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  • Stop by College & Career Center Today

    Stop by College & Career Center Today

    Many students look towards the idea of going to college or university after high school. Not many have the resources or knowledge of how to begin applying for colleges or financial aid. Fortunately, Poly has a place where students can visit and ask questions about college and how to prepare for their future. 

    Located on the first floor of the 800 building is the College and Career Center. Here, you can talk to advisors about college and work experience. Students from all grades are welcome to visit the room and take advantage of the resources offered.

    The head of the College and Career Center is Sylvia Womack. As a high school student, she knew she wanted to be an advisor because she liked working with people. After gaining a degree in sociology, she began her career path that led her to where she is now. She worked for the city for seven years with the Youth Opportunity Center. This gave her experience in working with other high schools and helping students begin internships and prepare them for career positions. Her time at YOC allowed Womack to further her career path to becoming the head of a College and Career Center and helping students discover what they want to do. 

    Along with Womack, students can meet two USC college advisors, Casie Bonstein and Enrique Ruiz. Both advisors have been where many students are now and are using their knowledge to help make things easier for future college and university students.

    Bonstein enjoys being able to be someone that the students can look to for support and motivation for their future. She had her own advisors during school and was thankful to have support from her parents. She enjoyed her college experience and hopes she can provide students with the same resources she had. She said, “I like you guys, you’re all really smart, creative, and talented. You’re all college material and you need someone to help you out with that and here I am.”

    Ruiz is a recent graduate of UC Merced. He said during his years in high school, he was also advised by someone who helped him learn better about college and applications. Due to that, he wanted to give back in the same sense. Growing up in the Long Beach area, he knows many students are first-generation and low-income. He wants to help students realize that college can be an option and possibly lead them forward in the future.

    There are many services at the center that students can take advantage of. Inside the room, you can talk to the advisors, browse college pamphlets, or sit and work on any applications you have. You can also view their page on the LBPoly website to gain access to scholarship opportunities, any jobs around town, and learn when college representatives are going to visit Poly. When talking to Bonstein and Ruiz, you get the opportunity to ask questions from people who have experienced what college is like. They’ll be there to discuss what it is you want to do after high school and research which path may be best for you.

    The center isn’t just for seniors applying to colleges. Anyone of any grade is welcome to walk in and see how they can prepare for their senior year. The College and Career Center is a place where people want to talk and give you all the information they have. You can learn about the Early Academic Outreach Program, the Upward Bound program, and many more programs that prepare you for college.

    One of Womack’s favorite parts of in working with students is making students aware of their opportunities. She wants students to be as informed as they can about their different options after high school. Going to college isn’t the only way to gain success and if you do want to go to college, you don’t have to be the perfect student. She wants to show students the different avenues they can take to achieve the goals they want. Womack recommends students use the center’s resources as often as they can: “Don’t wait until the last minute to come. I would say start as soon as you can. Come in here at least once or twice a year up until senior year. Senior year you wanna be in here as often as possible so we can help you with the college process or with whatever plan you have after high school. The sooner you start that process, it makes it easier for you when you’re a senior. You can put a lot less on your plate if you plan ahead of time.”

    However, the College and Career Center doesn’t only have to be a place where you talk about college. Ruiz said he knows that when talking about college, the topics can fall under “This is due now, and this is due next, you gotta do this,” so he welcomes students to come in and talk about other topics and even get to know more about Bonstein and himself. He said, “There is a lot of stuff you can relate to us about. Don’t be afraid, just come in and talk to us. If you’re interested in anything after high school or what life is like after. It doesn’t have to be college, it can be work, it can be trade schools, or options you might have. Just talk to us.”

    Bonstein hopes every student visits the center, she says that if she can help as many students as she can by easing the tensions of thinking about college and life after high school, then she feels that the job is being done correctly. Her favorite motto for the center is: “You come into the College and Career Center feeling pretty stressed out, but leave feeling a little better about [life] after high school.”

    As advisors, both Bonstein and Ruiz hold education to a high standard. Bonstein looks for a more equitable future for higher education and hopes that the students she advises are a part of it. Ruiz values the education he received and pursued and hopes that other students can see their education in the same way.

    You can visit room 801 for any advice about life, after high school, and how to prepare for your future. You can also sign up for a 15-minute in-person appointment with the link on their Instagram bio, @lbpolycollegencareer along with visiting their page on the LBPoly school website.

  • Green Schools Campaign at Poly

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Alternatives to Valentines In-Person Dates

    For those that love movie theaters, you can have a virtual watch party!

     For those that love movie nights and miss in person movie theaters, an online movie date would be a safer alternative. The use of add-ons like Netflix party allows simultaneous video viewing and live chats To immerse yourself even more in the movie theater environment, you can order each other food through food services like door dash and Post-mates to make it feel more like a “movie night.”

     

    For those that are seeking a challenge,  there are digital escape rooms!

     Navigate a digital escape room together! Escape rooms require participants to work together virtually and can create some stronger bonds. All of the virtual escape rooms are played from the participants’ home, making the game an easy way  to stay connected to others while still socially distancing.

     

    Play around with personality quizzes!  

    Online personality quizzes are not only fun but great ways to assess your compatibility. It’s a great way to have a laugh and possibly bond over some of your favorite foods, characters and movies. There’s also the love language test. The love language test is another good way to test your compatibility. This questionnaire is an interesting topic for discussion while at the same time a great opportunity to learn more about your date.

     

    For those that want to travel, you can travel the world through Virtual Museum tours! 

    Some of the world’s largest museums are now offering free online tours to everyone! These virtual tours are perfect because you don’t need to leave your household to travel the world! In essence, these tours are simulations of the in-person, museum experience.  If you don’t like art, zoos are another alternative. Virtual zoo tours and wildlife cams can be seen as another way to “go out” and travel the world without leaving your household

    Live cams at aquariums are also very interesting! There is a wide collection of aquariums from across the United States you can view!

  • Almost Christmas – My Holiday Traditions

    Almost Christmas – My Holiday Traditions

    Our family celebrates Christmas on the 24th – we wait till 12am to open our present.

    Every year we go see my sisters and give them a tree.

    This year’s tree for my sisters.

    Also, every year we eat something different. This year we are eating crab legs. Also if you fall asleep early, one of my cousins is going to prank you. That’s if my family is all together.

    Sometimes my mom takes us to the movies if we are not going to be with our toxic family. By toxic I mean our family is crazy and starts to fight for nothing. It’s fun going to the movies – people think it’s boring but it’s not when you’re with your family.

    Younger members of my family and our dogs.

    This year we are not going to the movies because it’s closed. We are going to my tia’s house. She lives two hours away from Long Beach.

    My mom and I also go to the store and buy 100 blankets and make food for the homeless. We go drive around Long Beach and if we see homeless people we stop and ask if they want food and blankets some of them say no because other people also do the same thing and they say they already have a plate of food but I always say it’s okay it could be for the next day.

    That’s my favorite part of the day on Christmas making homeless people happy and how grateful they are when we do these things. That’s all I do for Christmas 🙂

  • 2020 In Pictures

    2020 In Pictures

    With the new mandate for hair and nail salons should be outside. This nail salon has begun operations outdoors, the community may not be completely in favor of it.
    Outdoor Eating
    Many food establishments have decided to place more outdoor seating. This applies to the fact that there is a limited number of people allowed in a business operation at a time. The outdoor seating allows for more customers. However, there may be some repercussions.
    August 28th is the day that the well-renowned actor that furthered the black community, Chadwick Boseman, passed away. In 2016 Boseman was diagnosed with Stage 3 Colon Cancer. During this time he shot countless films, including “Black Panther”. In his honor, there was a playing of Black Panther at a drive-in a movie theater.
  • Volunteers Clean-up Downtown Long Beach After Riots

    Volunteers Clean-up Downtown Long Beach After Riots

    On the night of May 31, citizens of Long Beach watched as rioters looted and destroyed countless stores in Downtown Long Beach and other areas of the city. The looting came after thousands of peaceful protesters marched down Broadway making their voice heard and joining the millions across the country protesting the death of George Floyd. 

    These protests have been notorious for turning violent and some people are taking advantage of the large crowds to break store windows and loot both small and corporate businesses. Organizers of the protests in Long Beach wanted to make it clear that the looting seen in Los Angeles and other cities would not be tolerated at the protest. That tactic kept the protests peaceful but only for a short time. Around 5 O’clock the city of Long Beach declared a curfew which would be in effect from 6pm to 6am. This curfew was the push that sent many of the peaceful protesters home.

    At the same time, the march took a turn to the Pike where stores like Nike, Forever 21, and H&M were looted. The chaos carried up to Long Beach Boulevard and Pine Avenue. Multiple news outlets were broadcasting the anarchy in the city throughout the night and some people decided to make a plan to take action and clean up the mess that was made.

    The next day volunteers met at Jean Machine at 7am where they hit the streets and cleaned up what they could. Sam, the owner of Jean Machine was speechless and was in disbelief as he stood in his store surrounded by piles of his merchandise strewn on the floor. “I just want to go home and sleep,” he told volunteers inside the store. One of the volunteers directed me over to a cash register that had been smashed on the floor and told me how the register “served the community for countless years and provided clothing for hundreds of residents” and “provided clothing for anyone no matter their status.” 

    There were hundreds of people walking up and down the streets with brooms, dustpans, and garbage bags all sweeping up glass and picking up trash from the streets. Many of them with the same purpose, to help protect and rebuild the small businesses in the city. There were also clean-up crews in other parts of the city.

    Curfews were set in the Long Beach for the second day in a row with the business district closing at 1pm and the rest of the city at 4pm in an effort to curb any plans for looting again.

  • Less Jammed? Time to Drive!

    I learned that to get the streets to become less jammed, it takes a quarantine. During quarantine, life outside has been far from busy. The stores are emptier, fewer people are outside, and the streets are less crowded. For a learning driver, these are the perfect conditions for them. 

    After the announcement that school will move online, I have been able to set aside more time to learn how to drive. I have been practicing every day, in case preventive measures are set in place (that possibly could limit the time, and how often cars are able to go on the roads). After practicing for a month, I have a list of the perfect places for beginning drivers to start off: 

    1. Malls: Due to all malls forcibly having to shut-down, the only cars visible in the parking lots are security cars. I’m not sure if we are not allowed to practice in the parking lot, but while I was there the security never stopped us. The best bet is to check if the mall is private or public property. If it is private,  it is best to find somewhere else to go.
      • For Long Beach Locals, go to Lakewood Mall! Even though it is in Lakewood, it is not too far from Long Beach, and it is a perfect place (with the exception of some taunting security cars). Also to note, Costco is still open, so you will face some cars if you go when Costco is open.
    2. DMV: To get hands-on practice of what it will be like the day of, go to the DMV. As a warning, there are often other cars practicing too, the most I’ve seen in a day was two other cars– not including myself. 
    3. Grocery Markets: I have been going to Food-4-Less to practice parking in between two cars. This is a little bit more challenging as there are more cautions to look out for, like pedestrians, other cars, and random shopping carts (that sometimes hauntingly move by itself).
    4. Neighborhoods: Practice in the neighborhood where you know the driving test will take place. There are a lot of videos online showing the DMV Routes of several different DMV’s on YouTube. Of course, this is assuming they haven’t changed the route or have other random routes as well.

    Hopefully, if you have not learned how to drive, this comprehensive list will urge you to start. But remember, if you are under the age of 18, get a permit. The streets are less crowded and it is much more navigable to start learning

    Before you start learning, I will caution you, there are a lot of police cars (so follow the law! No speeding!). I assume that they are only there to patrol any mass gatherings, so don’t be worried– if you are lawfully learning there is nothing to be concerned about. 

  • Coronavirus a problem, but not at Poly so far

    According to the CDC, the coronavirus is a closely monitored respiratory illness that was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Chinese authorities identified the new coronavirus which has resulted in thousands of confirmed cases in China, including cases outside Wuhan City.
    This illness caused a serious outbreak among people resulting in 3,700 additional cases and 73 new deaths reported on Wednesday alone. China’s total confirmed cases top 28,000 people, more than 3,800 of them are critical.
    In the United States there are three quarantine bases to treat patients who were infected while traveling in China or by someone that returned from China: the Travis Air Force Base, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and March Air Reserve Base.
    People need to be aware about what is happening because this is a serious sickness that is causing innocent lives to leave us early. Not only are patients dying, but some doctors are dying too. Dr. Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist working in Wuhan, died on Friday from the coronavirus weeks after he was hospitalized and treated. Not only was he a doctor, but he was the man who warned his colleagues about this infection going around with the use of a popular Chinese social media platform to inform everyone.
    So far there have been no cases reported at Poly, but exercise caution when interacting with people who have recently returned from traveling out of the country.

  • fUN with Model UN

    fUN with Model UN

    Model United Nations, also known as Model UN, is an elective class here at Poly run by sophomore PACE teacher Patrick Gillogly. In class, students role play as delegates to the United Nations and simulate UN committees.
    The team had their first conference of the year October 12 at Cerritos High School. Over half of the individuals on the team received awards for excellence.
    October 26, the team also participated in an event at UC San Diego.
    Poly will host a Model UN conference that is a one day simulation on May 16, 2020. Students will play the role of delegates from different countries and attempt to solve real world issues with policies, keeping in mind the perspective of their countries.

  • 13 Reasons (More or Less) Why Season Three is Different

    The Netflix drama, 13 Reasons Why, was released in late August of this year. Season two ended with the aftermath of Tyler’s school shooting attempt, and season three picked up after the incident eight months later. While the two previous seasons focused on the main character of the show, Hannah, season three focused on the death of one of the most frustrating and hated characters, Bryce.

    The season starts out with Bryce missing after a huge brawl that took place during the homecoming game at Liberty High. Similar to seasons one and three, each episode analyzes one of a few of students at Liberty High and tries to make a connection between them and Bryce’s murder. Within 13 episodes, each of the suspects who were known to have issues with Bryce are interrogated.

    This season was a bit heartbreaking as one of the most hated characters, Bryce (hated for his sexually abusive behaviors, the role he played in Hannah’s suicide and the harm he caused to several girls), is seen trying to right his wrongs and become a better person. The show almost has you rooting for Bryce until you are once again reminded of what horrible acts he has been responsible for. He was seen trying to become a better friend to all the people he once hurt and seeking help to change who he is. As the show unfolds, each character is guilty of his death.

    Personally, I liked this season. I hated Bryce with every fiber of my being, but seeing him trying to get better was a reminder that people do have to ability to own up for their actions and actually want to change for the better. This show talks about real, raw topics such as bullying, rape, murder, and teenage social problems that are hardly addressed in the media nowadays. The show received backlash for some of the negative impacts it had, such as enabling suicidal tendencies in teens and for continuing the show. It is unknown if the show will be cleared for a fourth season but honestly, what would they even have to talk about?

  • Food Fight

    As a student, I recognize the amount of food wasted during lunch and nutrition; some food is just left on school benches. What if the food was better? How much food will be conserved and not thrown away or half-eaten?

    I think we should look into fresh and better meals for students and faculty alike. What makes it bad? I think the biggest reason why it’s so flawed with some students is that some foods that are prepared are non-nutritious or simply unappealing. We come to hear students all the time groan about school food. “Ugh I hate this,” or “I’d rather just starve and eat when I get home,” is what most students say. I think the spicy mozzarella cheese sticks and the “turkey” sandwiches are disgusting somewhat. The worst thing that they do is that they don’t prepare meals fresh, and sometimes they are left soggy and disgusting. We must look into ways for food to be prepared fresh, hot, and ready. Why don’t they hire caterers to deliver food to our school? There must be some restaurants out there willing to cater for students; which consequently will also boost and encourage people to come to their restaurants if their food is good.

  • Ready for the Real World?

    This week, I and many other seniors will be given a diploma and moving on into whatever kind of life we want to live. It is up to us to determine if we will continue education, have jobs, or just do nothing.

    I’ve been waiting for the moment to finally graduate and have my life set. But as that day is approaching closer, I dread it more and more. Why was I so excited for this as a kid and what made me think I would have everything figured out by then?

    If anything I feel more confused and overwhelmed than ever before. What exactly is in store for me? And why does it seem like I’m being pushed out into something I’m not really prepared for? Yup that’s right, adulthood. This has been a long struggle, being in in school, for SO many years. It’s routine and what I’ve been doing the past 13 years. In these 13 years what have I learned? Maybe some social skills and how kids can be cruel sometimes. The basic subjects such as math, history, english, and science. But what about managing my money? That’s only something that I’m really learning and investing in my senior year. Why does everything cost so much anyways? Applying for jobs, it’s a struggle, especially when I’ve been trying for months to get a job. Hello? I’ve been calling for so long now. Please give me a job, please.

    I’ve decided for myself that I will continue to do even more education, all in the favor of trying to have a career that will hopefully keep me stable. Good luck to me and all the other seniors who are going to struggle and try to survive.