In case you have had your head in the sand for the last week, Paris was stricken by a horrific series of terrorist attacks on Friday, November 13. The attacks, claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), took a total of 129 lives, including Cal State Long Beach student Nohemi “Mimi” Gonzalez, who was spending a semester abroad at the Strate College of Design.
Six locations in Paris were targeted by the terrorists, including the Bataclan concert hall where the California rock band Eagles of Death Metal were performing, the Stade de France where France and Germany were having a friendly soccer match, and several restaurants where gunmen unloaded round after round upon innocent patrons.
As a response to the attacks, Paris officials raided an apartment Wednesday, November 8, where suspects were believed to be staying, leading to two deaths and eight arrests.
The day after the attacks, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi sent the western world a terrifying message: “Let France—and those who walk in its path—know that they will remain on the top of the list of targets of the Islamic State.” He has warned that these attacks are “the first in a storm.”
These threats, whether empty or not, are terrifying, and will inevitably lead to an intensification of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment, as well as an increased international fear of the Syrian refugees.
The sick irony in hiding behind media-influenced fear of Muslims is perfectly explained by Reading Football Club player Dan Holloway, who tweeted, “To people blaming refugees for attacks in Paris tonight: Do you not realise [sic] these are the people the refugees are trying to run away from…?”
People who instinctually generalize the entire Muslim population of the Middle East as Islamic extremists need to take a step back and realize that these ISIS militants are a miniscule minority; only 0.01% of Muslims in Europe have gone to fight with ISIS.
Responses by countries across the globe are admirable, including Barack Obama’s speech stating that the crisis in France was an attack not just on the French people, but on all of humanity.
However, despite the social media outbursts of #PrayForParis and large public awareness of the attacks, it seems that terrorist attacks in third world countries will continue to go unnoticed.
On Thursday, November 12, the day before the Paris attacks, the streets of Beirut, Lebanon, were struck with a double suicide bombing killing 43 and wounding 200 others. It was the worst outbreak of violence since the end of Lebanon’s civil war in 1990. The country is devastated, not just by the deaths of its people, but also by the rest of the world’s ignorance.
Because Lebanon neighbors Syria, the world tends to ignore its crises, assuming constant chaos in Lebanon merely because of its geographic location.
I am not suggesting that the horrors of Paris are unimportant, or do not deserve sympathy and support. I am proud to see all my friends add the Paris Flag Filter to their Facebook profile photo. I just want us all to realize that the Western World is not the only place affected by terrorism; other countries suffer similar attacks on humanity that are ignored by the majority of the world. Eighty percent of all deaths caused by terrorists take place in only five countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Syria.
Tens of thousands of people die this way each year. That is unacceptable; the world has to unite if we wish to fight against the killing of civilians all over the globe.
Author: adviser
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Pray For Humanity
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Moore League Champs
This past week, the girls varsity tennis team beat Wilson to become the Moore League champions two years in a row on Friday, October 30.
The Lady Jackrabbits went undefeated in Moore League and challenged themselves mentally and physically by playing matches against Division I teams like Redondo Union and Mira Costa.
“The girls had really good year,” said senior Ariana Crockett, the undefeated doubles champion along with her partner Megan Gutierri.
Before the back to back wins this year and 2014, the team had been in a dry spell since 2004.
“Girls filter in and out of high school teams with different ranges of talent as well,” says Crockett, “but to be apart of a year where a team of girls came together wanting to achieve the same goal and actually achieving it after such a long time is really just too great.”
One of the captains, Jasmine Roberts, has been on the varsity team since her freshman year and a victory her senior year is one to remember.
Although Jasmine lost her singles championship to Wilson senior Olivia Mendoza, her and partner Sara Soderberg won in a 10-point tiebreaker to victory.
On the win, Roberts says “Of course I wanted to win the singles too but to win with Sara, she really was a major part of how amazing this season was for me. I’m glad to be able to share this win with her and experience it with her.”
“My last year wouldn’t have been the same without the girls that stuck in the program all the way into their senior year and its been a really good season. Now we have to continue and move to CIF which is also really exciting,” says Ariana Crockett.
The teams first CIF match was held November 4. Due to press restraints we were not able to cover the matches, but scores will be available next issue. -
Senior Night Sucess
Heading into their matchup against Lakewood on Friday, October 23, the Jackrabbits made some adjustments as they brought in a new offensive coordinator and named senior and Florida State commit Malik Henry their starting quarterback, replacing junior Nolan McDonald. Poly started off slow as they worked out their wrinkles and fell behind 14-7 in the first quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, junior Aaron Shampklin returned the ball, sprinting across the entire length of the field, scoring to tie the game at 14-14. The Jackrabbits were able to finally gain their momentum after stopping the Lancers on the 2-yard line on fourth down and scoring on the very next play with a 98-yard touchdown pass from Henry to receiver Jack Jones. Jones’s impressive run gave Poly a 28-14 lead against the Lancers which they held for the rest of the game, winning with a final score of 35-21.
“The game was closer than we would’ve liked, but we were able to work on some things and we ultimately came out with a win, which I’m grateful for,” said junior linebacker Josh Brown.
On Friday, October 30, the Poly Jackrabbits took on their Atlantic Avenue rivals, the Jordan Panthers. It was senior night for the Jackrabbits which meant it was the last guaranteed home game of the seniors’s careers. Poly won their last home game with a final score of 53-9. Poly started off strong, lead by Henry who was 14-22 for 214 yards, and throwing three touchdowns.
“It’s surreal,” said Henry, “It’s hard to believe my last year of high school football is almost over.”
Senior Jack Jones also made a statement on the field in his final game as he finished with five catches for 97-yards and a touchdown.
In his debut at running back, junior Aaron Shampklin had 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns while only carrying the ball twice.
The win over the Lancers was a great way for the seniors to continue to dominate the Moore League and hope to carry their success into the postseason.
“Luckily, we’re coming together at the right time, heading into playoffs our offense and defense are both playing really well right now, so we’ll be prepared in time for the bigger competition outside of Moore League” said junior safety Josh Talbott.
The Jackrabbits will play the Millikan Rams in their final regular season game, Friday, November 6 to finish off their successful Moore League record for the 2015-2016 season.
After a faceoff with the Rams, Poly looks to extend their season well into the postseason.
In preparation, the Jackrabbits are using these last few games as a chance to fine-tune their game execution to prepare for the grueling CIF playoffs beginning soon on Friday, November 13.
The Jackrabbits expect to make a good running in the postseason even after rearranging positions among the team. -
IDs? ID Even Necessary?
It’s 7:27 A.M., I had three hours of sleep, and I’ve faced my inevitable fate that I am about to fail my Calculus quiz. I make my way from the parking lot to the Jackrabbit/Atlantic gate, dragging my feet, half asleep, trying to ignore how happy the kid in front of me sounds. I get to the gate and damn – my ID. I left it somewhere in the depths of the mess that is the backseat of my car. I whip out my sophomore-year ID (that somehow I have managed not to lose) from my backpack’s front pocket and wave it to the person who believes that he is the all-mighty guardian of the wonderful kingdom that is Poly. It has worked before; it is the way I have entered this palace since the beginning of the school year. However, this time it did not go over so well. I was stopped in my tracks and my ID was confiscated and ripped from my too-tired-to-function hands. (I was actually emotionally attached to that ID and am upset that it was forcibly taken.)
After I was denied entrance into the holy land by the high and mighty ID Police, I was directed to get a temporary ID at the main gate. I did not argue the fact that I pass through that gate every single day, or complain that the girl before me passed through the gate without showing her ID because the guard knew her. Instead, I turned around and walked onto Jackrabbit Lane towards the main entrance only to be greeted by a long line of ID-less criminals waiting to be granted permission into the academic Promised Land. I stood in the line for a split second, but chose to try my luck at the other gate. I was expecting that gate to be guarded, too, given that the first guy was stricter than Donald Trump at the Mexican-American border. But to my (not so much) surprise, it was not. I was actually more upset than relieved that it was not guarded because I was turned around at the first gate for not having my ID and was then expected to wait in a line to be given a temporary ID by a person who seems to hate this newly-enforced rule as much as students do.
If students are expected to respect this rule, I suggest Poly does not enforce it merely half way. These temporary IDs are a waste of time and money. If the administration is actually worried with campus security, I expect them to have the gates guarded at all times that they are open, including during zero period and after school. Additionally, if you want me to willingly dig into my backpack to show you my ID, ask everyone for their IDs. The only injustice I hate more than partially enforcing rules is exceptions to the rules. So I argue that these ID checks at the gates are not only unnecessary but absurd and it makes students want to enter school even less than they already do. I once saw a kid leave campus because he was denied entry without his ID and apparently had one too many warnings. So please do not make it harder than it already is for students to go to school. It is seven in the morning, so cut us some slack. -
Poly Digs Their Way To CIF
The Long Beach Poly girls volleyball team defeated the Millikan Rams on Tuesday, October 27 and the Wilson Bruins on Thursday, October 29 which resulted in the Jackrabbits winning the Co-Moore League Winner title with the Lakewood Lancers. The Jackrabbits also participated in the Redondo Union two-day volleyball tournament where Poly placed 3.
With scores of 25-18, 25-15, and 25-12, the Poly girls took another win in the league after playing Millikan High School.
The Jackrabbits came into Thursday confident after a hard week of practice and took their last Moore League win with scores of 25-20, 25-16, and 25-15 against Woodrow Wilson High School. The girls stuck together and were ecstatic because they beat their rival for the second time this year.
Because Poly and Lakewood both finished the league with the same number of wins and losses, both schools were named Moore League Champions. This was a great accomplishment for Poly girls volleyball because they haven’t claimed the league title since 2012.
From October 30 to the 31 the Jackrabbits attended a non-conference tournament at Redondo Union High School. With about 32 well-ranked high school volleyball teams, Poly was in for a challenging weekend. Facing the challenge head on, the Jackrabbits placed 2nd after beating Palo Verde High School and Buena High School and losing to Valencia High School on Friday, October 30. Saturday, October 31 Poly began playoffs by beating Flintridge Sacred Heart, Independence, and Notre Dame and losing the hard-fought battle against Redondo Union High School. Overall Poly fought hard and earned gold division 3rd place in tournament.
After speaking with Long Beach Poly’s libero, Frances Camandang, said, “I feel proud of how we played this weekend. We all connected and didn’t give up. No matter how tired we were, we stayed determined and pushed through. I’m lucky to be a part of this team.”
Frances expressed her gratitude for such a great team that works well together on and off the court.
As a whole, the players had a productive weekend that will help prepare them for the upcoming CIF matches in postseason playoffs where Poly will hopefully reach their goal of becoming CIF champions once again.
With such an amazing season it’s clear they will have a huge impact in the post season. This is the first year in a long time Poly will be crowned Moore League Champions and they look to carry this momentum in the playoffs. -
An All-American Athlete
On Friday, October 30, senior Jack Jones was named a 2016 U.S. Army All-American during a lunchtime ceremony. Jones earned the All-American status by his electric performances at receiver, cornerback, and return specialist over his high school career.
This season, Jones has proven to be one of Southern California’s best receivers, providing a consistent target for the quarterbacks. His acrobatic jumps over defenders, decisive cuts, and quickness prove hard for defenders to prepare for him.
Jones was selected as one of the top 90 senior football players in the country to compete in the bowl game. Jones has met some of these players previously at football scouting events such as The Nike Opening and Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge.
Jones follows in the footsteps of past Jackrabbits who reached All-American status. These include receiver DeSean Jackson (2005), receiver John “JuJu” Smith-Schuster (2014), cornerback Iman “Biggie” Marshall (2015), and lineman Joseph “JoJo” Wicker (2015).
“I’m honored to be able to play after JuJu and Biggie, it doesn’t get any better than that,” said Jones.
Many players who played in the All-American Bowl have gone on to have successful college and professional football careers, including Andrew Luck, Odell Beckham Jr. and Adrian Peterson.
The nationally televised bowl game will take place on January 9 in San Antonio, Texas. Jones will continue his All-American season against Millikan on Friday, November 6, and will then face tough opponents in the Pac-5 playoffs.
While earning All-American honors, Jones has acquired a large list of scholarship offers to colleges, including USC, Texas A&M, and Notre Dame. -
A Swell Surf Season
As they are more than half way done with the Sea View League competition, the Poly Surf Team hosted Los Alamitos and Corona Del Mar last Monday and Tuesday at Bolsa Chica.
The Poly Surf Team began their fifth competition in the league against Los Alamitos on Monday, October 26. With the intention of redeeming themselves with a win after losing to Los Alamitos in the previous meet held on October 13, the Poly surfers were ready for the challenge. At last Monday’s event, senior surfer, Sean Love, accumulated most of the points for Poly by placing first in the body board heat and second in the short board heat.
“It wasn’t a matter of practicing that much, but it was based on my experience of how long I’ve been surfing,” said Love, when asked on what he did differently this around in comparison to the past matches.
Also freshman Poly surfer, Marco Lepre, had only competed twice before, and placed second in the other boys short board event, adding an additional five points to the Poly side. Even with the high scores, Poly fell short 102-68.
The competition against Corona Del Mar was held the next day, Tuesday, October 27. The event was quite monumental for the Jackrabbits as they won their first competition in the Sea View League. Unlike Poly’s one year, Corona Del Mar has had at least five years of surf team experience. In fact, a couple of years ago, Corona Del Mar won the entire Sea View League. However, Poly was ready to be in the running with one of the Sea View League’s top teams.
In the first heat of the day, Sean Love placed second, while Spencer Steffen placed first in the second heat. For the girls short board in the third heat, sophomore surfer Cora Fahringer placed first while senior Eileen Sok placed first in the girls long board heat. In the boys long board heat, Poly placed first and second with the help from juniors Graeme Tanaka and Keven Miranda, adding more points to Poly’s scoreboard. At the end of the competition, Poly beat Corona Del Mar 85-76 with an upset victory.
The Poly Surf Team will continue their competitive season on Monday, November 9, against Mater Dei at Bolsa Chica. -
The National Holidays Epidemic
Leave Zucchini on Your Neighbor’s Porch Day is celebrated August 8. Take Your Plants for a Walk Day is on July 27. Answer Cats’s Questions Day falls on January 22. We are currently in an epidemic of random and unnecessary holidays. The good news is that civilization will most likely survive. However, society is a different matter.
Surprisingly, these holidays have been around for longer than we may think. Most of them were started by a corporation as a marketing scheme or an excuse to celebrate their hard work. The National Watermelon Association started National Watermelon Day so long ago that none of the employees know the exact year of its conception.
While the tactic behind some holidays is very obvious, such as Hostess Twinkie Day, others are not as straightforward, like Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day. Along with marketing, there are also some inspirational days such as Use Your Common Sense Day, Read a Book Day, and Good Neighbor Day, which I deem more useful and needed than Brandied Fruit Day.
The most common place to see these holidays is, of course, on social media. Many people use these random days and pop-up hashtags as an excuse to post pictures of them and their cat, them eating a taco, or them wearing lipstick. These people could not possibly post a picture of them and an octopus on the day they went to the aquarium- that would be weird and uncalled for. Instead, they keep the picture and wait until an occasion calls for the post and eventually Octopus Day comes around and gives them the excuse.
These people fail to realize that once Octopus Day comes around, everyone is tired of seeing octopi. Last week was National Cat Day and my feed was infected with pictures of the little devils. Posting about what you want when you want is far better than waiting until everyone and their grandmas post the same thing.
I admit some of these holidays are a brilliant marketing strategy and I commend the person who originally thought of the idea. However, these “holidays” subtract from the real holidays that have actual purpose and history such as Rosh Hashanah, Ramadan, and Easter. The main thing that pop-up holidays celebrate is American consumerism.
One part of me loves our ability to celebrate the random things and congratulates everyone’s passion for these unnecessary celebrations, and I realize that the worst these holidays do is endorse the takeover of social media. However, the other part of me shudders that some person in our society actually celebrates Underwear Day. -
Mikva Motivates
AP Seminar, AP Government, and AP Economics teacher Daniel Adler is urging his students to participate and enter the Mikva Challenge competition, which is part of a program by Action Civics of Chicago that takes up to 150 students from various states including Illinois, California, and Washington, D.C. and takes them to Iowa. Eligible students will work directly with presidential candidates on their campaign in Iowa.
Schools or classes from around the nation that follow the Mikva curriculum are eligible to participate, making the program more exclusive and privileged for Polytechnic high school students. Students interested in entering the Mikva challenge must write either a 300 word essay between one of two prompts, produce a personal campaign video, or come up with other creative projects that show “Why you want to come on this trip and why we should take YOU.” The due date for submissions is November 30th, and the Iowa trip takes place around the Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, January 15-17th.
“Mikva teaches them how to take an idea and create an action around it. In order to do that, they need to do the research necessary to understand what is going on,” said Adler.
This program has been going on for nearly two decades, and was named after Abner Mikva, a senator from Chicago who wanted to get young children and teenagers into politics. Students are given the opportunity to work with presidential candidates on a door-to-door basis in Iowa as it is more hands-on in contrast to fragmented advertising sprees in other states. Participating students will also be able to attend a summit with other participating students from across the country to discuss youth issues.
Adler plans to influence the AP Seminar class because the course has another project that adheres to the Mikva curriculum: Project Soapbox. Students who take AP Seminar are going to work on a speech competition involving a call to action or a change to a problem that directly affects the student, and proposing ways to fix the problem. Three students from each class are selected to represent Polytechnic high school to pitch their speech to the Long Beach City Council. -
Wearing Pink With Pride
The month of October is filled with care, spirit, holidays, and awareness. Poly has always had a hands-on connection with the breast cancer community.
To show their love and support, everyone wears the color pink and sometimes they intertwine the pink and blue for men and women who have or have had breast cancer. The pink ribbon is an international symbol of breast cancer awareness, and even though it is used year round, they are most commonly seen during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, in October.
Friday, October 23, was the annual Lakewood vs. Poly football game at Veterans’ Stadium. Poly was raising awareness in various ways throughout the game. The Poly football team wore pink armbands and towels while student commission competed against Lakewood in the stands to see which school could raise the most money for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. In addition, the cheerleading team performed with the football team’s old pink jerseys and adorned their hair with pink bows.
“There were many people at the game showing the love by wearing pink. It was really cool see that,” added sophomore Megan Villaverde.
At halftime the Dance Team honored the Lakewood and Poly staff members who were survivors of breast cancer. They were brought down from the stadium and applauded by the crowd, acknowledging and congratulating their perseverance.
“I’m really thankful to be a part of the dance team to pull together a wave of awareness to the breast cancer survivors,” said senior Therese Pingle.
Poly’s Dance Team along, with dance director Cynthia Negrete, organized an idea to bring out a selected survivor. This selected survivor was Maria Jackson who was diagnosed in 2005. She shared the hopeful journey, experience, hardships and struggles going through the process of fighting the terrible disease.
“It really brought tears to my eyes to hear the pain of the breast cancer individuals faced,” said Senior Miranda Deguzman. -
News Brief
Paul Ryan Elected House Speaker
Representative Paul Ryan has been elected house speaker for the Republican party, succeeding John Boehner, who announced his retirement from Speakership and Congress last week. Boehner’s final duty as Speaker involved a negotiation with President Barack Obama on a piece of legislation that would prevent or decrease the likelihood of a government shutdown. As such, this allows for the Republican party to look forward and “begin the process of healing,” said Ryan’s aide. On Thursday, October 29th, Nancy Pelosi passed on the gavel to Paul Ryan to symbolize the beginning of the Paul era and the end of the Boehner era.
China Ends One-Child Policy
On October 29th, the Communist party released a statement announcing their plans to end the one-child policy, which has been in effect since 1979. This controversial policy was enacted in order to control population growth rates. Statistics show that the world average for children and young people ranging between 0-24 drastically dropped at a constant rate when China enacted this policy. However, while the Communist party may have “ended” the one-child policy, there is still a limit for couples. Couples will now be allowed to have two children, which at first still sounds restricting, but to put in perspective, will potentially double the population for young people. The motive behind removing the one-child policy is to strike a balance between the amount of elderly people and younger people to prevent the population crisis currently happening in Japan.
Long Beach Streetlights Switch to LED
Long Beach officials announced an LED streetlight program, a major project with the intention of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 7,297 tons, saving $1 million in energy and labor annually. Under a hefty $650,000 grant from the Port of Long Beach Community Mitigation, Long Beach plans to replace nearly 2,000 street lights within an ambitious two month period. Each year, Long Beach can reduce energy consumption by up to ten percent. LED lights are more efficient than the current high-pressure sodium lights commonly used as street lights. During their lifespan, the lights are expected to last 24 years with 12 hours of use every day.
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Announcements
Seniors: The Mr. and Mrs. Jackrabbit Pageant applications are available online or in room 805. They are due Friday, November 13th, and late applications will NOT be accepted. The pageant is on January 14th. Apply to showcase your talent!
Grad Night will take place on Friday, June 17th. The date has been changed from Thursday, June 16th. Refunds are offered if you purchased your ticket before October 22. This is a limited offer, until November 19. Tickets may be purchased though the Banker at $125, as long as you have the required consent form.
Tutoring: Algebra and Geometry tutoring is offered in room 915 every Wednesday and Thursday afternoon. Also, the AP Resource room offers tutoring after school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, as does the library.
Students at Poly High swept the top four spots in the Long Beach Press Telegram’s annual scary stories contest. Seniors Keiran Reiser’s “Among the Broken Branches” claimed the first place and Noemi Summer’s “Lock” won second. Freshmen Lindsey Chou and John Henry Dy were third place and honorable mention, respectively.