Category: Feature

  • Holiday Humor

    Despite November passing, there is always more rooms for jokes, here are a list of jokes:

    • There was a boy named Leaves, he always wanted a promotion but he can’t because he always falls beyond standards.
    • When comes November the nuts go stale, but when comes December 1st nuts are breaking out of shells.
    • What did the Turkey say to the Stuffing “Man I’m Full !”
    • Why did the Turkey feel bad? It got roasted.
    • Why didn’t the Turkey cross the road? Because he saw the chicken get run over.
    • Yo, you want a Sprite Cranberry?
    • Why did the TVs go missing? It was Black Friday.
    • “I want to go camping” the daughter said to the Mom. The mom said if you raised your grades up. She did as she said, and showed her progress report to her mom.  The mom was surprised and promised her they would go camping. So in the middle of the night the mom woke her up and told her daughter to get ready and pack up. The daughter was ecstatic and jumped on her bed full of energy she packed her bags and rushed to the car. She fell asleep on the car ride, but was surprised to be woken up 10 minutes later. Confused since there’s no campground within 10 miles from where they lived. She looked up and saw a yellow and blue sign, “Best Buy.”

  • Fall-ing Prices

    As the holidays are coming, families are trying to get a list together to figure out what they are going to get their loved ones.  These are the top 5 stores to get your significant other the presents you want.

    5. Walmart-This store has decent prices on electronics specifically since their black friday deals are very cheap for many things

    4.Macy’s- Macy’s has clothes that all people want, from children’s clothes to teens and adults, the prices are reasonable to give your loved ones the perfect piece of clothing.

    3. Target- This store has extremely cheap prices for everything they sell. From clothes to electronics, everything is at a reasonable price and will be worth it.

    2. Best Buy- All of the best electronics you want will be sold here at Best Buy.  If you want a tv, you’ll get a high quality tv here for a great deal. Gaming consoles and phones will also have great deals here as well.

    1. Amazon- You can order anything you want from this great website.  Clothes, electronics, furniture, anything you can think of is sold here.

  • Making a List, Checking it Twice

    Holidays are just around the corner which means that everyone will be on their way to do their shopping for their loved ones or even just for themselves. However, with this comes a long list of conflict or problems that might get in the way of allowing you to get things done. To make it easier, here’s a list of things you can try avoiding before you find yourself stuck in a troublesome situation.

    • Don’t save things for the last minute- Yes, you technically do have all the way until the day of Christmas to get your shopping done, but don’t let that be the reason you save everything until the last minute. If you give yourself time and do the shopping beforehand, you can give yourself the opportunity to fix things up before giving people their gifts, or you can even add more details to it if you’d like.
    • Don’t push yourself to buy everything all at once– It’s ironic to be saying this after the last “don’t”, but I highly recommend giving yourself some time for everything. Don’t rush it all at once. Buy two gifts this week and another two next week. Spread your plans out throughout time. This way, you don’t feel overwhelmed by working on things right away and you can only focus on the things you already have bought.
    • Don’t put little to no effort or thought into your gifts– You’re going to shop for people you care about, so please don’t be careless about it. If you don’t want to stress yourself out about it, then just think about what they like. Even if you’re getting them a candle, a blanket, or a book, at least consider their favorite scent, color/material, or genre.
    • Don’t feel the need to please every single person- As previously stated, sometimes something as small as a candle or blanket could be enough. You don’t necessarily have to go all out and get the exact perfect gift for every single person. If it feels overwhelming, you don’t always have to please everyone.
    • Don’t beat yourself up over it- Maybe you can’t afford to buy presents (and that’s totally okay too!), but you still want to give your loved ones something, don’t you? Don’t beat yourself up over it. It’s really the thought that counts, so if you want to still give, you can easily write some letters of appreciation or even a gift card. The smallest of things can really go a long way for someone.
    • Don’t overlook the person you are shopping for– Sometimes we tend to focus more on getting the most expensive gift so that the person will like it, and as a result we forget all about what the person will actually feel.
    • Don’t forget about yourself- Shopping can be most stressful because of all the people you feel the need to buy gifts for. However, keep in mind the most important person; yourself. Make a budget for yourself and be sure not to go over it.

  • Dark Harbor AMAZEment

    The Queen Mary is greatly known for its haunted rooms and as the gigantic ship that is one of the landmarks in Long Beach. From September 27th to November 2nd, the Queen Mary presents Dark Harbor for 23 thrilling nights. If you haven’t heard about Dark Harbor, it’s basically a walk through of mazes and people dressed up as monsters, creeping out to give you that adrenaline rush. When I first walked into the gates, there were already monsters walking around to basically give a preview of what the mazes were going to be like.

    Did it work? It made me want to get back in the car and go home. Although they were regular people disguised or portrayed to be as monsters, their energy and how dramatic they were felt real. The entire time I was there, I cling onto my friend’s arm because the thought of going through the mazes alone scared me to death. The foggy smoke from the outside clogged up the entire area so I didn’t know who or what was approaching me. The first maze I remember going into was the “Circus Maze”. The part that really got to me was when I was walking, play-pen colored balls started to fill our feet. I’m not sure if the people were real but I could feel hands grabbing onto my feet.

  • Horror-Scopes

    Aries: DO NOT WEAR BLACK. Your entire day will be filled with bad luck. Stick to light colors and you should have a happy Halloween!

    Taurus: During your Halloween plans, you will come in contact with your ex, so I suggest you look as good as you possibly can.

    Gemini: Your two personalities are likely to make several appearances throughout this day (as always). You will receive the best news of this entire month and the worst news of the entire year.

    Cancer: This will be your last good Halloween of your life, so make it the best Halloween possible.

    Leo: No matter how old you are, DEFINITELY go trick or treating this year. You will receive lots of treats.

    Virgo: Whatever you do, don’t go out past 9 pm. You will have several eggs thrown at you.

    Libra: You will meet the love of your life while you’re trick or treating.

    Scorpio: Today is your day to let your demon out. Play thousands of tricks on whoever, wherever. This may very well be your best Halloween.

    Sagittarius: You’re going to end up staying home and watching scary movies all night.

    Capricorn: Tell your crush that you like them today. They will surprise you with something special on Halloween night.

    Aquarius: Stay home.

  • Freaky Fits

    Individual
    Mummy: Put together a fun D.I.Y. costume by wrapping yourself up in toilet paper from head to toe!
    Athlete: If you’re on a sports team, you can find an easy way to turn your team uniform into a costume and go out with that.
    School Student: You can easily pull off going out as a student by wearing “nerdy” type clothes and wearing your backpack, using it to place all your candies in it.
    Food: Taco, hot dog, pizza, dress up as your stomach’s greatest craving.
    IT: Since everyone claims themselves to be a clown, why not dress up as Pennywise?

    Group
    Winnie the Pooh: Bring this show to life by having you and your friends dress up as the popular furry friends
    Avengers: Bring together the marvel team with your buddies by dressing up as a couple of heroes such as Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America, etc.
    Shrek: Something underrated and overrated at the same time, bring this unique fairy tale to life by having your group dress up as Shrek and his companions.
    Stranger Things: With this Netflix series being so popular, it’d be cool to have you and your friends feel like a part of the show by dressing up as the characters on the spookiest night.
    M&M’s: Have you and your friends wear some plain colored t-shirts and slap an “M” on them, going out as a pack of M&M’s!

    Couple
    Peanut Butter and Jelly: This very typical costume idea may sound boring, but it’s all up to you two on how you’d like to spice things up and let your creativity show.
    Angel and Devil:The darkness and light both need each other, your partner and you don’t necessarily have to always be one in the same.
    Princess and Prince: What’s wrong with sticking to something a bit cliche? It’d be nice to bring something very overrated back, no?
    Thing 1 and Thing 2: With a red onsie and a simple sign on front, have your soulmate and you
    both be Thing One and Thing Two.
    Romeo and Juliet: With Halloween here who’s a better person to die for than your partner.

  • Fearsome Films

    It’s that time of the year again, Spooky Season! The perfect time to grab some popcorn, some snacks, a blanket and watch scary movies all night. If you’re not sure what movies to turn on during this Spooky Season, here are some Halloween Classics for you to watch.

    Coraline (2009): A young girl named Coraline, moves with her family to her new home. While exploring, she discovers a secret door that leads to another place that mirrors her current reality. While everything may seem like it’s better than her real life, her parallel life soon takes a turn for the worse.

    The Amityville Horror (2005): A husband and wife move their family to a new home. What seems to be the perfect house soon reveals a horrid past: the house belonged to a tenant that was possessed by a demon, causing him to murder his entire family. The family believes the house is haunted so they do everything to try to escape the horrors. (Based on a true story)

    Beetlejuice (1988): After dying in a car accident, a couple finds themselves back at their own home, unable to leave, they are left to haunt the residence. An unbearable married couple moves into their new home and the dead couple tries to scare them out but their attempts fail miserably. After accidentally summoning Beetlejuice, they soon realize how dangerous he is for the family.

    Pet Semetary (1989): A family moves to a new home in Maine and befriends their neighbor. After their cat dies, the neighbor advises that they bury it in a nearby cemetery. The cat then comes back to life but his entire personality has changed drastically- for the worse. After the family’s son dies from a tragic accident, they bury him in the same cemetery. When he comes back to life, he becomes a terrifying threat to the family.

  • Welcome, New Staff!

    Welcome, New Staff!

    Maria Salazar

    By Reymar Santos

    Maria Salazar, the new ASB secretary, is excited to work here at Polytechnic High School. She lives on the west side of Long Beach, but her family is originally from Mexico. She is the first generation from her family to become a citizen in the US. Her family is originally from Mexico. Her previous job was in the enrollment department at the other school. She graduated from Long Beach City College. Her first experience at Poly was such a new and thrilling experience because our school spirit in this school compared to other schools is overwhelming. She said, “The people are friendly; and communicating with students is nice.” As ASB secretary, she said she enjoys helping other students with activities and handing out school IDs.

    David Rodriguez

    By Alexander Phouma

    David Rodriguez is one of our new special education teachers here at Poly. Mr. Rodriguez was born and raised here in Long Beach, and attended Wilson High School. After graduating high school, he furthered his education and studied at UC Santa Cruz for his bachelors and is currently working on getting his masters at Cal State University and has been happily married for two and a half years now. Before working at Poly, Rodriguez was a teacher at Grant Elementary School. Like both of his parents, he became a teacher to help kids and he enjoys seeing students become a better version of themselves. Rodriguez likes to run with his wife and play board games. He has ran about 25 marathons so far. He also enjoys watching baseball, and his favorite team is the Dodgers. One of his favorite movies is The Shawshank Redemption and enjoys buffalo wings and burgers.

    John Wong

    By Briana Mendez-Padilla

    John Wong, Poly’s new MEDS counselor, transferred this year from Poly’s sister campus, PAAL, where he worked for four years. Wong regards himself as an approachable person and hopes to gain his student’s trust and be able to guide them to success in life after high school. Whether that means college or any other situation, he intends to find out what options are best for students and ensure they reach their goals. Wong said he comes prepared with community resources to assist students not only academically, but also socially and emotionally. He wants to reach out to kids and spark a positive change within them.

    Brent Lavoie

    By Sebastian Lebario

    Ever since the arrival of Brent Lavoie, Poly has been glorified as an exceptional baseball program and has also won a Moore league title. Brent Lavoie is going into his fourth year as the Poly varsity coach with high expectations to have a repeat championship season in 2020. As of this school year, he is also going to be a special education teacher. Although he has been a coach at Poly, he finally got a job to work here after a few years of working as Millikan High School’s resource specialist teacher.
    Lavoie was born in Springfield, Missouri where he played baseball collegiately at Missouri Valley in Marshall, Missouri. He then moved out to North Arkansas Junior College in Harrison, Arkansas. He is now entering his 14th year as a high school teacher overall.

    Shannon Young

    By Melissa De La Cruz

    Among the new teachers at Poly this school year, there is also a new assistant principal who works with the pathways Justice and Pace. Shannon Young has been working in the LBUSD district for 19 years now. She first started out by working as a 5th grade teacher at Burbank Elementary School. From there she moved to Franklin Middle School where she worked as an English and history teacher. Shortly before coming to Poly, she was employed as an assistant principal at Millikan High School.
    Young claims her experience here at Poly has been a good one so far. She is content with and loves the idea of working at the home of scholars and champions that not only is there a focus but an encouragement on students academically, as well as with extracurricular activities as well. “The students– they’re great, kind, respectful,” she says. She claims she enjoys working with the staff which has also been quite resourceful and left a positive impact on Young as well as “everybody has been very welcoming. They’ve been kind and helpful”.
    Compared to where she last worked, she says there are more similarities than differences. This makes things easier when transitioning from one location to another. Overall it seems like our new assistant principal has had a wonderful experience since the first day. To summarize her experience so far in a sentence is, “Poly is an inviting, encouraging place for students and staff to be.”

    Ronald Scipio

    By Alexander Phouma

    Ronald Scipio is one of our new teachers here at Poly, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t sound familiar; his wife is also a teacher at the school. Scipio was born and raised in Compton, California and always knew he wanted to be a teacher while he was in high school. Before applying for the job, he was a teacher’s aide at Poly, and he previously worked at Jordan High School for five years. After our previous orchestra teacher, Mr. Osman, retired, Scipio applied for the spot and transferred from Jordan to Poly. He has two children and has been married for a total of four years. He also enjoys bike rides, working out in the gym and cooking.

    Mark Mikasa

    By Madeline Milton

    Mark Mikasa is an AP Calculus AP and Algebra II teacher at Poly. He recently taught at Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights and Gabrielino High School in San Gabriel, both of which being located in California. He has had his eye on a job opportunity at Poly for awhile, as he is located in Long Beach and wanted to take a more local job.
    Being distanced from his previous schools, he missed out on a lot of school events and activities after school. “When I was in San Gabriel,” he said, “I could never really attend any games or support kids in other ways.” He is looking forward to attending games and other events at Poly.

    Dana Zapanta

    By Jailyn Lewis-Hobbs

    Dana Zapanta is the new PACE Counselor at Long Beach Poly. Originally from San Diego, Zapanta received her undergraduate at the University of California, Irvine, and went to graduate school at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Zapanta has been counseling for thirteen years, spending five years in ABC Unified and another seven years in the Clark County District. Zapanta then moved to Long Beach and began working at Long Beach Poly High School as the new Pace Counselor. When asked why she chose Poly, Zapanta said “I wanted a challenge, a new perspective. After working for a certain amount of time you want to change it up a little bit.”

    Elizabeth Baca

    By Chansochata Thon

    As many new students begin associating themselves with the pride of the Jackrabbit, so did new the Pre-Calculus and Calculus BC teacher, Elizabeth Baca. Coming to Poly allowed her to see a new dynamic where pathways allowed students to act like family. Not only was she greeted by this warm family-like dynamic, but she felt as if she had joined it.
    With the start of the fall year, Baca is eager and enthusiastic to attend football games, which not only allow her to build a stronger bond with her students and the school, but also allows her to bring her kids to share the Jackrabbit pride and love.
    Along with all the pros of a new school, the block schedule also presents a challenge to Baca. But getting used to remembering when to repeat teaching days or start a new teaching day is a struggle she is willing to conquer. Baca also is in the process of completing her Master’s Degree at CSULB to better understand the curriculum and ensuring that she will teach her students at her fullest capacity.

    Brian George

    By Kameo Mapp

    Meet Brian George, PAAL’s new assistant principal. George is originally from Long Beach, California, and has taught at Poly for 5 years and PAAL for 18. He attended USC and is a proud Trojan. George has 3 children and enjoys PAAL because of its small and very tight community. He also enjoys Dodger Blue and eating pizza.

    Teo Weiner

    By Kameo Mapp

    Specialist Teo Weiner was raised in Culver City, CA, has educated students for 18 years and spent 8 of them at Poly before moving to PAAL. He loves to eat sushi and play with his adorable pet dog. He enjoys going to festivals, watching musicals and whipping up furtadas and omelettes. He is a strong believer in a growth mindset and growing your intelligence to the fullest. He is an advocate for staying on your path to success and never allowing the possibility of failure.

    Nicole Lopez

    By Kameo Mapp

    Meet Nicole Lopez, PAAL’s new Principal of Students. Ms. Lopez is originally from North Vermont and grew up learning Spanish and French. She earned her Masters in Education at Cal State Long Beach. She enjoys the colors of nature and traveling places, especially Australia. She has one son and lots of pets who brighten her day. She likes people who break rules, take risks and do the best for themselves to create a positive outcome. She cares about her students to the highest degree and strives to bring out the best results in PAAL students.

     

  • Prom 2019: Time to Shine!

    Prom 2019: Time to Shine!

    Sunday May 26 at 7:00 PM at the Hotel Maya was where the class of 2019s prom was held. At the event there was food, games, caricature, henna, karaoke, photo booth and multiple dance rooms.

    The weather was not as cooperative before prom, as it was raining. Multiple girls were either holding their dresses up or not even bothering to do so.

    Not only did they have a main dance room but there was also room dedicated to just music in Spanish. In previous years, this was not a thing and people were upset about having very limited songs played.

    Most of the activities were present in the same building as the Spanish DJ. There was some confusion amongst students about where some of the activities were. With the food not many people were enjoying the food, such as on how on one side there was cold food and the other having hot food.

    Senior Denise Diaz said her experience was “fun” and really liked the Spanish DJ. Diaz noticed that people who “normally don’t dance to Spanish music” were dancing to it. Although much people weren’t fond of the food, Diaz enjoyed the “chicken tenders”. She disliked walking in her heels, as she had to keep going “back and forth” and it felt like “forever” walking in them.

    Senior Darli Ortiz doesn’t consider herself much of a “party person” but for prom being one of her first “parties” she found it enjoyable. Ortiz disliked the fact that there was “two different ballrooms”, as everyone was separate and there not being much unity.

    Senior Montserrat Valencia Delgado preferred the spanish DJ as they played spanish music and was “smaller”. Delgado was alternating between the two dance rooms and liked that there was a “variety” of spanish music. Senior Jose Diaz added onto what Delgado said and stated that due to it being small “you could request songs”. Senior Rachcna Sokhom-Khou also said the area with the Spanish DJ was “crowded”.

    Senior Evelyn Sanchez was surprised when arriving to prom, as she expected “less” to be present. Sanchez felt the main dance room could have been “a lot better”. Sanchez liked the Spanish DJ but when it came to him playing music, he played a lot of “reggaeton” and she didn’t know how to “dance to it”. Sanchez for the most part had her expectation pretty low for prom, but when at the event felt it had went past her expectations.

    Senior Amy Martinez had most of the same remarks as other students but did point out about the lack of seating, and how people were “standing up” and had “nowhere” to put their stuff.

    The night ended with confetti falling from the ceiling and songs relating to having a good time and living or remembering the moment. Doors started opening up at 10:30 but most students stayed for the entirety of prom.

     

  • Body Image and Eating Disorders

    Eating disorders and body image issues are rising issues that many people are not recognizing. Over 70 million people worldwide suffer from eating disorders and over 70 percent of the world suffers with body image issues.

    “I’m too fat” or “I need to lose weight” are common negative comments that are viewed as normal for those who suffer from personal image issues. These basic and “normal” thoughts are having huge repercussions on the mental health and livelihood of victims. Many victims will later suffer from anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder to compensate for body image insecurities and lose weight.

    Healthy weight loss, is a gradual process that invokes a balance of eating a healthier diet and working out. Mental illnesses allow eating disorders to affect more than just your diet and open the door to more severe issues such as suicide. Each body’s shape and size is specific to every individual and comparing yourself to others is a harmful path that 7 out of 10 people take.

    Awareness and acceptance of these issues are the key to recovery. The desire to feel and look your best is 100% okay and encouraged, but looking and feeling your best starts from the inside.

  • Helping HotLines

    Dating Abuse & Domestic Violence love is respect: 1-(866)-331-9474

    Depression & Suicide The Trevor Project: 

    1-(866)-488-7386

    Child Abuse Childhelp National: 

    1-(800)-422-4453

    NEDA Anxiety:

    1-(800)-931-2237

    National Alliance on Mental Illness:

    1-(800)-950-6264

    National Domestic Violence:

    1-(800)-799-7233

    National Hotline Network: 

    1-(800)-SUICIDE

    National Runaway Safeline:

    1-800-786-2929

    National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:

    1-(800)-273-8255

    National Youth Crisis: 

    1-(800)-448-4663

    Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network: 

    1-(800)-656-4673

    Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration:

    1-(800)-662- 4357

    Retrieved from DoSomething.org and MentalHelp.net

  • Treat Yourself Right

    Not only is having a balanced diet and working out beneficial for our health physically but also mentally.

    Physically, working out is good for you because it reduces the risk of receiving a heart attack, it manages your weight, helps the recovery process when you feel sick and gets you filled with energy.

    Mentally, when working out it blocks negative thoughts or distract you from your worries, if you exercise with a group it create a sense of community and promotes you in being social, it as well lifts your mood and can make improvement in your sleeping.

    When it comes to eating good, it goes hand in hand with exercising, especially when it comes to risks in your health such as: Type II Diabetes, Heart Health, and Strong bones and teeth. Doing both healthy eating and working out on a daily basis will give a balanced lifestyle. Even if you start working out 5 minutes then 30 minutes each day, you’ll still be doing your health a favor in the long run.

    It’s a struggle trying to steer away from junk food, like chips and fast food, but to start on the right path try replacing convenience food with a healthier choice.

    Little by little you’ll start replacing more foods and by the end of it, your body will get used to healthier choices compared to the unhealthy ones. When exercising start small and create milestones and goals. Eating good and working out daily is a huge commitment for many but don’t lose motivation because you’ll go back to your old habits.

    Try this out with a friend or have someone motivate you to continue on your journey to becoming a healthier person.