Flashback Friday 1984
The Panther Prowler is celebrating its 50th year of being published, so we are going to turn back the clock to 1984: the 16th year of this newspaper on-campus.
The year of the rat in the Chinese Zodiac, it was an eventful period full of historical marks. Key events include the first MTV Music Award ceremony, Los Angeles hosting the Summer Olympics, and the PG-13 rating being introduced in culture for television shows and movies.
The first MTV Music Awards aired from Radio City Music Hall and Michael Jackson stole the show with his creative dance moves, such as the moonwalk, and his popular songs that invigorated people everywhere. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” won three moonmen for his music video that differed from any other.
One major event occurring in the community was discussion of building the Conejo Teen Center. Many people were for this renovation to the community and it was originally proposed in 1982.
The creation of the Teen Center would provide youths with the opportunity to have facilities for themselves. The proponents of the creation of the Teen Center made petitions for the City Council to see, gaining over 2,000 signatures of support. If the Teen Center was built, it would house Interface, Conejo Youth Employment and Safe Rides for teens.
Interface is a program that helps combat child abuse and was established in 1973, and teaches children what to do when they are in a dangerous situation or around a dangerous person.
The Conejo Youth Employment Services is a non-profit organization that helps students create a resume and practice job interviews. This service has been around for almost 50 years and also gives students opportunities for internships in the community.
Safe Rides is out of Santa Clarita and focusses on giving rides to teens to avoid drinking and driving on Fridays and Saturdays between 10:00 pm and 2:00 am. This group is non-profit and works to prevent car accidents and deaths by giving teens a service to call that is safe.
The Council held a public hearing to determine if the Teen Center would be housed in the building of the old Oaks Library. The Teen Center did have competition for its place in the building– the Arts Council also wanted to be housed in that building.
Another major event that occurred during 1984 was the building of the Panther spirit mural. This mural is one of the biggest on-campus and is located in the quad. The mural cost $30,000 to create and was sponsored by the Student Body.
The Panther spirit mural is still the major piece of art in the quad and is now an icon on-campus. Many students take pictures in front of it after graduating because it symbolizes everything that the high school stands for. Many pieces of art have been added to the campus after its creation and it stills stands out from all of the others.
The Panther spirit mural has been around since 1984 and is still an important part of the school today. The mural displays the crest of the school with swords, rings and a panther at the top. The piece is iconic with its lively colors and unique design. The school spent $30,000 to create this piece of art for the students. The Student Body covered the cost of the mural for construction. After the creation of this mural, many pieces of art have been created.
