Author: adviser

  • Instructors from China Visit Poly

    During the first week of school, Chinese visitors entered Poly for a four-week period to observe English language instruction. These Shanghai residents plan to watch PACE’s English classes, grades nine through twelve, and see how American English instructors teach.

    Pamela Amici, AP Calculus teacher, arranged this via a Cal State Long Beach professor, Dr. Wu, who works with schools in China. She says that the Chinese teachers are reacting positively to the new environment and interacting well with their fellow American teachers in their free time.

    “They ask a lot of questions about how the Americans teach and how they engage their students,” said Amici.

    Laura Leaney, AP English teacher, agreed on the inquisitive nature of Poly’s visitors. Forty of them have already sat in five of her classes, rotating in at ten at time. However, they also travel back and forth between Stanford Middle School on Tuesdays and Poly on Wednesdays. The guests get ideas from the American teachers, while the latter observe the different cultural teaching styles, such as the emphasis on teamwork versus individuality. Every month, teachers choose a topic for a monthly newspaper, and the students must incorporate it into their articles. Chinese teachers also don’t decorate the classrooms as Americans do—the students have that job.

    “A lot of things are different,” Isabella Liu, one of the visitors, commented.

    Liu then explained how the students stay in one class the whole school year, while the teachers alternate throughout the day to teach the subjects. Liu enjoyed Poly’s classes very much, especially that of Leaney’s, and the energetic teachers. She also liked how impressive the students are.

    Leaney is aware of her methods being observed, and though she said that she teaches the same way, she appreciated the visitors’ inquisitiveness of American teaching strategies.

    “They arrived bearing a genuine interest and a humming curiosity about our teaching practices. It was a gift to host them in my class, I wish I could go to Shanghai and reciprocate their enthusiasm,” Leaney said.

    The Chinese teachers plan to continue their learning experience at Poly until October and return with a new outlook on their own teaching styles.

  • Letter from the Principals

    Dear Poly Students,

    Welcome to the Long Beach Poly High 2013 – 2014 school year! The next few months promise to be exciting, interesting, challenging, and rewarding. For the third consecutive year, Poly students will be attending classes on a different bell schedule. The good news is that we will still have snack and lunch!

    Last spring may have marked the final year of the STAR testing that our students have experienced throughout their scholastic lives. Our Poly Jackrabbits scored so well on their standardized tests and other criteria, that our school’s Academic Performance Index rose by a massive 15 points this past year, the greatest growth of any Long Beach comprehensive high school. Congratulations and thanks to our students who prepared for and focused on the tests, and to our teachers and staff members who supported our students in their learning and created a serious testing environment!

    This school year, a new curriculum model, Common Core, will be introduced to our students in earnest. Many of our teachers have attended workshops over the past months to assist them in moving our students’ learning toward a more self-directed and deeper thinking style. Students, teachers, counselors, administrators, and classified staff will all need to work together in assuring this transition’s success.

    As our returning students know, Poly provides every Jackrabbit the opportunity to participate in a variety of extra-curricular activities, be it athletics, clubs, performing arts, or student commission. The best way to enjoy Poly is to be involved with other active students. We encourage you to take advantage of all that Poly has to offer while contributing to our community of Scholars and Champions.

    Go Jackrabbits!

    Your Principals,

    Victor Jarels and Joe Carlson

  • Advice to Freshmen

    Advice to Freshmen

    Greetings freshmen class of 2017. Do you feel lost? It is understandable; being thrust from the comforting halls of middle school into the brave new world that is Polytechnic High School is quite the harrowing experience. But fear not, for graciously I shall bestow my wisdom unto you in order to adapt to the infamous, gritty lifestyle referred to as “being a high school freshman.” Now, it appears you are reading the High Life which would mean you are already on the right track in your high school career. But alas, as baffling as it may sound, there is actually more to high school than the High Life. I wish not to patronize you with such controversial ideas that include “do your homework” and “do not procrastinate” for these hopefully come off now as common sense. I do, however, intend to point out the new level of freedom granted at Poly. Take advantage of it with haste! Join clubs! Take up a sport! Find what interests you!

    Society asks us to decide at a very impressionable age what we want to do for the rest of our lives. High school is the final bridge between adolescence and adulthood. Ponder the question of college after graduation. It has been beaten in our heads since grade school that college is the only means to a successful future. However, there are many other options besides college, options that will not leave you drowning in student loans. But if you decide that college is right for you then start now to ensure colleges will be the ones coming to you. That means that you want to be involved with your school as much as you can as early as possible. Start building up your resume of extracurriculars!

    Time will fly by. Before you know it you will be stressing over SATs and ACTs, APs, college applications, and jobs then you will reminisce of your relaxing freshman year where everything was new and exciting. For a brief moment, nostalgia will overcome you, and you will wish to be a freshman once again. And then finally, you will graduate.

  • Language Students Travel Abroad

    During the summer, Poly students traveled abroad to visit places like Japan and Spain to overcome cultural boundaries and further improve their foreign language skill.

    Four students traveled to Japan along with Watson Sensei as ambassadors for the Tomodachi Initiative. The program focuses on bringing together American and Japanese students together through a cultural exchange program that was set up after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

    “The purpose of the trip was to allow the students to see the devastation in Japan firsthand and to bond with their home-stay family. They will share their experiences of their Japan trip with the other language students,” said Japanese 5-6, 7-8, and AP teacher Susan Watson.

    The students stayed with their host families and toured the entire island of Honshu. They also participated in the relief efforts of Japan by cleaning up the beaches and to learn more about the impact that it had on Japan.

    “My favorite part of the trip was the home-stay. I got to be part of a Japanese family for a little while and it was eye opening. It really showed me that although there are so many cultural differences, we are all just the same. I still stay in touch with my host sisters and will keep them in my life for years and years to come,” said senior Milada Cook.

    Two students from the Spanish language program also visited Spain for a month long stay, specifically in the city of Salamanca, using this summer as a chance to further their Spanish language skills and to learn about Spanish culture. The trip was planned by the Magellan Study Abroad program, and scholarships were offered. The groups of students were selected from all around the United States, stayed with their host families for three weeks, and traveled to cities around Spain during the final week.

    They attended language school for four hours a day—speaking entirely in Spanish—and went out on excursions during the weekends, visiting various natural and cultural landmarks in Spain.  The students also attended ceramics class, flamenco, and salsa classes as well as a cooking class.

    “It was very enlightening trip. It made me realize how important it is to learn a foreign language,” said senior Meghan Boterenbrood.

  • NAACP Awards Scholarships

    Poly scholars Nia Barbee, Kandise Le Blanc and Neyah Barbee traveled cross-country for the NAACP’s ACT-SO scholarship competition in Orlando, Florida from July 10th to the 15th.

    The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People formed a scholarship competition dubbed the Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) to empower the African American community to pursue success in areas outside stereotypical athletics by offering more than $100,000 worth of scholarships and prizes.

    “As an African American student, it was inspiring to be part of an event where so many talented and motivated students of color from across the country come together for such a positive event,” said Nia Barbee.

    The trio, 3 of the 14 gold medalists from the Long Beach Branch of ACT-SO, was sent to Florida to compete in the National Competition.

    “It was empowering and unique. Everyone brought something to the table and they were all supportive. We competed professionally but at the end of the day we all had fun together,” said Neyah Barbee.

    In addition to having the opportunity to participate in the national competition, each participant was able to attend one of more than 25 category workshops led by a professional in their particular area of interest.

    “It was great seeing so many kids who were fully devoted to a craft. Often you meet people who ‘like’ subjects, but rarely do you get the chance to meet someone who shares your enthusiasm towards what most people would belittle,” says Le Blanc.

    Senior Nia Barbee played soccer for two years and is now the Concert Mistress in Chamber Orchestra while juniors Neyah Barbee and Le Blanc run for the girls cross country team, proving that they are truly both Scholars and Champions.

  • Red Cross Demonstrates Leadership

    The Red Cross LBC (Long Beach Chapter) held a seminar from August 4-9 at Pilgrim Pines in Yucaipa, CA. The purpose of the seminar was to recruit volunteers and blood donors.

    Some Poly students from the Red Cross Club attended the seminar to further their knowledge and help fellow classmates to understand it as well.

    During the week, students attended several seminars about leadership, presentation, diversity, and conflict resolution. They also spent a lot of time furthering their teamwork skills by doing team-building exercises.

    Though it was an event geared towards education, the students still received their dosage of entertainment for the week.

    One of the team building exercises was a talent show hosted on Wednesday. Teams did a range of acts such as skits, dances, singing performances, and more. It allowed students to get to know each other on a more intimate level.

    “We focused on team building and leadership. Most of the activities involved bonding and getting to know other students. It was fun, powerful, and a great opportunity,” said senior and Red Cross Club President Viviana Van.

    On Thursday the students attended a banquet and a dance. They enjoyed plenty of food and a few hours of relaxation as a reward for their hard work and dedication.

    “The seminar gave students the ability to get to know students from all over LA county and Long Beach. It was great working with other staff members from other Red Cross Clubs. We all learned a lot,” said Van.

    Specific delegates from different schools were selected to go based on their interest in leadership and the Red Cross Organization. Many people from all over LA county were involved in the seminar. As a result, there was a higher chance of community bonding that allowed students to bond who may have otherwise not known each other.

    “The seminar was so fun and exciting. I really had a great time bonding with other students and working in teams. It was an overall great experience,” said senior Kimberly Ma.

    By the time Friday came around, many students did not want to leave their new friends and memories; however, they knew their mission and left the seminar eager to educate everyone in what they had learned during their stay.

  • Student Store Offers New Options

    A regular feature at Poly, campus vending machines are now owned and operated by the Student Store in a joint effort between the Activities Office and the Student Store. All-Sports drink machines and Snapple machines have also replaced the Fruit 66 and Gatorade machines.

    Student reactions to this switch are generally favorable.

    “It’s a nice change because I like the options better than the Fruit 66 beverage selection,” said senior Meghan Boterenbrood.

    The vending machines offer cheaper prices with water, Snapple, and All-Sports drinks only $1.00.

    “It’s a better investment all around,” said Student Store assistant Gianna Grisolia.

    The popularity of the cheaper prices was obvious the second day of school with lines at multiple vending machines.

    “Now, the vending machines are more accessible to students, and they have drinks that everybody drinks before and after P.E. and sports, all available at affordable prices,” said senior Breanna Wu.

    Last year the student store raised $4,000 in funds for the school. The added revenue from the vending machines should increase the profits.

    “The new vending machines offer a great healthy selection of beverages that are perfect for fueling us throughout the day,” said junior Ashley Andrews.

  • Cuba Welcomes Poly Jackrabbits

    Daniel Adler and students from his AP Economics class journeyed abroad to the forbidden country of Cuba from June 18 to June 26. The group of 30 spent six days in Havana and two days in Trinidad.

    The trip was planned by Distant Horizons, a travel company that has been located in Long Beach since 1985. Since direct air flight from the US to Cuba is not allowed, the group landed at Mexico City as their intermediary destination to and back.

    From roaming author Ernest Hemingway’s house to swimming in the Bay of Pigs, students had the chance to visit Cuba’s many historic sites including a memorial commemorating the 1953 Cuban Revolution, which brought rise to Dictator Fidel Castro.  They also spent much time interacting with the locals and learning Cuban culture.

    “The most fun part was playing baseball with the high school students in Cuba,” said Mr. Adler.

    Students attended seminars at the University of Havana and listened to speakers discuss the situation of their country and the problems they face. Some speakers were United States expatriates and defectors.

    “One would talk about how the United States needs change, and then another would say that it’s Cuba that needs to change,” said AP US History teacher Patrick Gillogly, who joined Mr. Adler on the trip. “It was an interesting mix of tradition and change.”

    Hiding behind the beautiful beaches and breathtaking scenery of Cuba reveal a country in distress and a firsthand lesson in economics. A victim of a U.S. financial and commercial embargo since 1960, Cuba has suffered in respect to their economy. Tourism remains the country’s most important revenue stream.

    “Our tour guide who lives there [in Cuba] talked about ration cards and how what the government handouts are not nearly enough to survive, let alone live comfortably,” said senior Aida Ylanan.

    The country is still recovering from the Special Period, a severe economic depression after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Soviet Union accounted for a large majority Cuba’s imports and exports, leaving it extremely vulnerable after their fall. Although Cuba is still a communist country, a large portion of the population is pushing for progressive measures and reform. Some private businesses have even received government permission to open.

    “I wanted my students to see an alternative economic system and judge for themselves how well it worked,” said Mr. Adler. “Regardless, the people are the same as us.”

  • New Schedule Dissected

    For the 2013-2014 school year, Poly is implementing a new bell schedule.

    This year’s bell schedule is a mixture of both the traditional and blocks structures.  In a traditional schedule, there are six class periods in a day that last for the entire school year. In a block schedule, students are able to focus more on a few classes rather than spreading their time amongst six or seven classes each day.

    In comparison to last year’s block schedule, this year’s modified block schedule allows all students to receive the same number of instructional minutes in either six or seven periods.

    Students who have periods one to six will meet in each class everyday as given in a traditional schedule.

    As in last year’s block schedule, students with the modified block schedule will alternate between their gold and green block periods; however, there are a few changes featured in the modified block schedule.

    On gold days, students report to their first period.  Nutrition is followed by seventh and ninth period. After lunch, students will go to periods five and six.  On green days, students will report to eighth and tenth period instead after nutrition. Periods one, five, and six will remain the same.

    “The new modified block schedule is a little bit confusing. It will take time to adjust to these new changes,” said senior Nia Salapare.

    According to the new bell schedule, school begins at 7:50 A.M. and ends at 2:40 P.M.—ten minutes earlier than last year’s start and end times.

  • Jackrabbits Hop To Islands

    Poly’s boys water polo team and the girls volleyball team represented Long Beach in Hawaii at tournaments and bonded with their fellow teammates this last August.

    The boys water polo team spent a week on Oahu while competing at the Hawaii Invitational Water Polo Tournament in Oahu August 5 through 11. Overall, the Jackrabbits placed seventh in the tournament of 24 opposing teams with two wins and three losses.

    “There were a lot of good teams from all different places. A lot of our games were decided by one or two goals. We even ended up in a shoot-out to end the game. With a few of our players not being able to travel with us, other players were forced to step up their level of planning to fill the gaps,” said Horton.

    [pullquote align=”right” speaker=”Jessica Alberto”]Being in Hawaii not only helped us learn to become a better all around team, but also helped us to become closer as a family.[/pullquote]

    The team consisted of seniors Andrew Gutierrez, Ryan Rockenbach, Ryan Meyer, Brandon Nguyen, and Grant Horton, juniors Benjamin Nguyen, Ian Kwong, Trevor Parks, Alejandro Nieto, and Justin Jarvis, sophomore Spencer Steffen, and Poly alumnus Tristan Brightenburg.

    “The team bonding and experience was really worth the six hour plane trip there. It was fun. I would definitely do it again,” said Gutierrez.

    When they weren’t competing, the boys spent the day bonding over hikes around the island, surf sessions in Waikiki bay and beach adventures on the North Shore.

    “Spending a whole week in Hawaii with my team was a once in a lifetime experience.  Being surrounded by water was like paradise for us. If we weren’t in the pool then we were at the beach,” said junior Nguyen. “Not only was it fun, but it was also a great team bonding trip.  We are now an even closer family than we were before. Hawaii will always be the place to be.”

    Poly’s varsity girls volleyball team also traveled to Oahu over the summer to compete in the 31st annual Ann Kang Invitational Volleyball Tournament. The team placed sixth of 16 teams, securing its spot in the tournament’s Gold Champion bracket.

    The AKIVB Tournament took place over the weekend of August 15, though the girls stayed from the 14th through the 20th. Of the 16 teams participating, nine were local teams, and seven were from the mainland. Poly won three of their eight total matches, including a long awaited victory over Mira Costa.

    “Being in Hawaii not only helped us learn to become a better all around team, but also helped us to become closer as a family,” said senior captain Jessica Alberto.

    According to Alberto, by spending the week together, the team was able to come together and prepare for what will hopefully be a winning season for the girls.

    “Between the surf and the luau, us coaches really got a chance to bond in a way that was totally unrelated to volleyball, for once,” said head coach Leland McGrath.

    The boys have their first game against Cerritos High School on September 17 at Cerritos and the girls had their first game of the season against Newport Harbor last week but could not be reported on due to press time constraints.

  • Football: Preseason Begins With A Win

    Long Beach Poly football opened their 2013 season on August 30 with a win over the Crenshaw Cougars (28-15) where, for the first time, a girl scored for the varsity football team.

    Last year’s season was one with a questionable 1-3 preseason, as well as Poly’s worst loss in their long history. However, the team went back to basics and returned with yet another Moore League Championship, a CIF Championship, and State runner-ups by the end of the season. Poly started this season ranked 12th in the nation and 6th in the state.

    The opening kickoff by the Jackrabbits was sent high into the air and was recovered by Poly soon after Crenshaw fumbled. The following play by Crenshaw quickly intercepted it. Scoring early in the second quarter, Crenshaw put themselves on the board. Poly would come back to end the first half 8-7, Poly.

    Poly came out blazing hot as they scored in their first drive of the second half and would go up 15-7. This ended late in the third quarter as Crenshaw scored and gained the two-point conversion. Senior John “Juju” Smith was then put into the running back position to wake up the Poly offense. This move seemed to work as Smith allowed Poly to score soon after.

    “We had a slow start and it took us a while to get into rhythm. When the second half came, we began to feel a little more comfortable and started playing Poly football,” said senior quarterback Tai Tiedemann.

    The exclamation point of the night was junior Killian Turley kicking in the point after touchdown. K. Turley, daughter of defensive coordinator Jeff Turley, is the first girl in Poly’s 106-year history to ever score points for a varsity football team at Poly.

    “The best part about being on the team is that is that I am getting an opportunity to prove to everyone that with dedication and determination you can achieve any goal,” said K. Turley.

    Poly is currently ranked 7th in the nation and 3rd in the state and seeks to improve on last week’s game with an even stronger start and performance against the Servite Friars last Friday at 7 p.m. at Cerritos College.

    “We may have done well last year, but not winning State left us unsatisfied,” said Tiedemann. “Losing last year is our fuel to win this year.”

  • Cross Country: Bun Run for Funds

    Cross Country: Bun Run for Funds

    Poly’s boys and girls cross country teams held their 21st annual Bun Run Fundraiser last Saturday at Los Cerritos Park.

    It is the only fundraiser for the boys and girls cross country teams for the entire year and helps to raise money for races, team trips, and banquets.

    The event has evolved into a great social and athletic gathering both Poly families and the community. Roughly 600 people attended the event, 300 of which participated in the community race.

    “The course’s terrain has changed over the years, but I love it because it brings back a lot of memories,” said Principal Joe Carlson. Such memories include when Poly alumnus Ethan Durham took a wrong turn and continued running down the Pacific Coast Highway.

    Principal Carlson was the girls cross country coach during the first Bun Run in 1992 and has seen the event and the teams evolve and expand over the years.

    “It’s encouraging to see the Bun Run grow in support each year and to know that when we leave, it will continue to surpass expectation,” said four-year runner and senior Samantha Singal.

    When the first Bun Run was held at Recreation Park in Long Beach, there were only nine girls on the Poly cross country team and no community race was run.

    The cinnamon buns that were once given out to the runners and from which the event originally got its name have since been replaced by a parent-made pancake breakfast and a raffle that both the runners and the community enjoy after all the races have been run.

    “From a senior’s perspective, I could see that the freshman were a little jittery, but having the whole cross country family plus the community to support them, they were able to enjoy themselves and not worry too much about the times they ran,” said senior captain Kassey Garduque.