The AP Cafe is now open for business periods 7 and 8 and after school until 4 p.m. on the second floor of the 100 building.
The AP Cafe first opened last school year as a safe place for AP students to relieve stress, get tutoring, or work with partners for homework or group projects. Last year was a bit of a “beta test,” as AP coordinator Jason West, seen on the right, called it, but this year it has returned with a larger variety of supplies, resources, and treats for AP students (including West’s famous assortment of tea).
One student told West that she really liked the space because it made her feel like she was cared about. The atmosphere and decor of the room have been specifically designed for this effect, and West is happy that students have taken a liking to it. He aims to maintain a space where students that are challenging themselves can relax and have a comfortable place to go for help. “You can’t just make the assumption that the kid is eating or taking care of themselves,” he said, hence the supply of refreshments available for the students.
“We’re very down to business here, and they give you help straight on,” CIC student Marco Menes said. “They actually helped me get my grade up in physics. I had a D originally, and I got it up to an A-.” Thanks to one of the tutors, Vasil “Vasco” Gucev, Menes was also able to raise a failing grade in geometry to a B.
The Cafe is a lot busier this year than it was previously, but that means that more tutors are needed to help out. West is specifically interested in hiring students with unscheduled periods 1 and 2 so he can make the Cafe available during those times, as well.
Gucev said that the desire to help others is what makes a good tutor. There are other more efficient ways to make money or improve a college resume, he says, but one of the greatest feelings in the world to him is when a struggling student leaves with a clearer understanding because of what he was able to help them with. “That’s what a tutor does: he reiterates something again and again and again in multiple different ways…they change the way you look at the picture until it makes sense.”
This year, West has started the AP Cafe Club to organize fundraisers for future resources and treats. He would also like to see systems set in place for the Cafe to continue over the years. “Beyond your years at this school, beyond my years at this school, I want this place to last,” he said.
While the Cafe is mainly targeted as an aid for AP students, West would describe it as a club rather than a VIP lounge. Students are welcome to invite friends outside of AP courses, as well.
West would also like to remind students that rules for the AP tests have changed from last year. AP students should have been registered for the exam in class, but there will be no penalty if they do not pay and do not want to take it. Once the test is paid for, students will be charged $40 if they do not attend. Many resources and practice tests are available on the College Board website for studying purposes.
Author: adviser
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Spilling the Tea on the AP Cafe
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Oil and Instructor Changes
The Long Beach Poly automotive classes are under new instruction, as the previous teachers have retired.
Michael Schenkelberg is the new instructor, and this is his second year at Poly. “The class isn’t just to learn about cars, it’s a life skill,” he said.
The class helps you learn about basic information about cars, which helps you perform work on everything to do with automotives. Daniel Castillo, a JUSTICE junior who is new to Poly this year, said, “Auto Shop is very important, and the class is helping me get my license.”
BEACH sophomore and second-year automotive student Osvaldo Gonzalez said that the class was very beneficial. It led to him having a greater understanding of cars and how to fix them.
The class is very useful for all types of things, not just an interest in cars. As Schenkelberg also teaches AVID at Poly, the class this year focuses more on being successful and teaching through hands on experiences. The class has helped many students with their own cars over the past two years. -
Dark Harbor AMAZEment
The Queen Mary is greatly known for its haunted rooms and as the gigantic ship that is one of the landmarks in Long Beach. From September 27th to November 2nd, the Queen Mary presents Dark Harbor for 23 thrilling nights. If you haven’t heard about Dark Harbor, it’s basically a walk through of mazes and people dressed up as monsters, creeping out to give you that adrenaline rush. When I first walked into the gates, there were already monsters walking around to basically give a preview of what the mazes were going to be like.
Did it work? It made me want to get back in the car and go home. Although they were regular people disguised or portrayed to be as monsters, their energy and how dramatic they were felt real. The entire time I was there, I cling onto my friend’s arm because the thought of going through the mazes alone scared me to death. The foggy smoke from the outside clogged up the entire area so I didn’t know who or what was approaching me. The first maze I remember going into was the “Circus Maze”. The part that really got to me was when I was walking, play-pen colored balls started to fill our feet. I’m not sure if the people were real but I could feel hands grabbing onto my feet.
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Poly to Eliminate Justice Pathway
On September 23, Principal William Salas sent out an e-mail informing the Poly community that JUSTICE would no longer be a pathway.
Due to a recent decrease in school enrollment throughout the district, administration was faced with the task of eliminating one of the seven pathways. Initial discussions began in April, and on June 19, the Instruction Leadership Team (ILT) (consisting of the principal and assistant principal, department heads, pathway lead teachers and counselors), held a meeting where they collected and analyzed data regarding each pathway.
After months of deliberation, on September 4, it was collectively decided that the JUSTICE pathway would be discontinued. The remaining issue was what to do with the current JUSTICE students.
JUSTICE teachers were faced with two options: they could keep the amount of students they already had or disperse them into other pathways.
The latter option was chosen as it would give the students an opportunity to finish their high school career in the pathway they started in. It would also be unfair and more complicated to disperse them at this point.
While the decision may not affect students academically (as they will suffer no changes in their course of study), JUSTICE faculty fear a great asset is being taken away.
“Justice is the only pathway that highlighted and showcased injustice,” said history teacher Michael Tinsley, who believes it important for youth to have a venue for awareness.
Pathway lead teacher Daryl Holmlund also believes it is unfortunate that students and teachers are losing this resource.
“Some teachers were very passionate about the social justice element of the program and I’m disappointed for them,” said Holmlund, “but also for the students who wanted to be in the pathway and are no longer able to.”
Students chose JUSTICE because it reflected their passion and interests, so they find it unfair that others will not be able to have that same experience.
“It’s unfair because a lot of people who were interested in law won’t be able to get this foundation for college,” Mireya Delgado, a JUSTICE senior, said.
“If students are interested in social justice or being an activist,” said JUSTICE freshman Isaac Betancourt, “they should be able to come to Poly and be part of a pathway that supports that.”
English teacher Amy Stuht understands the concerns this decision creates, but prefers to maintain a positive outlook.
Stuht said, “This decision does not mean the death of JUSTICE aspirations, but only the closing of an organized pathway.”
JUSTICE will no longer be accepting incoming freshmen, and will transition out over the next four years. In the meantime, current JUSTICE students will continue to take advantage of what the pathway has to offer. -
Missing the Class of 2019
If it hasn’t been said already, then I’ll be the first to say it: this school year is extremely different compared to last year. However, one thing that has especially impacted me has been the absence of alumni. It is uncertain how I got so close to them, but I know for a fact that it is definitely not the same without them.
During the previous school year, you would find me hanging out with a group full of seniors. Like I said, I don’t really know how I winded up there in the first place, but being around them sure gave me pleasure. Conversations with them made me feel welcomed, and being a part of them made me feel included.
Aside from that friend group, I also gained some friends from a college readiness program located at Long Beach City College called Upward Bound. I did not expect all my friends there to be ready so soon. Now that they’re in college and the majority of them no longer attend the program the same way, it feels different.
Not only that, but last school year the newspaper production class was full of seniors. It was a class full of leadership as well as love and passion. Without this love and passion they held, the school newspaper could not have been the same. The laughter and inside jokes shared among the class brought a whole new meaning to journalism for me.
Overall, these people left such a huge impact on me. Meeting them is possibly one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me. In all honesty, seniors should be appreciated more and not taken for granted while they’re around.
Although I no longer see them or hang out with them in the same way anymore, the experience was fun while it lasted. The connections are still there and the friendships still exist. I hope they’re all doing well and that they’re surrounded by people as amazing as they all are. In the end, people come and go in life, but it’s what they leave behind that matters.
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Horror-Scopes
Aries: DO NOT WEAR BLACK. Your entire day will be filled with bad luck. Stick to light colors and you should have a happy Halloween!
Taurus: During your Halloween plans, you will come in contact with your ex, so I suggest you look as good as you possibly can.
Gemini: Your two personalities are likely to make several appearances throughout this day (as always). You will receive the best news of this entire month and the worst news of the entire year.
Cancer: This will be your last good Halloween of your life, so make it the best Halloween possible.
Leo: No matter how old you are, DEFINITELY go trick or treating this year. You will receive lots of treats.
Virgo: Whatever you do, don’t go out past 9 pm. You will have several eggs thrown at you.
Libra: You will meet the love of your life while you’re trick or treating.
Scorpio: Today is your day to let your demon out. Play thousands of tricks on whoever, wherever. This may very well be your best Halloween.
Sagittarius: You’re going to end up staying home and watching scary movies all night.
Capricorn: Tell your crush that you like them today. They will surprise you with something special on Halloween night.
Aquarius: Stay home.
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Un”Boxing” The YouTube Match
Two popular Youtubers, Logan Paul and KSI (Olajide Olatunji), are set to fight their rematch on November 9 at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California. The two YouTube stars meet in a rematch of their highly anticipated amateur bout, which ended in a controversial majority draw.
According to Eddie Hearn, a reporter from the Independent, the pay-per view cost will be around £9.95 on Sky Sports Box Office and will also stream on Youtube. With KSI and Paul possessing a combined subscriber count of over 40m on YouTube, it would make sense to put the fight exactly where the fans are.
The first fight generated about 1.3 million pay-per view buys, a number expected to increase, according to experts, due to the hype of seeing these two powerful influencers go head to head once more.
During the build up of KSI vs Logan Paul, they held two press conferences, one outside of the Staples Centre, and the other in the UK. They exchanged a few harsh words with one another in order to promote the fight.
It’s the nature of boxing, but the tension between these two seems real. In recently uploaded videos posted on their channel and based on the press conference they look like they are both determined to knock each other out.
Since it is a professional bout this could be the start of a new career for each of them. “If they’re a professional fighter and they go 1-0, who knows!?” Hearn said, “I’m not looking at it for the future of their careers, I’m looking at it as a one off.” The fight is set to take place on November 9th in the Staples Centre live on pay-per view. -
Freaky Fits
Individual
Mummy: Put together a fun D.I.Y. costume by wrapping yourself up in toilet paper from head to toe!
Athlete: If you’re on a sports team, you can find an easy way to turn your team uniform into a costume and go out with that.
School Student: You can easily pull off going out as a student by wearing “nerdy” type clothes and wearing your backpack, using it to place all your candies in it.
Food: Taco, hot dog, pizza, dress up as your stomach’s greatest craving.
IT: Since everyone claims themselves to be a clown, why not dress up as Pennywise?Group
Winnie the Pooh: Bring this show to life by having you and your friends dress up as the popular furry friends
Avengers: Bring together the marvel team with your buddies by dressing up as a couple of heroes such as Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America, etc.
Shrek: Something underrated and overrated at the same time, bring this unique fairy tale to life by having your group dress up as Shrek and his companions.
Stranger Things: With this Netflix series being so popular, it’d be cool to have you and your friends feel like a part of the show by dressing up as the characters on the spookiest night.
M&M’s: Have you and your friends wear some plain colored t-shirts and slap an “M” on them, going out as a pack of M&M’s!Couple
Peanut Butter and Jelly: This very typical costume idea may sound boring, but it’s all up to you two on how you’d like to spice things up and let your creativity show.
Angel and Devil:The darkness and light both need each other, your partner and you don’t necessarily have to always be one in the same.
Princess and Prince: What’s wrong with sticking to something a bit cliche? It’d be nice to bring something very overrated back, no?
Thing 1 and Thing 2: With a red onsie and a simple sign on front, have your soulmate and you
both be Thing One and Thing Two.
Romeo and Juliet: With Halloween here who’s a better person to die for than your partner. -
Fearsome Films
It’s that time of the year again, Spooky Season! The perfect time to grab some popcorn, some snacks, a blanket and watch scary movies all night. If you’re not sure what movies to turn on during this Spooky Season, here are some Halloween Classics for you to watch.
Coraline (2009): A young girl named Coraline, moves with her family to her new home. While exploring, she discovers a secret door that leads to another place that mirrors her current reality. While everything may seem like it’s better than her real life, her parallel life soon takes a turn for the worse.
The Amityville Horror (2005): A husband and wife move their family to a new home. What seems to be the perfect house soon reveals a horrid past: the house belonged to a tenant that was possessed by a demon, causing him to murder his entire family. The family believes the house is haunted so they do everything to try to escape the horrors. (Based on a true story)
Beetlejuice (1988): After dying in a car accident, a couple finds themselves back at their own home, unable to leave, they are left to haunt the residence. An unbearable married couple moves into their new home and the dead couple tries to scare them out but their attempts fail miserably. After accidentally summoning Beetlejuice, they soon realize how dangerous he is for the family.
Pet Semetary (1989): A family moves to a new home in Maine and befriends their neighbor. After their cat dies, the neighbor advises that they bury it in a nearby cemetery. The cat then comes back to life but his entire personality has changed drastically- for the worse. After the family’s son dies from a tragic accident, they bury him in the same cemetery. When he comes back to life, he becomes a terrifying threat to the family.
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Welcome, New Staff!
Maria Salazar
By Reymar Santos
Maria Salazar, the new ASB secretary, is excited to work here at Polytechnic High School. She lives on the west side of Long Beach, but her family is originally from Mexico. She is the first generation from her family to become a citizen in the US. Her family is originally from Mexico. Her previous job was in the enrollment department at the other school. She graduated from Long Beach City College. Her first experience at Poly was such a new and thrilling experience because our school spirit in this school compared to other schools is overwhelming. She said, “The people are friendly; and communicating with students is nice.” As ASB secretary, she said she enjoys helping other students with activities and handing out school IDs.
David Rodriguez
By Alexander Phouma
David Rodriguez is one of our new special education teachers here at Poly. Mr. Rodriguez was born and raised here in Long Beach, and attended Wilson High School. After graduating high school, he furthered his education and studied at UC Santa Cruz for his bachelors and is currently working on getting his masters at Cal State University and has been happily married for two and a half years now. Before working at Poly, Rodriguez was a teacher at Grant Elementary School. Like both of his parents, he became a teacher to help kids and he enjoys seeing students become a better version of themselves. Rodriguez likes to run with his wife and play board games. He has ran about 25 marathons so far. He also enjoys watching baseball, and his favorite team is the Dodgers. One of his favorite movies is The Shawshank Redemption and enjoys buffalo wings and burgers.
John Wong
By Briana Mendez-Padilla
John Wong, Poly’s new MEDS counselor, transferred this year from Poly’s sister campus, PAAL, where he worked for four years. Wong regards himself as an approachable person and hopes to gain his student’s trust and be able to guide them to success in life after high school. Whether that means college or any other situation, he intends to find out what options are best for students and ensure they reach their goals. Wong said he comes prepared with community resources to assist students not only academically, but also socially and emotionally. He wants to reach out to kids and spark a positive change within them.
Brent Lavoie
By Sebastian Lebario
Ever since the arrival of Brent Lavoie, Poly has been glorified as an exceptional baseball program and has also won a Moore league title. Brent Lavoie is going into his fourth year as the Poly varsity coach with high expectations to have a repeat championship season in 2020. As of this school year, he is also going to be a special education teacher. Although he has been a coach at Poly, he finally got a job to work here after a few years of working as Millikan High School’s resource specialist teacher.
Lavoie was born in Springfield, Missouri where he played baseball collegiately at Missouri Valley in Marshall, Missouri. He then moved out to North Arkansas Junior College in Harrison, Arkansas. He is now entering his 14th year as a high school teacher overall.
Shannon Young
By Melissa De La Cruz
Among the new teachers at Poly this school year, there is also a new assistant principal who works with the pathways Justice and Pace. Shannon Young has been working in the LBUSD district for 19 years now. She first started out by working as a 5th grade teacher at Burbank Elementary School. From there she moved to Franklin Middle School where she worked as an English and history teacher. Shortly before coming to Poly, she was employed as an assistant principal at Millikan High School.
Young claims her experience here at Poly has been a good one so far. She is content with and loves the idea of working at the home of scholars and champions that not only is there a focus but an encouragement on students academically, as well as with extracurricular activities as well. “The students– they’re great, kind, respectful,” she says. She claims she enjoys working with the staff which has also been quite resourceful and left a positive impact on Young as well as “everybody has been very welcoming. They’ve been kind and helpful”.
Compared to where she last worked, she says there are more similarities than differences. This makes things easier when transitioning from one location to another. Overall it seems like our new assistant principal has had a wonderful experience since the first day. To summarize her experience so far in a sentence is, “Poly is an inviting, encouraging place for students and staff to be.”
Ronald Scipio
By Alexander Phouma
Ronald Scipio is one of our new teachers here at Poly, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t sound familiar; his wife is also a teacher at the school. Scipio was born and raised in Compton, California and always knew he wanted to be a teacher while he was in high school. Before applying for the job, he was a teacher’s aide at Poly, and he previously worked at Jordan High School for five years. After our previous orchestra teacher, Mr. Osman, retired, Scipio applied for the spot and transferred from Jordan to Poly. He has two children and has been married for a total of four years. He also enjoys bike rides, working out in the gym and cooking.
Mark Mikasa
By Madeline Milton
Mark Mikasa is an AP Calculus AP and Algebra II teacher at Poly. He recently taught at Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights and Gabrielino High School in San Gabriel, both of which being located in California. He has had his eye on a job opportunity at Poly for awhile, as he is located in Long Beach and wanted to take a more local job.
Being distanced from his previous schools, he missed out on a lot of school events and activities after school. “When I was in San Gabriel,” he said, “I could never really attend any games or support kids in other ways.” He is looking forward to attending games and other events at Poly.
Dana Zapanta
By Jailyn Lewis-Hobbs
Dana Zapanta is the new PACE Counselor at Long Beach Poly. Originally from San Diego, Zapanta received her undergraduate at the University of California, Irvine, and went to graduate school at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Zapanta has been counseling for thirteen years, spending five years in ABC Unified and another seven years in the Clark County District. Zapanta then moved to Long Beach and began working at Long Beach Poly High School as the new Pace Counselor. When asked why she chose Poly, Zapanta said “I wanted a challenge, a new perspective. After working for a certain amount of time you want to change it up a little bit.”
Elizabeth Baca
By Chansochata Thon
As many new students begin associating themselves with the pride of the Jackrabbit, so did new the Pre-Calculus and Calculus BC teacher, Elizabeth Baca. Coming to Poly allowed her to see a new dynamic where pathways allowed students to act like family. Not only was she greeted by this warm family-like dynamic, but she felt as if she had joined it.
With the start of the fall year, Baca is eager and enthusiastic to attend football games, which not only allow her to build a stronger bond with her students and the school, but also allows her to bring her kids to share the Jackrabbit pride and love.
Along with all the pros of a new school, the block schedule also presents a challenge to Baca. But getting used to remembering when to repeat teaching days or start a new teaching day is a struggle she is willing to conquer. Baca also is in the process of completing her Master’s Degree at CSULB to better understand the curriculum and ensuring that she will teach her students at her fullest capacity.Brian George
By Kameo Mapp
Meet Brian George, PAAL’s new assistant principal. George is originally from Long Beach, California, and has taught at Poly for 5 years and PAAL for 18. He attended USC and is a proud Trojan. George has 3 children and enjoys PAAL because of its small and very tight community. He also enjoys Dodger Blue and eating pizza.
Teo Weiner
By Kameo Mapp
Specialist Teo Weiner was raised in Culver City, CA, has educated students for 18 years and spent 8 of them at Poly before moving to PAAL. He loves to eat sushi and play with his adorable pet dog. He enjoys going to festivals, watching musicals and whipping up furtadas and omelettes. He is a strong believer in a growth mindset and growing your intelligence to the fullest. He is an advocate for staying on your path to success and never allowing the possibility of failure.
Nicole Lopez
By Kameo Mapp
Meet Nicole Lopez, PAAL’s new Principal of Students. Ms. Lopez is originally from North Vermont and grew up learning Spanish and French. She earned her Masters in Education at Cal State Long Beach. She enjoys the colors of nature and traveling places, especially Australia. She has one son and lots of pets who brighten her day. She likes people who break rules, take risks and do the best for themselves to create a positive outcome. She cares about her students to the highest degree and strives to bring out the best results in PAAL students.
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Library Renamed In Honor Of Poly Alumni
On September 21, the Long Beach Public Library reopened its doors with an improved and renamed library. The now Billie Jean King Library held an opening ceremony with guest speakers such as Mayor Robert Garcia, council member Jeanine Pierce, among others as well as the tennis player and women’s right activist herself, Billie Jean King. King was greeted by an uproar of applause and proceeded to tell the story of how she would sleep with her tennis racquet and library books at night. The Poly alumni is fiercely loyal to Long Beach and hopes this new addition will be a helpful resource to the community.
