Author: adviser

  • News Brief

    CSULB Graduation Rates Improved

    More funding to CSULB allowed for professors to research habits and patterns to determine the reason for failing first-year freshmen students. Graduation rates in 2004 were floating around 46% and spiked to 65% by 2014. Professors found that using the “flipped classroom” approach would yield higher information retention and result in a higher academic grade. Through the flipped classroom method, professors assign the bulk of the learning outside of the classroom―for example, students watch informational videos or lectures at the leisure of their home while hands-on lab exercises or simulations are done in class. Previously, students struggled to sit through lengthy lectures and taking notes―now, students do the bulk of the learning independently.

    Eight in Custody Amid New Year’s Eve Assaults

    Around New Year’s Eve in Cologne, Germany, there was a massive influx of alleged sexual assaults and robberies, adding up to over 581 criminal reports. Victims describe the perpetrators as Arab or North African men; however, suspects were not caught until nearly three weeks later. The immigration status of the men in custody remains unknown, but at least one of the men was accused of groping and robbery. Other European cities are experiencing similar assaults, though the Cologne assaults caught the most international attention. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called them “disgusting” and wanted those responsible to be punished as soon as possible.

  • Rabbits Parade for MLK

    Rabbits Parade for MLK

    Poly participated in Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the annual MLK Parade on January 16. Poly’s JROTC, band, and cheerleaders participated that Saturday morning, marching on Martin Luther King Street. Poly’s International Ambassadors and the newly crowned Mr. and Ms. Jackrabbits were also present in the parade.
    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sought to raise the public consciousness of racism to end racial discrimination and segregation in the United States.
    It has been decades since the 1963 march in Washington where Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered.
    However, the influence of King has lasted long past his assassination in 1968.
    We now celebrate this man who advocated for repealing the unfair “separate, but equal” laws in place since the Jim Crow era.
    JROTC had cadets who were led by cadet Captain Jason Thatch and had three teams performing behind. The Dark Knights were flipping rifles, Unarmed was tapping out beats, and Color Guard was marching with their flags.
    “I had a really good time and took lots of pictures,” said junior Jaylene Thatch.
    Poly’s band played loud and had the crowds cheering, as did the Poly cheerleaders walking in front of them.
    At the end of the parade, everyone could go to MLK Park and enjoy food that was being sold at the booths.

  • Students Win Rare Opportunity

    Second-place winner junior Amelia Haynes and third-place winner junior Elizabeth Bigham of the AP Capstone Project Soapbox speech competition visited Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia’s office on Monday, January 4, and were greeted by the incredible invitation to intern at the mayor’s office over the summer of 2016.
    The AP Capstone classes convened at McBride High School in November for a district-wide speech competition with Wilson student AJ Walker winning first, with Haynes and Bigham placing second and third, respectively.
    Haynes’s speech tackled the stigma surrounding mental illness.
    “I have family and close friends who suffer from mental illness and I hated that they felt ashamed,” Haynes explained about why she chose the topic. “I was… angry at the way society treats mental illness.”
    Bigham discussed sexual harassment in schools in her speech. After doing some research, she realized that sexual harassment is “a lot bigger than the media might put forward.”
    “I started off by addressing sexual harassment in college and the fact that college women don’t come forward about incidences [of harassment]… We need to stand by victims of sexual harassment to make sure that they can get through [it],” said Bigham.
    Both girls were excited by the opportunity of a paid internship before even starting their senior year of high school. When they arrived at the mayor’s office, the winners had no idea what was coming.
    “I was not expecting that at all,” said Haynes about the internship offer.
    Bigham expressed her eagerness to participate this summer. Bigham said, “I am super excited about the internship and… an amazing experience.”

  • Students Swing to Iowa

    Students Swing to Iowa

    AP Seminar, AP Government, and AP Economics teacher Daniel Adler and seniors Amelia Haynes and Katie Seaman were privileged to visit Iowa under the Mikva Challenge during the MLK weekend. The program offers eligible students the opportunity to work with presidential candidates during their campaign in Iowa.
    Over 160 students from various states such as California, Florida, and Texas flew into Des Moines, Iowa, to begin their volunteer service. Students were able to select which candidate they wanted to work with, and were assigned a van to travel the state with five other students. This allowed for them to have their own unique experiences. Haynes worked under the Clinton campaign, which involved a more on-hands approach: “We went knocking on doors and spoke with the residents to vote for Clinton in the freezing five-degree weather.”
    Residents of California do not get to experience such political participation from presidential candidates due to a firm political party preference. Iowa is a swing state, meaning the state is given more attention by presidential candidates to get their vote. As most presidential candidates are in Iowa, there is a respective candidate tracker for those interested in finding campaign rallies. “We looked at the tracker and we saw that Chris Christie was having a breakfast, so we went and ended up meeting him,” said Adler. “We also did phone calls for Bernie Sanders and walked around to see people who would want to go to the caucuses.”
    “My favorite part being there was getting to meet Martin O’Malley. We were standing in the foyer of the town hall, and he walked in, shook our hands, and took a picture with us,” said Haynes.

  • Justice in the Real World

    This past semester, JUSTICE Academy teachers Mieko Harrington and Charlie Dodson have made it a point to show their students what the real world is like in the law enforcement profession.
    Charlie Dodson, the Criminal and Civil Law teacher at Poly, organized the Allstate Street Law Program where students spent two days in class working with ten lawyers and paralegals from Allstate’s Torrance office. Additionally, Harrington, the Intro to Social Justice teacher, organized seven in-class guest speakers to talk to her students about their careers.
    In the Allstate Street Law program, the students focused on two types of liability situations: sexual harassment and host responsibility for underage drinking. Then, on Wednesday, December 9, the students traveled to the Torrance office and participated in Mock Trial scenarios and interviewed all of the employees about their different career paths.
    “Participating in the Allstate Street Law program assisted me in figuring out what I want to do with my future by giving me an insight on what happens behind the scenes. This program helped me understand there’s way more to every career than you see or hear about on the outside,” said junior Jaclyn Pangelinan.
    The purpose of the program was to show students different jobs in the office, from lawyers to claims adjusters, demonstrating that you do not have to be a lawyer to work in the field. It also gave students an inside look on the day-to-day life of being a lawyer.
    “Street Law has really enabled me to see through the eyes of a real lawyer, a profession I fully intend to carry through out school,” said senior Marina Bowley.

    “The legislation that runs our government and most importantly, involve themselves in real life ethical issues that they usually don’t experience in everyday life.”
    Harrington organized seven guest speakers who represented different aspects of the justice profession. She brought in a Correctional Officer for a level four all men’s jail, a Signal Hill Police Officer, and a Long Beach Police Sergeant to show the law enforcement side of the justice system. A Parole Officer and a Probation Officer came in to speak about the rehabilitation aspect of the law. A family attorney spoke about the law profession, and City Councilwoman Stacy Mungo represented the political aspect.
    Hearing from each guest speaker is beneficial because “[students] get firsthand information from people who work the jobs, bringing in real life stories and incidences,” said Harrington.

  • Poly’s Olympians

    On Tuesday, November 17, LBUSD Adapted Physical Education and Special Olympics Southern California hosted the 2015 LBUSD Fall Games at Cabrillo High School.
    The LBUSD Adapted Physical Education is a program where physical education teachers come out to the schools to exercise with special education students throughout the day; the Special Olympics Southern California is a branch of the Special Olympics that creates inclusion in sports for everyone regardless of their disabilities.
    This is an event where the two organizations came together to have sports training and athletic competitions for the students. It gives the students with disabilities the opportunity to show off their skills and be amazing athletes as well.
    This year the event involves a six-week basketball training program geared to teach and develop fitness skills the participants will be able to use every day of their life. A lot of people were encouraged to come out as volunteers to support the athletes as they participated in the competition.
    The students were involved in many games and had a good time while they played and had fun with their friends. It was a great time for both the students and the volunteers because everyone was able to get out, be active, and have a good time.
    Julia Hasselwander, the Adapted Physical Education teacher at Poly, trained the student athletes for this year’s event. She is a very encouraging figure for the students and motivates them to do their best when they go out to play.
    This a great event for the community that has been going on for the past couple years now and, because of the positive success, should be able to continue for years to come. As students learn about the event, they were encouraged to come out and help.
    “I have volunteered in Special Olympic events before but never something partnered with the Long Beach schools,” said senior Imani Martin. “I love volunteering and helping out at the other events so it would be great to help out my own school mates.”
    Getting the word out about this event should encourage more students from the schools to come out as volunteers and support their fellow classmates.
    “It seems like it would be a great event and I would love to come out and bring the team with me next time,” said senior Ayesha Kosaka member of the girl’s basketball team. “Knowing that I am able to help out them out makes me feel good and I would be happy to be able to contribute.
    Because of such a great outcome, the two organizations are likely to partner up again in the spring for the 2016 LBUSD Spring Games.

  • A Leap For The Ladies

    The Long Beach Poly girls basketball team opened their season in the Beach Classic tournament at Redondo Union High School from November 30 through December 5.
    The Jackrabbits, arguably one of the top teams in all of Southern California, kicked off their season against local competitor, the St. Anthony Saints. Poly however would be missing their top 4 post players, top junior and USC commit Ayanna Clark, junior transfer Jasmine Jones, junior Kathryn Headspeth, junior Aiyanna Barnes and senior, Cal State Northridge commit Eliza Matthews. The absences of these players left the Jackrabbits undersized all week, hurting them in some games.
    “Not having all of the team definitely hurts us, but we have plenty of good talented guards that help make up that gap” said senior guard Da’Jah Jackson.
    After a back-and-forth game, Poly came up short against St. Anthony losing 44-41.
    “It was tough,” said senior guard Cierra Belvin. “It wasn’t the way I would’ve like to start off my senior year, but it’s a long season so we just have to improve and learn from our mistakes.”
    Poly reassured everyone that they are still a top team by winning the consolation championship. Poly beat North Torrance in a much needed bounce back game by a score of 52-35. The girls then played Mira Costa, where they held their opponent scoreless through the first 18 minutes jumping out to a 17-0 lead and finishing strong with a 55-37 win. The lady Jackrabbits were able to ride their momentum into their next game where they won a 58-55 thriller over Lynwood to capture the Consolation championship.
    Starting junior guard Danae Miller played well throughout the week, helping the shorthanded Jackrabbits capture a consolation title. She is the starting point guard and one of the top guards around. Sophomore center Kennedi Shorts gave outstanding performances as the Jackrabbit’s lone center. The Jackrabbits also relied on their trio of senior guards Siana Fields, Da’Jah Jackson, and Cierra Belvin. Fields, a Clemson commit, is the team leader, as a returning starter, who looks to help lead the team accomplish their goals of capturing CIF and State championships. Jackson is one of the team’s top shooters and looks to be a major offensive threat this year. Belvin is also a leader on this year’s team.
    “We are just trying to improve as a team and improve our chemistry. I’m also staying on people about coming to practice ready to work and keeping their grades up” said Belvin.
    The girls basketball team will travel to Arizona on Friday, December 18 to play in the Nike Tournament of Champions, one of the premier tournaments in the country.

  • Final Wave Goodbye

    On Wednesday, December 16, the Poly Surf Team will participate in their final competition of the Sea View League for the 2015-2016 season.
    The league finale is being held at the Huntington Beach Pier beginning at 8 A.M. and will last until 2 or 3 P.M. Participants who will compete are the top surfers from each of their schools. These schools include Poly, Wilson, Millikan, Mater Dei, Los Alamitos, and Corona Del Mar.
    The Poly roster includes the top ranked surfers in the events composed of six boys’ short board, two long board, two girls’ short board and long board, and a body board.
    The boys who will participate in the short board event are seniors Sean Love, Spencer Steffen, Chad King, Isaac Nelson, and Ellis Armendariz, as well as freshman Darren Deutsch. For each event that takes place, coaches Jeff Montooth and Jason Manack has lined up alternative surfers in case the competing surfers would not be able to perform.
    On the girls’ side, the short board surfers will be sophomores Juliana Skjonsby and Cora Fahringer, as well as other team members. The girls’ longboard will consist of seniors Eileen Sok and Gabby Cooper. The body boarders are sophomores Mitchell Rita and Jared Cox, boys’ longboard by juniors Graeme Tanaka and Kevin Miranda.
    The surfers prepared for this big event by simply going to practice every day and surfing.
    “The best conditioning for surfing, is quite frankly, surfing. The surfers knew what they needed to work on for the finale,” said Montooth.
    Although the surf team is not part of the Moore League, the Sea View League will award the surfers who will place top five with trophies. Despite the end of the surf season, the coaches are hopeful for a girls’ surf season if there are enough participants. When asked about the season, senior Eileen Sok said one of her favorite memories was when “Montooth and Manack would go into the water with these kooky looking surf caps.”
    The Poly Surf Team did well for their first season, beating Corona Del Mar just a few weeks ago.

  • Soccer Sets New Goals for 2016

    The Poly girls and boys varsity soccer teams are preparing for their upcoming 2015-2016 seasons.  Both teams have played in multiple non-league games to get ready for the soccer season to come.
    The Jackrabbit’s first non-league game took place on Monday, November 30 against Huntington Beach High School, who beat Poly with two goals, one in each half.  The boys came back to their next game ready to play and beat Crespi High School 3-0, with one goal in the first half and two in the second half.
    The girls soccer team has had a rocky start to their season with multiple ties and losses, winning only once. Although the lady Jackrabbits have not started their season as well as they had hoped, many of the players are still expecting an exciting season.  Their first non-conference game was on Tuesday, December 1, against Warren High who beat the Jackrabbits 4-0.  Midfielder Skylar Herrera was selected as the Player of the Game.  The girls also tied with both Downey High and Palos Verdes on December 3 and 7, both tied at (0-0).  The lady Jackrabbits also tied (1-1) with Woodbridge on Thursday, December 10, where senior forward Tavia Leachman was selected player of the game.
    Their most recent non-conference tournament game was on Saturday, December 12, against South Hills High School, where Poly won with a score of (1-0), pulling out their first win.
    “We are playing well and adjusting to the new formations and players.  I can tell we are going to build a strong team chemistry on and off the field.  I can’t wait to compete and do well as a team this season,” said Leachman.
    “Our team this year possesses great ability and talent.  At this point, we are working things out to make sure we are successful during the season so we can secure another Moore League title.  We also hope to make it to the finals in CIF playoffs and get that ring,” said senior midfielder Madi Brown.
    Both the boys and girls teams will soon move into the Moore League season.  Girls soccer has a home Moore League game versus Jordan on Tuesday, December 15, and boys soccer has an away, non-conference game against Los Alamitos High School on Wednesday, December 16.

  • A Brand New Bruin

    Josh Talbott, has joined fellow Jackrabbit underclassman Camren McDonald as a potential University of California, Los Angeles commit as of November.
    UCLA, a dream school for those focused on both academics and athletics, is a football powerhouse and has featured many Poly alumni on their roster, most recently including Jayon Brown and Colin Samuel.
    Talbott debuted this season as a starting safety. During his successful junior year, Talbott got a handle on the field and the competition despite Poly’s very young 2015 team. Talbott stood out on the field throughout the entire season and even competed against the Millikan Rams with a broken wrist.
    Talbott’s determination paid off at the close of the Jackrabbit’s bittersweet season when UCLA recruitment contacted Talbott with an offer.
    In Talbott’s words, “There’s nothing like earning something you’ve been working your whole life for.”
    Following his first offer, Talbott hopes that he can work towards even more offers from top-tier schools like UCLA, not only for himself, but also for his teammates and friends.  Talbott is “hungry” for more success and does not plan to stop at only UCLA.
    As for next year, Talbott believes that the Jackrabbits do not need a standout player for the 2016 season, but only an “entire team that steps it up.”
    As of Wednesday, December 16, Talbott has another offer from WSU.

  • Zoe’s Recent Rants

    Zoe’s Recent Rants

    Shootings

    On November 27, three people were killed and nine others wounded at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs. On the same day, two were killed and two wounded at a restaurant in Sacramento, CA. On December 2, a married couple killed 14 and wounded 22 at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, CA. On the same day, one person was killed and three wounded in a shooting in Savannah, GA. Half of these were not even given attention in the news, which raises the question, Are we becoming numb to these shootings?

    Unless a shooting brings the death of a significant number of people, the media no longer cares, and shockingly, neither do the civilians of the United States. The US cannot become a country that sees shootings on the news as regularly as does a country in the midst of a civil war. But when there have been more mass shootings than calendar days in the year thus far, it is hard not to believe that is the path we are headed down.

    When the British Broadcasting Channel (BBC) covered the San Bernardino shooting, reporter James Cook opened the newscast with the line, “Just another day in the United States.” The rest of the world can see it, so why can’t we? The citizens of the United States cannot become used to seeing shootings on the news every night; instead, they need to begin campaigning for gun restrictions to bring an end to this violence.

    El Salvador’s Abortion Policy

    Prior to 1998, there were three reasons Salvadorian women could legally abort a fetus: her life was endangered, the pregnancy was a product of rape, or a severe congenital disorder was detected in the fetus. However, since the Penal Code was passed in 1998, no woman, under any circumstances, can legally have an abortion.

    This has led to serious consequences. Many women are now forced to use dangerous methods including inserting metal rods to penetrate the uterus and using catheters to inject soapy water or battery acid, and often to perform these sketchy operations in their own homes.

    These techniques are often fatal or otherwise permanently injure the woman. And in situations when girls as young as ten are raped, they are now left with the decision to either have their child—which, when the mother is so young, frequently leads to death of the mother and/or the child—or attempt aborting her fetus.

    Another result of this law is that women who have miscarriages or stillbirths are being arrested for abortion when they did not abort their children. Punishing women for complications in their wanted births is adding salt to the wound, and is absolutely wrong.

    Even if you are pro-life, these stringent anti-abortion laws are anything but that. They put the lives of hundreds of women at stake and arrest women for miscarrying their child.

  • Basketball Bounces into 2016

    The varsity boys basketball team opened their winter season at the 64th annual Pacific Shores tournament at Redondo Union High School starting on Monday, November 23.
    The Jackrabbits lit up the floor in the first three games of the tournament, beginning with a (48-42) win against Campbell Hall, a (62-59) win against Inglewood, and a (55-48) win against Roosevelt but eventually fell short in the tournament’s championship round against the host, Redondo Union, with a  (64-49) loss.
    “I think we did pretty well but we still have a lot of work to do as far as building team chemistry,” said senior guard and forward Garrison Gowens. “We just have to play to win and learn how to not play for ourselves, but as a team.”
    Junior forward Zafir Williams, who lead the Jackrabbits in points, was named both Player of the Game and Most Outstanding Player for the championship game. Williams had to step up a lot to compensate for centers John Duff and Myles Johnson being out due to transfer rules and an injury. Both are expected to return in late January.
    There are new leaders on the team with captains Harrison Bonner, Drew Buggs, and Reuben Williams.
    “It feels really good to be named one of the captains so I’m just trying to improve everyday,” said senior point guard Reuben Williams.
    “I enjoy being a leader and having my teammates look up to me. This is my third year starting on varsity, my second as captain. I have won a CIF championship and I know what it takes to win so I embrace the role of teaching the underclassmen,” said senior star guard Drew Buggs.
    During Poly’s third game against Roosevelt, Buggs injured his knee leaving the Jackrabbits without one of their captains and top scorers on the court.
    “Drew is a big part of us winning but we can pick it up off at the bench and come out on top,” said Gowens.
    The Jackrabbits will be on the court once again this Wednesday, December 16, in the Tarkanian Classic tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada.