Category: News

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Auditorium To Be Renamed For Retiring Music Teacher Andy Osman

    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.

  • Intercultural Faire

    Intercultural Faire

     

     

    Photos Courtesy of Liz Rico and Isaac Covarrubias

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.