Author: adviser

  • Class Eliminations Expected In the Fall

    Home economics, creative writing, Black history, marine biology, foods and nutrition, and film analysis are all offered as electives and available to all students, but next year that will all change.

    These classes are a versatile group that teach students a unique set of skills.  Although Poly does provide the classes, they are not responsible for what happens to them. The Long Beach Unified School District decided that Poly offered too many electives, and needed to focus on academics.

    To make up for losing electives, Poly now offers a multitude of APs for students to take. Creative writing has been a class choice for 100 years and taught by Brett Alexander for four years. Alexander emphasizes  that having the ability to write well is vital, and that being able to compose something that has meaning is an important skill.

    “It’s sad that students won’t get to express themselves in [the] classroom; it’d be a bummer that future kids won’t have a good course like that,” said junior Ella Christensen.

    Alexander commented, “I’ve really enjoyed it because students come in [and] spill everything onto a piece of paper without a time limit. It’s been fun. I have students from every academy; it’s a great class to have.”  Alexander, along with other teachers at Poly, is very sad to see the class go.

    Anne Smith is a long-term substitute this semester, taking the place of Gayle Boone-Beegle who had taught home economics and foods and nutrition at Poly for over 20 years. Smith said, “What I like most about teaching this class is that students find something that they didn’t expect they could do is very interesting; it’s my favorite thing.”

    Students are exposed to real life skills, like learning the steps to forming a good and wholesome diet, or experimenting with a recipe or dish foreign to them. Many of the eliminated electives would have informed students on things they would have otherwise never gotten the chance to be educated on.

  • METS Student Isaac Covarrubias Wins Logo Contest

    METS Student Isaac Covarrubias Wins Logo Contest

    METS recently changed their name to Poly Arts, also known as PARTS. To go with their new name, a contest was held to design the new logo. The assistant principal Stacie Alexander said, “A reason why we decided to change the name and have a logo contest was because the teachers and students are not really connected. They just feel like they’re assigned in there and we want them to become connected and feel like more of a family.” She also stated, “When I was in a meeting I asked the teachers if they felt they were connected to their pathway and they said, ‘no,’ and the teachers came up with the idea of changing the name to better fit what classes we offer and to have the students come up with the logo so they could be part of the process of becoming better connected to everyone in their pathway.”

    The logo contest started a couple months ago and ended about a few weeks ago. There was voting online at Back to School Night and voting here at school. Two people submitted their artworks and the winner has been picked.

    The winner of the contest is sophomore Isaac Covarrubias. Covarrubias stated, “I saw it on Schoolloop and I had some spare time so I decided to enter the contest.” He said that just the drawing itself took 10 to 15 minutes because at first they didn’t ask for the drawing to be colored. Later he colored it and made small alterations. The artwork will be shown online and T-shirts will be made.

    Covarrubias stated, “My mom saw my artwork and she helped me and gave me advice on what I should fix.” Poly teacher Erica Sands will be awarding Covarrubias with a prize, though he doesn’t yet know what.

  • Poly Musicians Hop Over to CSULB for Concert

    Poly’s Concert Band and Symphonic Winds had their last concert of the year on Tuesday, June 6, at the Daniel Recital Hall at CSULB from 6:30 P.M. to 8 P.M. Most students were bothered that they could not perform in Poly’s auditorium for their final show, especially seniors.

    The concert featured two senior solos, both by Poly trumpet players, and were backed up by the Symphonic Winds band. Soloist Tatiana Tate said, “As a senior I would have liked to at least perform at least one event in the auditorium. I saw a new school building being constructed and being utilized in less time than it is taking to complete the Poly auditorium.”

    Her solo performance was movement two of Joseph Haydn’s trumpet concerto.

    The second senior solo was the first movement of Johann Hummel’s trumpet concerto, played by Justin Short.

    The Concert Band performed five pieces, pulling from several well-known band composers including John Carnahan and Frank Ticheli. Concert Band also featured Malin Hiles in “The Typewriter” by Leroy Anderson. Hiles played an antique typewriter as a percussion instrument. The percussion section played an additional piece, “Scuttlebutt” by Jim Casella.

    After the percussion ensemble, the Symphonic Winds performed a series of five pieces, including the two solos. The other pieces performed were “Noisy Wheels of Joy” by Eric Whitacre, “Inchon” by Robert W. Smith, and “Slava!” by Leonard Bernstein.

    “Inchon” is a haunting tribute to the Korean and Vietnam War veterans featuring the sounds of helicopters, simulated by bass drum heads, and ethereal alto flute solos.

    In post-concert reflection, the musicians expressed their satisfaction with their performance and are eager to begin another great year of Poly music.

  • Jazz Band End of Year Concert

    Thursday, June 8, Poly’s jazz bands are having their final concert at Cal State Long Beach’s Daniel Recital Hall from 6:30 P.M to 8:30 P.M. Students are going to be given a chance at showing how hard they have worked, practicing in class and individually, during their solos at the concert. Senior trumpeter Tatiana Tate responded, “For our trumpet section, sometimes we’ll have outside sectionals where we work on pieces that we’re struggling with and try to blend our sounds together.” Junior Eric Wilson, who is featured as a soloist on the alto sax and soprano, is playing “Barnelles,” though he further explained that he is playing lead on all the songs.

    The Jazz Band is playing a number of charts including a Sammy Nestico tune called “New Day”, “Wolf Den Funk”, “Look of Love” by Abigail Hodge, “Pick Up The Pieces” by The Average White band, and the song previously mentioned to be performed by Eric Wilson – an original song called “Barnelles” written by jazz director Chris Stevens’ son Will. Gabriel Burns, who plays the alto sax as well, is also being given a solo at the concert, performing a pop tune from the late 60’s and early 70’s called “More Today Than Yesterday”. The Jazz Band encourages you to attend the concert; Burns said, “It’s going to be a lot of fun, if you can go, you should.”

  • Jazz Band End of Year Concert

    Thursday, June 8, Poly’s jazz bands are having their final concert at Cal State Long Beach’s Daniel Recital Hall from 6:30 P.M to 8:30 P.M. Students are going to be given a chance at showing how hard they have worked, practicing in class and individually, during their solos at the concert. Senior trumpeter Tatiana Tate responded, “For our trumpet section, sometimes we’ll have outside sectionals where we work on pieces that we’re struggling with and try to blend our sounds together.” Junior Eric Wilson, who is featured as a soloist on the alto sax and soprano, is playing “Barnelles,” though he further explained that he is playing lead on all the songs.

    The Jazz Band is playing a number of charts including a Sammy Nestico tune called “New Day”, “Wolf Den Funk”, “Look of Love” by Abigail Hodge, “Pick Up The Pieces” by The Average White band, and the song previously mentioned to be performed by Eric Wilson – an original song called “Barnelles” written by jazz director Chris Stevens’ son Will. Gabriel Burns, who plays the alto sax as well, is also being given a solo at the concert, performing a pop tune from the late 60’s and early 70’s called “More Today Than Yesterday”.

    The Jazz Band encourages you to attend the concert; Burns said, “It’s going to be a lot of fun, if you can go, you should.”

  • Long Beach High School Hockey

    Long Beach High School Hockey

    Long Beach Prep High School Hockey is a team made up of high school students who play  hockey. There is a JV and varsity team. In spring they play under the LA Kings and in the summer they play under the Anaheim Ducks.

    Hockey is starting to be a popular sport in Long Beach. Long Beach Prep gives high school students who play hockey  a chance to play other cities and represent Long Beach. Some of the other cities they play include El Segundo, Venice, Redondo Beach and Wiseburn.

     
    The coaches are Adam Stanovich, Austin Stanovich , and Matthew Dove. They teach hockey players new skills and help them become better players overall. The coaches have a passion for the sport and prepare players to play at a higher level. When asked what his thoughts were on the coaches, forward Josh Ribeiro said, “They know what they’re talking about.” The coaches are very experienced. When asked how do you feel about playing on Long Beach Prep defender Adin Keiter said, “I’ve been on the team for two years now (four seasons), and I feel that I’ve been able to develop my skill on a team that’s suitable for my skill level. When I started, I was only playing hockey for a couple months, so LB has been about 80% of my career.”

     
    Keiter also has a passion for the sport like many of the players on the team. Former JV goalie Steven Fitzer  said he “likes the fun environment and the competitiveness” of playing on Long Beach Prep. Fitzer also said, “I love the pressure and the non stop action” of being goalie. Many players say Long Beach Prep Hockey is like a family.

     
    The Hockey players are not only athletes, but scholars and many of them want to achieve a higher education and play in college. When asked how does it feel to be a part of Long Prep, forward Natalie Compton said,  “I feel like I am a part of a family and I get to hang out with people from other schools so it’s cool. It’s more of a normal high school experience than my school is so I think I need the experiences that come with being on the team.”

     
    Long Beach Prep is like one big family and a great part of the Long Beach community. It is also a great team to just watch. Long Beach Prep always appreciates if anyone comes out and supports the team in their upcoming summer season. So come out and support Long Beach high school hockey.

  • John P. Chandatlantic, Series 1 Finale

    “Dude, I think I really messed up this time. I think I messed up bad.”

    Evan didn’t even bother rolling his eyes. He just kept right on staring at his phone. Eventually, probably realizing that he really did want to hear what I was talking about, he grunted out, “Okay, what’s up?”

    “So I was on a date with Jazz last Sunday–”

    “So yesterday.”

    “Shut up, smartarse. Anyway, we were on a date and she said the L-word.”

    “What? Really? You’re freaking out over the saying ‘I love you’? That’s weak dude.”

    “What? No, we’ve been saying that for weeks.”

    “Aw, aren’t you guys just freaking adorable.”

    I swear, if he was the kind of dude who spit on school campuses, Evan would’ve right there. What the hell is up with him?

    “Dude, what’s up with you?”

    “What’s up with you?! All you ever do these days is complain about her. Jesus, just break up with her already.”

    “What the hell dude? No!”

    “I mean, I vent to you sometimes, but that’s just when I need to vent. Everyone needs to vent sometimes. And most of the crap I tell you are my goofs anyway. Like, dude, our relationship is pretty great. I love her. Love the hell out of her. She’s, like, awesome.”

    “No you don’t.”

    “Yes I do. Screw you.”

    “Screw you! She’s not right for you, I’m telling you.”

    “You like her! You do! That’s why you’re always hanging around us! I’ve seen you glaring when I kiss her!”

    Why am I saying this? He’s pissed me off. Crap. I don’t like this. I don’t want to be angry with him. I don’t like being angry. People say things they don’t want to when they’re angry. He’s quiet. When does this class end? Stupid finals schedule. We didn’t even do anything. Last day of finals though. The bell rings. Freaking finally. Evan doesn’t rush out. I try to meet his eye.

    “I’m sorry dude. I got carried away.” He looks into his bag, then throws it over his shoulder and looks me full in the face. Has he always been this much taller than me?

    “It’s not Jazz I like, dude. It’s you.”

    And he turned and walked out, way too dramatically. I wait a second, processing, then run out of the bungalow after him. He’s speed walking, I can’t reach him. Jazz and I have plans after school anyway. There’s a cafe up the road that she recommends. Apparently, they’ve got great pancakes. That’ll be a good setting to talk about Jazz’s illness. I guess this proves it though. I can finally stop calling myself a freshman.

  • Aspiring Talent at Poly

     

     

    T-Lost

    By Ashlyn Morgan

    Staff Writer

     

    Long Beach Poly rapper Tyler Stokley also known as T-Lost is known for his unique performances on the rally stage. Tyler began rapping in 2015, but then he took a brief break and then began to rap again around late 2016. His first live performance on the Poly Rally Stage was during the Homecoming Faire.

    His raps have caught the attention of many Poly students and have caused him to become well known around campus. He has also performed on the rally stage during lunch and other fairs. Aside from his live performances, he also promotes his music on social media. Stokley stated, “I prefer performing live over recording because I can express myself more and really get into it. It involves the audience more and there’s more of a connection between the artist and the audience, too.”

    When asked about where his music inspiration comes from Stokley said, “I guess my music is inspired by the band Gorillaz. Though I’m surprised that people are actually enjoying my music and listening to it.”

    His new mix tape, “I Don’t Care”, will be released on May 15th. The album will be available on his SoundCloud, his Youtube channel, and most major music services like iTunes and Spotify. Stokley has a Youtube channel (youtube.com/Tlost), Instagram, and Soundcloud. If interested, take a listen to his music. When asked to describe his music in three words he described it as “sick, fire, and dope.”

    Eddie Valencia

    By Rebecca Lopez

    Staff Writer

         Eddie Valencia is well known around Poly for his extraordinary and unique dances. The senior’s dancing has caught the attention of many Poly students and has students from all over campus raving to see him dance. Valencia’s favorite style of dancing is “cute and sexy” and it gets the rally stage audience full of screaming fans. As a senior, he has only been dancing for two years, and he’s already performed on the rally stage about 7 or 8 times. Eddie claims that dancing is both a hobby and his passion.

    There is really no one who inspires him. Valencia said, “I don’t really look up to people because I like to do my own thing.” He doesn’t remember when his first performance was, but Eddie felt really nervous and worried about what people were going to say. He plans on pursuing a dancing career after high school and he will be focusing on K-pop.

    Recently, Valencia went to Mexico because he was invited to KCON, a Korean music festival, and performed there. While in Mexico, he had a video filmed about his dancing and it will later be released. Valencia said that being filmed was interesting because he had to have people following him around. The video will include clips of him from the convention as well.

    Eddie’s upcoming performances include the senior rally and the Poly dance show  in May.

     

     

     

    JYoungin

    By Chantera Walton

    Staff Writer

    Long Beach Polytechnic’s sophomore Jeremiah Jones, also known as JYoungin, is infamously known for being a rapper. At the young age of 16, Jeremiah is already an artist and an entrepreneur.

    Jones’s passion for music started at the age of 14, and he said, “I was inspired by my father. He used to be in the music industry and he had a couple of artists that he promoted by making T-shirts to give away to the crowd.” He is well known around school and on social media for his music. He describes his music as, “motivational, catchy, and the new vibe.”

    Jeremiah wants people to take away something valuable from his music. He does not want people to just listen to the music he wants them to listen to the message. He expresses, “I want my music to have a big impact on people. I want my music to be uplifting and motivational I want them [youth] to know if you want to do something in life then don’t let nobody tell you [that] you can’t.” He also wants his music to be positive and different. “I’m really passionate about my music, I love writing [and] leaving people with a message in my lyrics; I like to call myself a lyrical rapper because it’s certain songs that are out there that are really negative but I like to think my songs are just having fun and living in the moment,” he ssaid.

    Jeremiah has plans on releasing new music. He says he has been recording a couple of songs and they will be dropping soon.

    Romel Morris

    By Yesenia Pacheco

    Arts and Culture Editor

         Romel Morris, sophomore, began writing his rhymes at the age of five. He never took his music seriously until he was eleven and started to perform in school talent shows and street shows. He focused on rap and break dancing throughout his childhood. He has written all of his own music, and has enough material to make several mix tapes.

    He listens to all kinds of music, but his favorite genre has always been hip-hop. “I look up to a lot of local rappers, but I try not to get too into one artist. I don’t wanna end up some kinda copy cat. That ain’t me.” He said as his fingers tapped across a bar, making a basic beat he often uses for his free styles.

    When asked about his recent increase in social media followers, Morris commented, “I don’t think I’m there yet. People know me, but there’s still so much to be done. I really wanna make it.” As of right now he is taking things step by step, starting with one minute freestyle videos on his Instagram, then once he gets a solid following, he’ll startup other media sites.

    He is open to collaborating with other Poly musicians, if they have a connection and can “vibe together in a creative and intellectual kinda way.”

  • Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

    Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

    “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” said Benjamin Franklin. And while many people are afraid of death, almost every American is afraid of the IRS (Internal Revenue Service). Through the Long Beach Financial Assistance Center (LBFAC), Economics teacher and site coordinator Dan Adler, along with his students, seek to help vanquish the fear of the IRS in the hearts of Poly and the surrounding community. The LBFAC is a newly formed 501(c)3, or non-profit charity, that features VITA, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. Explained senior Danielle Gallandt, “VITA is a program in which Poly students become volunteer tax preparers so they can prepare taxes at no cost to the client. We help individuals and families with low to average incomes who shouldn’t have to pay to get their taxes done.” VITA is a national program sanctioned by the IRS, and volunteers have to become certified to able to prepare taxes. “They come in and take a few lessons with me,” explained Adler about the certification process. “Then I have them do a few paper returns because I think you learn a lot from doing returns that aren’t on the computer. Then they do a series of practice returns on an IRSsponsored website, and then they have to take a test on an
    IRS-sponsored website.” After becoming certified, these students then shadow an experienced preparer and then do a few returns with another preparer watching before doing a return independently, and even then, every return is reviewed by an advanced level preparer or site coordinator. Because VITA is a free tax service, as compared to paid services like H&R Block, its clients are often deeply thankful for its services. “I remember doing a lady’s taxes whose twins sons had just died,” said senior Leonel Tiscareño, a certified preparer in both Spanish and English. “She took on $7,000 in funeral expenses and was extremely appreciative we were doing her taxes for free over a paid site.” Stories like these are not uncommon, and VITA students often are preparing taxes for immigrant families or are preparing upwards of five prior years of taxes for someone who has fallen behind and is faced with serious consequences from the IRS. VITA is not only beneficial for its clients, but the student volunteers also gain from doing taxes. Said junior Kendra Viloria, “I started VITA as a sophomore and the most rewarding part for me was getting to know people and talk about their lives.” Most all preparers agree how incredible it is to be able to actually understand the American tax code.

  • The Serialized Adventures of John P. Chandatlantic, Part 3

    I’m really starting to like this girl. She told me her name was Jazz.

    Evan says we can’t be friends now because I like Jazz. I don’t get it but he did a finger guns gesture when he said it, so I guess it was supposed to be funny. There were little question marks floating around my head at that moment.

    Then Jazz and I are walking together. Her mom picks her up around four. I can go home sooner; I don’t really want to. I told Dad I had to talk to a teacher after school. So now we’re walking around together. I hadn’t actually realized there was another set of stairs on the science building. I swear I’ve only ever seen the ones by the small gym. We stand on the stairs by the auditorium. We look at the distant skyscrapers by the beach. It’s a lovely view but I can’t help sneaking glances at her instead.

    Just say it. C’mon John, you know you like her, just tell her. C’mon, what’s the worst that could happen?

    She could grab your shirt collar and jump off the balcony, taking you with her to your horrible splat three stories below.

    She could be like Isabelle. That one hurt.

    “You know you’re really kinda cute.”

    “Thanks,” I reply, before my mind registers what she said.

    Then I whip around to look at her. She looks crushed.

    “Oh my god wait. Really? Do you mean it?”

    She does this adorable half-laugh-half-sigh. It was poetic.

    “Yeah,” she says. “I’ve been crushing on you for a few weeks now.”

    Holy-mother-of-all-holiness- thank-you-Jesus-and-Santa-Claus -and-Buddha-and-whoever-else-made-this-happen. I am shocked.

    She’s still looking hurt. I don’t know what to say. This is not how I saw this going. I am okay with this. I am very okay with this.

    I smile and she smiles back, softly. We walk down the stairs. She says she has to use the restroom.

    I wait outside. Dad says he’s here, but I don’t want to go. He calls my phone. I can’t ignore it; I pick it up and walk to one corner of the science building. I hear the bathroom door open and turn around slowly.

    All I catch is a flash of her hair and a quick glimpse of tears on her cheeks. Then she runs down the stairs.

    “Wait!” But she’s gone. What the hell just happened?

  • Educational Companies Have a Thing or Two to Learn

    In order to complete certain problems in the new Larson and Edwards calculus book, Calculus of Single Variable, the students in Poly’s most difficult math classes have to go to a buggy website that looks like it has not been updated since before Space Jam came out. This textbook was published and purchased this year.

    This is a pretty common trend in education companies. They skimp on updates and functionality and rely on their pseudo-monopolies to earn them money.

    The College Board is one of the most egregious examples. In order to get into a decent college, a student must take the SAT to demonstrate his intelligence. Poly pays for a student’s first PSAT and SAT, but beyond that the student is on his own to come up with the forty-five dollars (plus an additional twelve if his school of choice wants him to take the essay). Then, because it is their test, the College Board will also receive the revenue from this student’s preparations such as attending SAT tutoring sessions or purchasing an SAT study manual. Then, when the student receives the score he was hoping for, he pays twelve dollars to send the scores to each of the colleges to which he is applying. To clarify, that was twelve dollars per college.

    The same process applies to the APs, which are also College Board tests. At Poly, the fees for these tests are covered (except for the fifteen dollar deposit, ten of which is returned after the student takes his tests) but elsewhere they cost ninety-three dollars.

    So if the average American high school aged student takes a PSAT, an SAT, and one AP, she’s likely to be charged close to two-hundred dollars. All to the College Board for tests that frankly are not that great.

    But what alternatives do these poor students have?

    These problems in the education business are not confined to California. In a recent AskReddit thread where the question “Which major business would you like to see fail?” was posed, Pearson Education and the College Board were named almost as often as the infamous Comcast and loathed Time Warner. The issue has even been the subject of a twenty-minute rant on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. He railed against the spread of standardized tests and did his own version of the above rant with Pearson instead of the College Board. In California, we are lucky. We do not have to deal with that multi-headed hydra of terrible tests. In the states they control – I mean “operate in” – their tests are used for everything from kindergarten assessments to GED (adult education) credentials. And of course, like with the College Board in California, students prepare for all these tests with Pearson distributed materials.

    And these tests are awful. Multiple teachers have come out against them. One Florida educator by the name of Rick Roach took a test designed for tenth grade high school students and was labelled a poor reader, despite his multiple Masters Degrees. In Texas, a poet  found she was unable to answer questions about her own poems on a standardized test. It is a mess.

    And students are all but powerless in this situation.They just want to get to college, so they tolerate the crumby websites with poorly written code, crumby tests with poorly written questions, and crumby companies with poorly written morals. Maybe Mrs. Devos can do something about… oh, who am I kidding?

  • Boys Need Love Too

    Boys Need Love Too

    Lately I’ve noticed a wonderful thing happening: women demolishing the stigma of body imperfections. All around me in school, at work, and in the media, I see women who have struggled with the embarrassment of not having a “perfect body” learning to love themselves and each other. One of the ways they do this is by dismissing the crude verbal abuse of misogynistic men. And it’s nice because I see a lot of disrespect from men and it makes me wonder, Why the hell are boys like this? Then, after close observation, it occurred to me: they do this to cope with their own poor self-image.

    It’s easy to put a girl down by pointing out her weight, body hair, bra size, how her makeup looks, etc.; and it is just as easy to put down a boy (especially a teenage boy) by pointing out how short he is, how fat he is, how weak his muscles look, or the modest size of his reproductive organ. Every guy can relate to at least one of these issues, you just won’t hear most of them talking about it because they’re afraid of expressing emotion. One thing you need to understand is that masculinity is a very fragile thing. Young men face so much ridicule when they show emotion, and it comes mostly from other guys.

    That’s the difference between males and females. The reason many girls are becoming less concerned with their looks is because they support each other. Males, however, ridicule one another for showing that kind of concern, or any kind of emotion. I know because I have been a victim of this ridicule my entire life. A sensitive child, I was incessantly abused by my peers and scorned by the older men in my life. They were always frustrated by their inability to pose as strong role-models. Apparently I’m not masculine because I show emotions and I don’t mock females.

    I’m fine with that. If being a man means you aren’t allowed to have emotions or show respect, who the hell wants to be a man?