Author: Karina Diaz

  • Affects of the Heat

    As temperatures rise here in Long Beach, so does frustration with beauty routines. Spending hours on hair and makeup, perfecting it, all to go outside and for it to run down your face along with the sweat due to the heat. For many, getting ready during heated days feels like an uphill battle.  Carefully curled hair falls flat, eyeliner smudges before lunchtime, and setting spray barely puts up a fight. There are other factors such as how the heat affects our energy to get ready, and the physical effects. 

    At Poly High I think we’ve all taken notice of the lack of air conditioning in some of our classrooms. The first couple of minutes in class is a pain, even in classes with air conditioning it takes a while to settle down. Long Beach weather in general has been pretty high reaching the 80s to 90s, not much fun especially for those who enjoy getting ready for school. There are so many struggles that come with going to school in unbearable heat and how it affects students physically and mentally.

    Being at school while the heat just continues to rise is a type of frustration many can relate to, but when it comes to hair and makeup, the struggle is hard. Between walking to class, hours spent under the sun, and classrooms without air conditioning, makeup and hairdos tend to fade fast, annoyingly. “It takes forever—like 2 hours to get ready, it takes long to do my hair and sometimes even my makeup, all for it to be uneven or frizzy like an hour later.” Said Diana Romero, a senior at Poly. The heat tends to mess up hair, the moisture from the humid weather causes frizzy hair and creates sweat that causes makeup to separate, quite annoyingly and quickly which creates a feeling of discomfort and vexation.

    Personally, when going to school and having makeup and hair done but then feeling uncomfortable due to the heat is a feeling so bothersome. Making it hard to focus on school due to the heat, the feeling of sweat filled hair and faces is such a sensory overload. Having some classes where teachers have about only one fan and spending the whole class wondering how isn’t anyone drowning in the heat as you are. The heat in general can cause anyone to be side tracked in classrooms where we come to learn which can be overwhelming.

    While the discomfort and annoyances from the heat can be such a bother, there always seems to be ways around it. Adapting is a huge step but at times may just benefit us. Some tips that can help avoid these challenges include adjusting routines, changing products, and finding what fits best for us. Changing up the routine and going for a more natural look in the summer is a huge yes and changing the way you do your hair and makeup, also a yes. For instance, using a hair curler racks up all that heat, but overnight heatless curls can do just the trick! Being able to adapt and feel comfort in weather you’d not expect to can also create a shift in mindset, we can always choose to see the bright side of things.

    Dealing with the heat isn’t just about beauty routines, it’s also about patience, flexibility, and learning to adapt when things aren’t how we want them. Whether it’s hair, makeup, or just the heat being a bother, finding comfort in imperfection can make all the difference. Sometimes the best thing we can do is just improvise, stay cool, and fight the heat!

  • The Varied Taste of Music Lovers

     Music, something that is included in most people’s everyday lives. From new mainstream artists, a variety of genres, and the amount of time spent listening. We all have our preferences and times for music. At Poly, the students’ taste varies widely, while some may be similar, everyone’s tastes are unique in their own way.

    While some classes may prohibit students from listening to music and being on their phones, there’s always a time and place for it. Let’s take a look into the variation of music that students at Poly listen to and how often they do as well.

    One student, Joel Gonzalez, a 10th grader in the CIC pathway at Poly, shared:

    “I like to listen to corridos, that’s kind of it—I listen to music almost every day.”

    Marcus Williams, a 12th grader in the PARTS pathway at Poly, said,

    “I listen to alternative indie music like Mac DeMarco, Daniel Caesar, Faye Webster—I listen to music every day, I’m listening to music right now.”

     As shown in the pie chart to the side, it is seen that there are a variety of genres that students at Poly enjoy. These categories represent the genres most frequently mentioned, but are not limited to the many other genres that other students may enjoy. These genres range from R&B, to alternative music and more. While interest in music genres may be different, there is one thing that unites those differences, and that is the amount of time spent listening to music. In fact, 13 of 15 students interviewed at Poly claim to listen to music every day, amusing, right? 

    Whether students turn to music to relax, to focus, or simply to feel understood, it’s clear that music carries a personal meaning for individuals. In the end, the variety of genres only shows how uniquely each student connects with the world through the music enjoy. Poly by name, Poly by nature, the variety of genres students enjoy shows just how diverse their tastes are.