Author: adviser

  • News Brief

    LAUSD Shuts Down in Wake of Terror Threat (or Terror Hoax?)

    On Tuesday morning of December 15th, all schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District shut down after receiving a terror threat from a ‘credible source’ according to LAUSD officials and the Los Angeles Police Department. Shortly after this news, LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines stated at a press conference that the threats were against several schools in the district and involved the use of “backpacks and other packages.” According to Congressman Brad Sherman, the threat was sent by email, and the threat appeared to be sent by “an extremist Muslim who has teamed up with local jihadists.”
    However, Congressman Adam Schiff stated that the threat is actually a hoax: “Something designed to disrupt school districts in large cities. The investigation is ongoing for finding where the threat originated from and who was responsible.” After a closer look into the email, there is evidence that there is a strong sense of ignorance to the Islamic religion, such as not capitalizing ‘Allah’. NYPD Commissioner Bratton believes that the email contained references to Showtime drama Homeland because it contained several references to recent episode plotlines.
    There are approximately 900 schools in LAUSD and this potential threat required the proper procedures to maintain the safety of the staff and students in each and every school. Though this may appear to be a hoax as of writing, it is best to take these “rare” threats seriously.

     

    Paris Climate Change Summit a Success

    On Saturday, December 12, there was a Conference of the 21 Parties (COP21) summit in Paris, France to discuss the global threat of climate change. This agreement involves nearly 200 countries and is the first-ever consensus for all involved countries to cut carbon emissions. Though many world leaders have released press statements regarding an imperfect deal, “this does not prevent us from marching historical steps forward,” according to Xie Zhenhua, China’s chief negotiator. The deal calls for an agreement to keep the global temperature increase to below 3.6°F (2°C), a plan to begin by 2020 that would give $100 billion per year to finance combatting climate changes in developing countries, and an effort to reach peak carbon emissions as soon as possible. Every five years, the countries will band together to review progress. This deal will officially come to fruition when at least 55 countries responsible for 55% of global emissions have agreed to the treaty.

  • Once Upon A Hallmark Christmas

    Once Upon A Hallmark Christmas

    Fate is real. The rich are evil. New York City is the only large city in existence. There is no excuse to hate the holidays. It is wrong to want a good career. Living in a small town is the only way to be happy. Research shows that 50% of the time, engaged women are more likely to meet their true soulmates because their fiancés were actually jerks anyway. Christmas is not about presents, it is about showing your love of family and friends. If a woman is fired from her job or does not get the promotion she wanted, then she will most likely be married within six months. In order to be a complex character, a close relative to you must have died. Congratulations! You just made it through every Hallmark Christmas movie plot in existence!

    I admit that I do like some of these movies (watch Once Upon a Holiday), but I also have to say that most of them make me want to vomit because of the culmination of bad writing, predictable plotlines, and sickeningly sweet dialogue. While researching for this article, I watched ten Hallmark Channel original movies. I also smashed the television with a baseball bat, or at least I wanted to.

    I understand that nobody expects these movies to be nominated for Oscars and that any romantic movie will always have a certain level of cliché in it, but I also know Hallmark can do better. They can create characters that are complex because of their thoughts and interests, not because of the death of a family member or a bad breakup 15 years ago. Also, since none of the movies set in New York have anything to do with the actual city–no ice skating at Rockefeller Center or long walks through Central Park–they could change it up and make a movie set in Cleveland or tell the story of two college kids falling in love at Purdue University. Perhaps Hallmark could make the male lead the one who is desperate to find a partner. The writers can come up with pivotal dramatic scenes that are not caused by a misunderstanding.

    Luckily, it seems like the 2015 movies are not as sexist as the older movies. The plotlines of the old movies usually go like this: a thirty year old woman living in NYC is dumped by her jerk boyfriend, is passed up for promotion by a different jerk guy, gets stranded in a small town, falls in love with a kind man from said small town, realizes that she shouldn’t have a career or live in a big city, and then the two leads kiss and the movie ends with no real answer as to where they are going to live. The 2015 movies I watched were basically the same except the couple moved to where the girl was promoted and ended with a wedding montage. Hopefully this means progress, but I sincerely doubt it.

  • Students Get Blood Drawn

    On Tuesday, December 8th, Student Commission hosted their annual blood drive for the first semester. This year, 267 pints of blood were donated, potentially saving up to 801 lives. Medical volunteers from Cedar Sinai Medical Center come to Poly biannually to offer their service to draw blood from students donors. In addition to assuaging the fears and encouraging the donors, the staff and volunteers also offered snacks to rejuvenate those who gave blood.
    “They were very sympathetic towards the donors, and made sure no one passed out,” said Tiger Khou, member of Student Commission.
    Donors had the option to choose between receiving a complementary Lifesaver T-shirt or a coupon for a free pint of ice cream from Baskin Robbins. Sophomore Katherine Khiev, Commissioner of Welfare, organized this event. “The blood drive event had a great turn out,” said Khiev. “There was a total of 267 pints donated, therefore this season we have saved many lives. There was a lot of time and effort put into the event, but in the end of the day it was a team effort. I’m thankful for all the volunteers and donors who helped make this event happen.”
    “It’s the holiday season, and I wanted to give back to the community by donating blood and saving lives,” said Senior Andrew Sovanasy. Blood drives occur once every semester, and Student Commission urges students who have missed the opportunity to donate blood this semester to donate in the next semester. Donors must wait eight weeks until donating blood again, however.

  • Is Marching Band A Sport?

    Is Marching Band A Sport?

    1. Yes, Marching Band Belongs on the Field 

    According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a sport is “a physical activity (such as hunting, fishing, running, swimming, etc.) that is done for enjoyment.” By that definition, marching band is as much a sport as football.

    Many people view marching band as the activity done by musicians who aren’t physically fit enough to play soccer, baseball, or run cross-country. Although that is often true, marching band is in fact a physically trying activity.

    Two weeks before the school year even starts, the marching band is at school rehearsing for six hours each day learning drill, memorizing music, and practicing technique.

    Marching band is a complex sport that involves breaking down music into pieces and arranging it to constantly changing formations. Coupled with some heavy instruments such as the tenor saxophone, baritone, and sousaphone, marching band is serious physical activity. If you believe marching band isn’t difficult enough to be a sport, you are very wrong.

    People will often argue that since marching band is not competitive, it can’t possibly be a sport, but, although this may be surprising, marching band is a competitive sport. The Long Beach Poly Marching Unit participated in four competitions within their league, and placed eighth within its division (4A) of the Southern California Judging Association (SCJA).

    Some people contend that marching band is not a sport, but instead is an athletic event, which, when thought about, is a rather circular argument. Sports are events where athletes compete, and an athletic event is an event where athletes compete. So, arguing a difference is illogical.

    Marching band requires skill and a certain level of physical fitness in order to succeed, just like any other sport. It has rules and regulations that have to be followed and traditions that are faithfully practiced by members. Although marching band obviously doesn’t have the physical contact aspect like soccer, hockey, and football, it does call for the same dedication and practice.

    Marching band in many respects is more labor intensive than some sports that are regularly covered on the sports page of the High Life, such as golf. Members of marching band receive physical education credits like other sports, so there is no good reason marching band  shouldn’t be labeled a sport.

     

    No, They Should Stay in the Stands

    Marching band is a classic icon at high schools, playing pieces during Friday-night football games and competing in weekend band tournaments. They provide an important vibe to the high school atmosphere. There are many people who voice opinions stating that marching band should be considered a sport. I, however, disagree and think marching band does not constitute a sport.

    My criteria for a sport is a competition focused on athletic ability that has impartial scoring to determine a winner. This rules out activities such as math team or competitive fishing.

    Marching band’s main focus is playing instruments together, and is an act of showmanship. For sports, the main focus is to compete against others and be the best. Marching band’s focus is to support the football team, provide encouragement for the crowd at games, and represent the school at public events like parades.

    There are a number of activities that require physical strength to participate in, but not all these are considered sports.

    There are a number of activities that require coordination and hand-eye coordination to excel at such as brain surgery and cutting vegetables, and, incidentally, marching while playing an instrument.

    I am not denying the hard work required to be in a marching band. Marching bands practice for more hours than some sports and is very demanding, but it is a performing art, not a sport.

    Marching band has competitions and involves scoring and beating other teams. However, this alone does not constitute it as a sport. Spelling bees are scored competitions with winners, but are not a sport.

    There is a difference between sports and athletic events. I am not denying that some athletic competitions require more physical strength than sports, such as gymnastics and cheerleading, but they still do not constitute as sports. Marching band has judges who critique technique and musicality, but who do not enforce rules. This is similar to other music competitions where judges base the winner on who they like better, rather than simply who does the best.

    Marching band is not a sport. This does not detract from the intense physical components of being in the marching band, but it simply does not count as a sport.

  • As the Floats Go By…

    As the Floats Go By…

    The Belmont Shore Christmas Parade was held on Saturday, December 5th. It has been held on Second Street by the Belmont Shore Business Association. The parade has been held every year for 33 years. It began at 6:00 PM and ended at 9:00 PM.
    Second Street was closed off from Livingston Avenue to Bay Shore Avenue to make room for this event. In addition, all North/South Streets from Quincy Avenue to Claremont Avenue were closed on the immediate streets and alleyways to Second Street. Thousands attended the event.
    Sophomore Isabel Olson said, “The parade was very fun this year. There were about five old fire trucks that went through-it got to the point where I was sure some of them were coming back around.”
    Various organizations had floats in this parade. Some notable floats included the US Coast Guard’s float, which included a giant panda riding in a boat, and the Long Beach Fire Department’s float, which was a rolling house filled with smoke. And of course, the parade ended with Santa Clause riding in a fire truck.
    The parade featured over a dozen marching bands, including Long Beach Poly’s marching band, directed by Chris Stevens.
    This year, the dispensing of silly string by street vendors at the parade was prohibited. Apparently establishments on Second Street had been having problems in previous years with silly string vandalizing their buildings.
    There were reports by those who attended the parade of a strange man dressed as Santa Clause walking among the spectators. Purportedly, this man appeared drunk or angry, and shouted profanity at children who approached him. The identity of this man remains unknown.
    The parade was sponsored by a number of organizations, including the Port of Long Beach and Don Knabe.

  • Holiday Project Brings a Cup of Cheer

    On Sunday, December 7, Student Commission and Red Cross hosted the second annual Holiday Project, an event in which low-income families from around the neighborhood of Polytechnic High School are invited to participate in.
    Members of Student Commission, Red Cross, staff, and student volunteers from clubs volunteered to encourage children and families to participate in the various holiday-oriented stations spread out across the quad area of campus: cookie decorating, face painting, card making, and arts & crafts, and a photo-op with Santa.
    In addition to the five stations at the event, children indulged in the many live entertainment shows that were offered at the event: ROTC’s Dark Knights rifle spinning and Unarmed drills, an informative puppet show from Red Cross regarding disaster preparedness, a musical duo featuring new teachers Daryl Holmlund and Matt Knapil, holiday renditions from Jazz Combo 2 featuring Knapil, and carols from Jazz Vocal 1.
    “It’s heartwarming to see lots of little children experience the Holiday spirit-something that I did not experience myself,” said Mr. Gonzalez, a father pleased to see his son with his unopened gift.
    One of the main attractions of this event was the jumper, which is the newest addition to the Holiday Project this year. “I have connections with party rentals, and I talked to the person I know that rents jumpers. I told him that we were doing a non-profit event for low-income families, and he gave us a discount,” said Victoria Cruz, Commissioner of Service Projects.
    “This year, we got approximately 450 toys. Our goal was 300 toys, and I was very happy about the turnout. I was very nervous because on Tuesday, we only had about 60 toys. Luckily, teachers pitched in by offering extra credit to students as incentive for donating a toy,” said Cruz.

  • ECHO in the Classroom

    ECHO in the Classroom

    The California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, LBUSD Superintendent Chris Steinhauser, and Project ECHO representatives Chip Goodman and Angela Lee visited Dan Adler’s AP Seminar and AP Economics classes on Monday, November 30.
    The group came to Poly to see how Project ECHO is taught in a regular academic class and to see how Adler’s district funded computer lab has improved his AP Economics classes.
    Project ECHO is a business plan competition challenging students to create a business idea and plan present in front of a panel of judges at UCLA. Currently, Adler’s CIC ninth graders are working on the project. In AP Seminar, the students worked on their marketing plans and presented a PowerPoint in front of the class and its visitors.
    The District Officials stayed for AP Economics to see how a computer lab can benefit an academic classroom. They also spoke to seniors Andrea Garcia and Valerie Zawicki, past competitors in Project ECHO.
    “We talked about my experience with Project ECHO and the classroom resources that have been helpful in combining business with other interests,” said Zawicki.
    The class then gave a presentation about the status of the national economy and possible recommendations for proper fiscal and monetary policy.

  • Poly Students Shine at Soapbox

    On Sunday, November 8, at McBride High School, Mikva Challenge hosted the Long Beach Project Soapbox public speaking competition. Poly students from Dan Adler’s AP Seminar class and students from the AP Capstone program attended. The students were selected through a competition in their classes.
    “I think it went really well. It seemed to run smoothly and everyone I spoke to was very impressed with how great everyone’s speech was,” said senior Kaitlyn Frawley, a volunteer at the competition.
    One standout speech was freshmam Nicholas Gillogly’s speech on water conservation.
    “Basically, I talked about water wasters and some ways that we can save water. I also talked about my invention for saving water. [For my invention] I used a reservoir to hold shower water while it’s heating up, so that water that would usually go down the drain and be wasted could be used to water plants,” said Gillogly, who was selected as a semifinalist.
    There were multiple rooms where students gave their speeches. After everyone had given their speeches, 8-12 semifinalists were chosen. These semifinalists then competed on the main stage in front of everyone.
    Out of Adler’s students, junior Elizabeth Bigham won 2nd place for a speech on sexual harassment. Junior Amelia Haynes won 3rd for a piece on mental health. Poly semifinalists included freshmen Matthew Kempfer and Nicholas Gillogly, for speeches on mass transit and daught and water conservation, respecively. The winner of the Long Beach competition was Wilson junior A. J. Walker.
    Walker will go on to compete at the state level later this year. The winner of the state level will then go on to compete at the national level. The prize has not yet been determined, but in 2013 the winner at the national level got to attend the inauguration of president Barack Obama.

  • Sharing is Caring

    Student Commission is organizing the second annual holiday project at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, which is a service project mainly supported by the Red Cross club and will occur on Sunday, December 6.
    Though Red Cross is the main contributor to the event, volunteers from all school clubs are invited, as this is a project that is run almost entirely by students with very little adult intervention. Students who volunteer will be eligible for community service hours.
    Low-income families from around the neighborhood are invited to the event, and children are encouraged to participate in the various activities going on during this event, including face painting, drawing, making holiday cards for veterans, decorating cookies, and photo oppportunities with Santa Claus. Last year, children were entertained throughout the event with holiday songs from Choir members, music renditions from Jazz members, and even a puppet show from Red Cross club members. This year, a bounce house will be added as an extra way to accommodate a larger crowd and satisfy the children in attendance.
    In addition to the activities at the holiday project, free toys will be given to the children that come to the event. Poly students are encouraged to make toy donations that are at least $10 in value. They do not need to be wrapped, but must be in their original packaging. Students willing to make the donation will be able to do so in Room 805, commonly known as the Activities Office.
    “Being able to interact with children was fun itself, but being able to see them experience the joy of receiving something as simple as a toy was far more rewarding. Giving back to people who struggle to make ends meet is its own reward,” said senior Tiger Khou, co-president of Red Cross.

  • Poly Student Wins Miss Teen Long Beach

    On Sunday, November 15, as part of the Miss Southern California Cities pageant at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, Poly junior Zephyr Zimmerman was crowned Miss Teen Long Beach.
    The pageant was held at the Long Beach Center for Performing Arts Terrace Theater, and required a lot of preparation on the part of the contestants. During the competition, the contestants introduced themselves, modeled swimwear and evening gowns, and were interviewed by three judges.
    The interviews were a crucial part of the selection process, Zimmerman explained. They ask about the competitors’ lives and what they hoped to accomplish as Miss Teen Long Beach. “They asked me about Best Buddies and about the mission trip I went on to build houses in Mexico,” said Zimmerman.
    Miss Teen Long Beach Pageant is an experience for Zimmerman that she cherishes. “This is a big part of my life because… I come from a low-income family [and] I haven’t had opportunities for me,” said Zimmerman. “I wanted to be in the pageant and it costs a lot of money to even enter,” so she asked the community to sponsor her this year.
    As it was her third year in the pageant, she was determined to win. “My community has given so much to me and I wanted to show that I can give back, represent them, and show them what I can do,” said Zimmerman.
    When she was announced winner out of the thirteen Miss Teen Long Beach Pageant contestants, Zimmerman was ecstatic. She recalls returning home afterwards and wearing her crown and sash as she did her homework, the residual excitement carrying over into the hours of obligatory school work.
    The annual Miss Southern California Cities pageant also includes competitions for Miss Long Beach, Mrs. Long Beach, and Little Miss Long Beach. The pageant is put on by Justin Rudd and it benefits Community Action Team, a non-profit that aims “to promote social well-being among the general public.”

  • Sadie Hawkins: Night of White and Black

    Poly kicked off this year with its annual Sadie Hawkins dance on Tuesday, November 10th. The dance was held in the school’s quad area.
    The Sadie Hawkins dance brought an opportunity for the young ladies to experience being nervous and shy before asking that special someone to the dance. The gender roles were flipped. Originally, it’s the gentlemen’s turn to ask the girl of their dreams. Eventually there was a way for the girls to ask the guys. The girls now struggle that guys have to go through to simply ask their crush to the dance.
    The temperatures were extremely cold, the sprinklers unfortunately were turned on, and the students were rushing because they were afraid of getting wet. The backdrop was amazing filled with variety of hanging lights, seating sections, signs and wonderful dessert and food.
    “I saw a lot of beautiful dresses and the area were amazing,” said junior Ashley Applewhite.
    The DJ was playing the music on top of the 100 building roof. The students, teachers, and administration was jamming along.
    “The DJ was amazing, it was great because we listened to the music that we like,” noted senior Constance Canada.
    “I didn’t regret going because I had fun and the snapchats were going up,” stated junior Essence Walker.
    After having ticket sales in the first week, ASB worked hard to promote and make the dance perfect for everyone.
    Girls soon built up the courage to persuade the ideal guy to take them to the dance and the Sadie’s proposals began. They put their creativity to the test and created the perfect posters and come bringing gifts. Each poster said cute little phrases to catch the eye of the selected boy. There are also proposal announcements to share openly with students.
    During the dance, the girls with their dates were given the choice to take part in a slow dance. Overall, the dance was a success because of the laughter, dancing, and photo-taking.
    “It was an amazing experience to see friends and fellow students that had fun,” said senior Khayrssa Malone.
    “I’m glad I kick my first year with this dance,” said freshman Marko Lepre.
    To be surrounded by many faces and hearing good music is what brings people together to just have fun and enjoy the memories and cherish the moments. The outcome was that the students enjoyed it and they can’t wait for the next dance to be promoted.

  • Poly Students Salute Veterans at Long Beach Parade

    Poly Students Salute Veterans at Long Beach Parade

    It was Veterans Day on Wednesday November 11 but Poly celebrated it three days earlier on the north side of Long Beach across from Jordan High School. Poly’s JROTC, the marching band, and the Poly-Ettes participated in the 17th annual Veterans Parade which is hosted by the community of Long Beach.
    Veteran’s Day is a United States federal public holiday. It is observed annually on November 11, and honors military veterans, people who served in the United States Armed Forces. The JROTC teams which participated in the Veterans Parade were Honor Guard, Color Guard, Dark Knights and Unarmed.
    The crowd applauded as the Dark Knights flipped their rifles in the air without dropping them.
    “The Unarmed Team beats were very good and I could move to them,” said Elizabeth Escatel.
    There were about 70 cadets that marched as they were led by Cadet Captain Jason Thatch in their blue uniforms. The two SAI, (senior army instructors) Master Sargent Denmark and new SAI Sargent Major Andrea Wright walked with JROTC as they marched in the parade.
    Sergeant Major Wright is a new veteran recently come to Poly, he served 17 years in the military. His time was mostly spent over seas in Germany and 18 months in Saudi Arabia.
    There were different booths in the park representing each branch in the armed forces. Each had flyers and small gifts which represented and explained what each branch was and how signing up is possible.
    The parade began at ten but Poly’s JROTC arrived an hour early. Followed by JROTC was Poly’s marching band and Poly-Ettes.
    Poly’s marching band was behind JROTC and played at the Veterans Parade as the Poly-Ettes twirled their flags.
    “The best part of the parade was when the crowd yelled out “go ROTC” and yelled out my name,” said Cadet Sergeant Jairo Martinez.
    The parade was overall a supportive and inspiring day. It ended with a big thank you from all the community that came that morning and a grand applause to celebrate those who served the United States.