On September 23, Principal William Salas sent out an e-mail informing the Poly community that JUSTICE would no longer be a pathway.
Due to a recent decrease in school enrollment throughout the district, administration was faced with the task of eliminating one of the seven pathways. Initial discussions began in April, and on June 19, the Instruction Leadership Team (ILT) (consisting of the principal and assistant principal, department heads, pathway lead teachers and counselors), held a meeting where they collected and analyzed data regarding each pathway.
After months of deliberation, on September 4, it was collectively decided that the JUSTICE pathway would be discontinued. The remaining issue was what to do with the current JUSTICE students.
JUSTICE teachers were faced with two options: they could keep the amount of students they already had or disperse them into other pathways.
The latter option was chosen as it would give the students an opportunity to finish their high school career in the pathway they started in. It would also be unfair and more complicated to disperse them at this point.
While the decision may not affect students academically (as they will suffer no changes in their course of study), JUSTICE faculty fear a great asset is being taken away.
“Justice is the only pathway that highlighted and showcased injustice,” said history teacher Michael Tinsley, who believes it important for youth to have a venue for awareness.
Pathway lead teacher Daryl Holmlund also believes it is unfortunate that students and teachers are losing this resource.
“Some teachers were very passionate about the social justice element of the program and I’m disappointed for them,” said Holmlund, “but also for the students who wanted to be in the pathway and are no longer able to.”
Students chose JUSTICE because it reflected their passion and interests, so they find it unfair that others will not be able to have that same experience.
“It’s unfair because a lot of people who were interested in law won’t be able to get this foundation for college,” Mireya Delgado, a JUSTICE senior, said.
“If students are interested in social justice or being an activist,” said JUSTICE freshman Isaac Betancourt, “they should be able to come to Poly and be part of a pathway that supports that.”
English teacher Amy Stuht understands the concerns this decision creates, but prefers to maintain a positive outlook.
Stuht said, “This decision does not mean the death of JUSTICE aspirations, but only the closing of an organized pathway.”
JUSTICE will no longer be accepting incoming freshmen, and will transition out over the next four years. In the meantime, current JUSTICE students will continue to take advantage of what the pathway has to offer.
Category: News
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Poly to Eliminate Justice Pathway
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College and Career Center Wants You!
After a seemingly short and hot summer, school is finally up and running with the new 2019-2020 school year. Class of 2020 is now focusing on school, college, and life after school. What colleges do you want to go to? Are you having trouble figuring out how to start applying for colleges and/or financial aid? The College and Career Center has various resources and guides to help you with college and life after graduating.
Throughout first semester, college reps will be visiting to give information about the colleges you may be planning to attend. You can visit the college and career center to sign up for view the dates that colleges will be visiting. For each visit, you must sign up prior to the fate of the visit. You must also have a pass to attend the visit unless you are unscheduled. During unscheduled periods, you may attend a visit without a pass but you do need to sign up and bring your student ID.
Along with College Rep Visits, the college and career center will be holding different workshops to prepare you for applying to colleges and financial aid. On September 19th, there was a Financial Aid workshop at 5:30pm. On September 30th, there was a First Generation College Student Workshop for first generation college students during 7th period. Also, on October 1st, 2019, FAFSA, California Dream Act, Community College, and Cal State Applications will be open!
Visit the College and Career Center for more information on applications, help, scholarships, and resources. Also meet the new college advisors! Stay tuned for more info! -
New Clubs at Club Rush
Introducing Big/Little Club
With the start of the new school year comes new clubs and new students, welcome freshmen! What better way to welcome our new freshmen into Poly other than having a club that is made to help freshmen feel apart of this new community. The Big/Little program is paired up with Poly PACE seniors and is designed to support freshmen as they transition into the high school environment while also learning about Poly.
Each senior involved is paired with a freshman based on similar interests or where they went to middle school. Every month they will meet and share tips about time management and other strategies to be successful in high school. This program not only helps freshmen get acquainted with the Poly climate, it also encourages bonds to form and creates friendships. The Big/Little program was first thought of by Poly PACE senior, Kaelyn Moses, in 2019 as a way to guide freshmen smoothly into the PACE program. Freshman year can be challenging in the way that it is a new place with lots of more people and more responsibilities. With the academic pressure and the need for quick adaptation into freshman year, this program can help reduce stress for a more enjoyable start to high school.
Welcoming FIDM
Introducing the new FIDM Fashion Club sponsored by FIDM LA is a new club this year at Poly Highschool. President Hannah Jara, junior, and Co-President, Jailyn Lewis, senior, are bringing this club to Poly to highlight the talent and diversity present within the Poly population. The FIDM Fashion Club will feature various workshops to help students perfect their craft whether it be in texiles, styling, drawing etc. There will also be a field trip to the Debut FIDM LA Fashion Show in April! Students who become members in the FIDM Fashion Club will be rewarded renweable scholarship money if they choose toi attend FIDM. Meetings are in Room 309 on Fridays during lunch. Hope to see you there!
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New Admin, Who Dis?
This school year at Long Beach Poly High School, there have been quite a few adjustments thrown around the school which highly contrasts it from previous years. High schools have switched from two principals, to one principal on site. They have gone from Co-principals (two principals) to one principal at each high school. In other words, this change has not only impacted Poly, but it had also affected all other Long Beach Unified School District high schools as well. The difference between this year and last is that the position of vice principal opened just now. Last year, our head administration consisted of co-principals Mr. Bill Salas and Mr. Quentin Brown, meanwhile the leadership arrangement at Poly now consists of our principal, Mr. Salas, vice principal, Mr. Brown, and 3 assistant principals.
Of course along with change come impacts. There have been several people who have been affected by this change. However the main people would be the lead administration. As Mr. Salas stated, “there is definitely a sense of more responsibility for the principal”. He also mentions how there has been a change in communication. Now teachers and other staff members among the community, can now go to the one person as opposed to who is in charge of taking care of certain areas of the school.
Overall, this has not necessarily been a good or bad change to the school or the people of the school. Instead it can be seen as a change that can help these administrators learn to navigate and be able to handle as well as manage themselves through a new experience. It’s also beneficial that there’ll only be one person whom the staff members can go to if they need help rather than two separate ones because it’ll make it easier for them to look for and go to that one person.
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Late To Class? Get a Pass
Attention all Poly students! This is a quick reminder that you must be in class before the tardy bell rings. Teachers, please remember to close your doors…
If you’ve been paying attention to the intercom for the past two weeks, then you’ve surely heard this or a similar announcement.
Constant announcements after the bell rings for passing period is just one aspect of Poly’s new tardy policy.Having taken effect at the beginning of the school year, the policy intends to reduce the amount of tardies throughout campus. Tardiness has been a problem at Poly, with over 80,000 tardies just last year. This is the main reason the policy was created.
The policy consists of the usual two minute bell during which staff members encourage students to get to class. Once the final bell rings, teachers are expected to shut their doors and not let anyone else in. If you are unable to make it to class on time then you will need to find a staff member around campus who can give you a tardy pass.
If the policy is not followed, consequences can be expected. A student with three or more tardies is assigned lunch detention. If the amount of tardies goes up to six then the consequence will be after school detention.
The team in charge of creating and enforcing this new policy is the Safe and Civil Committee led by new Assistant Principal Shannon Young. According to Young, teachers presented the information that the amount of people coming into class late can become a distraction and disturb teaching.
The results are already apparent as the amount of tardies has been reduced by 33% over the same time period last year, according to Young. Students are visibly more hurried to get to class and areas which were previously known for loitering are now clear.
Periods 1 and 2 however, continue to be the periods with most tardies. Young is not discouraged by this information.“We are hoping that as we continue to enforce and utilize our progressive discipline,” said Young, “we continue to see a reduction in periods 1 and 2.”
Teachers and students views on the other hand, differ. Students believe the policy could be more understanding.
“Instead of punitive repercussions, they could offer incentives as encouragement instead,” said MEDS Academy senior Kerah Hunter.“They should be more lenient,” said Brooke Coleman, a junior in BEACH Academy. Coleman points out the diversity of students who attend Poly and who might live farther away, “The school doesn’t understand the struggles of getting to school on time.”
The unequal distribution of punishment among students, is one of the concerns of English teacher and Softball coach, Elizabeth Sanches. Sanches said there needed to be a balance between the consequences for a student who is a few minutes late compared to the one who is 40 minutes late.
“To punish them both in the same manner doesn’t seem fair,” said Sanches. Regardless, she believes that after the tardy mess of last year, the policy is necessary.
English teacher, Kerry Boyd, also agrees it is necessary. “Students have been more motivated to get to class on time, especially compared to last year,” said Boyd.
Poly’s new tardy policy will continue to be in effect throughout the school year. Administration hopes to successfully continue reducing the amount of tardies and create a balanced environment for teaching and learning.
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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.
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Hooligans Break into Campus
On Sunday, May 19, an unknown number of people snuck onto campus and broke into six classrooms in the 300 and 400 buildings, the weight room, the locker rooms, and three coaches’ offices. Some items were stolen, and other rooms were only vandalized.
The crime is still classified as an ongoing investigation by the LBPD. so Poly principal William Salas was not able to completely share all the details of the event (such as how exactly the suspects broke into the locked rooms and what items were stolen) because spreading that information could affect the investigation.
However, he did say that none of the gates were open on Sunday, so the suspects most likely climbed a fence to get on campus.
He couldn’t say exactly how they got into the locked classrooms and offices, but they definitely did not use a key.
The school is equipped with silent alarms and numerous video cameras, security measures to help deter these kinds of crimes from happening and to catch people who do commit them.
When asked if there’s anything he’d like people to know in regards to these breaks-ins, Salas stated, “The campus is well-secured. There
are safety measures in place that will help us apprehend whoever’s responsible.”
Out of the six classrooms that were broken into, according to administration, the one that got the worst of it was Sarah Schol, 10th grade PACE English teacher and club sponsor for Female Leadership Academy. Schol has stated that the suspects probably “came in through the window.”
They then proceeded to kick over everything they could and “destroyed one of [her] metal filing cabinets by walking on top of it.”
When describing the shambles her room was in, she said, “They took all the food that was in the refrigerator and… decorated my floor with protein shakes, salad dressing, cookies… They opened up my FLA file drawer and poured liquid into all the drawers and destroyed a lot of the items donated to Female Leadership… They crumpled papers up and threw paper everywhere… They destroyed student projects by stepping on them, ripping them apart, breaking them… They did a lot. I’m leaving a lot of stuff out; they ripped stuff off the walls. It was devastating.” The suspects also stole a number of items from the class.
Schol was not at school the Monday after the vandalism had occurred; the substitute for her class called her to inform her that the classroom had been vandalized and sent her pictures.
“It was frustrating because I wished I’d received more updates about what was happening. You feel powerless already when you’ve been victimized and violated, but to be kept out of communication just amplifies that feeling… It really hurts.”
DeAngelo Moss, the boys’ locker room attendant, said that the vandals stole items such as skateboards and shoes from lockers that students had left unlocked.
The vandals left a mess everywhere, having thrown clothes and other trash all over the floor. They also broke into the office in the locker room, went through all the drawers, and threw a bunch of papers around.
The Sunday before these vandalisms had occurred, on May 12, someone had graffitied profanity and slurs onto the benches in the batting cage, however it is unknown if this event is related to the vandalisms that occured on May 19.
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Long Beach Celebrates Bike Month
Ab Tudayan
Senior William Frankenfeld bikes in style to and from school each day.“Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bike,” said the famous John F. Kennedy. Starting May 1st, it is Bike month, an event celebrated in Long Beach for people like John F. Kennedy who cycle for pleasure, fitness, or transportation. With the bike invention dating back to 1817, how did such a simple tool come to be?
It started with Baron Karl von Davis a servant for the Grand Duke of Germany in 1817. Baron created a fully wooden bicycle sporting iron-shod wheels. Unlike today’s bike it had no wheels and required leg movements to move. In Baron’s first recorded bike ride he accomplish 8 miles in just one hour. Now a days when using a standard road bike and going 13 mph you can ride 26 miles in two hours.
Ever since then the bicycle has evolved through the age with the addition of wheels, a different frame, and more comfortable seats, but still retaining the two wheel cycle charm it had two centuries ago.
But what are the benefits? Other than the obvious, bicycling can improve posture and coordination, joint mobil- ity, and better cardiovascular fitness.
California too celebrates this event by holding a state- wide tour of cycling called, “Tour of California,” allud- ing to the famous tour, “Tour De France.” This tour goes from Sacramento to Pasadena, a total of 771 miles over the span of six days. Professional cyclists each day ride from checkpoint to checkpoint usu- ally biking an average of 128 miles each day. After arriving at the checkpoints they rest un- til the next day repeating this cycle till they reach Pasadena. Levi Leipheimer holds three wins in this tour and is also a US champion and olympic medalists.
Long Beach was seen at the top 50 cities in the nation that are the most bike friendly plac-es, and there is no better way to celebrate the accomplishments than by hosting various events in the month of may like Ride Your Bike to School and Work as well as World Bicycle Day. Various Organizations in Long Beach came together on May 26 for the “West Long Beach Food Tour.” It was a 16 mile long event with many food stops like Gemmae Bakery, Tepechi Birrieria, and Guanabana. Sophomore extraordi- naire, Addison Pann whose recent achievements would be breaking 6 minutes in the mile during track season participated in this event stating it was a, “refreshing and fulfilling event,” going to several places eating delicious pastries along the way.
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Auditorium To Be Renamed For Retiring Music Teacher Andy Osman
Some people leave an indelible mark on everyone around them. Poly Instrumental Music Teacher Andrew Osman is one of them. Over a month ago, Osman was diagnosed with advanced stage pancreatic cancer and retired immediately to begin treatment. In his absence he left a music program in good order but at a loss for words. To understand his legacy, let’s look at the music department that he inherited and how he transformed it.
Poly has a long history of musical success since its founding in 1895. From initially rehearsing in downtown churches near 8th and Long Beach Boulevard, the program added orchestras and winning jazz bands through the middle twentieth century. However, by the early 1980s, it was in shambles due to budget cuts. These cuts resulted in a tumultuous time from 1976 to 1982, where the school had five
band directors in seven years. In the fall of 1983, Osman came, fresh out of UCLA, to a school that Poly music historian Kent Hayworth said was “in a crisis situation.” The instruments were in poor order and the musicians were mostly incapable.
Osman immediately began demanding excellence from his students and worked hard individually with them to build a strong Poly music pro- gram that lived up to its prior reputation. It is difficult to match the work of one’s predecessors, but Osman managed to do so. He surpassed it in many regards. Piano instructor Julia Gustafson, who has taught at Poly for 24 years, said that Osman is “responsible for creating the current music program.”
By the early 1990’s, the program was in its element. At a 1990s concert honoring Poly alumna opera singer Marilyn Horne, she suggested that the Poly auditorium needed a music shell. She gave a benefit concert and thus a shell was purchased that is still in use. today. The musicianship at Poly under the baton of Mr. Osman excelled and put seven lackluster years far in the past.
It was the standard that Osman’s musicians performed to the best of their ability.
Each rehearsal was expected to be productive. He had lots of well-recognized sayings for his students, including often saying,
“You all sound like high school musicians.” Mr. Osman had no interest in the tinny sounds of a high school band and worked daily to emulate a collegiate music program.
His rehearsals were rigorous, but he always supplemented his intensity with humor.
When his ensembles were playing well, he would often correct a section or individual’s performance with a phrase, such as “Was it good or was it luck?” Or a classic joke about an instrument.
Despite Osman’s directness, his warmth won over many students who regarded him highly as an educator and also liked him as a person.
His skill as a director and teacher were recognized in 2010, when he was given the prestigious “Music Educator of the Year Award” for the Long Beach, South Bay, and Orange County region.
If respect and effort are indicators of a successful career, Osman scores top marks on both accounts.
Jazz director Chris Stevens, who worked alongside Osman for 23 years, said that the retiring director “is a great friend and colleague at the same time.”
Principal William Salas said that he built a music program that “draws students from across the district” and is “nationally renowned.”
Choir director Brian Dokko said the he “put his students first” and is a “fantastic team player.”
Dokko is also primarily responsible for starting the effort to rename the Poly auditorium to The Andrew Osman Performing Arts Center through a petition with over 3300 signatures.
Senior Frank Wells described having Mr. Osman as a “privilege” and something that he’ll “cherish for the rest of his life.”
Current San Diego State University Marching Band member John Berry, Poly class of 2018, said, “You can’t look at the music programs in Long Beach without seeing Osman’s footprint.”
Alumni and parents of students or former students from across Southern California and beyond have been leaving comments on the auditorium name change petition online.
Paraskevi June, a student of Osman’s from 1986-1989, wrote that playing under Osman “enriched (her) beyond measure.”
The Poly Auditorium is set to be renamed The Andrew Osman Performing Arts Center.
There will be a renaming ceremony on June 23rd at 1-4 p.m. followed by a reception in the Quad.
Food will be available from a variety of food trucks.
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Celebration for Women
Female Leadership is acknowledging March, Women’s History Month, by hosting a celebratory tea in the school’s cafeteria on March 27th.
The party honored women who have impacted the lives of the members of Female Leadership Academy.
Each member will brought an important role model in their life and introduce them with a heartfelt speech.
These women who were invited to the tea party represent an important bond to the lives of these young women.
Some in which will influence young ladies to go far and aspire to do amazing things in the future.
Not only did the tea correlate with Women’s History Month, it was an event that promoted women empowerment and the act of doing something kind for those who have done so much for us.Sometimes a simple thank you isn’t enough and the tea provided an open space to show how women impact those around them.
Ms. Schol, the FLA sponsor, believes that “we tend to take those around us for granted, despite all the sacrifices they make.
It’s never too late to start showing your appreciation to the women in your life.”
This tea is meant to recognize the strong women that go unnoticed, to really show how their actions have inspired the future generation.
These women have taught girls how to embrace themselves, and encourage them to make outstanding legacies here at Poly and in their own futures to come.To say the least, many bittersweet tears were shed and tight
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Prom Dress Season
On April 14, Rachel Suojanen, the 1-2 Japanese teacher, hosted a Prom dress giveaway called the Prom Dress Boutique at the Jewish Foundation in Long Beach.
Students in Long Beach are given an opportunity to get a prom dress and other things that are in need of prom material.
The Boutique is designed to be organized with dressing rooms, volunteers, etc. There will be a raffle for free makeovers and other prizes.
Suojanen has partnered with the Women’s Philanthropy to make this event happen.
She also let students know around campus where and how they could donate dresses, shoes, and jewelry for the event.Dresses from multiple sources have come in and have become resourceful for the students in need of them.
The goal is to help young girls be themselves with the right sources, especially when shopping for Prom is expensive.
The committee also explained that this event is for invited guests only, so it is up to the counselors to outreach to those in need.
As well made it know to students through Schoolloop to reach out to their counselors too.
She coordinated with counselors to make sure that they recommended students who could benefit from this event.
The Boutique is to enlighten girls who are insecure about themselves, to make them feel better about themselves, their personalities, and embrace them individuality.This event will become a tradition for Long Beach to ensure that students get to have an opportunity to be themselves at prom.
