Author: adviser

  • Softball Starts Off Rough

    Softball Starts Off Rough

     

    The Long Beach Poly softball team has started their season with a rough stretch with a 2-4 record. Against Tustin High School Poly won 8-2 and unfortunately St. Anthonys beat us in a 7-1 loss this past weekend.
    3 year varsity player and returning shortstop  Evelyn Sablan said, “our defense did a good job, we hit the ball hard but it wasn’t the outcome we were looking for.” The girls have been playing well but some teams are better than others, but that’s not a problem for our Lady Jackrabbits they are ready to face the Moore League teams and hope to win Moore League.
    Their next game is not until March 25 which gives the team time to practice harder and improve on their communication skills. Returning catcher, senior Crystal Cepeda says, “I’m looking forward to playing with the team after taking a year off and enjoying my last year playing softball as a senior.”
    Another key point is that the team needs to work together as two year returning varsity catcher Alexis Durand said “I’m looking forward to everyone playing together as a team, I think we can be better than last year if we put in enough hard work we can succeed.” The team has a lot of potential this upcoming season after moving players up from junior varsity. “There is a lot more talent on the team, which should lead to a Moore League title,” said senior Jaclyn Pangelinan.

  • Pennies for Patients Providing Incentive for Students

    Cancer is one of the most common diseases and comes in many forms. Leukemia is a cancer of
    blood-forming tissues, hindering the body’s ability to fight infection. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system. Myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells. All of these require medical diagnoses, and are only treatable by medical professionals. These expensive, torturous treatments include medications, chemotherapy, corticosteroids, radiation, or a stem-cell transplant.
    Each year, 12.7 million people discover they have cancer and 7.6 million people die from the malady; on average, cancer treatments can cost a whopping $30,000 a month. In order to help alleviate some of the financial burden, Poly has decided to participate in the Pennies for Patients campaign.
    “I love giving back as much possible to the society,” answered Kayla Van, a junior at Poly, when she was asked why she enjoyed being a leader in the campaign. Pennies for Patients is a nationwide project to help fund the world’s largest non-profit voluntary organization, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which provides funding for education and research on blood-related cancers including Lymphoma, Leukemia, and Multiple Myeloma.
    Millions of dollars have been raised in pennies and other spare change by more than ten million
    elementary, middle, and high school students throughout of the country. This spring semester, Poly students get to collect pennies during the campaign benefiting the society. However, they are welcome to donate nickels, dimes, and quarters as well.
    On March 14, a rally supporting the funding of the campaign will take place on the rally stage. In a three-week period, from March 6 through March 20, Poly’s goal is to raise up to $3,500 in change.
    Collecting boxes are in every classroom for students and teachers to donate. This year, every period four and nine will be competing. The class to collect the most money will win a pizza party, second place will get donuts, and third place will receive cookies.

  • Wellness Week at Poly

    Khmer Girls in Action is sponsoring Poly’s fourth annual Wellness Week from February 27 to March 3. On Monday, February 27, the Wellness Week starts off with the Women’s Self Defense at the teacher’s’ lounge from 3 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. Tuesday will be featuring a de-stress and healing also at the teacher’s’ lounge from 3 P.M to 4:30 P.M. At the library on Wednesday there will be a Soul Session from 3 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. On Thursday there will be a Healthy Cooking presentation in room 514 in Mrs. Sawyer’s class from 3 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. The final day will be the Health and Wellness Resource Fair at the quad from 11:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M.

  • Cool Kids at Poly

    On Saturday, February 11, ABC7 held a luncheon honoring about twenty-seven students for its Cool Kids segment. They were gathered together to be awarded for being helpful and inspirational in their communities. Among these students was Poly sophomore Heinglee Va, who was nominated by his aunt.

    For the past year and a half, Va spent every other weekend avidly taking part in making the beach a safer place for the community and, more importantly, for the marine life. He volunteers with the Surfrider Foundation, a nonprofit environmental organization that gets students of various ages together to clean the beach. Va says that when he moved to Long Beach three years ago he had a rather inactive social life and joining the Foundation is one of the things that has helped him fit in. He joined when his uncle introduced the idea and he figured that “it beats sitting at home watching TV.

    Va’s English teacher, Daryl Holmlund, said, “Heinglee always has a positive attitude, works hard, and is a deserving recipient.”

  • Auditorium Using Hofstadter Approach

    Auditorium Using Hofstadter Approach

    More than half of Poly’s students go completely unaware of one of Poly’s most distinctive features: the auditorium, which has been closed for so long now that it goes completely unnoticed by the student body.

    Rumors seem to crop up every few months about when it will be finished, though according to principle Quentin Brown, construction should conclude at the end of March.

    Despite the ever-migrating end date, Brown claims that there has been no actual setbacks beyond those that regularly accompany large renovations. The weather has been only a slight issue: work is rarely put on pause during heat waves or rain storms. Construction continues during the school year and the summer, but as Brown says, major renovations tend to run longer than anticipated.

    Nevertheless, the project’s ever-lengthening run time should not cause any issues. Before the district decided to start the project, they thought thoroughly about what it would mean only in terms of cost and environmental impact.

    Unfortunately, they seem not to have considered the effect on students and teachers. German teacher Maria Bezeredy, whose classroom has windows facing the auditorium, says “It’s awful. The noise is just awful. There’s an issue with the windows: it’s either noise or air.” And it is not only Bezeredy as the majority of classrooms on the south side of the Language Annex have to choose between stifling heat or blaring noise.

    Brown believes it will be worth it in the end. When he became principal he was shown the new designs for the auditorium. His initial reaction was, “Wow, awesome!” Coming from the former principal of a theatre and performing arts school, that should mean quite something.

    The auditorium will be used for drama productions, musical performances, and dance shows, not to mention school assemblies (which have been put on pause since construction began). The District Facilities Department mandated that both Poly and Wilson would receive updates to their auditoriums’ electrical and sound systems, seats, stages, and auxiliary rooms. Many students with music classes have expressed in no uncertain terms how much they would like to get out of the temporary bungalows and back into practice rooms with decent acoustics.

    The acoustics in the bungalows is not the only issue facing the music students. It has been a huge inconvenience for them to haul their instruments to and from far-away auditoriums such as Millikan’s. With heavy equipment like tubas or drums, this is a significant struggle.

    The project has run long, as so many similar construction projects before it have. Hopefully, the negative externalities that students and staff alike have endured since construction began will be worth it when the “awesome” new auditorium is opened.

  • Basketball’s Journey through CIF

    Basketball’s Journey through CIF

    Game of the Year: Long Beach Poly vs. Chino Hills

     

    After defeating Bishop Alemany on Friday, February 17, the Long Beach Poly Boy’s Basketball team was scheduled to play the popular Chino Hills.

    The Chino Hills Huskies are the number one ranked high school basketball team in MaxPreps, and are also even more famous for members of the team called the Ball Brothers. These are three actual brothers: Lonzo, Liangelo, and LaMelo Ball. Senior Liangelo Ball and sophomore Lamelo Ball are famous on Youtube channels such as Ballislife or BallerVisions which features basketball mixtapes for the best high school phenomenons in the nation.

    The team also features three other less known yet still great players, such as sophomore

    Onyeka Okongwu and senior Elizjah Scott who are cousins with the ball brothers. The key players on the Chino Hills team all stand over 6 foot, with Okongwu being the tallest at 6’9”. This puts Poly at a height disadvantage, and the rest of the factors also make them the underdog in the matchup.

    Poly certainly knew they came in as the underdog, and certainly had an immeasurable pressure coming in. With over 2,500 tickets sold, fans sitting in the stairways of the stands and even standing on the rails, it could be seen that people expected a lot from both of the teams.

    Starting from the tip-off, Poly fought their way through the whole game. For most of the first quarter, they stayed in the lead, capped off by a near half-court shot by junior Darryl Polk at the end of the first.

    Senior Zafir Williams’s layup is denied by Chino Hills sophomore Onyeka Okongwu.

    However, Chino Hills slowly started to pull away with the victory after the first quarter ended. Although sophomore Lamelo Ball was held scoreless, big men Scott and Okongwu always found a way to get the

    rebounds to either push the ball up court or put the ball back in the hoop. The two bigs combined for 17 offensive rebounds and combined for 51 points.

    Senior Zafir Williams continued to fight, and ended with 31 points and 16 rebounds. This didn’t prove to be enough, and with Poly missing easy layups and rebounds, they ended the night with a loss of 98-74. Poly will continue on to play Corona Centennial in the consolation bracket, and Chino Hills will go on to play Mater Dei in the CIF semifinals.

    Boys vs. Alemany

    Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits played a non-league playoff game hosted by the Alemany Warriors on Friday, February 17, at 7 P.M. This game was part of the CIF Southern Section 2017 Boys Basketball Championship – Open Division. The Jackrabbits defeated the Warriors with a score of 66-48. Poly dominated most of the game.

    In the first quarter they scored 17-6, in the second quarter they scored 18-7, in the third quarter they scored 18-21, and in the fourth quarter they scored 13-14. This upgraded the Jackrabbits overall record to 22-6 and the Warriors 24-4, and both teams still have 12-0 league records. Long Beach Poly ranks 83 Nationally, 19 in California, 11 in the Southern Section, 17 in Division 1, and 11 in Division 1AA.

    Girls vs. Alemany

    On Saturday, February 18, the girls basketball team defeated the visiting Brea Olinda, 61-33. It was a closely contested contest, until the second quarter where the Jackrabbits went on a 15-4 run.

    The scoring for the Jackrabbits was lead by senior Ayanna Clark who scored 15 points and also snagged 13 rebounds on the night. This win marks number 500 for Coach Carl Buggs. Coach Buggs was as cool as a cucumber the whole game, even when Poly entered the 2nd quarter tied. “There was no adjust- ments to make, you work all year so that in that moment you know who you are, just play Poly basketball,” said Coach Buggs.

  • Softball

    The girls varsity softball team will start their season in a tournament on February 25, which is this coming Saturday at Katella High School in Anaheim. “The girls have been practicing hard to prepare for the upcoming tournament,” said senior and three-year varsity player Jacyln Pangelinan. Girls varsity softball coach Kenith Munger has been coaching for many years, and knows the game very well. He hopes to lead the team to a Moore League title.

     

    The team has a chance with the new additions to the team who came from the Junior Varsity team. First baseman and two-year varsity player Madison Demos said, “I can’t wait to get back between the lines and play.”

  • Spring Sports 2017 Preview

    Track:

    As track season is rapidly approaching, the Trackrabbits are getting ready to dominate. In order to prepare for the season they are “training for two to three hours after school and on Saturdays,” said senior Lauren Fillipow who is committed to Southern Oregon. This is a tight-knit team whose goal is to “just push each other to do our best, so that we can all improve together and since a lot of the team is seniors, we want to have a great last high school season,” said senior Melissa Tanaka.
    Nate Cooper, a junior who recently participated in a cross country race in Oregon, stated, “My personal goals for the season are similar to everyone else’s goals on the team. I hope to make my times as fast as I personally can, and to help my team as much as possible.” Hopes are high for the Trackrabbits, and we can be positive that they will live up to their expectations.

    Swim:

    The next sport for the Poly Jackrabbits in the upcoming spring season is swim. Last season for girls swim, junior Tevykah Pouv coined the Varsity group as the “dream team.” Looking back on last year, junior Priscilla Long said, “Last season for Moore League we won and it was such an amazing feeling” and for this coming season Long wants to “work towards the same goal we had last year. I’d like our team to continue to work together and stay united no matter what the outcome is.”
    For boys swim, Poly came in second with Wilson in first. Junior Ethan McCarthy stated, “This year I think we have high hopes for beating Wilson at Moore League and that’s the goal, too.” Both girls and boys swim are looking towards a bright, ambitious season.

  • Cartoon Corner

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    “It lets you hold the President’s attention for a few extra seconds

    before he wants to change channels.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    “It’s time we had a little chat.”

  • The Everyday Stresses of Being in High School

    Yes, teenagers experience stress. We as teenagers know that it is not easy being a teen.     As high school students, there can be various reason why we have stress, especially because we are also so close to adulthood. We cannot always control everything ourselves.

    If a person is feeling stressed, seek help. One should not feel afraid to ask for help or be afraid of what other people might say. Stress can lead to anxiety, which we would not want right.

    Stress can come from trying to control things that we cannot, or from something traumatic. Always remember that we can only control our attitude and our actions in life.
    Some real life examples are schoolwork, tests, exams, moving, sports, violence, etc. There are also some very common reactions to stress which can just suck the life out of you, like not being able to remember things or having trouble sleeping or even having trouble concentrating at school.

    The Care Center’s Michael Grey said, “ A great deal of stress is relieved when we quit trying to control everyone and everything around us.” If you would like more information on stress, feel free to read Mr. Grey’s book, “The High School Guide to Significant”. The last few pages are all about stress and how to deal with it.

    We’ve all probably felt stressed at some point and one of my best ideas to relieve stress, is to do something you enjoy doing, for example a sport. It helps a lot, trust me, it’s helped me to clear my mind from things.

  • Black History Month

    Black History Month

    I remember in middle school and elementary school when we used to spend time in February learning about important Black Americans and their impacts in American innovation, culture and society. I never realized that we would no longer discuss any of this once we “promoted”  to high school. The only ways for Poly students to discuss or learn about even the most minute piece of Black Americans’ role in America is to take Black History or Ethnic Studies as an elective, or be lucky enough to have Sarah Schol for English.

    It is beyond annoying that as an African American  I spend most of my life learning only about the accomplishments of people who look nothing like me. I feel like many people of color feel the same way that I do. In all honesty, I can’t even remember a time when we learned about Hispanic Heritage month in class.  Even when the High Life staff discussed writing about Black History Month, one staff writer didn’t even know February was Black History Month.

    For this reason I feel like public education system is failing students of color in the history department and it is time something is done about about it. The district should put more emphasis for students to learn about minorities and the influence that they have in American culture.

  • The Bachelor: The Pros and Cons of Corinne

    The Bachelor: The Pros and Cons of Corinne

    Pro:

    This season of The Bachelor features Nick Viall, age 36, who has been on two seasons of the Bachelorette – twice as a runner up (how unfortunate) –  and a contestant of 2016’s Bachelor in Paradise. Now Nick is ready to find love as the Bachelor. But this is only the beginning.
    The first episode started with 30 women and the number has now dwindled down to a mere four. It’s so bizarre… each one of these women considers herself the Bachelor’s girlfriend. So many women have been sent home heartbroken and the tears are quite overwhelming. The show needs a theatrical factor, and that’s where Corinne Olympios comes in.
    Disregarding some of the things she does in her “relationship” with Nick, Corinne, who is a twenty-four year old co-owner of a billion dollar company, is hilarious.
    She naps after almost every time she talks with Nick because she’s completely over it, but can we blame her? She can be found eating and drinking as much as possible at the cocktail parties before the rose ceremonies and is, in my utmost opinion, the most honest contestant on the show.
    Corinne keeps it real and said she feels “like I’m not being myself, but I am trying really hard to be myself, but because I am trying really hard to be myself it’s making me even more not myself.” Yes, this is an actual quote from the twenty-four year old herself.
    Watching Corinne cry for sushi is what makes Bachelor 2017 memorable. Although it is a reality TV show where love is molded and synthetically created for an audience, Corinne is the actual entertainment, what would you really  expect more?

    Con:
    As I was scrolling through Hulu one night trying to find something new to watch, I noticed a new season of The Bachelor had started up. I figured I would pop my Bachelor cherry and I watched.
    I was shook by the fact that initially 30 women were all fighting for affection from one guy, granted Nick Viall is bomb fire delicious. I became super invested in the first couple women in the show, like both of the Danielles because they are just such pure beans,  because they seemed to have good intentions and were super likable, then Corinne Olympios popped up.
    She is the epitome of everything I hate. She thinks she is all that because she runs her own business and has a nanny. She is super disrespectful; she once slept through a rose ceremony because she had already received a rose (immunity). She is constantly napping at the most important time – I guess she really needed some beauty sleep.
    In one episode, a group date consisted of a wedding photo shoot. She was jealous of Brittany, who was chosen for the Adam and Eve wedding and her “wedding dress” was nothing but a leaf bikini bottom and her long hair covering her bare breasts. In order to catch Nick’s attention, she decided to take her top off and have Nick cover her boobs with his hands for her.
    She won the photo shoot and earned extra alone time with Nick, even though she already has plenty because she snatches him away from the other girls constantly to increase her alone time.
    I believe her winning was totally unfair and sends the wrong message about how to get a man to like you. She disgusts me in everything she does. She is making everything about sex and she’s SOO whiny and I just can’t deal with her. Her personality is your typical Regina George Mean Girl.
    It makes it seem like Nick just wants someone to fool around with when he is on The Bachelor for the third time because he wants to settle down. It’s unfair to all those women who are there to get into a serious relationship.
    I cannot believe Corinne has lasted and made it into the final four. Since the beginning I have been rooting for Raven, a sweet Southern girl who once walked in on a boyfriend cheating on her and who honestly deserves better. Corinne is the reason that people bash the Bachelor and is only there to be the butt of the joke.