Author: adviser

  • Jackrabbit News Brief

    France Mandates Food for Charity

    France has become the first country in the world to enforce a law banning supermarkets from throwing away unsold food, which, under the new law, must be donated to charities or food banks. This legislation started on Wednesday, February 3, with the idea gaining popularity through a French grassroots campaign that stressed the importance of food waste. Inspired by this new law, other campaigners seek to get the European Union to emulate a similar piece of legislation regarding food waste. Due to legal and health concerns by some supermarkets in France, unsold food will be ‘doused’ with bleach or water in order to avoid food poisoning from those who took items from the trash. Supermarkets that have at least 400 square meters will need to sign contracts with charities to donate food. Those who do not comply with this legislation will face a fine of up to 75,000 euros, or 83,000 dollars, and imprisonment of up to two years.

    More Candidates Drop in Race

    As the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries have come to a close, several candidates running for president have dropped out such as Rick Santorum (R), Mike Huckabee (R), Rand Paul (R), Carly Fiorina (R), Chris Christie (R), and Martin O’Malley (D). Ted Cruz took the lead in the Iowa Caucus, receiving 27.6% of the votes, with Donald Trump trailing behind at 24.3% and Marco Rubio coming in at 23.1%. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton received 49.9% of the votes with Bernie Sanders closely following at 49.6%. As O’Malley dropped out of the race, the Democratic debate on Thursday, February 4, only included Clinton and Sanders. The candidate fields for both parties have become increasingly competitive after wins by Trump and Sanders in New Hampshire. Candidates will now turn their attention to Nevada and future primaries.

    New Hampshire Primaries

    On Tuesday, February 9, there was a large upset among both political parties, as businessman Donald Trump won the primary for the Republican Party with a whopping 19.5% lead over Governor John Kasich – a startling surprise between both party lines. Kasich had not been widely known until the New Hampshire primary. Though he received very little media attention, Kasich still managed to beat out Senator Ted Cruz, who managed to pull an 11.7% vote. On the Democratic side, Senator Bernie Sanders received 60.4% of the votes compared to Hillary Clinton’s 38.0%. The theme of this primary revolved around anti-establishment candidates because both Trump and Sanders appeal to a similar demographic.

  • Senior Parent Night

    The annual Senior and Parent Night was held in the Big Gym on Tuesday, February 2.
    The seniors were advised to bring their parents and pick up their senior packets.
    “I’m sad that it’s my last year and I have to leave my friends,” said senior Ana Suarez.
    At the meeting, each staff member explained responsibilities for the seniors. The seniors had to read their packets, which focused on graduation, prom, Grad Night, and other senior activities.
    “It’s funny that we have rules and codes for the senior activities but I understand that we need them for certain individuals,” explained senior Efrain Cortez.
    There were different caps and gowns to show what each student is going to receive. The gold one is for 4.0 students, while all other graduates don the traditional green gown. Additionally, students were informed of the several medallions and sashes for taking honors and AP courses.
    Outside of the Big Gym and the student store, booths were open for students and parents to purchase graduation items. One booth sold graduation flowers and beaded necklaces, while the student store was used for the caps, gowns, tassels, and Grad Night tickets.
    For seniors, it is a big step and a lot to take in because of the fact there are only a few months left in the school year. Reality sets in because this is the last year before college and adulthood.
    “I just wanted to enjoy the days and weeks that I have with my classmates because we’re becoming adults soon,” said senior Yulissa Cabrera.

  • First Army Competition

    Poly’s JROTC had their first army competition at North High School in Torrance on Saturday, January 30, which was chaperoned by Senior Army Instructors (SAIs) Sergeant Major Wright and Master Sergeant Denmark. Color Guard, Dark Knights, and Unarmed were the teams that competed at Paramount High School.
    The first performance was Color Guard, followed by Unarmed Inspection.
    “It has been good seeing everyone work hard for the competition and to see all of the progress come from it,” said senior Joshua Young.
    There were three separate sections where each team performed: Inspection, Expedition, and Regulation. The results of each participating team were not given until all of the participating teams had performed.
    When all of the teams finished, everyone sat in the gym to hear the results. Every school got their own set of awards and trophies but Poly got the most awards. Both Color Guard and their JV team won first and second place trophies. The Dark Knights Foreman also won first place that afternoon.
    “Knowing that we won first place is such a big accomplishment all those days of hard work paid off,” said freshman Carina Ayala.
    The Poly ROTC program has been very successful in past years, accumulating many trophies throughout its long history.
    “I was very proud of all my cadet and to come home with ten trophies,” said Master Sergeant Denmark.

  • Poly Welcomes Little Paws

    The student-run club Paws for a Cause held an event for disabled dogs in the small gym on Wednesday, January 20. The event was a race in which disabled dogs, many of whom were in wheelchair-like devices due to injuries of the legs, would compete with each other.
    “They like to run, so they would race across the small gym,” said club leader and junior Jasmine Gomez. “We helped them set up and then we just kind of took care of the dogs. If they weren’t racing we would have to distract them, to keep them from going crazy.”
    Currently there are 70 million stray cats and dogs in the United States, and three to four million animals are euthanized every year by shelters in the United States. Los Angeles in particular has a big problem with stray animals.
    In the South Central area, thousands of dogs roam the streets. If you see a stray a stray animal, contact your local animal control agency, humane society, or SPCA.
    The aim of the event was to expose people to the disabled dogs in order to increase the likelihood of their adoption. In order to adopt the dogs, one can contact Dharma Rescue.
    Paws with a Cause was formed this year and volunteers at a number of places and events, including beach cleanups, dog shelters, rabbit shelters, and other things.
    “I had the idea [for the club] since last year, but it was already too late to actually start the club,” said Gomez. “So I started it at the beginning of this year, with my friends, because we thought it would be a good idea.”
    Paws with a Cause often collaborates with Dharma Rescue, an organization that rescues dogs and cats, providing them with shelter, spaying and neutering, health care, and rehabilitation.
    They help out at Dharma Rescue’s events, where dogs are put on display in order to promote their adoption.

  • Out-of-State College Faire

    Poly held an out of state college faire with twenty nine different universities on Friday, February 19. They were all set up in the quad and each had their own booth where students came and spoke to the college representative and asked questions about the university they selected.
    Along with many other states, representatives from Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and Arkansas came out to Long Beach to educate and persuade potential students about their respective universities.
    They had brochures at their tables which explained and showed the main focus of each university. The booths circled around the hedges in the front of the 100 building and were full of students trying to get their questions answered.
    “My choice was the University of Nevada because it is one of the universities I’ve been wanting to go to since I first heard of it in my freshman year,” said senior Rath Kim.
    If you were unable to collect a flyer from Ms. Sylvia Womack, facilitator of the Career Center, you could have also asked the college representative what level of GPA would be needed and the requirements for your school choice. Some of the schools do not come with scholarships and depend on your SAT scores so that is why it was best to be sure to check up on the schools.
    “After I am finished with my two years at Cerritos College, I would like to go to Hawaii Pacific to get out of Long Beach and experience some place new,” said senior Karla Figuerou.
    Many of the students who have not chosen their college yet were able to go around and pick up multiple brochures to see which college best suited their personality or major.
    If you missed the faire, you can get some more information on your colleges from Ms. Womack in the Career Center.

  • Poly 2 For 2: National Merit Finalists

    This year, Poly High School has the only National Merit Scholarship Finalists in the entire Long Beach Unified School District. Seniors Brandon Deutsch and Edward Lu have moved on to the final round of the competition.
    The National Merit Scholarship Corporation names 15,000 National Merit finalists, from which the winners are selected. The winners are selected based on PSAT score, academics, student activities, counselor recommendations and essay. The winners of the scholarship are awarded $25,000 by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
    “I think [I advanced to the finalist round] because I was honest and straightforward in my essay. It’s important to keep in mind that even if you don’t get the scholarship, everything’s still going to be okay,” said Lu. “It’s much more important to just go out there and say, this is the kind of person I am, and this is what I believe, than to say, I was president of five clubs. It’s much better to be honest and talk about things that matter to you in a way that is genuine. I think [in my essay] I talked a lot about jazz, and how it has helped me grow as a person.”
    The National Merit Scholarship Program has existed since 1955. Students are initially judged based on their PSAT scores. In later rounds, students are judged based on their academics and essays.
    “It’s all about getting to the semifinalist round, its all about working hard to understand the content,” said Deutsch. “I think there’s going to be some issues next year since they’re changing the SAT. It’s really important to get the content down so you can get a high score… and on your essay, be honest.”

  • Helping Our Hearts

    In coordination with the Saving Hearts Foundation (SHF), Poly held a free heart screening on Saturday, February 6.
    Unexpected cardiac arrest is a leading cause for death among athletes. However, a lot of people are unaware of the condition and its prevalence among athletes.
    Last December, Poly suffered a devastating loss when senior football player Frank Murphy passed away from a sudden cardiac arrest.
    Remembering Murphy, Poly wanted to make sure that its athletes and the community had access to possibly life-saving tests.
    “UCLA came to us last year and asked us if we would want to do a heart screening,” said Activities Director Ngoc Nguyen. “When Frank passed last year, we decided to host this event in memory of him.”
    Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), is very common amongst young and healthy athletes, which is why it is usually very difficult to target during regular doctor visits. The condition is only detectable through special equipment.
    The SHF Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by students at UCLA aiming to raise awareness of SCA by providing free heart screenings, CPR, and AED training in the community.
    The free EKG test was available to everyone ages 14-24 in the Big Gym and was even made mandatory for all of Poly’s student-athletes.
    Over 320 students came to the screening, and four needed follow ups with their doctors and parents.
    Thanks to the generous volunteers at SHF and the Poly administration, this event gave the Long Beach athletes and community an opportunity to prevent any further cardiac arrest losses.

  • ‘Tis the Season of Taxes

    Teacher Daniel Adler and student volunteers hosted the annual VITA Tax Fair on Saturday, February 6. The event was organized by seniors Kaitlyn Frawley and Alyssa Wren.
    Though the turnout was not as high as anticipated, the volunteers were exceptionally prepared and toiled tirelessly to make this event happen.
    “We did about 25 returns―not as much as we’d have liked, considering last year’s results were higher―but it was amazing,” said Adler.
    Typically, those who visit Poly High School for the VITA tax returns come back every year to get taxes done for free―it just so happened that less people showed up.
    Many positions at the tax fair were held by students―senior Timothy White, for instance, was the sole person in charge of helping people register to vote. On Saturday, March 26, the Los Angeles County of Equalization will be aiding the VITA team by rounding up people in need of getting tax returns complete―this means that resources will not need to be used for advertising and producing flyers on VITA’s behalf.
    Those interested in getting taxes done with the VITA team at Poly High School may contact (562)-607-7986. Tax returns will continue on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

  • Apple’s Privacy Controversy

    For years, I’ve been reading about the silent battle that tech giants have been fighting with the government. In a more recent circumstance, Congress has been trying to top itself in its tech illiteracy by coming up with a bill against net neutrality, which would have given Internet Service Providers the ability to charge media companies to access an exclusive “speed lane” at a more expensive fee.
    It absolutely baffles me that some politicians have the tendency to disregard political and moral policies when it comes to the digital world. The very act of imposing these seemingly totalitarian ideas on subject these politicians know nothing about is ridiculous.
    This time, the controversy is regarding encryption and privacy—specifically, when it is plausible for a tech company to decrypt a user’s personal device under warrants. The FBI recovered an iPhone 5C that belonged to one of the San Bernadino shooters, however the phone is protected by a passcode. The FBI has been  trying to access the iPhone, but failed attempts will result in a longer delay each time and the possibility of wiping all the potentially valuable data. A federal judge has ruled that Apple must create a special iOS firmware that will allow unlimited attempts without a timed punishment, and disable the possibility of wiping data. However, doing so undermines everything that Apple stands for in addition to the extensive progress they have made in creating one of the most popular and secure operating systems.
    This is not the first instance that Apple has been public about stressing the importance of their customer’s privacy; in 2014, CEO Tim Cook had already released a public letter stating, “We have never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services. And we never will.” To understand this premise, it must be realized that this “backdoor” does not exist. If a backdoor is created, then there will always be a way for hackers to get in. Creating the backdoor will set forth unknown repercussions in the future, and Tim Cook is trying to prevent just that. The FBI wants an “unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789,” a vaguely and conveniently written law, to justify this demand. If Apple succumbs to the FBI’s demands, then this will be a major issue for future court cases, because this issue may set a legal precedent.
    Those opposed to Apple’s decision believe that it is necessary for the safety of the American people to unlock this device. However, many tech CEOs such as Google CEO Sundar Pichai have chimed in, agreeing with Apple’s decision: “Forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users’s privacy.”
    It is imperative that the government and the tech industry work together, but the insight and opinions of one of the largest tech companies in the world should be respected and compromises should not be made if the privacy of their customers is at stake.

  • Beyoncé Publicizes Black Lives Matter Movement

    Beyoncé aka Queen B created a song called “Formation,” which shows what the true meaning of Black Lives Matter. The main focal point of the music video was the showcase of individuals who were murder by the hands police and oppressors. The video portrayed the African slaves and individuals such as Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, and Emmett Till.

    The Black Lives Matter movement and a pro-Beyoncé organization contributed a lot in the video. While there is a pro-Beyoncé movement, others formed an anti-Beyoncé protest against Beyoncé’s video, saying it was “too black.” This group of ignorant people created a parody of the music video and labeled it “The Day Beyoncé Turned Black.”

    A lot of the white fan-base of Beyoncé is “hurt and angry” about “Formation.” In their eyes, Beyoncé is not African-American and that she is a disgrace to them.

    Why is there so much hatred about Beyoncé’s pro-black statement? One reason is the attire of Beyoncé and her back-up dancers, who dressed in clothes reminiscent of the Black Panther movement. The Black Panthers was a 196o’s black activist self-defense organization, which pushed and encouraged young individuals to take up arms and be more educated about the Constitution. These people took the Constitution’s first and second amendments to heart. Beyoncé wanted to create her attire to symbolize what the panthers stood for. She showed people at during the Super Bowl halftime show and celebrated the fifty-year anniversary of the Black Panthers.

    The former Mayor of New York was equally hurt and frustrated with the demonstration of the police being displaced in the music video. He said, “I don’t want the police force being [an] enemy towards the people, what she does is utterly degrading.” With this defense caused an anti-police sentiment. A former Beyoncé fan name April Bedunan was a part of the anti-Beyoncé protest and strongly persecuted and backlashed Beyoncé. She quoted with, “If white people wore KKK outfits, everyone would go crazy.” In my opinion, the KKK costumes were replaced with police uniforms and suits. The people don’t realize it because of the denial and ignorance that cloud their minds. Beyoncé is only showing people around the world that she is black and proud. She wants people to wake up from their denial of reality. A lot of individuals of color have lost their lives for America to be a better nation to live in for generations unborn. Their lives should be left in peace rather than in vain.

  • America, Give Iowa a Try

    With the presidential election moving ahead, with President Barack Obama finishing his second term, and with others just itching to become the new president of the United States, the Iowa caucuses took place on February 10 for the candidates to compete for the most votes.
    In the Republican Party, Ted Cruz won with 27.6% of the vote, beating second-place candidate Donald Trump, who gained 24.3% of the vote. Hillary Clinton took first in the Democratic Party with 49.9%, 0.3% lead over second-place candidate Bernie Sanders, who took 49.6% of the vote.
    Unfortunately, there is some debate over whether the primaries for the party nominations should start in such an unrepresentative state. According to a 2014 survey by the US Census Bureau, 92.1% of the state of Iowa is white. African-Americans, Hispanics, Latinos and other racial minorities do not make up a large portion of the Iowa population. The Iowa caucuses have been criticized as “overwhelmingly white.” What makes the 2016 presidential election so interesting is that some candidates are Jewish [Bernie Sanders (D-VT)] or of African-American [Ben Carson (R)] or Cuban [Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Marco Rubio (R-FL)] descent. Some say that Americans are more open to having a Catholic, female, black, Hispanic, or Jewish president.
    The Iowa caucuses are problematic for future primaries. Because it is the first state to vote in the presidential primaries, Iowa sets the tone for the future primaries and can even sway voter decisions in other states’ primaries. Iowa contains few major cities and hardly any people of color. New Hampshire is in a similar boat as Iowa, being the second state to hold its primary. Iowa and New Hampshire have large white populations, 92.1% in Iowa and 94.2% in New Hampshire. African-Americans make up only 3.3% and Latinos 5.6% in Iowa; New Hampshire is 1.5% African-American and 5.6% Latino. The United States collectively is 77.7% white, 13.2% black, and 17.1% Latino.
    Over fifty years ago, African-Americans campaigned and fought for the right to vote; now we have that vote. However, when presidential elections start with a deeply unrepresentative primary, we need to reassess whether this is truly equal. I believe it would be much better to have the Nevada caucus spearhead the primaries because it has a more diverse population. Nevada’s population is 51.5% white, 9.2% black, and 27.8% Latino, a much more representative racial breakdown than Iowa’s. This would not be a huge change either; Nevada is the third state the hold its primary (Tuesday, February 9 for the Democratic National Party and February 23 for the GOP). All we need to do is move the caucus up three weeks and let a more diverse state set the tone for the presidential election.

  • Whites, Camera, Action!

    Whites, Camera, Action!

    There has been talk recently concerning the diversity, or the lack thereof, in the nominations for the 88th annual Academy Awards. This is the second consecutive year in which the lack of diversity—and African Americans, to be specific—has been a concern of the public. What’s the deal?
    Last year, it was more reasonable as to why there were not that many African Americans, to be more specific, nominated. The only big movie with an African-American leading actor or an African cast and director was Selma, a movie depicting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his struggle for civil rights. It is  a struggle that we seem to still be going through today. This year, on the other hand, there does not seem to be a valid excuse as to why there are not any minority nominations. There has been an extensive list of exceptional movies with African American lead roles that came out in 2015.
    The 2015 dramatic sports film Creed was written and directed by Ryan Coogler, who just happens to be black, and starred Adonis Johnson, another black man. But alas, despite raving reviews from TIME, Rolling Stone, and other publications, the only one to get nominated from this film was a white man.
    Director, F. Gray Gray, an African American man, had a booming, charismatic cast of young, new faces, who were all-black in the hit blockbuster Straight Outta Compton. This edgy, heartfelt movie told one of the least known but most intriguing rags-to-riches stories of all time. It truly made you want to laugh, cry, and straight up made you wanna yell “F**k the Police!” It reminded this generation’s group of African-Americans what we can do with the power of music. Ironically, the Academy did not seem to think so because the only ones to get nominated from Compton were the white writers. I mean kudos to them—they helped make an amazing film— but really Academy? Really? You completely overlook the almost all-black cast and black director? This is a movie that not only showed the public the emotional, tortured side of some of the toughest rappers, but also incorporated racial controversies that still exists, and are a problem to this day. No offense to Leonardo DiCaprio and the writers and directors of The Revenant but I am not so sure that a movie about mountain men and DiCaprio trudging through mud is Oscar-worthy.
    Both Creed and Straight Outta Compton were just a punch in the face. They gave you a look into crude reality, but they also made you want to hug someone. That is not easy to find. Although there are not many films with a predominately minority cast, they were not hidden from the Academy’s view. Maybe the Academy voters just thought, “We get it; it’s hard being a minority, now stop complaining,” but what they do not understand is that these are the movies that keep us going. They remind minority groups what they/we have been through and that it does not matter if we are Anglo-Saxons. You just got to have dedication and heart. If the Academy, and all of the media industry, chooses to keep Hollywood white, we will just keep making movies that tell us where we come from, and what we have been through.