Panther Closet supplies additional resources for students in need
Recently created by Celia Ortiz and Tracey McTigue, the Newbury Park High School [NPHS] Panther Closet will play a major role in assisting students with basic necessities, such as clothing and food, through donations from the community. While the district-wide Conejo Closet has been a large support for students since 2019, and will continue to be, the Panther Closet will allow students to obtain donations much more quickly.
Ortiz, NPHS School Social Worker and counselor for the Newcomer Academy, has been working at NPHS for three years, and has dedicated space in her office for donated items for students who need them. With the creation of the Panther Closet, this corner in her office will expand into its own room in the Wellness Center. “[McTigue and I] hope that students utilize [the Panther Closet], and we hope that they’re able to access it. But also by having [the Panther Closet] here, [it] is a way of us showing that we will try to meet [students’] needs in any way that we can,” Ortiz said.
As a resource for the entirety of the Conejo Valley Unified School District [CVUSD], Conejo Closet has been supporting students for nearly six years, and has expanded significantly in recent years to adjust to the rising number of families in need. Amber Bowman, Coordinator for CVUSD Student Support Services, has been working with the Conejo Closet since it first started, serving the essential needs of more than 1,500 students across the community. “The Conejo Closet is incredibly beneficial because it directly addresses equity and basic needs for students and families within the school district, allowing students to focus on their education rather than their lack of basic necessities,” Bowman said.
Assisting in the creation and organization of the Panther Closet, McTigue, the lead mental health clinician in the Wellness Center, assesses the importance of the program for those experiencing some sort of financial loss. “When it comes to how we can support students, hopefully we can lighten some of that mental load that they’re carrying. Because when we’re feeling stressed, that can bring the anxiety, that can lead into depression, it really can just go down that road,” McTigue said.
Today, the Panther Closet is flooded with hundreds of donated items, from pajamas to toiletries, making daily essentials available to students on campus. “We want to acknowledge how amazing our community has been in these donations when the email was sent out by Mr. Lepire,” Ortiz said.
