Author: Cristal Diaz

  • The Debate Team

    Throughout the month of September to March, our very own Debate team has been competing for a chance to compete for the state championships in April, which they succeeded in doing.  They’ve been discussing various speeches including bills and legislation and spontaneous argument also know as SPAR, which they have ten minutes to prep for. The topics could be random or in some cases picked from a list. Our team consists of thirty-two students, some being Samantha Williams, Inanna Khansa, Alexis Lam, and Althea Agul. This year two seniors being Inanna Khansa and Hamid Torabzadeh were both nominated to compete at state, which is a great opportunity for them to get experience and to build up their resumes. 

    In total there has been a number of 12 tournaments, which they succeeded in winning five. They been prepping once every week during their club and Alexander is proud of how far they have come. He said,” I believe some of my students can make it to the nationals and not just state.”

    Alexander has been competing at state and congress for 29 years and still is very passionate about it regardless of it being online last and this year. He said, “We have been having a good year and I’m very proud of how far we have come because my students have been working very hard.” Last year one of Alexander’s students was a semi finalist and considering it was online it was probably a tuff match. Aside from just teaching his kids tips about the competitions he helps distress them from any anxiety by getting them to the competitions in time, getting them plenty of food and water, and Lots of encouragement. 

    The sessions vary as they could range from an hour to an hour and a half. However each events are uniquely different. For example, A varsity level prompt two speech get two mins to prep, whereas a noves tournament  get five minutes to prep, which can be very impactful since the students are on a major time crunch. 

    Their last at state tournaments is a three day tournament from April 29 to May 1st and their last competition is the week right after being either the 6 or 7th of May. Around ten to fifteen students are going to Compete and the students are looking forward to it and many more.

  • Poly UNICEF’s Gravity Water Campaign

    During the month of March, Poly’s UNICEF club is participating in the Gravity Water Campaign.

     

    UNICEF is the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund which raises money to aid children in developing countries who face poverty. The Gravity Water Campaign allows for the club to help raise money for a clean water filtration system for Poly’s sister school, Shree Bagdevi Secondary School, in Nepal.

     

    The Gravity Water Campaign is an extremely important one that our UNICEF club has participated in since May of 2021. Alexis Lam, co-president of Poly UNICEF, said, “The donations we have been collecting have been accumulated over the course of this year. We are continuing to raise money until the end of March.”

     

    “The campaign allows us to spread awareness about the global water crisis,” Lam explained. The global water crisis has affected millions of people across the entire world, and Gravity Water allows organizations, like UNICEF, to bring awareness to this crisis. “The campaign spreads awareness particularly about how the water crisis affects children and schools in countries that don’t have access to clean drinking water,” Lam said.

     

    In order to raise money for the water filtration system, the UNICEF club has ended up coming up with creative rewards based on the amount of money raised. “UNICEF has gotten donations for the campaign through having a dare challenge where cabinet members will complete dares at certain donation goalposts,” explained Victoria Heng, the Head Chair of Communications with the Cambodian Health Professionals Association of America. These challenges, which range from eating a full lemon after raising five dollars to wearing a Spider-Man suit to school for raising 100 dollars, have been unique ways to motivate club members to continue donating to the campaign.

     

    Gravity Water is one of many water-related campaigns Poly UNICEF has participated in. Along with raising money to install a clean water filtration system, the club has also helped raise awareness for the water crisis in general. On January 14, the club ran a virtual “Walk for Water” simulation, where club members joined together to make “choose your own adventure” type decisions on Zoom. The simulation demonstrated the realities of countries who have limited water access by putting members in the shoes of a young girl who lives in a village with little water. 

     

    Although raising money became a challenge during the pandemic, UNICEF has managed to bounce back strongly and continue to work with and raise money for Gravity Water. Those who wish to donate can do so through Venmo to @alexis_lam, or donate during club meetings, which are every Wednesday at lunch in Room 215.

  • Mask Mandate

    We’ve spent months wearing all types of masks to prevent catching Covid-19. But, with time, we found better ways of keeping ourselves safe. As more people get vaccinated and fewer Covid cases arise, California, along with other states, eased on the mask mandate. Recently the California Governor, Gavin Newsom, stated that starting March 1, the state may allow the public to enter the indoors without a mask. After March 11, places such as schools and daycare centers may also drop the mask mandate. This announcement was met with different reactions. Students all over Poly shared their views on the announcement. 

    In response to how he thinks the mask mandate lift may work out, 10th grader Omar Estrada said, “I personally see no difference since everyone already basically has no masks outside of class but overall I think everything will be the same.” 11th grader, Jessica Diaz believes that we will see a split all around the school between students with masks and without. 

    In addition, 11th grader Danisha Bo said, “People should keep wearing their masks, not everybody is vaccinated, and people will get more sick, it will spread exponentially to the point we might go back to zoom.” Bo also added that people should get vaccinated and be mindful of other students, as they might have people at home like elderly people or people who can’t afford to get covid at home. 

    11th grader Jannah Mohammed believes that if people want to wear their masks is up to them, as she understands it gets hot, and hard to breathe, especially in some classrooms that don’t have an AC. 11th grader Vanessa Cruz said that she doesn’t care if students want to wear their masks, it’s up to them. They all agreed that they would continue to wear their masks to stay safe and believe people should not judge others for wearing or not wearing their masks. 

    When asked if they think the lift will create an impact such as a surge, Diaz said, “I don’t think so because there’s a vaccine for it. I think it’s going to be normal.” Estrada said, “Yeah, Covid cases at our school may increase a bit more. But nothing big enough to shut down schools for two years again.” 

    Overall some students like Diaz, Estrada, Bo, Mohammed, Cruz all mentioned that they would continue wearing their masks in their classrooms.

    Wearing masks became the new norm. Only being able to see eyes and the top of heads is something expected when going outside. Most were fine with wearing them, knowing it would ensure their safety, while others had difficulty with the mandate. When the vaccine was created, many received the shot, which made a better fighting immune system against Covid. Having the vaccine, vaccine booster, and wearing a mask were all great combinations for avoiding Covid-19. Now, with the choice of wearing masks, there is no knowing how things will work out. All you can do is decide on whether you want to continue wearing masks or not, the choice is yours. 

  • Addison Rae: He’s All That….

    Addison Rae: He’s All That….

    On August 27, 2021, Singer and TikTok Star Addison Rae, debuted in her first Netflix film called He’s all that. 

    Rae, who has 84.7 Million of followers on Tiktok, was very excited to be given the opportunity she said to the paparazzi once the film streamed live. The film was filmed locally in Los Angeles, California and it was a remake of the old film named She’s all that, which debuted on January 28, 1999. They were sponsored by many companies, some being TikTok, Eos, and many more.

    Pagget, who is  a very popular influencer, bets with one of her friends that she can help one of her classmates into being the next prom king. This movie has accumulated numerous mixed emotions from watchers, but for the most part many people find it cringey. Many people including myself noticed some strange details from the movie one being when she’s allegedly passing out fliers, but isn’t. Not to mention, their green screen is so noticeable and poorly used. Some examples include when the character Laney Boggs is driving or when they’re having a party near the beach.

    On the other hand, some people pointed out how Rae’s ex boyfriend Bryce Hall also premieres in it and how one of her friends Kourtney Kardashian, does too. People were caught off guard that Kourtney came out in it since she hardly comes out in anything aside from her own family’s reality show Keeping up with the Kardashians. After the film, many people speculated if Rae and Hall began dating, since they got relatively close after the premiere. However, these rumors were false.

    Overall, the Netflix film is a love/hate movie for many people whether it be about the movie or just Rae herself, since she does find herself in many controversies. 

    Lastly, Netflix said that they signed a multi-movie deal with Rae, which is the start of a new career path for her.

  • Marvels Eternals

    Marvels Eternals

    On November 5, Marvel Studios’ new feature film Eternals hit theatres worldwide. With this movie being the third feature film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s fourth phase, it centers on introducing more characters from the Marvel Comics to the big screen, primarily, as the name of the movie implies, the Eternals, who are immortal cosmic beings created by the Prime Celestial, Arishem. 

    The movie begins with a text crawl explaining what Eternals, Celestials, and Deviants are, which is seemingly unnecessary. Shortly after, the movie then gives us a first impression of the ten Eternals the movie will revolve around, the ones assigned to protect the earth from Deviants. These Eternals are, Ikaris, played by Richard Madden, Sersi, played by Gemma Chan, Phastos, played by Bryan Tyree Henry, Kingo, played by Kumail Najiani, Gilgamesh, played by Don Lee, Thena, played by Angelina Jolie, Sprite, played by Lia McHugh, Druig, played by Barry Keoghan, Ajak, played by Salma Hayek, and Makkari, played by Lauren Ridloff, each of these actors being excellent choices for the characters they portray. The opening scene shows off the basic premise of these characters, including who they are, what their abilities are, and also their synergy between each other, by doing what Marvel does best, making our heroes save the day, all the while using stunning visual effects which are used all throughout the film.

    The movie goes on to develop the main problem the Eternals need to face, with a thorough exposition and a deeper dive into each of the characters, showing more about them and their interactions between each other and also some internal conflict between the bunch with clashing ideologies. After finally reaching the well anticipated final act, the movie does not waste any time at letting the characters get their time in the spotlight.

    The movie features two post-credit scenes, which is expected from a Marvel movie, both showcasing what’s to become of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s fourth phase, introducing new characters and, obviously, leaving off on a cliffhanger.

    Overall, I believe the movie stayed strong throughout, from the beginning with the text crawl, all the way to the end of the post-credits scene. Key points were well spread out across the movie, not making it seem rushed or as if it were too slow. There are several questions that the movie left me with, some which I am leaving future films to answer, and others that have already gotten me to speculate the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or also known by some as the Multiverse. Although the movie did really great, it did not do some characters justice and it left me wondering if they could have shown more of them at their full potential, essentially throwing away certain characters. Aside from wasted characters, there are some moments where the movie tried really hard to squeeze in some comic relief, even in the most tense moments, which I found really annoying, given the situations. Despite its flaws, the movie was spectacular, and I can not wait to see what lies ahead for the rest of the Eternals scattered across the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse.

  • Summer’s New Album: Bops or Flops?

    Summer’s New Album: Bops or Flops?

     

    Summer Walker dropped her second studio album Still Over It on November 5 for the world to listen to and some people have mixed feelings about it. 

    Many people had very high hopes and expectations for this album, as her debut album Over It was a success all over the world. With major past hits like “Girls Need Love” and “Playing Games,” people were expecting Still Over It to have no skips and be filled with heartbreaking ballads as well as some cute love songs. 

    The lead single of this album was called “Ex For a Reason,” and featured the City Girls. It helped set the tone of the album, as the album was full of breakup songs and sad melodies. When the full album was released people listened to it with excitement, as they had waited two years for a new album from Walker to drop. After listening to the album some people have expressed their disappointment, while many others have expressed their love for the collection of songs. 

    Sophomore MEDS student Cheyenne Clark says that she loved the album, as she can tie some of it into experiences she’s had. She said, “My favorite songs would be ‘Insane, No Love,’ and ‘Closure,’ those being the songs that really hit me because they’re about healing or the after effects of a break-up.”

    Madison Williams, a CIC sophomore, said she had “been waiting for her to drop an album for a while” and had set “high expectations for the album.” She said that Walker definitely reached them. Her favorite song off of it is “Insane,” A song about the feeling of going crazy over a significant other’s own actions. 

    On the contrary, PACE senior Brie Lao said, “All the songs sound the same, just like on Summer’s last album. The song’s are okay, but there is nothing really good about this album.” She isn’t alone in this opinion, in fact on a poll taken from local students, 24% of people said that they did not like Walker’s album, or that it wasn’t that good. Still, this album is loved by 76% of students polled at Poly.  

    Walker has been a prominent female RnB artist since the release of her first official collection of songs titled Last Day of Summer in October of 2018. She has a strong fan base of teenage and young adult girls, who find comfort in her music and find ways to relate to her lyrics. Still Over It was a highly anticipated album and is having a large amount of commercial success. Overall, this album is loved and Walker’s next album will be as well. 

  • Badminton Coach Steven Meckna Keeps Team Going

    Badminton Coach Steven Meckna Keeps Team Going

    Steven Meckna is a Pace teacher at Polytechnic High School. He is also the varsity coach for Poly’s badminton team.

    Meckna said, “I’ve been teaching since 1989.” This means Meckna has been teaching for 32 years. Meckna wasn’t always the varsity coach for badminton. For a couple of years, Meckna was the JV coach, but has moved up the ranks into a Varsity coach. Even during the pandemic, Meckna was still coaching through it.

    According to Meckna, “Coaching during the pandemic was really hard but it was worth it because it held the team together unlike other schools where they actually didn’t have a team during the pandemic.”

    According to Molly Flynn, a sophomore who has worked with Meckna during the pandemic, “I think Mr. Meckna worked very hard in order to keep things in shape and training like a team.”

    Students who have been taught or are being coached by Meckna have a lot of great things to say about Meckna.

    Timothy Win, a varsity badminton player who is coached by Meckna, said, “Coach Meckna is a really passionate coach that adjusts to the student’s needs. He’s really flexible and students are comfortable talking with Coach Meckna about their struggles. He’s really trustworthy and a more than competent teacher and coach.”

    Prongha Talukder, the best player on the varsity team, said, “There are very few people that can establish a culture of success with such little support and resources. It’s just him and his family making us better badminton players and people, furthering the sport for others.”

    Peter Kongjang, a JV bad- minton player, said, “Inspirational and motivated teacher is available whenever we need to talk to someone, and just overall a great guy.”

    Overall Meckna has been an outstanding coach for the varsity players and an outstanding teacher for the PACE program. 

  • Fans Enjoy Big Win for Homecoming

    Fans Enjoy Big Win for Homecoming

    Homecoming week ended with a bang for Poly High School last week, as they beat Wilson High at Veterans Stadium on October 1.

    The kickoff of the game was at 7 p.m., and there was an overwhelming amount of students ready to show support for their school from both sides. Not even three minutes in, Poly scored against the Bruins. In the end, The score was 45-6 in favor of Poly.

    One of the real stars of the game was Poly’s quarterback Shea Kuykendall, who rushed for two touchdowns, and also threw two touchdown passes that led the Jackrabbits to victory.

    The student section and cheer squad were loud and even had a moment with the football team, who was across the field. From throwing beach balls, to t- shirt cannons, it was a great day to be a Jackrabbit. When “Don’t Stop Believin’” played, many in the stands turned on their flashlights and waved them at the players, and some of the players turned their’s on right back!

    After the win, the football team came and danced with Poly’s student section as well. It was a truly touching moment for Poly students and staff. After not having a Wilson vs. Polygame in 2020, everyone was glad that the tradition continues to live on and to be back at the game.

    CIC student Mason Alfaro said, “Not only was the game entertaining but also the whole ambiance of the night was so right. The cheerleaders cheering and playing music that took everyone in the audience back and me and my friends just singing along laughing, taking pictures.” He also related the night to being like a movie.

    More students also expressed how much fun the game was, including CIC student Daylynn Sierra, who said that his experience at the game was “really one to remember.” He added, “Seeing all my ] friends really happy and hyped to see one of the best rivalry games in Long Beach. It was really fun to see all the people come and support both teams in a friendly environment.”

    Even students on the losing side expressed how merry the game was. 

    Wilson Technology pathway student Elon Muradzikwa noted, “This is the first night that I was able to see all of the people I care about in one place. Also being my first football game that I have watched, I’m glad it was the infamous Poly vs Wilson game.” She also says it was “one of the best high school nights” that she has experienced so far.

    The Wilson vs. Poly game has been a tradition since 1932, This is the 89th time theJackrabbits and Bruins have met on the field, and it has been 28 years since Wilson has beatPoly. There is a large chance that the Jackrabbits can make it to thirty years, with the zeal they have on the field. The two schools are naturally rivals, the longest Long Beach Sports rivalry there is. Still, sportsmanship and respect is shown in all sports, including football.