The programs are themed and often include stage decorations, hand props, and elaborate costumes. The shows feature dance numbers from all components of the Dance Department, including the competitive dance team, the all-male dance team, the P.E. Dance Class, and the International Baccalaureate World Studies Dance Class. The show also features comedic skits by student actors between many dance numbers. It is generally a high-tech show, with extravagant lighting and fog effects, microphones, and a powerful sound system.

NPHS also offers a Technical Theatre course designed to expose students to the many jobs and activities of a production team. Students enrolled in the class serve as the technical crew for the school's major events and performances in the PAC.

Community involvement

Newbury Park High School has been aided by the generous donations of numerous sponsors around the community. Most notably, Amgen (formerly Applied Molecular Genetics), has been a key donor in helping build new state of the art facilities on campus. This includes a new FieldTurf football field and a performing arts center. Amgen has also provided the science department with a PCR lab kit, allowing students to experiment with DNA testing and microbiology.

In addition, Newbury Park has received money from the new housing development Dos Vientos. In a controversial decision, revenues from the Dos Vientos community were split among the three high schools in the Conejo Valley, even though the majority of Dos Vientos students attend NPHS.

Swine Flu

On May 4 2009, due to a swine flu infection from a student, Newbury Park High School was closed. On May 6 2009, the school was reopened.

Notable alumni

• Jordan Cameron: Tight End, Cleveland Browns
• Scott Horowitz: NASA Astronaut, Colonel USAF
• Belinda Carlisle: Vocalist for The Go-Go's
• Carah Faye Charnow: Singer/songwriter: Shiny Toy Guns and Versant
• James C. Dykstra: Offensive Lineman, Stanford Cardinals
• Kassem G: Comedian/Actor
• Giselle Fernandez: Newscaster, TV co-host of Access Hollywood
• Ryan Hurley: The inspiration for the Television show "Man Vs. Food" on the Travel Channel
• Robert Fick: Major League Baseball player with notable spells at the Detroit Tigers and the Atlanta Braves
• Tyler Johnson: Relief Pitcher for 2006 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals
• Heather Locklear: Actress, filmstar
• Jason Narvy: Actor who portrayed "Skull" on Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
• Andrew Smith: Author of "Ghost Medicine" and "In the Path of Falling Objects."
• Will Svitek: Offensive Lineman, Atlanta Falcons
• Brittany Ashton Holmes: Actress in The Little Rascals

External links

• Newbury Park High School Website
• NPHS: Official Athletic Website