Category: News

  • Ready, Set, Play!

     

    On Thursday April 4, Friday April 5, and Saturday April 6 at 6:30 PM, the Poly Playhouse put on a play that students wrote where it brought them to life on stage.

    On Thursday April 4 at 3:00PM, staged readings were read out loud.
    This showing had 4 additional plays not included in the showings to give students the opportunity to read their plays out.
    There was a total of 7 plays performed. Your Turn, was a lighthearted comedy. Where the setting is Candyland and one of the pawns, Red, is tired of following the rules. The director/play writer for this play was Gabby Kaiser consisting of characters Richard Reed as Red and Mara Stanford as Yellow on stage.
    Full Cup, had Mika Dyo as director.

    It starts off with a Barista, played by Angelina Taylor, as she observes the kind of people who come by her shop.
    She seems to know what exactly is going on in her customers lives, new and old. And gives insight on the thoughts she has towards each of them, and their lives.
    Cast members included in this play are Bella Morales as Everlee, Aasha Mclyn as Sabrina, Brian Aguilar as Vet Joe, Dane Camacho as Adam, and Kelvin Villegas as Tom.

    In the first half there was about 4 plays performed, after a 10 minute intermission, is where the plays started to get really serious. One of these plays being Happy, Kaelah Franklin was behind the script writing and directing it.
    The play stars two cast members, Aasha McLyn as Emily and Josiah Hon as Julian.

    Two teens at age 19, living together. Julian experiences hard months with Emily, as she unravels down the spiral that is drug use.
    Franklin has stated that her inspiration is actually based off of her mom and “her struggle that she went through addiction”.
    Although the situation wasn’t exactly how it went down, it still was a bit similar as the one presented in the play.
    Franklin also knew that she wanted a “simplistic kind of play” and at first was considering doing the play in silence. Instead she opted for it to have dialogue as it’s “more powerful with words”.

    An honorable mention of one the plays, with a lot of dark humor would be The Rope to Hell, directed by none other then our High Life Staff Writer, John Henry Dy.
    Not only did he direct and write the play, but also played a part in it as well.
    His play was based on a salesman making a business selling rope, who people later then brought from him to kill themselves.
    They were pushed to the edge, by none other than the salesman himself.
    The salesman, played by Vincent Lach, was convinced by the Devil on his shoulders to get rid of the jerks of the world “for the greater good”.

    The last play performed was The Interdimensionator, with Amanda Angeles being director and also being apart of the play as her character, Nora Webb. Recurring  actors were Andy Martinez as Dr. Ed Edison, Gabe Burns as Homeless Dave, La Queen Malone as Little Girl, Ben Rifkin as Paraplegic Man, Deven Salinas as Billy Hill, Tristen Cousins as Mama, Mica Ramos as Carol.

    The play consisted of Dr. Ed Edison and how he wants to make a big accomplishment for himself and the world. Dr. Ed Edison and Nora travel to different alternative universes through a portal, and each universe gets worse. In almost all the universes Dr. Ed Edison is a failure. Pretty soon he takes his normal life for granted and returns a changed man.

    Andy Martinez said he had an “amazing time” and has a fun time making “new characters”. His inspiration for playing his character came from Doofenshmirtz and Flint Lockwood from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatball. Martinez also stated that everyone should have a chance to “experience a show”, whether it’s during their years in high school or outside of it.

    Other plays that took place during the showing was You Too, directed by Hannah Gardiner, about a date gone horribly wrong. Wishing Possible, directed by Josalynn Bass, was about an organization in charge of wishes in the children’s department, and they have a mission involving both a child and a mom.

  • $ For Our Garden

    During these few weeks ago, there have been donations made to Poly in help of supporting the school garden.
    These donations were made by an organization called Healthy Active Long Beach, which is a project that was developed in 2003 to address obesity as well as other chronic disease rates in the city of Long Beach.
    They are mainly known for the activities they host such as ReTHINK Your Drink, Kids in the Kitchen, community events, health fairs, and so much more!

    With this donation, the Healthy Active Long Beach made a partnership with the H&H Nursery, a “family-fun garden center offering a wide variety of plants”, which helped make the delivery of all the new donations to the school’s garden.
    This donation consisted of four bags of organic soil, two milkweed plants, sprouting kale, and sprouting tomatoes.
    On top of that, during the final week of March, the WASC Committee (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) came and paid a visit to Poly HIgh School’s campus. While on their visit, they took a look around the school, but one thing that caught their attention was the school garden itself.

    “During the presentation of their final finding, they gave their reports of areas of improvement and areas of strength and on their 5th slideshow, they included a big picture of our garden!!!!” said Ms. Jimenez.
    Now the school garden is officially ready to bring in the spring season because of these new donations.

  • Why Saturday School?

    Saturday school has been more of a serious matter, this school year.
    In what the purpose of saturday school serves, is for students to make up “work and also days of absences”, stated by Robert Shock.

    The range between freshman to seniors, may be considered to go.
    They’re given the opportunity to catch up and ensure that their grades will be stable.
    This could be considered a new awakening, more specifically to seniors, as if you do NOT attend saturday school and/or miss them intentionally, there is the possibility of getting your privileges taken.
    Such as graduation and maybe even certain senior activities.
    Especially since Seniors are currently going towards a path that staff is “concerned about”. And for Juniors this is a very “important year for them”. Saturday school is made to be “academic based”.

    As for if saturday school is working for students, Shock says that “those taking advantage of it” are the ones benefiting.
    They can also be given the chance to have a space to do their work as they provided chromebooks, books and whatever they need, in order to catch up.

    Saturday school is assigned through the district based on multiple absences.
    At least twice a month Saturday school is in session, and it is said May will be the last month for Saturday school.
    Shock also stated at PAAL they have saturday school almost “every saturday”.

    Many students are unsure of the consequences. The district is looking for what to do and is unsure.
    It is said that for Seniors if they miss school, especially towards the end of the semester, there will be some sort of consequences set in place.
    The purpose behind saturday school isn’t to “penalize students” but instead “try to help them”.

  • It’s Fashion Time!

    On Wednesday, April 17, Poly will be holding its first fashion show, where clothing designed by students are then modeled by other students participating.

    Jailyn Lewis, 17, decided to have her own fashion show through Long Beach sponsored by Female Leadership Academy.
    With the help of many students and teachers, Lewis was able to recruit as many as 50 models and 8 designers.
    With only 5 days to practice and get the entire show together, models and designers worked together to have each of their visions come to life.
    As director of the show, it has been pretty intimidating getting an entire fashion show together with only five 5 days to practices.
    But the energy and drive of each of the models and designers encourages Lewis to move forward.
    There were many times where there were setbacks but with the help of Sarah Schol, Jewel Jackson, Patience Randall, and Chuck Taylor, and many others who helped motivate Lewis along the way, building up confident in how the show will turn out for her.
    Unfortunately, in publicize the show in how Lewis intended for it didn’t workout as well, but would be happy if even 10 people showed up!
    The show will feature a lot of talent with singers such as Glena Canete and Robert Chim.
    With dancers including Yael Moore, Emiliano Vasquez Mendez and others. Tickets went on sale Thursday, April 11 for $5 and at the door for $10.

    Support the aspiring models, designers, and brand owners at Poly’s first fashion show hosted by Jewel Jackson and Jailyn Lewis! Thanks to FLA and Schol for sponsoring this event!

  • A Marvelous Movie Night

    On March 8, at 6:00pm, Poly Academy of Achievers and Leaders (PAAL) movie night took place.
    The movie airing was Avengers: Infinity War. As you walked onto the PAAL campus, handmade posters of characters apart of Marvel were hung, welcoming viewers.

    Before the showing of the feature film there was a tribute to Stan Lee, as he recently passed away, and showed all the cameos he made in every Marvel movie, and even shows and other features.
    Although the movie night took place at PAAL, Oyuki Rosales stated she want to “expose [PAAL] to the outside,” to Poly as they “don’t have a good connection”. Rosales wanted that to be established.

    There was a month of preparation put in place, and the decision in choosing a Marvel movie to be shown, was up to the coordinators, Rosales and Angel Ramirez, as they “love Marvel” and it was the “last movie night” of the year, especially since it would be the seniors last movie night.

  • Wellness? Check.

    Wellness Week took place between the dates of March 4-8. The purpose behind it is to promote a full week of teen health and wellness, alongside with celebrating Women’s Day.

    Throughout the week there were daily lunch activities, arts, and games, as advertised on the flyer passed out to students.
    Majority of the workshops took place at the library around 3:00-4:30 PM in the Poly Library, with the exception of Thursday and Friday.
    Thursday, March 7, being about Loving Our Partners and Community Healthy Relationships at the Teachers Lounge at 3:00-4:30 PM.
    Other workshops were surrounded around the subject of taking care of ourselves, unity amongst women, and dealing with stress/anxiety.
    Friday March 8, the 6th Annual Health and Wellness Resource Fair, presented by Khmer Girls in Action, took place in the Quad from 10:00-11:30 AM.

    Some teachers took their students earlier out of class, to get an opportunity to check out the different tables and what they had to offer.
    There were about 65 organizations present.

    There was a table explaining about stress and providing interactive activities such as asking in what ways does one cope with stress and a paper given with what kind of emotion your feeling and where you feel it.

    Afterwards students would then throw that paper into the trash and if you made it in, you would get a prize.
    And if not, students were still given a bubble wrap to pop attached with coping skills, good and bad, in order to see the difference and develop better ones.

  • Banker Blues

    Banker Blues

    With the AP test payment storm now complete, many Poly students have now interacted with the new banker, Lynne Amyx.
    For the past few years, Poly students have faced what seems like an ever-changing banker and system.
    It has confused many students and done little to assuage potential concerns about the organization of the high school’s financial system.
    According to Brett Alexander, Yearbook and Speech and Debate teacher, Poly was “spoiled” by the previous banker, Lovinia Ilog.
    Ilog worked as a banker at Poly for over 25 years, and had an efficient approach honed by years of experience working with the system.
    She was a “well-oiled machine” as described by Alexander and many students.

    After she left about a year and a half ago, the Poly community got a new banker by the name of Andrea Sanchez.
    Sanchez was enthusiastic but “notoriously slow” according to sophomore Jason White.
    Her hiring came at a time of a transition in Poly’s banking system from paper-based to electronic.
    This transition proved difficult for her, which may have partially caused the long lines to pay for dance tickets and AP tests that plagued the school last year.

    Several people said that at one point Sanchez left a vendor payment check for around $30,000 unsent, and it was found later on the bottom or a pile of papers.

    In addition, she also failed to deposit over $200 in personal checks that were intended for an academic program.
    Sanchez applied for a position at Wilson High School and was hired, leaving Poly.
    Alexander believes that this was largely due to better alleged opportunities at Wilson than at Poly.
    With the new electronic banking system well in place, new banker Amyx is well-positioned to succeed at Poly.
    It is in the high school’s best interest to have a well-organized and thorough banker to keep the school and students in good fiscal order.

     

    Update: A previous version of this article stated that Sanchez was transferred, however she applied for the transfer, interviewed, and it was approved.

  • 2019 C-SPAN Competition

    The 2019 Student Documentary Competition, C-Span’s StudentCam winners have been announced!
    Poly had four winning teams this year for the cable news channel’s StudentCam Competition.
    One out of the four teams earned the 2nd Prize, which is highest award Poly’s ever received compared to previous years.
    What exactly StudentCam is? C-SPAN’s “annual national video documentary competition”, according to their website, which requires students to think more in depth about issues affecting our communities and our nation.

    Students are given the platform in order to express their views on whatever topic is given for the yearly competition.
    The topic for this year was “What Does It Mean To Be American?”
    One of the requirements was to choose between a constitutional right, national characteristic, or historic event and explain how it defines the American experience.

    Competition was open to students from grade levels 6-12.
    There were middle and high school categories.
    Students could have chosen to compete individually, or in teams of either 2 or 3 members. Including clips either supporting or opposing C-SPAN video, relating with the topic.

    The length of the documentaries ranges from 5-6 minutes.
    There were about 150 winning entries announced on Wednesday March 13, according to their website calculating their votes.
    Students were asked to pick their favorite documentary out of the entries, submitted by January 20. Voting was open from Monday February 25 to midnight Sunday March 3.

    C-SPAN plans to attend Poly on April 18 to congratulate the students who earned awards. The ceremony will be held possibly in room 310 or the library, it’s still in the works.

    They as well travel with a gigantic bus across the country, where they showcase the winning entries.
    To give an idea of just how gigantic this bus is, Jeff Montooth has stated their has been “trouble fitting it anywhere at Poly”.
    The 2nd place team from Poly, awarded $1,500m was Hamid Torabzadeh, Katherine Padilla & Pia Hao, with their video titled “Retained by the People- The Promise of America”.

    There was quite a few, honorable mention winners, awarded with $250.
    The honorable mention winners consisted of students Grant Atwood, Justin Rosu and Jacob Jacoub in their video “We Didn’t All Come on the Mayflower”; Samantha Williams and Inanna Khansa, with their video “The Press and the People”; And lastly, Audrey Song with “One Person, One Vote”.

  • Microsoft Welcomes Minority Students!

    Microsoft Welcomes Minority Students!

    Polytechnic High School was cordially invited to attend Microsoft’s annual Minority student day.
    This is the second year it is held in Southern California, but worldwide has been an event for 29 years.
    According to Microsoft’s Diversity and Inclusion Blog, 4.1% of workers are African American, 1.8% are Latino or Hispanic, and .5% are Indigenous.

    Caucasians are the majority, 55% of workers, meaning that there is a need for diversity in the technology field.
    Microsoft aims to have a more inclusive image, accepting people of all backgrounds to be successful within their company.
    In attempt to raise the number of minorities, this day hopes to inspire our generation to work within the fields of technology and business management.

    Based on how dependent humans are on technology, there will be an increase in the number of people that need to work in technologically related majors.

    The event exposed students to new technology systems, such as the HoloLens software that mixes virtual reality with the real world.
    These mixed reality systems are the foundation for future architect, engineers, and even surgeons.
    Lauren Reynolds, a senior at Poly, said, “ It was interesting to see how much technology can benefit our future in multiple aspects. It allows us to access information more conveniently by technically being hands-free.”

    Overall, there are many opportunities to benefit all students of color by being able to intern for Microsoft in college.
    The MACH program allows college students to have a head start in getting a job with the company while still being a full time student.
    Even if students are not interesting in pursuing a career in coding, the company promotes those interested in business, marketing, and even engineering to apply to the program.

  • College Courses for High School Students

    High school students taking college courses has become increasingly popular in the last few years as many high schools have been offering free opportunities to attend classes.

    Taking colleges classes as a high school student prepares students for actual college classes and it looks really good on resumes.
    Now, you may be thinking, “Why would a high school student want to add one more class to their already full schedule? And a rigorous class at that?”

    Well, there happens to be many benefits to taking college classes while also being a student in high school, despite how absurd in may sound when you’re already extremely busy.

    For beginners, a lot of these classes are open for all students regardless of financial situation, ethnicity, or gender.
    The classes offered are usually paid for by the school district so you don’t have to have to come up with money to pay for them.
    This saves you tons of money for later on when you’re in college.

    Classes that you can take now for free in high school will cost thousands of dollars later on in college.
    Another reason to take college classes as a high school student is that they prepare students for actual classes and real life settings.
    High school students already have super busy schedules with sports, clubs, volunteering, and assignments due.
    While adding an extra commitment may seem crazy, students will essentially be learning life long lessons such as time management skills, strong work ethic, critical thinking, and maturity.

    Being in a college class seems intimidating but it’s not as bad as it seems.
    You are most likely in class surrounded by people who have the same interests as you.
    Senior Tywanna Mosely, 17, also attends an Intro to Business course at LBCC.

    “I would definitely recommend that high school students take college classes. It’s a good learning experience and you also get used to the college atmosphere. It’s also cool talking to the older students,” Mosely explained when asked about her opinion about college classes.
    Miss Sylvia Womack is a specialist in the college and career center.
    Womack often meets a lot of students who take college classes through the school’s dual enrollment program that allows students to take classes for free and LBCC while still being enrolled as a high school student.
    “I would recommend that students who are confident that they can do well in a college course take college classes as a high school student. Otherwise, if they think that they won’t do that well, I wouldn’t recommend it. Students tend to forget that these classes are actual college courses and they can affect your chances of getting into the universities or colleges that you want,” Womack stated.
    Although the classes seem intimidating at first, the benefits are numerous.
    The opportunity to mature in a different environment, meet new people and teachers, and prepare yourself for your future are just some of them.

    If you know that you’ll have a high chance of getting the grade you want, think about taking college classes!
    Talk to your counselors to see if dual enrollment is good for you!

  • No More Waiting in Line; Pay for AP Tests Online

    For the first time, students at Poly will have the option of paying online for their AP tests online.
    With the high number of students taking AP classes here at Poly, the line for the school banker gets longer and longer the closer we get to AP payment deadlines.
    Those who have taken APs before know ugly that line gets sometimes. Luckily, suffering through that endless torment is no longer required.
    Students can pay for their AP tests online through the Poly website (after they’ve already registered through studentvue to take the AP tests).
    On the homepage, students can access a link to the Poly Web Store, and from here, they can add whichever AP tests they’re taking to their cart and then pay for them.
    A 2.99% non-refundable surcharge is added to all purchases, so this means each AP test price will increase from $5.00 to $5.15.
    For more information, in case there’s any questions or confusion, students can go see AP coordinator, Mr. West, in Room 132 or email him at jwest@lbschools.net.

  • Consuming Meat is Bring in the Heat

    Currently the Social Work and Advocacy in Action classes that Michael Gray teaches are working on something big.
    The reducing of meat consumption, in order to make our environment in better living conditions for the future.
    What exactly is it that students do in the Social Work and Advocacy in Action class?
    Students are given the opportunity to make changes in their community through research and action.

    Students have done surveys, such as what people know about climate change and how they feel about sexual harassment.
    The assignment they are given this time is that of starting a small change that will hopefully spread across everywhere else.
    So far in the project they have conducted a survey in order to gather information.

    One of the questions asked on this survey was, “If you knew that how much meat we consume is making climate change/climate disruption worse, would you make a change in how much you eat?” 58% said yes while 42% said no.

    There was several other questions regarding the choices students make, in order to make them think and chose more carefully.
    Other questions were asking if students knew facts, like how it takes 1,800 gallons of water to make a Quarter Pound hamburger.
    Besides asking if students knew statistics, the survey also asked, if knowing the information you have now, would you choose to switch up your way of eating to benefit our world.

    A small percentage said they would continue their ways.
    Based on the information gathered for the survey, Gray’s classes decided to take it to the next step.
    They decided to contact Long Beach City Council and Food Network to see if either of them are willing to showcase these new changes in order to impact society’s ways on a wider scale.

    Students are helping in different aspects of the project such as: video production, coming up with scripts, sending letters to both the council and tv networks and promoting this issue through advertisement.

    All of this is in the works, and have yet to be set in motion and completed.