Author: adviser

  • There’s No Place Like Home…

    Lions, tigers and bears. Oh my! This was my first time at a school-produced play. I went to go to see the play in its closing weekend with my best friend.
    We sat down and opened our programs, realizing two things: that this play would be long and that it would involve a lot of singing. Suffice to say, we were extremely unprepared for what was to come. But, hey, you can’t blame us—we were only going for extra credit. However, much to our surprise, we ended up thoroughly enjoying this student production led by Kathy Hubbard.
    In case you have been living under a rock, The Wizard of Oz is the story of a Kansas girl named Dorothy and her dog Toto, both of whom have been swept off to the Land of Oz by way of tornado. To find her way home, Dorothy, along with the help of the Scarecrow, the Lion, and the Tin Man, follows the Yellow Brick Road to meet with the Wizard and defeat the Wicked Witch of the West.
    The play started about ten minutes after we arrived. The first person out was Dorothy, played by senior Jasmine Sim, followed by her loyal companion Toto, played by an adorable St. Bernadid fifth grader, Alessandra Rubalcava. I have to give props to Sim for being able to keep that classic wispy, airy, yet mildly annoying voice while taking on the role of Dorothy.
    Right after this first scene, we were introduced to all of the main characters. There was senior Gaby Rubalcava, who took on the roles of Miss Gultch and the Wicked Witch of the West. Even though she had more stage time as the Wicked Witch, I felt that this performance was much stronger. Next came Aunt Em, played by senior Emma Gressett, who also played Glinda The Good Witch. Personally, I felt that she was one of the best performances of the night, largely because of how natural and effortless her acting was.
    We then saw Dorothy’s fellow companions in Oz: Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow, played by Patrice Berry, Donte Owens and Donge Tucker, respectively. As a group, I believe they worked well and played off each other beautifully. Individually, every single one of them embodied their character perfectly. But I have to say, the superstar was definitely Tucker as the Scarecrow. His performance was a perfect mix of over-the-top theatrics and believable acting.
    As for the music and choreography of the play, the actors were accompanied by a small group of musicians from Poly’s own musical program, and the singing and dancing were not outstanding, but they were not half bad. I must admit that the whole shebang was actually very enjoyable. There was a total of twelve musical numbers, including the “Jitterbug,” a deleted scene from the original film.
    The sets and props were fairly simple. There was nothing too fancy, just the typical high school sets (and not the ones in High School Musical, I can assure you) with hand-painted backgrounds of trees, walls, and a disappointing Emerald City, that did not bear any resemblance to emeralds in any way. You would expect some bedazzles somewhere, right? As for the costumes, props to all the costume designers, for all the costumes were great, fun, and playful, adding another dimension to the play.
    There was a quick intermission between the acts, where I had a disappointing donut and my friend and I raved about how Toto looked exactly like Vivi-Anne from Dance Moms. Fifteen minutes later we were seated again and were transported back into Oz for the fantastic ending which features the Wizard himself. Adan Gonzales’ performance, of the Wizard and Professor Marvel, was one of the most enjoyable. He was funny, and his body language and eccentric behavior made for some wonderful acting.
    Overall, I think this play deserves a solid 4/5 stars. I can’t even imagine the amount of effort that goes into these productions, and I highly admire the dedication of the whole cast.

  • Students Succeed at History Day

    On Saturday, March 14, Poly students participated in the annual History Day competition at Azusa Pacific University. This year’s theme was “Leadership and Legacy in History”. History Day is an annual event where hundreds of students from high schools all over Los Angeles County are able to demonstrate interest and research in specific periods of time in history. By studying a person, place or event and presenting their ideas in a variety of creative means, students are able to share their knowledge in a friendly, yet competitive environment. This year, Mara Koval and Asa Mazor-Freedman were successful in the process of judging and will advance to state. They will once again present their documentary, with the chance to make additional minor edits prior to the competition. As partners in the competition, Koval and Mazor-Freedman represented Poly with a documentary, titled “God Incarnate”. The video was intended to highlight the contributions of former Ethiopian President Haile Selassie. Selassie became the face of resistance for Ethiopia during the 1930s with the nation in the midst of invasion and instability. “We saw so many great documentaries and learned so much,” said Koval. “We were shocked to be advancing to state, and plan on editing our video.” Six groups, some of which were individual projects, represented Poly. The process of preparing for the competition often includes several months of gathering research and making a presentation. Some groups even started preparing over the summer. “It’s great to see the initiative and creativity that goes into these projects,” said Mr. Gillogly, Poly’s team sponsor. “I’m so impressed every year by the projects that are showcased”. Poly will compete in the state competition taking place on May 8 and May 9.

  • Selma Marcher Speaks of Experiences

    On Sunday March 15, special guest Evelyn Knight spoke at the Long Beach Art Theater’s viewing of Selma. 
 At the event the 81 year old Evelyn Knight, a participant in the Selma marches, recounted her experience walking to Montgomery alongside Martin Luther King Jr. Knight, a Long Beach resident, left her home and job to join other activists in the march from Selma to Montgomery, a nonviolent fight for African American voting rights. Having been born and raised in Alabama, Knight shared her experience with segregation in the South and the police brutality she witnessed in Selma. 
 Although Selma marchers fought voting discrimination back in 1965, it is still a pressing issue today. 
 “Under the guise of limiting voting fraud, many people are working hard at restricting voting rights through voter ID laws, restrictions on the types of ID that can be used, and even restrictions on registration and where people can vote. This is scary since it is a certain type of voter: minority, poor, young college students, people who move a lot, et cetera, who are having their rights restricted, and it seems like this battle has already been fought,” event organizer Mr. Adler said. 
 Knight’s experience encourages students to become active in making a positive change. Knight should also be remembered for her activism in helping to organize a program that reunited homeless children with their families. Knight said, “I remember one time I had a caseload of children–very young children, and also older children. The older children had no family and there was never going to be anybody. I looked for and found adoptive families for them.” Adler has additional voter registration awareness events planned for later in the school year.

  • Teachers Trained in LGBT Awareness

    Two Long Beach Poly High School teachers, Danielle Sawyer and Julie McMann, represented Poly at a conference to learn how to make the school safer for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students on March 10. The five hour meeting held at the TRC (a teacher training center)  included information as well as training on how to handle real-life situations in their classrooms.

    According to transgenderlawcenter.org, “California’s safe school laws prohibit discrimination and harassment based on gender identity and expression.” This conference worked toward educating teachers on laws like this one, and making sure that everyone is safe in California public schools.

    “I would hope that, regardless of a teacher’s beliefs, they would never allow mental or emotional harm to a student” said Ms. Sawyer, Poly’s health and AVID teacher.

    The conference also covered the higher prevalence of bullying of LGBT students and how to properly address this and the issues that may come with it. Teachers had to work together to come up with solutions to classroom problems that may arise based on a student’s sexuality. They also recieved training on how to help students going through a process like gender transitioning.

    “We want our students to feel safer at school, and this is an important step in creating a more accepting and compassionate environment at Poly,” said Ms. McMann.

    The two men that ran the meeting were Joel Gemino and Dan Ditre, both from the LGBTQ Center in Long Beach. The LGBTQ Center not only helps to provide services like this one to the community, but also provides  resources like career counseling, HIV testing, and a legal clinic. “The Center and GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) are so incredibly proud of the partnerships we have created with LBUSD and we know that LBUSD educators are an example of progressive education for other schools across the nation,” said Gemino.

    “I think it’s important because it can be harmful when teachers assume that everyone is straight.” said senior Annie Howitt. She felt that being sensitive, even to the pronouns used when addressing an LGBT student, can really make a difference. “It can really validate their identity by using the right pronouns.”

    This training was only the first of many: another follow up training day will be available in April and it will  focus more on the inclusion of  LGBT history and other issues in the curriculum.

  • Japanese Students Exchange Good Times

    Japanese exchange students came to Poly on Friday, March 20 and Monday, March 23, from the Happy Science Academy Kansai, Junior and Senior High School in Shiga, Japan. Coming from a total high school/middle school population of 500 people, many were surprised by not only the size of the student population, but the size of the school itself.

    “It’s always fun when Japanese students come to Poly, “ said Senior Tanya Nguyen, “We get to talk about how different our school lives are–though some things, like how much we hate homework, don’t change.”

    Though the students were only here for two days, they were able to experience our Intercultural Faire, in which they were able to watch various performances and try a diverse array of food.

    “I love how every little thing, whether it was something as small as walking in between classes to watching the dances performed on the rally stage, made the students really excited,” said junior Michaela Vazquez. “I just thought that was really cute.”

    Many students within the Japanese department were given the opportunity to have a Japanese shadow for a day.”It was great having shadows from Japan,” said freshman Timothy Haneji, a native speaker currently in Japanese 5-6 Honors. “It was also a nice experience being able to speak and converse in Japanese- I’m looking forward to having them come next year!”

    Despite the obvious language barrier, students taking Japanese from all levels tried their hardest to not only communicate with but befriend the Japanese students. Though both sometimes struggled to understand one another, many were able to get their points across.

    “The thing I like best about our exchange programs is that both sets of kids benefit from it,” said Japanese 3-4, 5-6 Honors, and AP teacher Susan Watson. “While the Japanese students are able to experience ‘typical’ American high schools and ‘typical’ American students, our students are able to experience what it’s like to talk to a real Japanese people,” added Watson.

    On Monday, the Japanese  students played dodgeball in the field with Kawasaki Sensei’s Japanese 5-6 students, which was an exciting bonding experience between the two groups. “Kawasaki Sensei said that dodgeball was really popular in Japan, and when I saw them, I could see what she meant; they were really good!” said junior Azalia Avellan.

    Sophomore Shuusei Yoshida, another 5-6 Honors student and native speaker said,“When all of the Japanese shadows came to Poly, it reminded me so much of Japan and it made me feel like I was back home.”

    When asked about our schools exchange programs, Watson said, “These kinds of exchange programs are rewarding and are experiences of a lifetime!”

  • Community Mourns Loss of Student

    Last Monday, March 16, fifteen year old Cabrillo student Kershawn Brooks was stabbed walking home from school just outside Stephens Middle School. An eighteen year old suspect, allegedly approached Brooks, grabbing his backpack in an attempt at robbery.

    A struggle ensued, and Brooks was stabbed in front of the middle school. As the school day was ending, the parents and students rushed to help him. He was taken to the hospital where he later died from his injuries; he was only fifteen years old. The suspect was later arrested at his house for the attack.  In a news interview, Brooks’ father made it very clear that his son was not involved with gang activity- he said this was a robbery and murder, not a gang rivalry issue.

    Cabrillo held a memorial rally for Brooks last Thursday at their school. Many Activities Directors in the Long Beach district attended, including Poly’s own Ngoc Nguyen.

    “It was a devastating loss, and there’s a lot of tension in the Cabrillo and Long Beach community.”

    Kershawn Brooks’ tragic death was a hard hit to the Long Beach family and community—he  will never be forgotten.

  • Millikan Band & Orchestra Festival

    A variety of Poly’s student ensembles attended the Millikan Band and Orchestra Festival on March 17th and 18th and delighted the judges with outstanding performances including classic orchestral repertoire and modern compositions.

    A wide range of pieces were performed by Poly’s musical groups at Festival, including Holsts’ “Mars” and “Venus” from The Planets and “Blue Shades” by Frank Tichelli

    Middle and high school bands and orchestras from across Southern California performed in front of a panel of three judges who evaluated the quality of their performance based on tone, pitch, overall musicality, etc. The groups then received their final scores, ranging from poor to superior, superior being the highest score a group can receive. Post-performance, the orchestras were tested on their sight-reading skills, and the bands experienced a valuable clinic from one of the judges in their panel.

    For further improvements, recordings of comments from all three judges were provided and used to tweak the bands’ and orchestras’ performances.

    “Festival allows us to develop ourselves both individually and as an ensemble with the help of professional advice from three well-practiced professional musicians,” said Jeffrey Lam, concertmaster of Chamber Orchestra.

    Overall, the Poly orchestras and bands performed strongly. Full Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, and Symphonic Winds received unanimous ratings of superior. The Symphonic String Orchestra and Concert Band received overall grades of excellent.

    “They performed very well despite the move to Millikan. I’m very proud,” said music teacher Mr. Osman.

    Poly’s annual Scholarship concert will be held at LBCC on the 27th for orchestras and on the 28th for bands, and will feature senior solos from Eddie Oliver, Sihyun Ahn, and Chelsea Cameron.

  • Leap, Slip, Live

    7:05am. The sun begins to climb over the jagged peaks of Abalone Cove.

    “Jump!”

    The word reverberates in the still air, as I leap from the rocks and plunge into the churning waters of the Pacific Ocean. Adrenaline rushes through me as millions of icy needles sting my exposed flesh. For an eternity, a penetrating sense of blue surrounds me, before my lungs strain and I break the surface. Seaweed-like hair sticks to my face and I expel the water from my mouth. The taste of salt is overwhelming.

    Now comes the hard part. “Swim!” I hear Katie yell and I barely understand her, the waves are deafening. My limbs struggle to acclimate to the tug of water, the cold that seems to penetrate my bones. I swim frantically, knowing the ocean’s capacity for cruelty. The salt stings my eyes as I struggle against the pull of the current. Fumbling, my finers grasp the smooth, slippery rock and I haul myself up over the ledge. I collapse, drained but ecstatic. Katie offers me a hand and I gladly take it. She smiles, beckoning towards the rocky expanse before us.

    The tide pools teem with hermit crabs, urchins, and sea anemone. Sunlight reflects off the undisturbed water. While exploring, I think less about the anxiety of slipping and more about the exhilaration of leaping. I leave feeling utterly alive, knowing that I have to embrace the risk of slipping in order to dive into the vast ocean of opportunity.

  • Jackrabbits Hop Back In: From Student to Staff

  • Poly’s Choir Performs Winter Concert

    Poly’s annual Winter Concert was held on Wednesday, Mar. 4 at Cabrillo High School’s auditorium at 6:30pm.

    Despite the new location due to the auditorium renovation, Poly’s choirs still performed excellently.
    They showcased a wide variety of songs, such as Chamber’s “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye” and Chorale’s “Hit Me With a Hot Note.”

    Each choir performed between three to four songs per set and dismissed the traditional intermission, due to the separation of the Grace and Glee Choirs and Traditional Choirs.

    Chamber’s set included three songs: “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye,” “Sleep,” and “Ain’t Got Time to Die,” in which one of the two freshmen in Chamber had a solo.

    “It felt great because I know that not a lot of other freshman get the chance to perform in front of an audience,” said freshman Eric Hatch.

    “I felt so blessed.”

    The audience cheered during Jazz One’s rendition of the popular Portuguese song, “Magalenha,” in which junior Sam Hale, senior Rex Lee, and sophomore Jovanh Pham had solos.

    The concert also featured other soloists, such as senior Matthew Oca, who featured in the Jazz number, “Georgia On My Mind.”

    “I had so much fun performing with [fellow choral members],” said Oca.

    “The concert was really great and I felt honored to have received a solo.”

    Choir members and soloists dedicated time preparing for the Winter Concert months prior to the event.

    Hours of practice and a series of rehearsals preceding the concert contribute to the show’s success year after year.

    Meanwhile, the second half of the concert, hosted by the Inspirational Glee and Grace choirs, took place on Thursday, Mar. 5 in the Choir Room at Poly.

    Grace and Inspiration Glee performed pieces such as “Lean On Me,” “All You Need is Love,” and “Stand Up for Love.”

    The theme for their concert was Martin Luther King Jr. and social justice, which was evident in their song choices.

    “We had a lot of people show up,” said senior Christian Song.

    “My favorite songs were the ones we did with Inspiration and Glee, because I felt like we all were as one unit, and I also felt like a lot of people were touched by the performance.”

    This concert also featured several pieces of original spoken word poetry, which was well-received by members of the audience. The next and final concert, the Spring Concert, will take place sometime this May.

  • Jackrabbits at Japan Bowl

    Jackrabbits at Japan Bowl

    12 Poly students participated in levels 3 and 4 of the annual Japan Bowl competition. The competition took place at Loyola Marymount University on Saturday, Mar. 7.

    Poly’s team competed against Stevenson High School, Venice High School, The Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies, and Campbell Hall, finishing in 3rd place in level 3 and 2nd place in level 4.

    Watson Sensei, AP Japanese teacher and coach of the Japan Bowl team, made sure that her students were ready for the competition.

    To prepare for the event, the Poly team members studied trivia in categories such as Japanese history, characters, idiomatic phrases, “flora and fauna,” and pop culture.

    “I was interested [in Japan Bowl] because, as a student of Japanese, I’m always looking for opportunities to improve my language skills and pursue things that would allow me to learn more than just what’s in class,” said junior Olivia Hayes.

    Venice High School, Stevenson High School, and Poly made it to the the level 4 championship round.

    There was also an individual round as well as a toss up round, where competitors raced to buzz in their trivia answers.

    The competition is designed to challenge students in a variety of areas of the Japanese language.
    The activities test participants’ abilities in applying what they have learned in the classroom to fast, spontaneous trials.

    The teams were given points and tested on their pronunciation, accuracy, spelling, and speed. “I learned a lot and had fun. Plus, I got to have experience working in a team,” said Hayes.

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  • Poly Debate Headed to State

    Poly Debate Headed to State

    The Poly High debate team participated in a Congress legislation debate. The event was held at Schurr High School in Montebello, CA on Saturday, Mar. 7.

    “Besides the fact that one of our participants got sick in the third round, everything was great!” said speech and debate coach Brett Alexander.

    Eighteen schools participated in the debate. Poly walked away with several great performances, but none quite like that of senior Elijah Saucedo. Saucedo finished in 7th place out of 48 participants.

    The top 9 finalists qualify for State Championships. Saucedo has been a finalist in all 3 of Poly’s League tournaments this year, finishing with the highest cumulative score in the final rounds.

    “He had been doing great thus far in the season, so I pretty much expected him to do really well [in this debate],” said Alexander. Saucedo delivered an enthusiastic debate focusing on illegal immigration, no-knock search warrants, three-parent children and international environmental policy.

    In order to prepare for the debate, Poly’s team rehearses their introductions and as well as the various elements of their topic prior to the competition. This helps to build confidence and readiness for the opponent’s potential arguments and counterarguments.

    Alexander does much in the way of preparing his team, from questioning their defense points to giving tips on public speaking and communication skills. Saucedo had more to emphasize on his performance and handling his nerves.

    “I try not to get too nervous,” said Saucedo. “In terms of performance, I felt like I did well enough to deprive my opponents of sleep!”

    The state tournament, Poly’s most important debate of the year, will be held from April 17-19 at Vista Murrieta High School in Murrieta Valley near Temecula.