Author: adviser

  • Fourth Quater Heartbreak

    Fourth Quater Heartbreak

    Long​ ​Beach​ ​Poly​ ​football​ ​played ​Mission​ ​Viejo​​ ​on​ ​Friday,​ ​September​ ​15, ​at​ ​Veterans​ ​Stadium. The Poly football team was adorned in their all black uniforms and the Poly fans supported them by wearing black as well.

    The​ ​Jackrabbits​ ​lost​ ​12-7.​ ​Poly​ ​now​ ​has​ ​a​ ​2-1-0​ ​overall​ ​record this season and ​Mission Viejo​ ​now​ ​has​ ​a​ ​4-0-0​ ​overall​ ​record. When​ ​asked​ ​his​ ​thoughts​ ​on​ ​the​ ​game​, senior ​Raymond Graham said,​ ​“We had the game in our hands and we let them take the momentum of the game.”

    During the first quarter, Poly defense held it down and blocked any advances towards the end zone.​ In the second quarter the Jackrabbits were not as successful and Mission Viejo scored the first touchdown of the game. Poly came back refreshed after halftime and Graham scored a touchdown for the Jackrabbits, making the score 7-6. In the midst of the fourth quarter Mission Viejo grabbed control of the game via a pick 6 and didn’t let go, despite Poly’s valiant efforts.

    This​ ​was​ ​Poly’s​ third​game​ ​this​ ​season.​ ​They​ ​had​ ​a​ ​game​ ​on​ ​August​ ​25​ ​against​ ​Los​ ​Alamitos. Poly​ ​won​ ​the​ ​game​ ​28-10.​ The ​Jackrabbits​ ​also​ ​had​ ​a​ ​game​ ​September​ ​1​ ​versus​ ​Narbonne.​ ​The game​ ​took​ ​Place​ ​At​ ​El​ ​Camino​ ​college.​ ​Poly​ ​won​ ​again​ ​(14-10).

    The​ ​game​ ​was​ ​for also a part of the​ ​Touchdowns​ ​Against​ ​Cancer.​ ​Touchdowns​ ​against​ ​cancer​ ​is​ ​a​ ​way​ ​to​ ​raise money​ ​to​ ​help​ ​fight​ ​childhood​ ​cancer.​ ​High​ ​school​ ​football​ ​team’s​ ​across​ ​America​ ​participate​ ​in this​, all​​ ​September.​ ​$16​ ​is​ ​pledged​ ​per​ ​touchdown, and all​ ​the​ ​money​ ​raised​ ​goes​ ​towards​ ​St. Jude​ ​Children’s​ ​Research​ ​Hospital.​ ​So​ ​far​ ​530​ ​touchdowns​ ​have​ ​been​ ​scored and​ ​$74,488 has been​ ​raised.​ ​Touchdowns​ ​against​ ​cancer​ ​was​ ​created​ ​by​ ​MaxPreps, Pledge​ ​It​ ​and​ ​St.​ ​Jude​ ​Children’s​ ​Research​ ​Hospital. ​ Long​ ​Beach​ ​Poly​ ​also​ ​has​ ​two​ ​upcoming​ ​games​ ​this​ ​month against Millikan and Wilson. Poly will be playing Millikan at Millikan on September 22 and is expected to be a good game due to their similar season statistics of two wins and one loss. Poly will play Wilson September 29 at Veterans Stadium.

    The​ ​first​ ​upcoming​ ​game​ ​is​ ​against​ ​Millikan,​ ​and​ ​it’s​ ​Poly’s​ ​first​ ​conference​ ​game​ ​this​ ​season. Poly​ ​is​ ​away​ ​and​ ​it​ ​is​ ​expected​ ​to​ ​be​ ​a​ ​good​ ​game​ ​based​ ​on​ ​both​ ​the​ ​teams​ ​similar​ ​season stats.​ ​When​ ​asked​ ​their​ ​thoughts​ ​on​ ​the​ ​upcoming​ ​game​, Junior​ ​Ulises​ ​Godoy​ ​said​ ​“Look good,​ ​feel​ ​good,​ ​play​ ​good.”​ The​ ​second upcoming​ ​game​ ​is​ ​against​ ​Wilson.​ ​Wilson’s​ ​record​ ​is​ ​1-3.​ Poly​ ​is​ ​expected​ ​to​ ​take​ ​1st​ ​place​ ​in Moore ​league​ ​again​ ​this​ ​season.

  • What in the World???

     

    Record-Breaking Earthquakes

      Hurricane Harvey and Irma have been all the talk in the United States press and media. Still today, residents of Florida and Texas are losing everything because of the natural disasters.

    However, Mexico has been dealing with two of its most destructive earthquakes in the country’s history.

    After the Category 1 hurricane, Katia, struck eastern Mexico, the southern coast felt the brunt of the strongest earthquake in 100 years for the country, according to Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto. The earthquake had a magnitude of 8.1, and ABC news announced on September 11 that 96 citizens have died.

    Chiapas and Oaxaca were the most affected states of Mexico by the quake because of how close the two states were to the earthquake’s epicenter. Around 5,000 homes were destroyed in Chiapas, and 11,000 homes were destroyed in Oaxaca.

    To make matters worse, a tsunami warning has been issued to citizens because of the increase in ocean-wave size.

    More recently, on September 19, Mexico City was struck with a 7.1 earthquake.

    Unfortunately, it was on Septe

    mber 19 that Mexico City was honoring those that died on that day in 1985. In 1985, an 8.1 earthquake struck Mexico City killing around 6,000 citizens. 32 years later, the 7.1 earthquake shook Mexico City for a second time.

    Citizens had to be evacuated from buildings and into the streets because of the endless destruction.  After a couple of hours, the City announced that the earthquake had already killed 100 people and destroyed multiple buildings.

    To help those affected by this earthquake in Mexico City, visit the Red Cross Mexico.

      *Information from ABC, CNN, and The LA Times was used for the creation of this article.*

    Hurricane Dogs

      Hurricane Harvey has been tormenting Houston citizens and their families for weeks now. What about the animals left behind?

    On September 5, Southwest Airlines created a system to fly homeless animals from the destruction and wreck Hurricane Harvey to safety.

    The animal shelters in Houston were overpopulated with homeless dogs and cats that were left behind during the hurricane.     Southwest Airlines came up with a plan to help.

    The airlines teamed with an animal shelter in San Diego, California to transport the homeless animals from Houston to the San Diego shelter.

    Around 60 cats and dogs were rescued and brought to safety in San Diego.

    The animals that were transported are now being taken care of at the San Diego shelter, Helen Woodland Animal Center.

      *Information from Today News was used for the creation of this article.*

    Cholera Outbreak in Northeast Nigeria

          Cholera is a disease that infects foods and drinking water, and once these are contaminated and consumed, the individual can be killed within a few hours without treatment.

    A cholera outbreak has contaminated and infected individuals near northeast Nigeria dwelling in camps run by the organization, Boko Haram.

    The Boko Haram is a militant Islamic group in Nigeria.

    Maiduguri, the capital of Borno, is where the outbreak began.     However, the disease has spread to neighboring towns such as Monguno and Dikwa.

    Professionals have been travelling to northeast Nigeria to help cure those infected by cholera and give vaccines to citizens to protect them from the disease.

    Already, 2,600 people have been infected by cholera, and 48 individuals have died.

    Professionals and workers from Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) have been campaigning to vaccinate the people of northeast Nigeria, and if carried through, the vaccine will be given to 900,000 people for this week.

         *Information from Thomson Reuters Foundation News was used for the creation of this article.*

  • Who Cares? Poly Peer Counselors Cares

    Do you ever feel like you need to talk to someone about something that’s bothering you or you just want to get it off your chest?

    Poly has a place where students can do exactly that, and it is called the CARE Center in room 205. Mr. Gray is the counselor, and the hours are from 7:30 AM to 1 PM Monday through Friday.

    Students can go there for personal concerns, family problems, academic problems, to improve relationships in school or at home, child abuse, sexual abuse, depression, self harm, suicidal thoughts, student-athlete issues, or anything they are struggling with.

    If students need help, they can tell their teacher during class, and get a pass to the CARE Center. The center is not an excuse to get out of class. Other options, besides going to the center during class, is to go during nutrition or lunch.

    Counseling groups consist of personal development, stress and anxiety, and grief and loss. It also has groups to help support parents and teachers.

    “If a student is ever scared to go to the CARE Center, you should know that everything you talk about in there is completely confidential,” Senior Lily Brossus said. “No one will know what you share, not your parents, friends, or teachers. It’s a safe environment, and if you have problems, I encourage people to go if they need help.”

    The CARE Center is a safe place, and Poly students are encouraged to go seek help. All of the counselors are supportive, and the center helps approximately 1,500 students each year.

    “Everyone should know that it’s okay to talk about your problems, because us peer counselors are students at Poly just like all the kids who come in,” Senior Zenita Leang stated. “We’ve experienced things like some of the people who come in.”

    “It’s a really safe place where you can meet new people who really care about you and want to help you with your problems or whatever you have going on in your life that’s bothering you,” senior Abby Rubin explained.

    The CARE Center has helped people with all kinds of problems, no matter how big or small. The counselors are there to listen, give advice, and guide students while they are struggling. They are also there to make students feel better and like they are cared about.

    “As a freshman and sophomore, I learned that the CARE Center was a place where you could go for help,” Leang said. “I realized that it’s a very useful and valuable resource to have and it was something I wanted to be part of to help fellow students out and make them feel better.”

  • Hit the Books at the Michelle Obama Public Library

    Hit the Books at the Michelle Obama Public Library

    The Michelle Obama Library celebrated its one-year anniversary on September 10th, 2017. The library is about 5.2 miles away down Atlantic Street from Poly.

    Ana Villalpando has been an assistant librarian at the Michelle Obama Library for over a year. She makes sure that “patrons have a satisfying experience” by tending to their library needs. Villalpando has her BA in philosophy and is currently enrolled at CSULB for her MA in social and cultural of education. Villalpando would like to inform the Poly community of the library’s vast resources.

    “The library has Mac computers equipped with Photoshop, Adobe, and Final Cut Pro (video editing software) programs. All computers have Excel and Microsoft Word,” Villalpando said. “Some computers have database software for any student looking to strengthen their SAT, ACT, or any standardized test skills. iPads are also available upon request for students.”

    The library provides many opportunities to win special prizes. The community can enter for the chance to win two movie tickets if they sign up for a library card. For the chance to win $100 dollars in movie tickets, dress up in a Teen Titan costume, upload the photo to Instagram and tag the Long Beach Public Library. These offers end in September.

    Villalpando explained the various study rooms in the library available for students.

    “There are two designated study and quiet rooms available to students upon reservation. These rooms are enclosed and have tables and chairs,” Villalpando said. “The study rooms have a TV available that can connect to the student’s device. Quiet rooms also contain white boards.”

    The rooms are the perfect place for a group project or study group to meet. Villalpando also explained that there are several comfortable “booth” like tables with outlets for students to use.

    Villalpando is very enthusiastic about the library’s homework help program for students.

    “Students who would like assistance with their homework can utilize the library’s Family Learning Program,” Villalpando said. “The program hours are the same as the library’s hours.”

    The library offers many events throughout the year. The library also hosts college talks for high school students every Wednesday in September starting at 4:30 PM. Kim Turrisi, initial producer of web series Pretty Little Liars and author of Just a Normal Day is holding a book talk on October 4th. Editor and publisher for Wannabe Press Russell Nohelty will be hosting a graphic novel workshop on October 11th at 4 PM.

    The library owns three 3D printers. Library cardholders are allowed one free print of their choice a month. If interested in learning how to use a 3D printer, ask a librarian.

  • Summer Bummer

    Most people have a favorite season, especially when choosing between the polar opposites summer and winter. A good majority of students prefer the sunny, school-free former over the cold, depressing latter.

    But as for me, well… I just do not know. I am not the type of person to be going out everyday, but at the same time I can relate to the feeling of being over school just as much as the next person.

    However, I have now gotten to the point where I’m not completely sure I agree with the majority, because like many people I know, without school my weekdays are pretty bare of plans.

    I am Mexican, so that means I am going to be getting up just to clean and turn on my loud banda songs and after that, I’ll only be sitting on the couch eating – which is not good because of the huge amount of weight I will inevitably gain.

    On the bright side, my stress levels will experience a plummet that mirrors the Xcelerator ride at Knotts, and my sleep habits will return to normal, aka hibernation. So, I guess summer shouldn’t be too bad.

  • Plastic Wrap Couples Be Like:

    I hate clingy relationships soooo much.

    For instance, when you are no longer able to hang out with a friend because they’re with a new person who is practically controlling their lives.

    I can’t even list on two hands the amount of friends I have lost because they got in a weird relationship which consumed their lives (ok fine, I might be exaggerating, but you get the picture).

    Then of course, after they break up they all of a sudden are able to hang out with the ones they left friendless and abandoned, as if nothing ever happened, as if they’ve done more than wave hey to you in passing! Ha, haha, –  I don’t think so!

    Nope, not today sister! Why not go crawling back to your boyfriend – you know, the one you left us for? Oh, what’s that?… you say it didn’t work out? We are in high school sweetie. I could’ve predicted that!

    Especially now during my senior year when I see clingy behavior between people who won’t live in the same time zone in about three months. Sorry not sorry! They are, and I say this with 99.99% certainty, NOT the love of your life. In fact I bet $20 you will not even talk  to each other 10 years from now.

    So, to the people who ditched their friends for ‘soulmates’ throughout high school and have found themselves without a companion in sight, I say this: LOL.

    But seriously, your lover isn’t the only person in your life who loves you, so act like it.

  • Why Am I Here?

    As a senior, my number one priority is leaving high school. And yet, the school year is still going…Yikes.

    Most high schools start halfway through August and continue until the end of May. This is because a very important part of high school is Advanced Placement (AP) classes and exams. The exams always take place the first two weeks of May, after which most school years are finished.

    But not here. School ends an entire three weeks after AP exams. These extra weeks are just an excuse for teachers to assign final projects, some of which are completely irrelevant and are simply busywork to fill time.

    After students spend all year preparing for AP exams, it seems a little bit useless to still attend school afterwards. AP classes are solely focused on preparing for the exams, so after the exams are done, these classes have nothing to do. Teachers are forced to come up with extra things so that their classes still have assignments.

    And this isn’t only about schoolwork. Most summer jobs I looked at had a start date of early June, a time at which I am still in school. I can’t skip school for a job, but I want a job, and most employers say that if you can’t start at the given date, don’t even bother applying.

    I may be wrong, but honestly, just get me out of here.

  • Can’t Break Away from Kimmy Schmidt!

    “Unbreakable, they alive dammit!” These are the opening lyrics of the theme for the hilarious Netflix series, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt written by Tina Fey that get my heart racing. That combined with the upbeat drum and the swat team member’s hand that seems to pop out of the screen reaching towards me makes me fall in love again with each episode!

    No, I am not crazy. But the characters in one of the greatest shows to ever be filmed certainly are. Each season of the comedy contains 13 episodes,  and while some are over in a flash, others seem more extravagant in production and hilarious as you go on.

    The first season took me about a month to fully watch (twice) and digest. Then, they made me wait a full year to finally continue onto the second season, which satisfied my itch after an intense cliffhanger.

    After I finished the second season, which felt at most two seconds long and ended on another monumental cliff-hanger, I had to wait another year for season three! Obviously, you can tell how dedicated I am to this show.

    Why? Because each season introduces new love interests, hilariously outrageous conflicts, and a Titus Andromedon music video.

    In my opinion, the third season was the funniest out of the three because in seasons past, not all of the characters were equally funny. Titus would usually be the only one whose jokes made me LOL. But  thankfully, everyone has material that makes not only me, but my family as well, laugh.

    So here’s the low-down [SPOILER ALERT!]:  Titus covers songs from Beyonce’s Lemonade album like “Hold Up” and “All Night” after breaking up with his first love and getting scurvy. Kimmy goes to traffic school to become a crossing guard but can’t because she is married to her kidnapper and Lillian becomes the local representative and falls in love with the guy whose reputation and career she is trying to destroy. And Jacqueline gets married to her comatose boyfriend and changes the Redskins offensive name and logo.

    This is also the season with the most innuendos referring to real-life conflicts such as unwanted deurbanization, racism in sports leagues, and the many definitions and practices of feminism in college.

    Overall, despite the final cliff hanger of Kimmy getting an amazing job at a new successful business, I think this season was a complete success, even if Nia disagrees with me.

  • Another Michael Jackson Article

    Another Michael Jackson Article

    Yay, I get to write another article about Michael Jackson! Anyone who knows me knows that I love Michael Jackson.

    I love him more than the casual listener, and more than I probably should. That being said, whenever anything new comes out that is MJ-related, I’m one of the first to know. On memorial day, Lifetime premiered the film Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland. It was based on the book Remember the Time by Jackson’s former bodyguards Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard.

    Now, I read the book and it was fine. I’ve read a lot of books written by people who’ve claimed to be close friends of Michael. When reading or watching things like that, I always take it with a grain of salt.

    Everyone thinks that he’s the one who was closest to Michael.(Even Conrad Murray in his stupid book that nobody asked for!) Everyone claims he is the only one Michael could turn to.

    It’s funny, a lot of people said this and yet, he died alone and went through his court trials with almost no support from his so-called friends. I’m sure that parts of the story were true, but most of it seemed like complete BS.

    When I heard that Michael was getting a Lifetime movie, I knew they were going to try to get the audience to feel sympathy for him. It was going to be very dramatic and I was going to end up crying. I mean, it’s Lifetime for goodness sake. They casted the Michael Jackson impersonator, Navi, to play him.

    I’ve heard of Navi and had watched some videos of him online, and Lifetime casting him as the love of my life brought about three problems.

    Navi is British. He is British and he cannot hide his accent. So when he’s performing, he barely talks for this very reason.

    Navi is NOT an actor. Michael Jackson was way too emotional for his own good. How can we expect someone to properly portray one of the iconic musicians of all time during his most controversial periods when the guy playing him isn’t even an actor!?!

    Michael wouldn’t approve. A movie was made about Michael in the 90s and they were considering a non-black actor to portray him. Upon hearing this, Michael became furious and reportedly shut down the production. If this movie was really about honoring Michael, they should have respected his wishes, or even better, not have made it.

    The movie itself wasn’t all that, but it really wasn’t too bad either. And if you don’t know that much about Michael Jackson, it is definitely worth the watch.

    The Michael Jackson estate didn’t really approve, and his family hasn’t publicly said anything positive or negative about it. But I can’t fully support anything the family doesn’t.

    I suggest reading the book instead to really see the side of Michael they try to show. Michael Jackson was an amazing person and people should just stop trying to squeeze every last penny they can out of him. The man has been dead for over seven years!

    Let my husband rest.

  • Blood Drive Success

    On Thursday, June 1, Student Commission helped host this semester’s blood drives in Poly’s big gym. The blood donated went to Cedars-Sinai blood donor services for people in need of blood in hospitals.

    To be a donor, students needed to be 16 years old and 135 pounds or more with a signed consent form and a valid picture ID or 17 years or older and at least 110 pounds.

    Commissioner and junior Ha “Caitlin” Lam said usually 250 students donate, but this semester approximately 300 people each donated a pint of blood. Students who donated were rewarded with either a free shirt or a free pint of Baskin-Robbins ice cream.

    Lam said, “We contacted them a year in advance to let them know we wanted to donate. Poly loves community service.”

    Sophomore Aren Jacob Agoncillo, who donated blood, said, “I wanted to give blood because I was told that I have a blood type that’s very rare and I could give it to anyone and I just wanted to help the people who need it.”

    Sophomore donor Cohan Gifford Manzon said, “I donated because I was willing to do anything to help someone and it’s not that hard just to give back to whoever needs it… I wasn’t nervous at first but then I saw the blood coming out and my arm started getting tired but I kept going because I knew it was for a good cause.”

  • Letter to the Graduating Class

    Dear graduating Jackrabbits,

    It is finally here, the day we never thought would come. Graduation is just around the corner. Excuse me, life is just around the corner. After four years of no sleep, terribly crowded parties, and being surrounded by annoying and immature people and teachers you have to see everyday, you will now be moving on to fouryears of even less sleep, even more crowded and crazy parties, and at least somewhat mature and less annoying people. But this time, you don’t necessarily have to go to the classes with the annoying professors.

     

    Instead of stressing about what to wear for school the next day, you will start worrying about how you are going to pay for your next meal, or if you are going to be able to pay off your hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans. But not to worry little bunnies, we will get through it. After all, we are Jackrabbits. We are from Poly, the home of scholars and champions – that’s us!

    So cherish these last days of high school. Be extra nice to the teachers you cannot stand. Wish a beautiful life to that one girl in your fifth period English class that you have never talked to because why not?

    Now you can all start fresh in the next chapter of your lives. If you are truant in high school, make the extra effort to go to your Introduction to Biology class nearly every time. If you have never been to a high school football game, try to go to a college game of any kind; they are a lot more exciting. If you never made an effort to talk to high school guys, try with college  ones. They are supposed to be more sophisticated and accepting (yeah right).

    This is just the beginning – today high school graduation, tomorrow you are graduating from law school or medical school. Heck, you could be graduating from clown school if you really wanted to. Just remember to always do what you love, not necessarily what makes the most money.

    And do not be so stressed, puh-lease! If you find yourself having a mental breakdown because you are doing all your studying for a final the night before, first of all, you are crazy, and second, just calm down. In five years you will not remember that final. Just breathe, eat some chocolate, do some yoga, smell some roses. Everything will be fine in the end.  I know this is cliche, but never doubt yourself! We all are capable of amazing things, and if you ever need a reminder of that,  I am sure you can contact one of your fellow former Jackrabbits. Good luck to you all! WE DID IT!

  • Poly Students get the Chance to Visit Europe this Summer

    Poly Students get the Chance to Visit Europe this Summer

    As the year is coming to a close, summer vacation is already being planned out and organized for certain students taking French and German. Poly is fortunate enough to have multiple language departments embarking on cultural trips to allow students to embrace the language they have studied during their high school years. This summer, Poly’s French and German students have the opportunity to travel and stay with foreign exchange families to broaden their understandings with real, cultural experiences.

    For German students, the exchange has been occurring over this past school year. Poly junior and German student Ella Christensen explained, “German exchange students come around spring break to stay with American students and then during summer, American students go to stay with the same family in Germany from July to August.”

    While in Germany, Poly students have a variety of activities and places to go. Junior Aubrey Chapman said, “I am going to go to school for a week while I am there to see what schools in Germany are like and my German exchange student is taking me to Paris and Athens.”

    The French language department will travel to France and like Poly’s German department, French foreign exchange students had come to stay with Poly students during this school year. The French exchange students “attended cheer, swim, and cross country practice,” according to sophomore Matlynn Giles. Giles continued to explain that Poly students going to France to stay as foreign exchange students “was an option and one-third of Poly’s French students are doing the dual French-American program.”

    The foreign exchange program Poly has provided for its students studying French and German is continuing to inspire and influence students to learn more about different cultures.