Category: News

  • Poly Debate Headed to State

    Poly Debate Headed to State

    The Poly High debate team participated in a Congress legislation debate. The event was held at Schurr High School in Montebello, CA on Saturday, Mar. 7.

    “Besides the fact that one of our participants got sick in the third round, everything was great!” said speech and debate coach Brett Alexander.

    Eighteen schools participated in the debate. Poly walked away with several great performances, but none quite like that of senior Elijah Saucedo. Saucedo finished in 7th place out of 48 participants.

    The top 9 finalists qualify for State Championships. Saucedo has been a finalist in all 3 of Poly’s League tournaments this year, finishing with the highest cumulative score in the final rounds.

    “He had been doing great thus far in the season, so I pretty much expected him to do really well [in this debate],” said Alexander. Saucedo delivered an enthusiastic debate focusing on illegal immigration, no-knock search warrants, three-parent children and international environmental policy.

    In order to prepare for the debate, Poly’s team rehearses their introductions and as well as the various elements of their topic prior to the competition. This helps to build confidence and readiness for the opponent’s potential arguments and counterarguments.

    Alexander does much in the way of preparing his team, from questioning their defense points to giving tips on public speaking and communication skills. Saucedo had more to emphasize on his performance and handling his nerves.

    “I try not to get too nervous,” said Saucedo. “In terms of performance, I felt like I did well enough to deprive my opponents of sleep!”

    The state tournament, Poly’s most important debate of the year, will be held from April 17-19 at Vista Murrieta High School in Murrieta Valley near Temecula.

  • Econ’s VITA Project In Full Swing

    Poly’s VITA program undergoes its busiest times as the 2015 tax return season comes to an end.

    VITA, short for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, is an IRS- backed school program that allows people of lower-income (up to $58,000) to get their taxes done for free by student volunteers.

    The program was originally established 15 years ago but made its way to Poly 3 years ago with the help of teacher Daniel Adler and student Jamie Gracie.

    The program is held on Mondays and Fridays from 3:00- 5:00 and Saturday mornings in the Hicks Gallery.

    Interested parties must book appointments either by phone or on their official website http://lbpolyvita.weebly.com/. Volunteers are taught how to file federal and state income tax returns either through an online training program or classes by Mr. Adler.

    “It does take time to learn [the process of filing tax returns], but I’m glad to be able to provide such a valuable service,” said Nathan Bousfield, a student who participates in VITA.

    VITA has been a successful endeavor. With an average of 15 returns filed per day, Poly’s VITA has completed over 300 returns this year so far, greatly surpassing last year’s total of about 200 returns.

    VITA usually ends with the IRS tax filing deadline (which is April 15 for this year) but this year’s early Spring Break may force the program to close prematurely on March 28.

    Adler has plans for VITA to be more expansive, with the introduction of a dedicated app and the integration of the Affordable Care Act into the program.

    “I think [the VITA program] is the perfect combination of community service and education because the students learn so much and the community benefits from taxes done right,” said Adler.

  • One Big Deed For Senior Jackrabbits

    This year, one of Poly’s own on-campus clubs, “One Big Deed” is setting out to conquer not just one but several big deeds. In order to show their compassion towards the Poly community and to take advantage of an opportunity to help, the “One Big Deed” club plans to raise enough money through fundraising, donations, etc. to be able to pay for deserving seniors’ final high school year events. These will include cap and gown payments, grad night tickets, yearbooks, and prom. “We reach out to seniors who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford all these things in their senior year,” said president of the “One Big Deed” club, Destin Bigsby. School counselors will recommend which of their seniors are eligible and in need of the financial assistance the club will offer. This way, many students will be able to fully enjoy their senior year with less of a financial burden on themselves and their families. Once recommended by their counselor, the recipients are asked to write an essay as a form, or an “application”. “One Big Deed” will be notify tthese respective seniors later on this year. The club doesn’t aim to assist seniors at Poly exclusively; “One Big Deed” reaches out to all the other schools in the Long Beach District. “Last year we chose seniors from all over the Long Beach community,” said Bigsby. “One Big Deed” is hoping to take it even further this year by fundraising much more through busniesses to be able to pay for even more seniors this year, in addition to going around our local areas asking for donations.” “One Big Deed” is making rapid progress, and accomplishing not just one but many big good deeds to be able to give students in Long Beach a memorable senior year experience.

  • Jackrabbit News Brief

    Obama Vetoes Keystone Pipeline This Tuesday President Obama vetoed a bill that would have permitted construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. Supporters of the bill believed it would spur economic growth and job creation. Its opponents claimed it would contribute to global warming. Estimates of the quantity of jobs and carbon emissions produced by the pipeline vary radically. Because of this, the fight over the Keystone XL Pipeline has become largely symbolic. The bill passed the Republican-controlled Congress with some support from Midwestern Democrats. However, it is unlikely that Republicans in Congress will find the two-thirds majority necessary to override Obama’s veto. Republican attention now shifts to including the Keystone Pipeline legislation in a larger bill, making a Presidential veto less likely. Greece and Eurozone Strike Short-Term Deal Finance ministers from the Eurozone have agreed to the reform measures proposed by Greece in exchange for a four-month extension on its bailout. Greece has been considered to be on the verge of economic collapse for the better part of a decade now, suffering greatly from the 2008 worldwide financial crisis. Largely because of this, the left-wing Syriza party was elected, and became the dominant political force in Greece. Previous negotiations came close to a full Greek exit from the Eurozone, as neither party could resolve their differences. In that event Greece would no longer circulate the Euro and instead revert to a national currency. Both Greece and the Eurozone see this short-term deal as a step towards a larger agreement that could prevent a Greek exit, but both sides insist there is more negotiation to be done. It remains to be seen how Greece and the Eurozone will resolve the economic crises.

  • MUN Takes Nation’s Capital

    MUN Takes Nation’s Capital

    From Wednesday Feb. 11 to Sunday Feb. 15, twelve members of Poly’s Model United Nations club traveled to Washington D.C. for the North American Invitational Model United Nations (NAIMUN). During their trip, students were able to visit the capital, see the White House, House of Representatives, and Senate buildings, as well as meet California’s 47th congressional district representative Alan Lowenthal. The trip took students to several other national landmarks around D.C. and gave them a chance to experience “government in action,” said senior Julia Jaynes, president of MUN. The trip itself was arranged and coordinated by Jaynes, who kept in contact with NAIMUN, the organization the sponsored the visit, and helped with scheduling. “I wanted to make sure we got to have an awesome trip, especially for the seniors [in MUN],” said Jaynes. Mr. Adler, the club advisor and chaperone, also accompanied the group. While Poly did not win their overall bracket, there were several students recognized for their ability during the invitational. Seniors Nate Bousfield, Asa Mazor-Freedman, Christian Mesa, and Nick Elliott received awards for their achievements in the invitationl. Bousfield and Mazor-Freedman received commendations while Mesa and Elliott recieved recognition as outstanding delegates. This trip marks one first of many that the MUN club hopes to take in years to come.

    MUN 2

  • Poly Returns To Library Conference for 100th Anniversary

    The 100th annual California State Library Conference took place at the San Francisco Airport Hyatt Regency Hotel from February 5th to February 8th. The focus of the conference is to share methods and ideas to improve school curriculum and performance. Poly has always maintained a strong presence at the annual event dating back to the first meeting in 1915. Violet Gersham, Poly’s librarian in 1915, was one of the original 33 school librarians throughout the entire state of California to attend. This year’s conference opened with a speech from Michelle Luhtala, the department chair of New Canaan High School Library. From then, the over 600 librarians in attendance partook in various educational lectures and demonstrations. A total of 66 sessions, ranging from integrating common core into school curriculum to speeches from famous authors and politicians, such as former Arizona governor Bob Wise, were available to the attendees. Mrs. Oehlman was Poly’s representative for the event. She, along with 8 other librarians from the LBUSD, attended all 66 sessions and traded notes. One particular presentation that stood out to Mrs. Oehlman was the student response system, “Kahoot!”. Kahoot! lets teachers evaluate students through questions given on students’ personal smartphones. Mrs. Oehlman says, “It was so neat to me that Violet Gersham went to the first conference 100 years ago, and now I got to go. I feel so honored to be able to carry Poly’s legacy and continue the fight for our students’ education.”

  • ASB Plans Inaugural Spring Formal

    ASB Plans Inaugural Spring Formal

    ASB picOn Thursday April 2, Poly will host its first annual Spring Formal. This year’s theme is “A Night On the Red Carpet”. The dance will take place from from 8 to 11 PM at the Old Ranch Country Club in Seal Beach. Although the formal is scheduled for a Thursday evening, school will not be in session the next day. “Because seniors have prom, we noticed that there wasn’t really a formal dance for underclassmen,” Junior Class President Emily Ngov said. The responsibility of decorating, planning, and making decisions has been appointed solely to the Junior Senate. At the event, Student Commission will provide a variety of treats and activities for guests. There will be appetizers and refreshments served throughout the night, including smoked chicken, beef skewers, veggie egg rolls, and even a gelato station. DJ Sayso will be turning the tables, playing songs of all music genres, encouraging guests to dance along. For those who prefer to avoid the dancefloor, Sanford Studios will be taking pictures of the guests at a free photo area. “In order to buy a ticket, students will have to fill out a form to get cleared by the banker and the book room,” said junior Kelly Chap. The dance extends an invititation to students outside Poly as well. If people who do not attend Poly wish to come, they must be under 21 and fill out a separate form to buy a ticket, which will be available in the activities office. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale starting Tuesday March 10. Students are advised to purchase tickets from the banker as early as possible as ticket prices will rise each week. Between March 10 and March 13, tickets will only be $40. However, they will cost $45 from March 17 to March 20 and $50 from March 23 to March 26. They will cost $60 from March 30 to April 2, so students should not wait until the last week of sales, as there are also a limited number of tickets that will be sold. Student Commission has invested significant effort and enthusiams in this year’s Spring Formal, and expects that it will be enjoyable and momorable for all who attend.ASB picASB pic

  • 2015 Jackrabbit Pageant: Hares and Heiresses

    2015 Jackrabbit Pageant: Hares and Heiresses

     

  • Don Norford Welcomed into Hall of Fame

    The legendary football player Don Norford was inducted into the CIF-SS Hall of Fame on Oct. 23. He is well-known for the numerous CIF-SS and CIF state titles he’s won for Poly and has been named by ESPN as the top high school coach in the nation for football and track.

    No other coaches have accomplished this feat, making the nomination all the more significant.

    “I really hold this award close to my heart,” said Norford. Throughout his career, Norford has mentored many kids, many of whom have gone on to have successful athletic careers. One of the famous athletes mentored by Norford is Willie McGinest, who has gone on to win 3 Super Bowl rings, as well as Mark Carrier, who was named the NFL’s Rookie of the Year.

    Some of the kids mentored by Norford actually lived under his care. He made sure to give them with the attention and support that they needed.

    “[Mentoring is] really important for the kids, and you’ve got to show that you love them,” said Norford. “Don’t coach if you don’t love kids.”

    When coaching, Norford tries to show student athletes the same respect and encouragement that he would for his own children, being consistent in his encouragement and persistent with them in their athletic pursuits.

    “Along with the support for them comes the desire to do anything you can to make the kids succeed,” said Norford.

    His goal in mentoring and coaching is to build relationships that will be meaningful beyond a child’s athletic career. Norford aims to instill values that will follow his players off the field, or track, as well. The wisdom and understanding that Norford imparts on them, which he hopes they pass on for generations, characterizes his mindset when coaching.

    “[In coaching], it’s not necessarily about a man’s wisdom but God’s wisdom,” said Norford.

    This wisdom certainly served Norford well in his own athletic career, as well as the true track race that he continues to grind upon today. Successful in every which way, Don Norford can celebrate his induction into the CIF-SS Hall of Fame with pride.

    Editor’s note:  This article was mistakenly attributed to Maria Palaroan in the print version of this story.  We apologize for the error.

  • PACE Seniors Selected As National Merit Semifinalists

    Seniors Sihyun Ahn and Lily Seitelman were announced as 2015 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists this month.

    In this highly coveted recognition, Ahn and Seitelman are only two out of about 16,000 semifinalists.

    Over 1.4 million juniors took the PSAT, putting Ahn and Seitelman in the top one percent of the highest scoring juniors in the nation.

    However, there will only be 15,000 finalists out of the 1.4 million that applied.

    Because of their high scores, Ahn and Seitelman are eligible for college scholarships.

    Assuming Ahn and Seitelman are named finalists, they will be considered for thousands of scholarships that are estimated to be worth around $33 million.

    “All finalists are considered for a single-payment scholarship for $2500, and there are other, more specialized scholarships only available through NMS. They try to match [scholarships] to a dream school you name in the application,” said Ahn.

    With that kind of opportunity, Ahn and Seitelman could get a vast amount of funding for any college they want to attend.

    “Being a finalist would give me the opportunity to help pay for some of my college expenses. I’d appreciate the chance to contribute in this way,” said Seitelman.

    New finalists are named each year and become eligible through PSAT scores. Rising sophomores and juniors should study for the SAT and take the practice SAT in order to qualify.

  • Jackrabbits Take Home Gold in ACT-SO Competition

    Ten students from LBUSD earned gold medals in this year’s Afro-Academic Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO). Seven out of those ten were Poly students.

    Poly’s seven winners include senior Krystal Ball in the short story category, senior Neyah Barbee in the drawing category, Poly alumni Nia Barbee in the categories of instrumental music and classical poetry, senior Kandise Le Blanc in vocal classical and contemporary music, senior Zori Ray in entrepreneurship, senior Monica Rodriguez in painting, and senior Amber Russell in instrumental contemporary music.

    The ACT-SO is a program in which African American high school students work with mentors over the course of a year to promote and experience high academic and cultural achievement. During this enrichment program, each student creates a project that becomes eligible to win a medal in one of 25 artistic or academic categories.

    ACT-SO participants are empowered and enriched with opportunities to attend workshops, tutorials, and field trips. The competition provides valuable skills that are applicable beyond ACT-SO.

    The competition’s ten gold medalists have displayed their hard work on a local level, but will take it one step further by entering their projects into the National ACT-SO Competition next July at the Annual NAACP Convention.

    “I’ve been participating in ACTSO for 3 years now and it’s really become a highlight of my time in high school. I get to travel with my friends to compete for art and English, my two favorite subjects. Not only is it fun, but I also know that it is going to help me in the future. I get better at my crafts and get to know other kids across the country who are striving to do the same. I would recommend it to everyone I know,” said Barbee.

    Any high school student of African descent who is an amateur in any of the 25 competition categories is encouraged to join ACT-SO. Applications are available online at www.actso.org/howtoapply.shtml.

  • Student App Takes House of Representatives

    A smartphone app designed by junior Stephan Kaminsky won the 2014 Congressional Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Academic Competition, or the “House App Challenge.” Kaminksy created his nucleic converter app specifically for the competition.

    The House of Representatives website describes the challenge as “…designed to engage students’ creativity and… allow high school students from across the country to compete by creating and exhibiting their software…on a platform of their choice”.

    This is the first year the competition has been in place; there were 26 winners in California. Kaminsky won in California’s 47th district, which spans Long Beach and Orange County. Kaminsky’s app was submitted to the district representative, Alan Lowenthal, and was reviewed prior to a selection by a panel of experts.

    “I thought maybe I could make an app to help build strands or help find restriction sites, because that can be a pain,” said Kaminsky.

    Kaminsky became interested in programming from videogames like “Minecraft”. He enjoys the problem solving involved in creating and maintaining apps, and he’s even made some for his personal computer. “[Programming] is fun because it’s amazing to see what you can do with just a few words,” said Kaminsky.