Author: adviser

  • Bandersnatch Review

    The Netflix series Black Mirror released the first interactive episode on the streaming platform on December 28, 2018.

    In this film, viewers are able to make decisions for the main character, Stefan Butler. Stefan is a 19 year old programmer who is creating his first video game, entitled “Bandersnatch,” in the year 1984. The choices start out light and fun like getting to choose what Stefan eats for breakfast, but over time they become more horrid and gruesome, some decisions involve selecting who you wish to murder and how to take care of the body. Each decision you make for Stefan leaves him feeling more and more out of his own control, driving him insane. The movie has 12 possible endings and it takes about 2 hours to unlock each possible ending. Once the viewer has reached a new ending, a new layer is added to the story or you can choose to skip the credits. There is about 300 minutes worth of footage for the entire Bandersnatch movie.

    I personally found the movie amazing but in a psychotic way. Throughout the viewing of the interactive episode, it occurred to me that the creators of this movie, and overall the show, had to be on some serious drugs in order to come up with the concept of the movie. In shorter terms, the creators basically said to themselves, “I’m going to create a movie where the viewer makes decisions for the main character while the main character becomes paranoid that someone is making decisions for him.”

    The movie ended up breaking the internet and became Twitter’s number 1 trending topic the days following its release. The show definitely changed the way TV shows and movies will be developed in the future.

    5 out of 5 stars!

  • Poly Jackrabbits Pin Down The Victory

    On January 10, boys varsity wrestling took on Lakewood in the Big Gym at Poly, and it was provided high energy entertainment for those that came to watch.

    Twelve exhilarating matches took place from weight groups 106 pounds to 235 pounds. Poly took the dub winning 8 out of 11 matches played against the fierce Lakewood Lancers. The majority of the matches were won by pins rather than points which just goes to shows how hungry varsity boys wrestling wanted the victory.

    Each match was filled with a fluctuating amount of emotions especially sophomore wrestler Zong Lo’s match. Weighing in at 152 pounds Zong showed some struggle closing in the match, but nonetheless Zong won by pinning his opponent. Zong, just a sophomore, wrestling at varsity states, “I felt nervous,” but since he had his team cheering him on, “I had courage!”

    Zong’s senior brother Chang Lo was another wrestler that night. Chang definitely has a more aggressive style, continually going after the opponent and eventually winning by a pin. The four year wrestling veteran trained so hard that, “it looks like they’re the one under performing.”

    Adrian Villicana also came out with a win that night not by a pin, but by points. You can score points for your match by escaping when your opponent has on the mat (1PT), taking your opponent on to the mat (2PT), when your opponent has you down on the mat and you come from underneath and gain control of your opponent (2PT), or when your opponent commits an illegal action such as stalling or an illegal hold. At the end of 3 rounds and no pin, Villicana had more points, winning the match.

    Closing out the night was David Cortez, a sophomore who competed in the heavyweight class. Using your weight to your advantage in wrestling is a key factor to pinning your opponent because you can easily weigh your opponent down. Cortez won that night by pin and even though he won the match he states he was, “impatient,” and, “nervous.”

    Altogether, Poly varsity boys won the night and hope to do the same in the upcoming matches, meets, and tournaments upcoming this spring semester.

  • Copyrighted Europe

    The European Parliament voted in favor of starting a new law to stop the spread of copyrighted material over the internet. These new laws are known as Articles 11 and 13. Article 13 is what will take away all copyrighted materials from social media platforms. Article 11, known as the “link tax” law, is where Google companies will now have to start paying publishers for including links in their articles. Together, these articles will tear apart the online network.

    This law has always existed, but things are becoming more drastic as it is now taking place among bigger platforms such as: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc. What this means is that there will no longer be any “repost” of things on said platforms.

    This new law will leave a large amount of people in huge devastation. Have you ever seen a show or person you really admire and come across a fanmade video of them or it? That’s gone now. Because of this new law, the person who put their heart and creativity is now banned from making the things they love. YouTubers will also be hugely impacted by this. Many will most likely end up losing their jobs and as a result, there will no longer be any interacting with idols. Ever heard of the conventions, VidCon, PAX East, and West? Those will be put at risk and might end up having little to no people attend. Last but not least, online comedy; also gone. All you meme lovers will no longer be able to spread some laughter worldwide.

    Thus, the internet will no longer be the same if these articles get passed. Why are there not more people who know about this? There should really be more people who show an interest or care on the topic. Even if this doesn’t affect you, just imagine what it would feel like if it did.

  • Is Poly Woke Enough?

    Poly is known as one of the most diverse schools in Long Beach, but are we really living up to that reputation? Diversity is what makes this school one of a kind the main reason why I am proud to be a jackrabbit. Throughout my experience at Poly one thing I have noticed is the decrease in participation of clubs based on culture. After speaking with Poly alumni, many have also seen the drastic decline in cultural representation from when they were once high schoolers. As I freshman, I remember the beautiful dances put on by the Polynesian club and rallies for Latino heritage month.

    Now that I am a senior, I can see that there is a struggle to keep these clubs alive. Is it through the lack of publicity? Do students believe expressing their culture is no longer important? Is our workload too heavy to even consider extracurriculars that aren’t STEM related? Or are students in general no longer proud of their heritage? There are so many reasons as to why students shy away from expressing themselves on campus, but there needs to be a change.

    I believe that culture is essential to becoming more intune with who we are and is something that should be embraced because it is what makes us unique. Our upbringing has a huge impact on how we view the world around us and allows us to feel involved in a community. Without clubs like: Black Student Union, Lation Empowerment in Action, La Onda, Khmer Girls in Action, we would have limited outlets to express ourselves at school. These clubs allow people of all different ethnicities to come together and celebrate heritage. Together our voices can be heard and we can educate others in a way that feels interactive. It is a chance for us to look at history beyond a textbook and take a chance to make connections within our school community.

    Many students feel like they don’t have a community within their school, that school is simply just a place we are forced to go to every day. That doesn’t have to be the case, by joining clubs we can make friends and grow closer to people we see everyday. From personal experience, the more I surrounded myself with others I could relate to, the more driven I felt to do the things I am passionate about. Remember that it is never too late to join a club you are interested in.

  • A Good Year For Movies – Marvel, Dumbo, The Lion King

    On March 8th, 2019, Captain Marvel will be released in theaters. After Avengers: Infinity War, more heroes are needed, which is where Captain Marvel enters… This movie is set in 1995 and  Carol Danvers gets introduced as a U.S. Air Force Officer who becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes. Carol Danvers ends up in space and joins Starforce, an elite military force of the Kree empire (they make their first appearance in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy). While in the process of joining the Starforce, Davers DNA ends up mixing up with Kree DNA, turning her into a hybrid. She ends up losing her memory, so the movie will also be about her rediscovering her human heritage.

    Marvel’s second movie being released this year is Avengers: Endgame. The movie will be released on April 26, 2019. *Spoiler alert!* Since Thanos successfully collected all the infinity stones, he snapped his fingers and made most of the superheroes in Avengers: Infinity War turn into ash and disappear… Now, in this movie, Tony Stark is stranded in space with limited oxygen, food, and water, putting his life in danger. Meanwhile, the remaining Avengers must figure out a way to bring back all of the other superheroes that were “killed” in Avengers: Infinity War.

    Marvel fans have been very lucky this year. Marvel is releasing a third movie, Spider-Man: Far from Home it’s set to hit theatres on July 5, 2019. In this movie, Peter Parker goes to Europe for summer vacation with his friends, where Parker finds himself trying to protect his friends from a new villain, Mysterio, one of Spider-man’s common enemies in the Marvel Comics.

    Another classic Disney movie that will be released as a live action reboot is “Dumbo.” The release date for this movie is on March 29, 2019. In this movie, a flying elephant, Dumbo, helps save a struggling circus, and later on, as the circus takes on a new adventure, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath the joyful circus.

    This year on July 19 the classic Disney movie “The Lion King” will hit theatres, but this time as a live action reboot. Taking place in the African savanna, Simba is born, becoming the future king, but not everyone in the kingdom is happy for his arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother, was next in line for the throne, but now isn’t. In a later battle, Simba loses and is banished, but with the help of new friends, he will have to figure out a way to take back what belongs to him.

  • Poly V. Westchester

    On Friday, November 30 at Westchester High School.They began their season off with winning 2nd in the Westchester tournament One of the starting five, Malik Salahuddin, does an amazing job in the Westchester tournament. His progress this year has been consistent, managing an average of 15 or more points a game so far. Malik thanks, “the team [and] without this great team…. I wouldn’t be as great as I am today.”  

    This tournament was a gateway for opportunity and success for the seniors, as they continue their basketball careers in college or travel ball. The Westchester tournament, Peyton Watson and Malik Salahuddin had offensive and defensive plays. They dominated their drive-ins and made effective passes in the game.

    The ball movement was sufficient for the win of the games; although they did not win semi-finals, the team did not let that get them down. They struggled, playing against them. The other team had more dominance in offense against the Jackrabbit’s defense. If the defense was more intact, the plays from the other team would have not been as successful.

    As the boys continued the start of their season with their first game against Cabrillo in the Bosco tournament. The game was a blow-out. The Jackrabbits won by 48 points; 108-60. Giordan Williams amazingly, came down with a slam dunk during the second court and crowd was wild. He has played with confidence, and has received 5 offers from Cal State Long Beach, Boston University, UCLA, and etc.

    As a team captain, along with  Justin Rene, he continues to motivate the team and uplift their energy throughout every game. Justin Rene says, “hard work makes better teamwork.” The team will continue the Bosco Tournament onto the semi-finals and championships at Bosco.

     

  • Girls Basketball

    The girls varsity basketball team had a rough start as they ended their Tournament at Troy High School winning 0 games, but they came back into Moore League blowing out the Cabrillo Jaguars with a win of . Their five came into the game with low energy first quarter but, by second quarter the score was 0 to 39.

    The girls dominated their offensive plays hitting continuous threes and jumpers. Coach Buggs says, “The most improved on the team as far as the veterans who have been on the team is Menah Salaveo.” Their “five,” Menah Salaveo, successfully conquered the paint making 10 points on offense along. In the game they were consistent in always having great assists and great communication on offense.

    As far as defense, our girls were able to play man-to-man defense without having the visitors penetrate. Iyanna Lamb, especially, drove into the passing lanes and turned the ball over to the Jackrabbits. Deja Williams explained that this game “proved that no matter how rough the season may begins, we always find a way to get a comeback.”

    There has been a lot of hate for Girls Varsity because they have not had the most successful start, but there is still more to come for this season. Deja WIlliams (senior) has committed to Cal State Northridge on a D1 Scholarship.

    The next game for the girls is versus Compton at Compton High School on December 14th. Then, they will be entering a tournament in Arizona from the 18th through the 22nd in the Nike Tournament of Championships. There they will be facing teams from all around the country, playing 4 four games. During the winter break they will also be playing in the SoCal Holiday Classic right after Christmas.

     

  • “We Made A Mistake But It’s All Good!”

    On Saturday, December 8 both the song and cheer teams qualified for nationals at University high school in Irvine. Which was an amazing and huge thing for both the teams.

    Unfortunately, more than four people on the song team made the mistake of doing illegal skills and each time they did them it costed them a point. The deductions they recieved from those stunts caused them to lose a place in nationals. The illegal stunt that the team did was a second leap and they did them in ripples, which made them win 5th place.

    Although the team was kind of disappointed they were mostly happy that they qualified. Member of both the cheer and song team, Jayden Nem said “At least we qualified for nationals and that’s all that really mattered.”

     

  • Girls Soccer

    This season Long Beach Poly’s girls varsity soccer team has started off the season very well. The girls have won the first four games of Moore League competition, first beating Compton 15-0, then Lakewood 4-2, then Downey 2-1, and lastly Jordan 9-0, almost finishing off the first round of Moore League undefeated. A few players such as sisters: Allanah and Aniah Cutler have returned from not playing last year to helping the team be unstoppable this year. The team’s next game is Tuesday December 18 against Wilson High School, the game is expected to be a very challenging since both team will play with their best skills and team players. Wilson tied their last game to Mayfair High School on December 13. Junior Aniah Cutler mentioned that she is “super pumped to compete against Wilson next week and play some of the most intense soccer this season!” The Lady Jackrabbits varsity girls soccer will face off against the Bruins at 6:30 p.m at Wilson High School, December 18.

  • People’s Champ William Frankenfeld

    CIF-Southern Sectional Championships took place on November 17th. Our very own CIC senior, Will Frankenfeld took first place and third in CIF State Championships on November 24th, just seconds away from first. Will also took another victory at the Foot Locker Cross Country West Regionals, placing second.

    “I’m not gonna lie, I was a little disappointed that I finished third in state and I finished first in the Southern Section, which is the fastest section. So I should’ve got first in state, so of course I’m a little disappointed,” said Frankenfeld on his thoughts about the race.

    “I do feel a certain pressures to do well, since I have done so well in the past,” said Frankenfeld on the expectations he feels from others.

    “I plan to continue running in college, maybe for UCLA or Cal State Fullerton,” said Frankenfeld on his future aspirations on running.

    Will Frankenfeld came 14th overall in the nation, third in State, and California’s top runner.

  • Senior Wrestler Andres De Los Santos

    Andres De Los Santos has been a part of Poly’s wrestling team since his freshman year and has devoted his more and more of his time into the sport each year. Now in the middle of his senior year, De Los Santos has accumulated numerous awards and levels and has a 17-2 record. “I don’t have a real reason why I started wrestling, I just started, it was cool, still is.” he said when asked why he chose the sport.

    De Los Santos feels as if the sport has taught him many important life lessons that he could not have learned elsewhere, “I’ve learned a lot in leadership, confidence, trust, being able to do things that  I didn’t think I was able to do.” he explains his battle with low self esteem and his personal growth into a man of confidence.

    The wrestling team prides itself as being a strong family-like bond. De Los Santos agrees, seeing as the sport calls for their closeness, “It’s a bit of a personal sport as well as a team effort. Although you are fighting for your team, at the end of the day, it’s all you. If you do something wrong in a match, it’s on you, not on your team.” he and his team members feed off each other’s mistakes and encouragement.

    When asked about what he will miss most about high school wrestling, he answer was simple, practice. “I like practice because it’s fun. It’s pretty much the only reason I come to school. And the coaches, I like them a lot. “ said De Los Santos.

    Being a part of a sport comes with a lot of stress, “There are times where you wanna give up and want to quit, but if you keep grinding, it gets easier. You get better, stronger, it pays off in the long road. “

    Through all the hardships, De Los Santos is never shy to express his gratitude for his team, “I’m proud of my team, and those who have been with me all 4 years. It’s been very tough, I don’t know how I haven’t quit, but I’m glad I haven’t. I’ve had some pretty memorable years.”

    Although his future isn’t completely set in stone, there may be a place for wrestling in his post high school life, “I’m going to college for sure, but wrestling in college, I’m not sure. I’m a bit hesitant because it’s a whole different ball game.”

    At times, he questions whether or not all the work is worth it,“It’s pretty normal for every sport, there’s time when I wonder why I’m doing this, I’m a senior, I could be home already, I could be doing stuff! My love for the sport keeps increasing, so that’s why I can’t quit.” De Los Santos continues to work hard and enjoy his senior year.

  • Free 6ix9ine!

    Recently, rapper known as 6ix9ine,  has been arrested due to accusations of racketeering and possessions of firearms right before his release of his new album Dummy Boy. Right alongside him, 6ix9ine’s ex-manager and a few other associates has been arrested as well. Charges have not have been released yet. 6ix9ine soon after went on Instagram and recorded a video of himself saying that he fired his management so he can put himself farther away from the people he has gotten arrested with.

    This event has not made 6ix9ines situation any better because he has allegations of performing sexual acts on a underage girl. Even with all of this happening 6ix9ine has still released his album Dummy Boy, which has been doing well on it’s release day and after. It has been the number 1 album on Apple Music for a while only to be recently passed by Travis Scott’s  Astroworld. But to date Dummy Boy is still top 5 albums on Apple Music. He also has amazing features from great artists such as Kanye West, Bobby Shmurda, Anuel AA, Tory Lanez, and Gunna, just to name a few. Despite all this hate around 6ix9ines name, he receives a ton of support and is arguably the most popular rapper in the game,as of right now