Category: Arts & Culture

Poly students and activism have long held a strong relationship. Such a diverse student environment has fostered great conflict, but also great conversation, both in years past and today. No matter what the date is, Poly students have not shown themselves as shy about being heard.
Back in the 1970s a violent altercation occurred between black and white students. The 1970s were an interesting time for racial relations at Poly.
The Long Beach school district had just officially desegregated schools in 1972, which brought momentous strides, but also great social tensions. So when racial violence occurred at a local theater, students were aware that something had to be done.
A large group of African American students gathered at King Park and marched to school in unity. Upon reaching Poly they held a sit-in in the quad as a powerful example of student alliance that, as Mr. Shock said: “[Brought] attention to the racial tensions that were taking place at Poly during that time.”
It was this sit-in that sparked the formation of Poly North, which is one of the only lasting student relations camps in the school district and a cherished destination for those who’ve visited.
On-campus activism has not been solely reserved for the past. Students still voice their opinions and work towards social change today, but now in the form of clubs. These activism based clubs use discussion, activities, and hard work to express their ideals and create a safe place for those who have faced the flaws in modern society that the clubs are trying to combat.
The impact of clubs has not gone unnoticed. Last year Poly held a mandatory assembly to bring light onto the issue of human trafficking in America, where a survivor shared her heartbreaking story and educated our school about the dangers of this issue. This was due to the diligent work of Poly’s Anti-Human Trafficking Club, whose modern day activism has now brought awareness to thousands of students.
Social activism at Poly has always been done by the hands of students who care. Strides taken by students have changed the way our school functions and thinks, proving that we are the ones with the real power and we are the ones with the responsibility to make change.
So if you’re a Poly student who is angry, don’t be afraid to stand up: you’ll have a whole community standing behind you.

Interstellar
Space travel once again graces the silver screen in this new thriller, but this time with a much darker motivation. Matthew McConaughey takes to the stars in this film, searching for a new home for humanity as Earth reaches its final days.

Big Hero 6
Disney embraces Japanese culture in this new animated flick as it follows the adventures of a boy genius and his robot. Senior Maria Lopez-Beltran expresses her interest, and said that it is “more diverse than recent Disney movies.”

Nightcrawler
Jake Gyllenhaal is back, and this time he’s looking pretty creepy. He plays Lou Bloom, an ambitious young journalist invested in documenting the world of LA crime.

Birdman
This dark comedy follows a washed up actor whose claim to fame was once his iconic superhero role. He attempts to revitalize his career through a Broadway role and reconnects with estranged friends and family along the way.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay: Part 1
The much anticipated third installment in the Hunger Games series is coming soon, and excitement is growing. Katniss Everdeen is to be seen once again, but this time in the once nonexistent District 13. Fans are outwardly expressing their interest, like freshman Jordyn Jackson, who said, “Catching Fire left me on the edge of my seat. Mockingjay: Part 1 should be exciting!”

Dumb and Dumber To
Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey return to their iconically idiotic roles in this film, reviving a classic comedy in a wild roadtrip setting.

The Penguins of Madagascar
The Madagascar series has returned, but this time centering around our favorite flippered friends. These avian spies are setting out on a mission to stop the maniacal Dr. Octavius Brine. This movie gives us all a bit of nostalgia, as freshman Desmond Talley said, “[Penguins of Madagascar] used to be my favorite TV show when I was little!”

The Conjuring

If you want to wet your pants, go watch this movie! Carolyn Perron is possessed by a witch known as Bathsheba who sacrificed her 7-day-old baby to Satan and possesses every mother who lives on her land forcing them to kill their children. Carolyn nearly murders her daughter but is saved by paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren. Her memory for the love of her family pushes her to fight and be saved.

Annabelle

Creepy dolls–fear them all. A young girl (Annabelle) known to be missing, comes home to murder her parents as proof of her love for Satan. She then terrorizes the neighbors in the form  of a vintage doll that will give you nightmares through Christmas.  Who can save the neighbors from this horror?

Oculus

You will never know what you are really looking at until it’s too LATE! Tim and Kaylie try to prove that an antique mirror is the reason for the murder of their parents and the horror of their childhood. But the plot twists when history repeats itself.  The ending may make you angry and strangely dissatisfied because the  simplistic resolution is overly predictable.

Fall is a great time of the year! Halloween, Thanksgiving, cooler weather. But for me, fall is all about television. After their usual summer hiatus, the hit television shows have returned with a bang, as well as some very anticipated new shows that are sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.

I made it my mission to go around campus and ask 150 Poly students what shows they are looking forward to watching the most this fall. I came up with 10 shows for this fall that seemed to be the most popular with the general public. These 10 shows are: 1) NBC-Scandel, 2) CBS-The Big Band Theory, 3) FOX-Gotham, 4) CW-Arrow, 5) AMC-The Walking Dead, 6) BBC-Doctor Who, 7) FOX-Glee, 8) CBS-NCIS, 9) NBC-The Voice, and 10) CBS-Two and a Half Men. Lastly, I included a category for “Other.”
As I predicted, AMC’s “The Walking Dead” took the crown. The wildly popular Zombie Apocalypse show is in its 5th season. Coming in second place was the “Other” category. I was given many different shows for this category, some of the popular ones being “American Horror Story” and “South Park.” Rounding out the top three would be the only new show on this list, FOX’s “Gotham.”
In terms of genre, Action/Adventure was the most popular among students, with the strong combination of the previously mentioned “Walking Dead” and “Gotham,” along with CW’s “Arrow.” The second most popular genre goes to the CBS comedies “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Two and a Half Men,” which happens to be in its final season.
The poll’s only reality show NBC’s “The Voice” did relatively well in comparison to a couple other shows. Most of these shows received their fair share of votes, but there were some that faltered. In a tie for last place was CBS’s “NCIS,” and FOX’s “Glee,” which I find surprising, considering “Glee’s” massive popularity just a couple of years back.
So, to conclude, the students of Poly have spoken! “The Walking Dead” takes home the gold and is officially Long Beach Poly’s most anticipated show of the 2014 fall season. Happy TV watching, Jackrabbits!

For a student, seeing a teacher outside of the school setting can be strange, but the students of David Burns, Poly’s Advanced Placement Psychology teacher, have to get used to it.
Mr. Burns teaches part time, coming every day for first period, and teaching seventh and ninth periods every other day.
During the time when he is not at Poly, Burns plays guitar at Disneyland in a Celtic bluegrass fusion band called Sligo Rags.
Burns’ life as a musician began a little less than forty years ago. “I actually learned to play the banjo [first]. When I was fourteen, I played bluegrass banjo, so I took lessons, I got pretty good at it, and my teacher decided that he had taught me everything he could,” said Burns. “He decided that it was natural that I progressed to guitar, so I did, and the rest is history.”
Mr. Burns feels extremely lucky to be living the life that he is. His two passions throughout his life were music and psychology, and he gets to do both.
“It’s getting paid for doing something that you love to do, something that you worked really hard to get good at, and something that you got into because you had a passion for it,” says Burns.
Being a musician and a teacher is like living a double life, Burns says. So students, don’t just assume that your teacher goes home every day thinking about his classes and grading homework. It may be surprising, but teachers have lives, too.

Long Beach Poly held its annual Fall Choral Concert on October 15 at 6:30pm in the auditorium. As usual, each group performed splendidly, from Chamber’s intense “The Word was God” to Grace’s energetic “Ooh Child.”
“It’s great to see all the energy that the kids are putting into the music this year,” says Brian Dokko, Director of the Choral Department, as well as instructor of the Chorale, Cecilian, Chamber, and Jazz Groups, “It’s obvious in performances.”
This concert also starred the world debut of Kerry Marsh’s rendition of “Green Garden,” where senior Kandise Le Blanc was chosen for the solo, as well as Carl Hatch, Rex Lee, and Samantha Doloroso for other songs. “I’m ecstatic for what’s to come this year from the vocal music department!” said Le Blanc, “Every ensemble has had such a great start, and I’m sure our dedication will continue to allow us to create some fantastic music.”
“I thought Jazz 1 was great because you could tell they worked really hard to get to where they were. It was the performance I was looking forward to all night,” said senior Tanya Nguyen.
“I absolutely loved Kandise’s voice in Green Garden,” said another audience member, Senior Jeffrey Lam, “It was enthralling; the perfect way to end the concert!”
Though the later concerts will be performed at Cabrillo High due to auditorium reconstruction, they are certain to be just as fantastic as the first.