Category: Opinion

  • The King Reigns Over a New Empire

    The King Reigns Over a New Empire

    As the gates open for another National Basketball Association (NBA) season, debatably one of the best basketball players on the earth, LeBron James (LBJ), enters a new team: the Los Angeles Lakers.

    Why is this so important?

    Well it’s LEBRON FREAKING JAMES. The 3× NBA champion, 3× NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, 4× NBA Most Valuable Player, 14× NBA All-Star, 3× NBA All-Star Game MVP player (the list can go on and on). James offers everything the LA Lakers need from leadership for the young potential they have to dominant offensive and defensive presence on the court.

    The thirty-three-year-old, premier basketball player takes over the court against any team and single handedly carried the Cleveland Cavaliers (21W – 45L before LeBron came) to become a four time finalist team, but sadly lost three of those titles against the Golden State Warriors.

    Although, let’s be real, the Cavalier’s roster didn’t have the pure talent that the Lakers have now such as Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, and JaVale McGee. The current roster is projected to win the 2018- 2019 NBA Championship and many more after that. If LeBron James can take a below average team to the NBA finals four times, there’s no doubt in my mind LBJ can do even better with the LA Lakers as the team already has a solid foundation as it is.

    The likes of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart all grew up watching LeBron and now they’re playing with him?! They will flourish into extraordinary players as we get deeper into the NBA season with the leadership of LBJ which bodes well for the LA Lakers. Young players such as Lonzo Ball synergizes with LBJ as the player fares well with long distance passes enabling LeBron to cherry pick layups and dunks.

    Lebron James will dawn number twenty-three against the Portland Trail Blazers this Thursday.

    Kind of weird to see Kobe Bryant’s team and Michael Jordan’s number on LeBron James’ back, huh? I hope to see a dominant start to further solidify the superiority the LA Lakers have now.

  • Depression Amongst Students

    Often times we are told that a depressed person is someone who is quiet, has no joy, and wears dark clothes.  They might be considered rebellious and listens to sad or loud music, but that is not always the case. How can a depressed person display that they are depressed, based merely off of appearance? Even then, if you are close to someone, sometimes it is not always apparent if they are. Signs that suggest someone might be depressed would be feeling helpless/hopeless, loss of interest in daily things, their weight either drastically goes up or down, reckless behavior, angry, and/or has insomnia. Although some of these are based on appearances, the rest are internal and can not be easily shown. These may be signs in which you can look out for, but they might not be accurate for most people. Take for example a student who has good grades, socializes with friends and classmates, and who you see is in a good mood for the most part while at school. Some would assume that their life is good and they have everything set. Well what if this same student, after coming from school, goes home and it’s all just a facade. They in fact are breaking down, overthinking everything, doubting themselves, have parents constantly criticizing them and just a completely different person. You would not know that they suffer from depression. The reasoning behind why they might put up this facade is for many reasons such as, not wanting to fail or be considered a failure. They are often pressured into keeping up with grades, or they don’t want to bring attention to themselves. People should not have to suffer alone or conceal that they are hurting. It might be hard to get help or to tell someone about everything that is going on with them, but it is better to open up, even if it’s just a little part of their life. We, as teenagers have a lot going on and even in our struggles we can find similarities and unity.  We should not have to be alone, we should reach out, create groups where we can talk to each other and be heard, and possibly talk to a trusted adult who would not judge us but instead give us advice in how we can conquer our issues.

  • AHS: Apocalypse

    Everyone knows that season one, Murder House, was by far the best season of American Horror Story. Some may argue that season three, Coven, may even be the best. Imagine a season that combines both of Murder House and Coven. Crazy, right? Well, it can’t be too crazy because that season definitely exists and it is the current season of AHS called Apocalypse.

    AHS: Apocalypse begins with the end of the of the world caused by World War Three. Missiles and bombs are obliterating the world as families face the fact that the world as they know it, is finally coming to an end. However, some people, with “special genes” have been picked apart from the rest to survive the end of the world. Michael Langdon is all grown up this season and he presumes his role as the Antichrist. The Witches from season three return to stop him, once and for all.

    The season goes back and forth through the past, showing how Michael Langdon earned his superiority to the present, where the world is ending.

    In my opinion, this season is very, very intriguing. Due to my love for Murder House, I would say that this season is definitely developing nicely. Each episode leaves me eager to watch the next. I definitely do recommend this season for those who loved the Murder House and the Coven season. There will be some surprising and fulfilling appearances this season and answers to questions you’ve had since season one. It’s definitely a must-see.

  • Do I Miss The Old Kanye?

    Kanye West is known for his inspirational music and his influential style that the masses appear to follow. He has recently met with the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Kanye is one of the more popular Trump supporters, and people do not support him because of his unpopular beliefs that go against mainstream ideals. He visited Trump last Thursday to talk about revisions, improvement, and developments in Chicago. It circulated loads of publicity on social media surrounding Kanye. Speculators believe Kanye is pulling a publicity stunt for his new shoe drop and Yeezy Season clothes as well as his new album, YANDI. Memes have been made about him unlocking his phone with the password of “0000” all over Instagram and other social media platforms. This isn’t the only time Kanye West has stirred up controversy on social media. There are countless amounts of tweets with him sharing an opinion that proved unpopular. For an example Kanye had said, “slavery was a choice” and that caused severe negative backlash from many. People began to stop supporting Kanye after he said that statement. However,  some people began to support the artist for individuality and speaking his mind. Personally, I think Kanye shows differentiation and creativity among the basic ideals people choose to follow. His opinions show that not everyone has to follow the beliefs of mass media, but that people have to power to formulate their own opinions.

  • I.D Disaster

    We finally got our ID’s and they’re horrible. Everyone is complaining about how orange they look, how the quality of the picture is terrible, and how the layout is horrendous, which it is. I literally look like an orange in my picture. Honestly, who chose the photographers this year? Besides the quality of the picture the whole ID is messed up.

    Under gender, some people have their academy, also missing unscheduled periods, and mismatched ID’s. My friend’s ID had all her information but it wasn’t her picture, it was another girl! On the back, some people have the “2018-2019 Bell Schedule” which you might think they’re lucky but they are not because it is not even the schedule we follow. I’m pretty sure everyone has their unscheduled periods wrong or missing. Mine doesn’t even have them written, my other friends do, but they’re the wrong periods.

    This ID issue isn’t just about students complaining about the design and quality, we all need to show our ID at the gate when we enter. Since some people are still waiting for the ID printer, students still don’t have theirs making complications upon entering the school. If you come in through the side gate and you don’t have your ID, the staff member checking for them will most likely send you to enter through Jackrabbit Lane to get a temporary one, even though the people from the activities office said to tell them about the ID issue. That’s honestly a waste of time because if you live closer to the side gate then what’s the point in going all the way around!? The schedule or the temporary ID’s the freshmen got should be allowed to be used while the actual fixed ID’s are given out. Overall, these ID’s are a mess and super chaotic, hopefully it’s more organized next time!

  • Poly’s DJ’s Are Not the Life of the Party

    Have you ever asked for a song at a Poly dance just to only not have it played? If you answered yes, then you aren’t the only one. Why don’t we get acknowledged or have a song played at our school dances, of our choice? I get it if the song you suggested was inappropriate but most suggestions aren’t. Half of the time the song we wanted just wasn’t added to their approved playlist. Knowingly, sometimes, us students start jumping to conclusions and blame it on the DJ. Honestly, the reality is that most of the students who have attended any of Poly’s dances can clearly agree that the DJs suck.

       Now, I usually don’t have a problem with the music that is played at dances because it’s decent, but what ticks me off is when My Boo by Usher and Alicia Keys is played 5 times or when your favorite verse of Drunk In Love by Beyonce doesn’t get played because they put some another song (usually a whole other genre) that kills your whole vibes. Isn’t this relatable even if you switched in some other songs than the ones I put?

      I also understand and respect the school policy, but I know too well that the school rules don’t tell a DJ to play 40 songs over and over. Also, who makes the approved playlist? Where’s Playboi Carti, Chano, Bruno Mars (new and old), Ed Sheeran, Kehlani, basically the music of today. I get it, you gotta throw it back and play the backyard boogie old school remixes but that’s not all we’re looking forward to. And what didn’t make sense was when we had a Throwback themed party and the DJ was playing Bruno Mars’ new album and suggested other songs that just recently came out…..PLEASE GO WITH THE THEME OF THE PARTY OR YOU CAN GLADLY QUIT YOUR JOB. Like tear your own contract because you blew it.

        The DJ of the party literally determines whether it’s fun or not. The decoration, sorry ASB, we know you work hard to set up and make things pretty, but even if it’s a picture scene, the whole party is trash if the DJ can’t mix or go the whole night without replaying a song a thousand times. The DJ skips over songs that the crowd clearly enjoys and even playing the wrong genre at the wrong time. In my opinion the man who was the DJ at the Poly Kickback/Coachella did a fantastic job. Bring. Him. Back. Please. Students have been saying the music selection should be more groovy and uplifting rather than laid back and depressing. Sorry, no one wants to listen to Alone Again by Train or Fake Plastic Trees by Radio or anything that makes us sad. “We tryna twerk!” said some of the seniors. I agree! Let’s get lit and turn up while we still can.

  • My Hero Anime

    Anime can bring the masses together and create a bond between people you can’t even imagine. Anime can change the world as we know it.  Everywhere I go there’s always at least a couple of people that watch anime and you can sometimes tell by the type of clothes that they wear or the stickers on their car or you can even overhear a conversation. It comes in handy sometimes, even a cashier at a store gave me a discount just because we both shared a common interest. Teachers even watch anime! For example, Mr. Gwen and Mr. Kawai is an avid watcher of anime and that could strengthen your student and teacher relationship. They might even possibly give you a bump on your grade. Some good anime recommendations would have to be Attack on Titan. Attack on Titan is about a young man named Eren who lives in a world ravaged by naked giants trying to eat people, and the people try to survive the giants attacks. Season 3 had just came out, and it’s so good. Another really good anime would have to be My Hero Academia, it could possibly be bigger than Naruto. My Hero Academia is about a kid named Midoriya who was born without any quirks (super powers) in a world where superpowers are normal. He then sets up high aspirations for himself such as being the greatest/number one hero. He gets scouted by the world’s number one ranked hero who passed his quirk down to himself and later enrolls him into a high school specifically to train young adolescents to become heros. In conclusion, anime brings people closer together so you can build an unbreakable bond with one another. It may seem unappealing at first but once you start watching you would not be able to stop. It’s honestly better than the average animated American television show. It even shows on Adult Swim late at night to make it easier to watch. It even shows up on Netflix!

  • Why Should Job Companies Hire Teens?

    Teenagers are needing jobs, but there is controversy about allowing student teens to get hired. The problem is, the working force isn’t as friendly as we think. In reality business and companies want profit,which means they don’t want to spend money on an extra paycheck. Teens are willing to multitask and practice there time management, but the truth comes down to corruption. This corruption has been seen throughout big companies like Nike and Zaful. These companies  don’t want to pay people to do harsh work, so they use workers from other countries who would gladly work for small amounts of pay (or a forced, P.S slavery still exists). Thus, no job opportunities for teens. But then again, some people might think: Why do teens need jobs? They already have school and parents, so why? Well, in some cases (seniors especially) cannot afford things such as; senior activities, school spirit-wear, supplies, etc. Some may even help hold a household together, but since companies choose to be corrupt and sometimes prejudice against student teens, life is more difficult than it should be.

    Another aspect to this problem is the recession of 2008. There are many jobs that were once offered to teenagers, but now they are primarily open for adults over the age of 21. Jobs such as, kitchen staff, team members, cashiers, retail assistants, and sales associates are now given to adults because they need the money to support their families and themselves. It is almost, always heartbreaking to know that companies use these tactics when selecting job careers, but it’s the reality of it. People are struggling. Teens are struggling.  Now we need to understand and anticipate how things are going to work out for the future. Maybe jobs can be offered on high school sites or maybe companies could stop being so cruel and actually invest into the society rather than lay people off and neglect the constant need for job opportunities. We want the best for the lives of the future and give jobs to the youth and benefit lives as well as creates new paths for individuals. Money is not more important than the happiness of others and it does not grant people the world, but it does give responsibility, success, and learning skills for the future. That is why teens need jobs.

  • Freshman Blues

    The first week as a freshman was terrible. I dislike it…very much. I had so much expectations for high school and maybe it’s too early in the school year to judge, but for now, it sucks. I had so many family members that said “High school will be the highlight of your life,” but it doesn’t seem that way. And I’ll admit, the first day of school was fun, but honestly it was the same as middle school for me. I was lost multiple times, looked for my friends at lunch, went over syllabi and finally, I went home. I mean yeah, it’s exciting, more people, more classes, and a bigger school. But school is school. Nothing has changed.

    Maybe I just had too high of expectations that high school would be more like the movies and I know it sounds silly, but it’s true. In real life, Troy Bolton doesn’t burst out singing unfortunately. But school isn’t meant for fun in my opinion. School is meant for learning. And I AM learning. But that’s all I’m doing IS learning. And people who have already attended Poly said that “If school is so basic, join a club or a sport because it will make your years here more fun.” But honestly, I joined a sport and my feelings about it is “it’s cool and all but whatever” (not to sound unappreciative or anything) and who has time for a club? Not me.

    Not to mention, my close friends don’t attend Poly high school so so there goes another con. Not to diss on Poly or anything, it’s a great school, but maybe not for me. Or maybe I am just thinking more about the cons than pros because I miss summer and I miss being lazy. Yeah that’s most likely it. I would much rather stay home and sleep in than wake up at 6 o’clock in the morning and attend school for eight hours. But who doesn’t? And at the same time, I want to have a stable job and a stable family in the future so I guess sleeping in all day  isn’t an option.

    And it’s not like I’ll stop going to school or ditch just because I don’t like it. High school is still important if you want to go to college and get that dream job. That’s one pro I guess, but currently, high school still sucks.

  • Just Do It.

    By: Jeremiah Jones

    My opinion on the Nike commercial starring Colin Kaepernick was dope, especially with everything that happened with Kaepernick when he protested. Him doing the Nike commercial was a good look on Nike as well as Kaepernick. If you haven’t seen the commercial it is about never giving up & just doin’ it.  It started off with a skateboarder falling off a rail, then a child with no legs on a wrestling mat, to a black boy who couldn’t be older than 10 years old running down a dirt road with a young shadowboxing woman wearing hijab, and lastly a Pop Warner football game and a blond girl playing high school football against boys.

    Everything they showed in the commercial symbolizes “don’t give up” , don’t worry about what people think. This commercial in my opinion, represents a lot of people that have opinions like Kaepernick and give praise to Nike for giving him this spotlight to speak his mind. However, some people didn’t like what Nike did.  They started to burn their merchandise and stop supporting them just because of this commercial. Long story short, he wanted to make a powerful point and message, and he did. The video ended with him saying, “It’s only crazy until you do it. Just do it.” So the message of today is “JUST DO IT”.

     

    By: John Dy

    The Nike product-burning is moronic for a number of reasons.

    People can feel how they want to feel about the ad and Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem. Some feel it’s disrespectful to the country or to the troops, sure. Whatever. People care about their country and don’t want it to be disrespected; alright, that’s fair. Be upset about it and voice your opinion; that’s what the first amendment is for. But burning Nike’s products and putting the videos up on the internet is just idiotic. The controversy they’re stirring up is just giving Nike more publicity, free advertising. Their sales have gone up 31% since the Kaepernick ad aired, despite all the outrage and protesters. The shoe-burning ain’t doing squat to stop Nike. And why now do they wanna protest Nike? They could tolerate the 5 year old Chinese kids working the sweatshops, but now that Nike puts some football player in an ad, this is the time to protest? Inconceivable. And burning the shoes can’t be good for their air. Burning all that rubber and other toxic materials is spitting in the face of Mother Earth, slowly killing our home, their home.

  • In Response to “Why Does School Feel More Like Jail?”

    I have been reading the Poly High Life for over 32 years. I enjoy it, and more often than not I am impressed by the quality and content of the many articles that our awesome Poly students write. Even when I don’t agree with the content and substance of the article, I am still impressed. But in the March 28th issue I read an article entitled (sic) “Why does school feel more like jail?” by Koa Calloway.

    The writer took it upon himself, albeit ignorantly, to totally bash the Campus Security Officers who dutifully serve the students and staff at Poly. First allow me to briefly share a few of our duties/responsibilities: We prevent and break up fights at the risk of harm to our own selves, which has happened. We take weapons and drugs from students. We identify and remove non-students from campus who have somehow gotten on campus—sometimes for the wrong reasons. We work EVERY after school event—sports, music, drama, etc. to maintain the safety of ALL who come to these activities. We even secure the safety of their vehicles. We remove students from class whom the teacher have deemed unruly or disruptive. We do so much more.

    But Mr. Calloway seems to think that all we do is harass and disrespect our students! Wow. When I read his article I was shocked to find out that he is a senior at Poly. I wondered, where has this kid been for the last almost 4 years now? Has he ever been escorted to room 119 for getting into trouble at Poly? The odd thing about his article is that he never states that he personally ever had a negative run-in with a CSO. Mr. Calloway, the process of showing your I.D. when you leave campus during school hours, has been in existence since before you were born. And if you can’t figure out why we do that, then as a senior you have really been out of the loop. Students try to sneak off campus during school hours everyday at Poly. What do you think happens if one succeeds and then something really bad happens to him/her? Or if a CSO allowed a student to leave during school hours without showing their I.D. and their official excuse to leave campus? Not a good ending.

    You say a lot of students don’t seen to like us. Well I totally disagree with that statement! Poll your fellow students. Besides the ones who may have disciplinary issues, I think we would pass the test with flying colors. We don’t harass students, physically assault students, nor curse at students. You may have witnessed an isolated “incident” between a CSO and a student, but you don’t know the whole story. You only know what you saw and heard. Which wasn’t much, because our camera system recorded that situation. We are not here to be friends of the students. We are here to protect, and hopefully, respect our students. But along with discipline, comes rebellious attitudes that we have to deal with.

    No one on this campus has better relationships with students than the CSO’s. Students confide in us about many things. I should know, I am a CSO and a 33-year employee at Poly. And a proud alumnus. So before you attempt to pass ignorant judgment along again, remember, somebody knows the facts!

  • The Meme is Dead

    If you’ve spent any amount of time on the internet in the past two weeks, chances are you have seen him. His posture is unmistakable, and his voice even more so. The young man is dressed in a while shirt, red bow tie, blue jeans, and boots, with a rugged cowboy belt buckle to top it all off. More striking than his appearance is his location. The boy appears in a Walmart with a single elderly onlooker, which wouldn’t be too strange if not for the fact that he is giving a legendary performance. With nothing but the tapping of his foot to accompany his voice, the young man yodels his rendition of Hank Williams’ “Lovesick Blues”. When I first saw this meme I liked it. The singing was simultaneously sweet and grating, while the lack of context raised many compelling questions. However, my amusement with the meme faded quickly, and its constant reuploads and reiterations have begun to wear me out. The internet has taken things too far, and ruined something funny by shoving it in everyone’s faces 24/7. I don’t need to know his name. I don’t need to see him on Ellen. I don’t need to see him perform at Coachella, of all places. The meme should have just been left to fade as a pleasant memory, and not soullessly milked of all originality through the thousands of individuals and corporations who jump on every viral bandwagon that rolls through town. A lot of tired, worn out memes started out funny and original, but as the masses of pop culture consumers overtake the meme, it soon loses every shred of individuality, as parasite after parasite claws at it, trying to claim a morsel for themselves. My advice for those who want to cherish their memes is this; save it for yourself and for your friends, but DO NOT let the meme spread to those who won’t respect it the same way you do!