Author: adviser

  • A Storm is Blowing into Poly’s Playhouse

    Thursday, May 3 at 6:30pm and Friday, May 4 at 3:00 pm and 6:30pm Poly theatre will presenting their version of William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy The Tempest.

        Students from all grades practiced for months to perfect this timeless classic. The story follows Ferdinand and a group of men lost at sea who end up washed up on an island. The island is already inhabited by Miranda and her father Prospero, who once was Duke of Milan is now the magical ruler of the island.

        The performances will cost $3 for ASB members and PARTS students $5 for students and $10 for adults.

  • Play It Again, Poly

      Poly High’s Piano Recital took place during April 24, 25, and the 26. Students played pieces recognizable to all audiences like Dreaming of You. They also played classic romantic pieces such as Valse Romantique, performed by Megan Heng. The song was originally written in 1890 as a solo piece by French composer, Claude Debussy. Melissa Martinez played Renesmee’s Lullaby, which was originally written by Carter Burwell for the score of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn part II.

     

        Junior Anahi Vega played Mia and Sebastian’s Theme from “La La Land”. After playing the piano for nearly 3 years, Vega is able to pick up and memorize music quickly, “It took me about a month to memorize this piece. I still messed up, but it was okay.”

     

        Although memorizing sheet music is a skill Vega posses, but after all her performances, Vega still at times, lets her nerves get the better of her. “I actually hit the note I was messing up on, but I need to work on my stage fright. I look at the audience sometimes and just stop.”

    This program in a way told a story, “It started kind of sad, then went to a weird place, but it ended on a happy note.”

     

        Junior, Maya Cheav, began playing piano 9 years ago when her mother brought home a old piano from work one day. She considers music as a pastime and not her career path. She doesn’t think much about the memorization of music, although she agrees it is key when learning the piano,  “ With sheet music, it depends on the song, anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.” Cheav recently started playing Jazz and now can tell the similarities between the two styles and embrace their differences. “I’m in Jazz as well so I know how to work with the whole team instead of just solo. Classical music is about sheet music, Jazz is more about expressing yourself, both are nice in different ways.”

  • Frozen Spaghetti

    The sunset is the warning call for my supper

    I had been yearning for it all these hours

    Mum had just gone shopping

    I wonder what is in place of those frozen chimichangas

    Could that possibly be frozen spaghetti?

    Oh, why yes it is!

    I can already feel the steam

    The delicious smell of garlic tomato sauce irks my stomach to a growling

    I cannot wait five more seconds

    Ripping the hot tray out of the microwave

    The whole house is filled with the aroma of my favorite meal

    Carefully I pull back the plastic wrap

    I am not interested in cancer

  • Jeremiah Jams

    A list of songs for the summer recommendations (Hip-Hop/Rap)

    1. – Summertime in the LBC by The Dove Shack
    2. – Congratulations by Post Malone
    3. – Stir Fry by Migos
    4. – Look Alive by BloccBoy JB Ft. Drake
    5. – Pull Up by IAMJYOUNGIN
    6. – Kings Dead by Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future, James Blake

  • Jude’s Tune

    Summers on its way, and as the weather heats up so does the music. Summer is a time to vibe, and you don’t want your playlist full of bad music. Luckily i’m here to save you. Here are some songs to add to your playlist this summer.   

     

    -“Plug Walk” by Rich The Kid

    -“Be Careful” by Cardi B

    -“Like That” by IamJyoungin

    – “Psycho” by Post Malone (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)

    -“Crew” by GoldLink (feat. Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy)

    -“Sky Walker” by Miguel (feat. Travis Scott)

  • SoCal Places

    With school ending in a few months, it is time to start planning how to make the most of our summer vacation. If you have no idea how to officially kick off the summer, why not spend it amongst Hollywood’s departed?

         Each year Cinespia brings classic films to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. A few of this year’s movies includes: Drive, Casablanca, Spirited Away, and Alien. General admission ticket prices can range anywhere from $12-$16 each. So if you would like to catch a movie with the dead, purchase your tickets early and bring your picnic blankets and snacks.

        If that is too macabre, then maybe visiting a museum might be more your scene. Some of the more well known museums in SoCal include: Natural History Museum, LACMA, The Broad, and The Getty. Fortunately, not all museums require ticket purchase and it’s a fun way to learn without having to sit in uncomfortable chairs all day.

        Whatever your plans are for the summer, make sure you spend it making memories with friends and family.

  • Body Goals?

    By now we’re hitting the gym to reach our “body goals” for the upcoming season. What exactly is “Body Goals?” No matter what size you wear, love your body for what it is. It’s easier said than done. Although sometimes we forget to treat and care for our body the correct way, it’s still okay to have a couple of cheat days.

    Thick is cute, skinny is cute. Most of today’s society is accepting and embracing every kind of body type, yet there are still those who feel uncomfortable when showing some skin. Don’t let these social anxiety thoughts forbid you from wearing what you want. It’s hot, wear a dress! Don’t forget that each body type is different from one another.

    Personally, I struggled to have confidence with my body. I tried my best by working out and eating healthy but for some reason I was not seeing the results I wanted. It took some time for me to accept my body for what it is. Self love is what we all need to be happy.

    Living a healthy lifestyle by exercising and consuming fresher foods will put you on the path towards a more positive life. Although it may be tough to maintain a healthy and confident mindset, always remember that you are valuable and one of a kind!

  • Summer Sadness

    Failing a class during the regular school year leads to the necessity of attending to summer school. At Poly we have the liberty of not wearing uniforms but for the rest of the other High Schools I wish to remind the students that in the month of July the weather average is above 80 .

    In the summer you will have to wake up early, trade bikinis for notebooks, sweat instead of tan, hold pencils instead of ice cream, and show up to a classroom where even the staff doesn’t want to be there. For more than two hours every weekday in a one month period surrounded by four very interesting walls covered by a ceiling that has over 3,000 tiny holes, you will be missing out on awesome adventures that your friends will never forget like enjoying the aesthetic of fun outdoor places, the waves at the beaches, poolside parties, camping, and traveling.

    The horror is not only for students but also for the teachers who may or may not put up with cranky, disrespectful, and dull teenagers. Just to let you know, the clock will not gain speed if you keep looking at it. And lastly, by taking your struggling course more seriously during the semester, attending school during your three months of freedom could have been avoided.   

  • Students Fighting for the Care Center: The Results

    Students Fighting for the Care Center: The Results

    Recently, it was said that the C.A.R.E. Center was closing for the 2018-2019 school year. Funding outside of school was going on to help raise money to keep the center open. Due to the help of students, educators, alumni, parents and community activism, the C.A.R.E. Center will remain open for next school year.

    Along with the C.A.R.E Center remaining open, new classes will be forming. If you will be in 10th or 11th grade next year and interested in social work or community health advocacy tell your counselor that you are interested in the Social Work and Health Class. If you will be in 11th or 12th grade next year and are interested in pursuing a future in mental health and behavioral health tell your counselor that you are interested in the Mental and Behavioral Health Professional class.

    These classes will help anyone with an interest in social work, community activism, community-health advocacy, mental-health professions, and if you would like to be a coach or educator.

    Michael Gray, C.A.R.E Center counselor, will be teaching the new classes. The new classes will be counted as a “g” elective for the A – G college requirements.

  • LB Port Supplies School District With New Air Purifiers

    LB Port Supplies School District With New Air Purifiers

    Long Beach Polytechnic has recently filled all the classrooms with purifiers. A purifier is a device that removes contaminating particles (such as dust, pollen, and dander) from the air. Air purifiers that draw air through fabric filters are among those that do the best job of removing dust and smoke from the air without producing any ozone. Many classrooms at Poly do not have air conditioning, so even with the purifier it should help get a little breeze while still cleaning the air. Assistant Principal Matt Brown said, “To my understanding there was a grant by the port of Long Beach that the district applied for and schools that are impacted by air quality by port that do not have central air were provided site purifiers, and it was no cost to the district.” These air purifiers will be replacement for air conditioners until the school gets a full set. Brown added that, “They’re suppose to be cleaning the air. If it’s hot,  you have to have the windows shut. The air purifiers are supposed to be top of the line so they will do the job. The cool thing is once the central air is put in through the campus (HVAC) the same the filters that are in air purifiers will be put into the AC Units.” According to Los Angeles Times, the Long Beach ports are the largest source of air pollution in Southern California. According to the port of Long Beach, they are committed to improving the environment and protecting the community from harmful environmental impacts from port operations.

  • The Competitive Nature of PACE

    PACE being the oldest  specialized program in the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), it was not surprising that the number of qualified applicants has increased. A problem arose when the final number of incoming ninth graders exceeded the maximum spaces available in the PACE ninth grade class.

    The contractual maximum for English teachers in LBUSD is 175 students, which means that accepting more than 175 students becomes a problem for the school’s administration. Between 175 and 185 students are accepted into the PACE program each year.

    The selection process for PACE is based on grades and standardized test scores, which are put into a formula that calculates the High School Academic Index (HSAI). Admission is based on that number. For the past two years, most applicants who met the minimum HSAI to apply to PACE and who listed it as their first choice, were accepted.

    “At the CHOICE events this year, I told parents that based on the past two years’ experience, they need not worry if their child was near the cutoff point on their HSAI, that we had admitted everyone that qualified for the past two years,” said Michelle Aberle, the PACE facilitator. This year, however, there were many more students who qualified than available space in the program. This was true for a number of pathways this year.  This is concerning to Aberle, who worries that parents will feel betrayed by the system. Why this occurred this year is not known.

    Within the past several years, LBUSD has taken control of the CHOICE process, with more inconsistent results, according to Aberle. The district mandated that programs in the district have the same entrance requirements, which for PACE, lowered the GPA and initially raised the standardized test scores. The Pathway Coordinator at Wilson High School, Edward Steinhauser, said in an email, “This year, in an attempt to lessen the nuanced confusion around entrance requirements, QUEST, WAVE, and PACE were all given the same entrance requirements (GPA, SBAC score on English Language Arts, and Algebra 1.  PACE calculated acceptance with the High School Academic Index while QUEST and WAVE used GPA top down.”

    The school district is using the same admission process, using a top-down HSAI, but with results that fluctuate every year.  A few years back, PACE handled their own admissions, using what the district now says is the same process.  But in the previous years, results were much more predictable, and the problem of admissions exceeding contractual maximums did not occur.

    “If a program like PACE has more qualified applicants than allocated spots in a given year, some of the students will be offered places at their second or third choices,” said Russ Anderson, a counselor at Lakewood High School, “Two years ago, Merit Scholars at Lakewood experienced a drop in enrollment for the first time. So, for the first time, we were able to enroll some students who had not been accepted to other programs that happened to be impacted that year.  I would imagine that one reason the current selection process exists is to keep pathways strong across the district.”

    At PACE, the number of acceptances sent out to the eighth graders has been based upon the number of students, historically, that ultimately accept. Some students apply to PACE with the intention of attending private schools, whose acceptances come out later than those of LBUSD. However, far more students accepted than what could be anticipated from the previous averages.

    “I believe that what happened this year,” said Aberle, “is that many students, unfortunately, selected impacted programs for all three of their top choices.  This means that students may be placed in programs that were not among their selections.” It is for this reason that Aberle looks back on the days when programs had more authority in the process and the process was more transparent.  The district maintains, that students get at least one of their top choices.

    PACE has also noticed a trend toward decreasing resiliency in the students coming into the program.  Teachers, counselor Connie Loggins, and Aberle are all interested in finding ways to decrease stress and to increase the satisfaction that comes to students who enjoy learning among teachers who clearly enjoy their students.  The program remains resolute that program standards be maintained at the current high levels.  And according to both Aberle and Steinhauser, all LBUSD high schools are looking at ways to better serve our students, making sure that all pathways are accessible and prepare students for success.

  • 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!