Category: News

In between the Poly Playhouse and the soccer field is an opportunity that many students have not taken advantage of. As a matter of fact, many students do not even know of it.
This opportunity is the auto shop class taught by Mr. McColm. When inquiring sophomore Brandon Taylor about this auto shop class he said, “I didn’t even know we had an auto shop here.”
Around 2000, Mr. McColm started teaching the class and has had a lot of success in the class. He teaches all students, even individuals with special needs.
Many of the kids do not seem to have much interest in the class. However, the very few who take the class to the next level have a lot of potential in their future. In fact, one of his dyslexic students ended up being a successful engineer for Yamaha.
“The reason I came into teaching is to teach these kids how to do it,” says Mr. McColm. “This is a good opportunity. They can go to a community college, then training, then go to work at a dealership.”
For many of the students here at Long Beach Poly, they do not see the potential in this auto shop class. Most of them do not even know that auto shop exists.
If the students did know, there could possibly be a chance that they would take interest in the class and make something out of it. For many of these kids, turning a wrench can be turning their life around.

From February 19-21, 65 students from Daniel Adler’s AP Government and AP Econ classes and Patrick Gillogly’s AP US History class went to Las Vegas, Nevada to work for a political campaign and observe how the caucus system worked.
The group arrived in Las Vegas and immediately started canvassing for the campaign they chose to work for; choosing between Sanders, Clinton, or Rubio. Then on Friday night, students attended either the Bernie Sanders or the Hillary Clinton rally.
“It was so cool to go to the Bernie Sanders’s rally and hear him speak about issues I really care about. The energy of the crowd was incredible because everyone was excited to be there,” said senior Milan Perry.
At the Clinton rally, students got to hear America Ferrera, Eva Longoria, Chelsea Clinton, Bill Clinton, and Hillary Clinton speak about plans to improve America.
The group of Jackrabbits went to four different caucuses on Saturday morning and everyone had a different and interesting experience. Hillary Clinton showed up at one of the sites our students attended. The Rubio supporters observed write in candidate Rocky De La Fuente campaigning during the caucus, and two different groups of Bernie supporters observed how easy it is to manipulate the Caucus system.
The Clinton supporters had the most unforgettable experience because they actually ran a caucus because the necessary officials were absent.
“We were thrust into a situation with no leaders present so we ended up organizing most of the precincts at our caucus site. I actually read the official letters from the DNC to over 200 people and many other students assumed many positions otherwise unoccupied,” said senior Timothy White.
After the caucuses were over, students either attended Clinton’s victory rally or Sanders’s short concession speech.
“After all of the chaos at the caucus and getting yelled at by many Nevadan residents, it made it so much more amazing to meet and converse with Hillary. I’ve been a Hillary supporter for most of my life and meeting her was one of the best moments of my life,” said senior Jasmine Roberts.

The annual Senior and Parent Night was held in the Big Gym on Tuesday, February 2.
The seniors were advised to bring their parents and pick up their senior packets.
“I’m sad that it’s my last year and I have to leave my friends,” said senior Ana Suarez.
At the meeting, each staff member explained responsibilities for the seniors. The seniors had to read their packets, which focused on graduation, prom, Grad Night, and other senior activities.
“It’s funny that we have rules and codes for the senior activities but I understand that we need them for certain individuals,” explained senior Efrain Cortez.
There were different caps and gowns to show what each student is going to receive. The gold one is for 4.0 students, while all other graduates don the traditional green gown. Additionally, students were informed of the several medallions and sashes for taking honors and AP courses.
Outside of the Big Gym and the student store, booths were open for students and parents to purchase graduation items. One booth sold graduation flowers and beaded necklaces, while the student store was used for the caps, gowns, tassels, and Grad Night tickets.
For seniors, it is a big step and a lot to take in because of the fact there are only a few months left in the school year. Reality sets in because this is the last year before college and adulthood.
“I just wanted to enjoy the days and weeks that I have with my classmates because we’re becoming adults soon,” said senior Yulissa Cabrera.

Poly’s JROTC had their first army competition at North High School in Torrance on Saturday, January 30, which was chaperoned by Senior Army Instructors (SAIs) Sergeant Major Wright and Master Sergeant Denmark. Color Guard, Dark Knights, and Unarmed were the teams that competed at Paramount High School.
The first performance was Color Guard, followed by Unarmed Inspection.
“It has been good seeing everyone work hard for the competition and to see all of the progress come from it,” said senior Joshua Young.
There were three separate sections where each team performed: Inspection, Expedition, and Regulation. The results of each participating team were not given until all of the participating teams had performed.
When all of the teams finished, everyone sat in the gym to hear the results. Every school got their own set of awards and trophies but Poly got the most awards. Both Color Guard and their JV team won first and second place trophies. The Dark Knights Foreman also won first place that afternoon.
“Knowing that we won first place is such a big accomplishment all those days of hard work paid off,” said freshman Carina Ayala.
The Poly ROTC program has been very successful in past years, accumulating many trophies throughout its long history.
“I was very proud of all my cadet and to come home with ten trophies,” said Master Sergeant Denmark.

The student-run club Paws for a Cause held an event for disabled dogs in the small gym on Wednesday, January 20. The event was a race in which disabled dogs, many of whom were in wheelchair-like devices due to injuries of the legs, would compete with each other.
“They like to run, so they would race across the small gym,” said club leader and junior Jasmine Gomez. “We helped them set up and then we just kind of took care of the dogs. If they weren’t racing we would have to distract them, to keep them from going crazy.”
Currently there are 70 million stray cats and dogs in the United States, and three to four million animals are euthanized every year by shelters in the United States. Los Angeles in particular has a big problem with stray animals.
In the South Central area, thousands of dogs roam the streets. If you see a stray a stray animal, contact your local animal control agency, humane society, or SPCA.
The aim of the event was to expose people to the disabled dogs in order to increase the likelihood of their adoption. In order to adopt the dogs, one can contact Dharma Rescue.
Paws with a Cause was formed this year and volunteers at a number of places and events, including beach cleanups, dog shelters, rabbit shelters, and other things.
“I had the idea [for the club] since last year, but it was already too late to actually start the club,” said Gomez. “So I started it at the beginning of this year, with my friends, because we thought it would be a good idea.”
Paws with a Cause often collaborates with Dharma Rescue, an organization that rescues dogs and cats, providing them with shelter, spaying and neutering, health care, and rehabilitation.
They help out at Dharma Rescue’s events, where dogs are put on display in order to promote their adoption.

Poly held an out of state college faire with twenty nine different universities on Friday, February 19. They were all set up in the quad and each had their own booth where students came and spoke to the college representative and asked questions about the university they selected.
Along with many other states, representatives from Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and Arkansas came out to Long Beach to educate and persuade potential students about their respective universities.
They had brochures at their tables which explained and showed the main focus of each university. The booths circled around the hedges in the front of the 100 building and were full of students trying to get their questions answered.
“My choice was the University of Nevada because it is one of the universities I’ve been wanting to go to since I first heard of it in my freshman year,” said senior Rath Kim.
If you were unable to collect a flyer from Ms. Sylvia Womack, facilitator of the Career Center, you could have also asked the college representative what level of GPA would be needed and the requirements for your school choice. Some of the schools do not come with scholarships and depend on your SAT scores so that is why it was best to be sure to check up on the schools.
“After I am finished with my two years at Cerritos College, I would like to go to Hawaii Pacific to get out of Long Beach and experience some place new,” said senior Karla Figuerou.
Many of the students who have not chosen their college yet were able to go around and pick up multiple brochures to see which college best suited their personality or major.
If you missed the faire, you can get some more information on your colleges from Ms. Womack in the Career Center.

This year, Poly High School has the only National Merit Scholarship Finalists in the entire Long Beach Unified School District. Seniors Brandon Deutsch and Edward Lu have moved on to the final round of the competition.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation names 15,000 National Merit finalists, from which the winners are selected. The winners are selected based on PSAT score, academics, student activities, counselor recommendations and essay. The winners of the scholarship are awarded $25,000 by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
“I think [I advanced to the finalist round] because I was honest and straightforward in my essay. It’s important to keep in mind that even if you don’t get the scholarship, everything’s still going to be okay,” said Lu. “It’s much more important to just go out there and say, this is the kind of person I am, and this is what I believe, than to say, I was president of five clubs. It’s much better to be honest and talk about things that matter to you in a way that is genuine. I think [in my essay] I talked a lot about jazz, and how it has helped me grow as a person.”
The National Merit Scholarship Program has existed since 1955. Students are initially judged based on their PSAT scores. In later rounds, students are judged based on their academics and essays.
“It’s all about getting to the semifinalist round, its all about working hard to understand the content,” said Deutsch. “I think there’s going to be some issues next year since they’re changing the SAT. It’s really important to get the content down so you can get a high score… and on your essay, be honest.”

In coordination with the Saving Hearts Foundation (SHF), Poly held a free heart screening on Saturday, February 6.
Unexpected cardiac arrest is a leading cause for death among athletes. However, a lot of people are unaware of the condition and its prevalence among athletes.
Last December, Poly suffered a devastating loss when senior football player Frank Murphy passed away from a sudden cardiac arrest.
Remembering Murphy, Poly wanted to make sure that its athletes and the community had access to possibly life-saving tests.
“UCLA came to us last year and asked us if we would want to do a heart screening,” said Activities Director Ngoc Nguyen. “When Frank passed last year, we decided to host this event in memory of him.”
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), is very common amongst young and healthy athletes, which is why it is usually very difficult to target during regular doctor visits. The condition is only detectable through special equipment.
The SHF Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by students at UCLA aiming to raise awareness of SCA by providing free heart screenings, CPR, and AED training in the community.
The free EKG test was available to everyone ages 14-24 in the Big Gym and was even made mandatory for all of Poly’s student-athletes.
Over 320 students came to the screening, and four needed follow ups with their doctors and parents.
Thanks to the generous volunteers at SHF and the Poly administration, this event gave the Long Beach athletes and community an opportunity to prevent any further cardiac arrest losses.

Teacher Daniel Adler and student volunteers hosted the annual VITA Tax Fair on Saturday, February 6. The event was organized by seniors Kaitlyn Frawley and Alyssa Wren.
Though the turnout was not as high as anticipated, the volunteers were exceptionally prepared and toiled tirelessly to make this event happen.
“We did about 25 returns―not as much as we’d have liked, considering last year’s results were higher―but it was amazing,” said Adler.
Typically, those who visit Poly High School for the VITA tax returns come back every year to get taxes done for free―it just so happened that less people showed up.
Many positions at the tax fair were held by students―senior Timothy White, for instance, was the sole person in charge of helping people register to vote. On Saturday, March 26, the Los Angeles County of Equalization will be aiding the VITA team by rounding up people in need of getting tax returns complete―this means that resources will not need to be used for advertising and producing flyers on VITA’s behalf.
Those interested in getting taxes done with the VITA team at Poly High School may contact (562)-607-7986. Tax returns will continue on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.