Category: News

  • Poly UNICEF’s Gravity Water Campaign

    During the month of March, Poly’s UNICEF club is participating in the Gravity Water Campaign.

     

    UNICEF is the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund which raises money to aid children in developing countries who face poverty. The Gravity Water Campaign allows for the club to help raise money for a clean water filtration system for Poly’s sister school, Shree Bagdevi Secondary School, in Nepal.

     

    The Gravity Water Campaign is an extremely important one that our UNICEF club has participated in since May of 2021. Alexis Lam, co-president of Poly UNICEF, said, “The donations we have been collecting have been accumulated over the course of this year. We are continuing to raise money until the end of March.”

     

    “The campaign allows us to spread awareness about the global water crisis,” Lam explained. The global water crisis has affected millions of people across the entire world, and Gravity Water allows organizations, like UNICEF, to bring awareness to this crisis. “The campaign spreads awareness particularly about how the water crisis affects children and schools in countries that don’t have access to clean drinking water,” Lam said.

     

    In order to raise money for the water filtration system, the UNICEF club has ended up coming up with creative rewards based on the amount of money raised. “UNICEF has gotten donations for the campaign through having a dare challenge where cabinet members will complete dares at certain donation goalposts,” explained Victoria Heng, the Head Chair of Communications with the Cambodian Health Professionals Association of America. These challenges, which range from eating a full lemon after raising five dollars to wearing a Spider-Man suit to school for raising 100 dollars, have been unique ways to motivate club members to continue donating to the campaign.

     

    Gravity Water is one of many water-related campaigns Poly UNICEF has participated in. Along with raising money to install a clean water filtration system, the club has also helped raise awareness for the water crisis in general. On January 14, the club ran a virtual “Walk for Water” simulation, where club members joined together to make “choose your own adventure” type decisions on Zoom. The simulation demonstrated the realities of countries who have limited water access by putting members in the shoes of a young girl who lives in a village with little water. 

     

    Although raising money became a challenge during the pandemic, UNICEF has managed to bounce back strongly and continue to work with and raise money for Gravity Water. Those who wish to donate can do so through Venmo to @alexis_lam, or donate during club meetings, which are every Wednesday at lunch in Room 215.

  • Mask Mandate

    We’ve spent months wearing all types of masks to prevent catching Covid-19. But, with time, we found better ways of keeping ourselves safe. As more people get vaccinated and fewer Covid cases arise, California, along with other states, eased on the mask mandate. Recently the California Governor, Gavin Newsom, stated that starting March 1, the state may allow the public to enter the indoors without a mask. After March 11, places such as schools and daycare centers may also drop the mask mandate. This announcement was met with different reactions. Students all over Poly shared their views on the announcement. 

    In response to how he thinks the mask mandate lift may work out, 10th grader Omar Estrada said, “I personally see no difference since everyone already basically has no masks outside of class but overall I think everything will be the same.” 11th grader, Jessica Diaz believes that we will see a split all around the school between students with masks and without. 

    In addition, 11th grader Danisha Bo said, “People should keep wearing their masks, not everybody is vaccinated, and people will get more sick, it will spread exponentially to the point we might go back to zoom.” Bo also added that people should get vaccinated and be mindful of other students, as they might have people at home like elderly people or people who can’t afford to get covid at home. 

    11th grader Jannah Mohammed believes that if people want to wear their masks is up to them, as she understands it gets hot, and hard to breathe, especially in some classrooms that don’t have an AC. 11th grader Vanessa Cruz said that she doesn’t care if students want to wear their masks, it’s up to them. They all agreed that they would continue to wear their masks to stay safe and believe people should not judge others for wearing or not wearing their masks. 

    When asked if they think the lift will create an impact such as a surge, Diaz said, “I don’t think so because there’s a vaccine for it. I think it’s going to be normal.” Estrada said, “Yeah, Covid cases at our school may increase a bit more. But nothing big enough to shut down schools for two years again.” 

    Overall some students like Diaz, Estrada, Bo, Mohammed, Cruz all mentioned that they would continue wearing their masks in their classrooms.

    Wearing masks became the new norm. Only being able to see eyes and the top of heads is something expected when going outside. Most were fine with wearing them, knowing it would ensure their safety, while others had difficulty with the mandate. When the vaccine was created, many received the shot, which made a better fighting immune system against Covid. Having the vaccine, vaccine booster, and wearing a mask were all great combinations for avoiding Covid-19. Now, with the choice of wearing masks, there is no knowing how things will work out. All you can do is decide on whether you want to continue wearing masks or not, the choice is yours. 

  • Green Schools Campaign at Poly

    The Poly Green Schools campaign is looking to transition the Long Beach Unified School district’s electricity to 100% renewable energy by 2030. The student club’s goals extend outside of the electricity sector as well with the club hoping to get LBUSD off all non renewable energy by 2040. As of now, the school is running on between 15-20% renewable energy which is average according to club president Diana Michaelson, a PACE junior.

    Although that may sound like a lofty goal, the club has made steady progress since their founding in August 2020. Michaelson said they have received their first commitment from LBUSD facilities director Alan Reising. Reising promised to work with the club provided they acknowledge funds must be available for the switch to work.

    Regarding funds, Michaleson said buying 100% clean energy from SoCal Edison “would be a 9% increase but that’s never been something we’ve looked at. We would do a mixture of solar panel tech or potentially buy a clean power mix from SoCal Edison and overall there should be a cost decrease over the years.”

    Teacher supervisor Patrick Gillogly, 51, seconded this saying, “we’ve seen in San Diego, in Salt Lake City, with a number of other cities which have already begun this commitment in other parts of the country that it is possible and there are positive and profitable solutions.”

    Closer to home, Los Angeles Unified School District committed to 100% clean energy by 2040 in December 2019. Michaelson said that LAUSD, as the biggest school district in the state, committing to transitioning to renewable energy shows that Long Beach can do it too.

    To get things kick-started this school year, the club held a climate rally on September 18. Vice-President Ruthie Heis, PACE freshman, was very pleased with the rally: “Not only were there a lot of community members there but there were also two board members and a lot of different community leaders and we were able to rally and show them that this is something that we care about, all of Long Beach not just Poly.”

    Club Treasurer Kaaya Batra, PACE senior, said the rally “was very successful. I think we had a good variety of people representing all across Long Beach, different age ranges, we had little kids to adults who work for really important organizations like PermaCity [a solar energy design and installation company] and I think it was a really great way to get our community to come together to support a cause that is meaningful to all of us.”

    The club is hoping to get the Board to vote on their resolution by February 2022 and if that should happen, and the resolution be approved, the club will likely hold a rally in “celebration of their success.” according to Batra.

    Gillogly attributed a lot of the knowledge the students hold on the subject to Jason Manack, AP Environmental Science teacher at Poly, a class each student interviewed has already taken or is currently taking. “Mr Manack’s class has been incredibly significant in really awakening a lot of kids in what my generation has been paying too much lip service too.” Gillogly said, “I know this probably sounds super cheesy but I am really inspired by their commitment to it and their organization and maturity with it.”

    The Poly Green Schools Campaign meets during lunch on Tuesdays in room 415.

  • College Applications Season

    Class of 2022 Seniors in November were able to apply to their desired colleges to pursue their undergraduate careers. Students have spent their high school years striving  to complete their education with impressive results beneficial to their admission in the college of their choice.

    Students at Poly submitted their college applications by the end of November to have a great chance of getting a spot inside the college of their choice. On campus, there were several resources available to students who required help filling out applications. SWARM, a college and career event opened for any seniors who needed a day to fill out applications, commenced November 15 at the Library. USC advisors were also present assisting all the student attendees. Poly’s team at the College and Career Center was always available to seniors and other students interested in gaining more information about college and the application process, “Seniors, right now the time is to make sure you guys complete your college applications for either the Cal-States, UCs, private or out-of-state schools the deadline for the Cal-States and UCs is November 30. We are here to help you guys in the Career Center to finish those apps,” one of the amazing specialists at the Career Center, Sylvia Womack, stated, The College and Career center additionally was available virtually to get those applications completed. FAFSA (Free Application For Financial Student Aid) applications aren’t due until March but it was highly suggested to turn them in early in order to ensure a better chance of receiving financial aid. Feedback is always available from Poly’s College and Career advisors. They were helpful in reviewing those college essays. Sylvia Womack added that there are always workshops in the College and Career Center Wednesdays and Thursdays that students were always welcome to attend.

    Seniors at Poly are both excited and slightly perturbed at the idea of graduating and becoming young adults. “It’s definitely exhilarating to see seniors moving through campus discussing their college choices and the fields they’d like to pursue,” said Wendy Vazquez, a senior herself at Poly. One eager senior, Julissa Doval averred, “The process was definitely time consuming but it was worth it especially with the support I had from friends and peers around me, I was always being encouraged to apply and ask questions if needed”. All students were encouraged by staff and educators to fill out their applications, and they are all excited to see the results of their hard work and dedication.

  • MEDS Students Earn OSHA Certificate

    Students in Jackie Lazatin’s medical clerical occupation class were taking an online training course to get their OSHA certification. It is a ten hour program that will train students on the recognition, avoidance, abatement, and prevention of safety and health hazards. Students started this course on November eighth and finished December third. After students completed the ten hour course they received a certificate and a card from the OSHA Training Institute. Students learned new things during the training that will be useful and helpful for their future.

    Yaliani Meza, a senior in the MEDS pathway said “I feel that doing OSHA is a good way to learn how to work carefully and safely, it is also an easy and quick thing to do and learn.” Students are gaining skills during the training and are using them to get to their goals. Students taking this course are able to use the skills that they have learned on the daily to stay safe.

    Greysi Flores, a senior in the MEDS, said “OSHA has helped me gain skills that I can use for the future. It has given me an insight of what my rights are in a work environment and how I can avoid injuries.” Students have learned what to do if they are in certain scenarios and how to prevent bad outcomes that will benefit them and others. OSHA helps students create a safe environment that will be able to keep them and people around them safe.

    Shoshika Shohani is a senior in the MEDS pathway, she said “I learned that OSHA is there to help protect all workers from harm. If you complain to your boss and he or she doesn’t do anything about it, you can contact OSHA.” Doing the OSHA course has benefited students in many ways they have learned many new things that they can use.

    OSHA stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It is part of the Safety and Health Act of 1970. Congress created OSHA to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers. OSHA makes sure the working conditions for workers are safe and healthful by making and enforcing standards by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.

  • Jackrabbit on campus CPR certification

    by Alixma Velasquez

     

    Students at Long Beach Poly High School were given an opportunity to take a CPR class on Thursday, September 30. The class was free and held at the Poly campus in room 701 E with Medical Terminology teacher Jackie Lazatin.

    The CPR class was held at 1:30 p.m., students of all grades were welcomed but it was suggested for MEDS students. A professional taught the students and provided hands-on learning. The CPR class would give you a two-year certification if you passed the test. 

    The class was 4 hours long and throughout the class lessons were shown on the projector. Students were asked about what they learned after each video, and then were put into partners and had hypothetical scenarios. They would check their surroundings, try waking up the patient (CPR manikin), calling 911, and starting CPR. Not only did they work on adult manikins but they also learned to do CPR on infants. Additionally, students learned how to incorporate an AED, which is a portable life-saving device used to treat people experiencing cardiac arrest.

    MEDS Junior Daisy Pena said, “When I attended the CPR class I went in knowing that I was going to leave the class with life-saving skills. It was an amazing experience. Not  only did I have fun but I was able to picture myself in a situation of crisis in which someone could use my help.” Pena passed the exam. 

    Lazatin provided this opportunity for the students. “Preparing my students to have their certification before they go out into their internship sites,”she said was a reason why she provided this opportunity. Many MEDS students would like to go into the medical field and knowing CPR is a requirement. 

    This is not the only class that will be provided. There is an upcoming CPR class at Poly on November 19, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. in room 712. Average CPR classes vary from 25-50 dollars an hour. Poly students were provided the class for free and will be given another chance to attend. 

    Immediate CPR can double or triple the chances of survival after cardiac arrest. This was an amazing opportunity being provided at Long Beach Poly High School.

  • Students Return to Poly’s Campus After Over a Year At Home

    Students Return to Poly’s Campus After Over a Year At Home

    The students of Poly High School returned back to in-person instruction on August 31 after an entire year of online learning due to Covid-19.

    After a school year of distance learning, students have mixed feelings about the transition into the new school year. Some students have found it difficult to return back to school since they have gotten used to the more independent environment of online learning, yet others are enthusiastic about being able to socialize in the classroom once again.

    Most students have not been at Poly for in-person instruction since March 13, 2020 when the district sent students home due to growing concerns regarding the virus. Instruction was moved online and students were forced to navigate their way through a new system of online schooling.

    Even during the “calm” after the chaos of figuring out how to begin teaching online for all the students, it was hard for many students to keep up with school. It seemed that there were just too many distractions on the computer, and in the students’ homes. “My grades were [bad] online,” said Poly freshman Javier Pineda Marquez. “I got distracted because my mom played loud Selena Gomez music while she was cleaning. I also played games with my screen off and on mute.”

    Another freshman, Alfonso Martinez said “I got distracted by the T.V and my sister’s class going on right next to me.”

    As conditions improved over the past year, the school district resumed normal in-person classes beginning on August 31, which students have had mixed feelings about. 

    Vanessa Marquez, a junior in CIC, said, “It’s been hard having to wake up early and actually go to school and pay close attention because I’m not really used to it.” Most students were able to wake up later during online school, like Marquez, and are having trouble getting up on time everyday. 

    “It’s been hard doing a lot of work during class and it’s very tiring,” said Angela Reyes, a junior in CIC.

    However, some students are excited about the return to the campus. Malia Ocubillo, a junior in CIC, said that being back in school has been better for her since she is able to interact and socialize with people she hasn’t seen in a long time.

    With students being back on campus, there are rules in place in order to prevent the spread of the virus as much as possible, such as wearing masks at all times. Students are urged to frequently wash their hands and use hand sanitizer to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

    LBUSD also required all students that were to return to school register for Covid testing if they hadn’t yet received the vaccines as part of their safety precautions. For the Covid test, Poly High School uses a nasal swab procedure that is painless and lets students test themselves. If a student happens to test positive for Covid or have been potentially exposed to Covid, they will have to quarantine or test negative before coming back to school. 

    Over 60,000 tests have been given to LBUSD students this school year, which resulted in a low positive rate under one percent. “This low rate is a testament to the hard work families, students and staff have put in over the last few weeks,” said LBUSD Superintendent Dr. Jill Baker in the statement. 

    The district also required all staff to have the vaccine or take part in weekly covid testing. According to a district statement, a study even said LBUSD is a model for Covid safety. 

    “I think it’s very nice, the Covid precautions are being taken very seriously…Although I wish we would have gotten back sooner, we know that the district was doing all that they could,” said 9th grader Tika Jonnum.

  • Pretty in Pink: Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser

    Poly’s Breast Cancer Awareness Club is holding the Pretty in Pink Campaign this October for breast cancer awareness month at Poly. The Pretty in Pink Campaign is held to help patients, diagnosed with breast cancer, with financial assistance for their medical treatment. 

    To participate in the Pretty in Pink Campaign, students would give their third-period teachers their donations so the money can get collected and counted. Donations will be collected every Friday of October. The teacher with the largest donation amount will get a pizza party. The Breast Cancer Awareness Club will also be at the Pink Out game to collect more donations. 

    “Every year, the Breast Cancer Awareness Club here at Poly raises money in support of a Poly family member whose life has been disrupted by the disease,” Amy Crevino, president of the Breast Cancer Awareness Club, said. 

    Donations to the Pretty in Pink Campaign will be allocated to four groups. 50% of the money raised will go to an individual diagnosed with Breast Cancer to help pay for their medical costs. 20% will be put towards the Lee Denim/American Cancer Society and another 20% will help pay for the cost of mammograms for people without insurance. The final 10% is going towards the Breast Cancer Awareness Club promotional costs.

    There are teachers, students, and students’ parents who go through the battle of breast cancer and undergo financial hardship from the costly medical procedures, said Cynthia Negrete, the Breast Cancer Awareness Club advisor. Negrete expressed, “It’s hard for women that we don’t support each other enough.” 

    This influenced Julie Blanc, alumni of Poly’s dance team to start the Breast Cancer Awareness Club incorporated with the dance team. Blanc started the club because she had someone close to her who faced the struggle of breast cancer. She now has gone successfully in her life and even won the 30 Under 30 Forbes award in 2020. Now the dance team continues her legacy and carries on kindness to others. 

    Supporting such an important cause and doing your part in raising awareness is extremely rewarding when one can see how these donations help people’s lives, explained Crevino.

  • Prom/Grad night 2021

    The class of 2021 officially had their senior prom at Poly High School. The theme of the dance was Enchanted Forest. Since the class of 2020 didnt get to have their prom because of Covid-19, I feel like they tried to do their best at throwing a prom during a pandemic. Usually, from what I know, prom is held at a different location, instead of school, but this year prom was held in the quad. They had different activities, such as arcade games, a 360 photo station, Karaoke and of course a DJ and dance floor. They also had Chick-fil-A boxes that came with a chicken sandwich, chips, a cookie, and sauce. For those who weren’t feeling the chicken sandwich, they also served burgers and a variety of drinks. Over all I think they had many different activities considering our current situation.

  • Adventure Awaits, but First You Have to Graduate: Info for Seniors
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    Adventure Awaits, but First You Have to Graduate: Info for Seniors
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    As the school year comes to an end, Poly principal Bill Salas, head counselor Lolo Saldaña, yearbook Adviser Bretty Alexander, and Jostens’ representative Jack Nicholson recently gave some important updates for seniors! Here are some important things that the class of 2021 should keep in mind! 

     

    • Diploma Pickups! 

     

    Seniors will be able to pick up their diplomas starting on Monday, June 20th from 8am to noon at the 100 building. In order to pick up your diploma you must bring your student ID and it must be the student that picks it up. Parents are not allowed to come pick it up alone, the student MUST be there.

     

    • Final Transcripts! 

     

    You may request final transcripts via Parchment, which can be found on the Poly SchoolLoop website, on the right of the homepage and you will have to make a Parchment account, if not done yet . If done early before the end of the school year, you must place a hold on your request so it will not be sent out until the final transcripts are ready. Parchment is a free service for students while still in high school but will cost 10 dollars per transcript if you decide to do this after August. 

     

    Parchment link:

    https://www.parchment.com/u/registration/6253/account?CFID=121600781&CFTOKEN=de5174c5bcab930d-6122BEC5-FE65-D142-853FF827B8B69D4D

     

    • 2021 Yearbook Updates!

     

    Yearbooks will cost 100 dollars. You may purchase the yearbook at the banker’s office located at the 100 building, and it can also be found on the banker’s online store on SchoolLoop. According to teacher Brett Alexander, who is the adviser for yearbook, links will eventually be provided on Canvas. Mr. Alexander also mentioned that sales may be closing around April 25-May 1, although that is not final.

     

    Purchase your yearbook here :

     

    https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/productBrowse/1004920/Long-Beach-Polytechnic-High-School/2021-Yearbook/2020092404215019354/CATALOG_SHOP/

     

    • Update on Purchasing Cap & Gowns from Jostens!

     

    If you decide to purchase a class of 2021 ring on Jostens.com, Jostens will pay for your cap and gown for you! You may set an appointment for ring sizing by calling the number (714) 751-0260. 

    You can make your purchases using this link: https://www.jostens.com/graduation/high-school/high-school-products-graduation

     

    • Celebrating Senior Accomplishments!

     

    Mr. and Mrs. Jackrabbit Pageant will be held on May 21! (Dates may change depending on LB health department) 

     

    Prom/ Grad Night – 

    A “senior celebration night” – a sort of Prom and Grad Night combined – is planned to be at Poly on June 5th starting at 6pm.

     

    Graduation Ceremony –

    Dates for graduation will be announced soon with locations, dates, and times. This should be finalized within a few weeks. It is still going to be be discussed with the health department in order to do it safely. The graduation ceremony is planned to be an IN-PERSON graduation with Covid safety protocol. You MUST be cleared  to participate in the ceremony and clearance will be provided via Canvas, School messenger, and Poly’s webpage. 

     

  • Students Struggle with Screen Time, Home Environments During Virtual Learning

    Long Beach Unified School District students have different opinions when talking about virtual learning. 

    Ever since the pandemic shut down all the schools on March 13, students have been learning through virtual classes. Learning at home through the computer was a new environment that not all were ready or prepared for, and not all had reliable resources that could help with their efficiency in class.

    Along with that, not many are comfortable with staring at a screen all day. 

    Devean Ruiz, a 10th grade CIC student at Poly High School, discussed his experience with the new way of learning for this semester. 

    “I’m in class for about six hours every weekday, having heaps of online homework which really strains my eyes,” he said. 

    Staring at a screen all day can damage your eyes if you don’t take enough breaks in between. Your sight can become blurry, and with time your vision won’t be what it used to be. 

    In addition, having large families with siblings who are also learning through virtual learning can intervene with being able to focus in class. Andrea Moreno Sanchez, a 10th grader at Woodrow Wilson Classical High School, and 10th grade Sasha Martin-Flores at Poly High School agree that their families have gotten in the way of their learning environment.

    “My family gets in the way, cause they always distract, and sometimes I can’t focus,” Moreno said.

    In a similar situation, Martin-Flores spoke about her problems with focusing in class. 

    “Background noise,” Martin-Flores said, “siblings needing help and needing to use the restroom but they won’t let us turn off the camera to do so.” 

    It isn’t always easy to focus on important work when things like your small siblings are crying or if your parents are cooking. This is one of the biggest problems that most students have when learning virtually.  

    When asked about how they would react to finding out if next semester was also virtual, about 60% of the interviewed students claimed that they would be very upset while the other students stated that they didn’t feel much for it. 

    One of the students who would be upset is Jessica Diaz, a 10th grader at Poly High School. She looks forward to school because she feels more focused at school rather than her own home. 

    However, one student who feels natural about having online classes next semester is Jenelle Macapaz, a 10th grader at Poly High School in the Justice Academy. 

    Macapaz said, “I would understand. I wish it was over because other people aren’t in a good environment.” 

    She agrees that we should stay safe and remain distant if we need to be but she also believes that it can have a bad effect because some kids aren’t in a healthy place.  

    According to the official City of Long Beach website, there are have been 13,511 Covid-19 cases in Long Beach. LBUSD is hoping to reopen schools on January 28th, at the beginning of the second semester, if there are no sudden spikes in Covid-19. 

     

  • Students, Teachers, Parents All Affected by Virtual Learning

    In California, the COVID-19 outbreak has racked up to over 946,000 cases in total, with Los Angeles County accounting for 311,000+ cases of it. Ever since late March, students, teachers, as well as parents from all over the world have been affected by the shutdown of schools. Some have adapted normally to the internet classes, while others have formed strong opinions about virtual learning, even calling for the reopening of schools.

     112 students out of 147 total have shown a particular dislike for online schooling by voting for in-person schooling on an Instagram poll that asked whether they preferred online or in-person schooling more. 

    Marina Ejercito, a sophomore PACE student at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, is one of the many affected students. Ejercito said, “Online working does have things praisable about it, such as being able to work at my own pace. But I believe that online school has more disadvantages than advantages.” 

    The question is, why do these students find online learning dislikeable? The answers are varied, but numerous students have reported that they have long school hours, plentiful workloads, and poor connectivity during their time in online schooling. 

    For some high school students in Long Beach, their classes usually start at around 7:50 and end at 2:40, which is in total a 6-hour school day. It is nothing different than the schedule they would have if they were still in an actual school, however, the major problem is the time spent staring at a digital screen. The website newsroom.osfhealthcare.org states that kids from ages 5-17 should only spend a maximum of two hours per day staring at the screen. From this, it is obvious that teens and young kids already spend at least 4 hours more than the daily recommendation, but it is not accounting the time spent on online homework or their phones once the classes are over.

    Andrew Navarrete, a tenth grader at Cabrillo High School shares his thoughts on the long school hours. “Some of us don’t have the patience to stare at a screen for more than six hours breaking our backs. It’s physically draining, making me more and more tired,” Navarrete said.

    Though there are guaranteed breaks in between their classes, like lunch and nutrition period, having more than six hours of screen time per day, every week, can lead up to health complications like eye-straining, headaches, and back pains (from poor posture). 

    Online school has shown that not only is it physically exhausting for students but also mentally. Alyssa Savath, a tenth grader JUSTICE student at Poly High School said, “My mental health sucks. I mean, it’s been like that for a while, but online classes made it worse.” Tenth grade CIC student Miles Salas shared that his virtual learning experience is “stressful” due to the number of assignments piling up.

    Students have been feeling not only stressed due to school but lonely from the lack of human interaction. According to the CDC, approximately 4.4 million children ages 3-17 have diagnosed anxiety while approximately 1.9 million (of the same age range) have diagnosed depression.

     Having a poor work environment that disrupts the students’ learning makes it even harder for them as not all of them have a quiet background or a stable connection during the call. This is probably one of the factors as to why some students do not like to have their cameras on for class. Felix Oukh, a Poly MEDS tenth grader said, “I don’t like having to stare at myself and being uncomfortable about backgrounds and then getting kicked out because I didn’t turn on my camera or leave it on, which is quite stupid.” 

    Although it can be an irritation for some students to keep their cameras on, some teachers find that seeing their students’ faces can be quite helpful when teaching the class. 

    Dr. Amy Stuht, a Poly English teacher said that although she is thankful that working from home keeps her and her husband safe from COVID-19, she understands that not all students are comfortable with showing their faces. However, she is worried that she might not be able to connect the voices and the names to the faces of the students in her class when school starts to reopen. Being able to see her students’ faces also gives her indications on whether or not her lesson is understandable to them. 

    The circumstances and experiences of of virtual learning differ not only between occupation, but also between age groups. Donna Jonas, a stay-at-home mother of four (ages 10, 9, 5, and 1), has three of her kids enrolled in online classes. She says that although they have adapted well to online learning, it put more on her plate as her schedule went from doing the basic chores to also helping her kids prepare for their classes. While she finds it great that her kids are with her at their home, she believes that students should be able to learn at school. 

    Because of the ongoing crisis of the pandemic, online learning has shown that it severely hinders many students’ ability to learn. Students such as Justine Erana, a senior at Bellflower High School, is one of the many who wishes to go back to in-person school. She likes how virtual learning is at her own pace, but she finds that opening school is more beneficial as it would help students retain information and the motivation to learn more efficiently. 

    “I wish that teachers could record their lectures and upload them to Google Classroom for students to view later if they didn’t understand the lesson,” Erana said in response to virtual classes. 

    Students, teachers, and parents alike have expressed the same concern about going back to in-person school. In response to this, the Long Beach Unified School District had put up a statement letting residents know that online schooling is only temporary. Despite the actual return date being uncertain, staff and students may eventually be able to go back to school at some point during this school year, but with strict regulations to follow that adheres to COVID-19 safety.