Tag: Long Beach High Life

  • Missing the Class of 2019

    If it hasn’t been said already, then I’ll be the first to say it: this school year is extremely different compared to last year. However, one thing that has especially impacted me has been the absence of alumni. It is uncertain how I got so close to them, but I know for a fact that it is definitely not the same without them.

    During the previous school year, you would find me hanging out with a group full of seniors. Like I said, I don’t really know how I winded up there in the first place, but being around them sure gave me pleasure. Conversations with them made me feel welcomed, and being a part of them made me feel included.

    Aside from that friend group, I also gained some friends from a college readiness program located at Long Beach City College called Upward Bound. I did not expect all my friends there to be ready so soon. Now that they’re in college and the majority of them no longer attend the program the same way, it feels different.

    Not only that, but last school year the newspaper production class was full of seniors. It was a class full of leadership as well as love and passion. Without this love and passion they held, the school newspaper could not have been the same. The laughter and inside jokes shared among the class brought a whole new meaning to journalism for me.

    Overall, these people left such a huge impact on me. Meeting them is possibly one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me. In all honesty, seniors should be appreciated more and not taken for granted while they’re around.

    Although I no longer see them or hang out with them in the same way anymore, the experience was fun while it lasted. The connections are still there and the friendships still exist. I hope they’re all doing well and that they’re surrounded by people as amazing as they all are. In the end, people come and go in life, but it’s what they leave behind that matters.

  • Timothy Gomez

    There is so much joy to be found in playing on the Poly High School football team. The tension building while waiting for the kickoff. The roar of the crowd cheering you on. The sense of accomplishment when the last quarter has ended, and knowing your team has won. The sound of the band pronouncing your victory. And Timothy Gomez has enjoyed this life for almost a decade.

    Gomez is one of the senior captains for Poly High School’s football team. He is one of their anchors for defense, coach Stephen Barbee said.

    Barbee said that Gomez is a laid-back, carefree person that cares a lot for both his family and his friends. He is very involved in his religion as well.

    Barbee has also said that Gomez is in one of his classes as a teacher’s assistant. Gomez has high character and efficiently helps out the students in the class. He is a high-achieving student, and with a 3.5 GPA, his hard work has put him in an excellent position, Barbee said.

    Gomez first started playing football when he was nine years old. His father was a big inspiration for him, as he used to play, as well.

    One of Gomez’s teammates, Mase Suaava, calls Gomez a leader and a great player on the team that other players look up to because of his disciplined playing style. Gomez is goofy, knows how to have fun and make people laugh, while also being hard-working and dedicated, Suaava said.

    While he thinks he is a good player, Gomez considers all of his teammates to be equally as valuable. “You know… in football, there’s 11 people on the field, so everybody has to do their job,” he said. “So if one person isn’t…holding up their part of the deal, it can go wrong for everybody.”

    Besides sports, Gomez is a part of a Christian club at Poly High School called Cru Club where he participates in Bible studies. He also enjoys working out, going to see movies, and hanging out with his friends.

    Gomez has talked to a few schools about playing football in college, but he is not yet sure where he will end up. He hopes he will know within the next few weeks, and if not, he plans to attend a junior college in the area. He is considering studying either law or business.

    With a new team and new coaches, Gomez said that while this past season didn’t turn out how they would have liked it to, it did go well. “It was good that we, well, just came together and… made it work.”