Tag: Long Beach Poly High Life

  • The Government is Going Down

    The government shutdown! What does that mean? The government facilities has suspended their service due to an executive order given by the president. This means services like passport distribution, tax refunds, financial aid, and social security services are no longer running. This by far has been the longest on record in American history. The government has shut down for 22 days, and counting, yet no one knows specifically why this is happening. Trump announced in his public service announcement on January 8th, that he is very concerned about the borders. So until people consider raising money for a wall to be built to protect Americans from “drug smuggling….criminals.”, shutting down the government disables the border from allowing people into the country. Making the issue of immigrants and refugees less problematic for the President.

    The most important issue that interferes with the government shutting down is the impact on the community. The community’s need government assistance for public reconstruction, facilities that are government profit. Workers are not getting paid, so people are not showing up to work, which will sooner or later have a huge impact on government runned systems.

    How doe this affect you? In the long run, important services could stop all together due to lack of funds. The government supplies money each year to the district of Long Beach if the government postpones taxes, that could cause a Domino Effect of events that could lead to insufficient funding for schools. Not only schools, but financial aid for college students as well. The voices of the people are not being heard and California is suffering the consequences.

    A news report from NBC explains how a tree in Yosemite Park, that was one of the oldest, was cut down. Even though it may not seem like a big deal, the need to keep nature reservations is essential to keep a balanced ecosystem. Without these reservations, we would not be able to protect wildlife and essential resources for survival. The rangers blame the government shut down for not doing anything about it. This shutdown is affecting the US on a large scope. This allows the president’s agenda to go unchecked, meaning the voice of the people is not being heard. Corrupt businesses and capitalists are taking advantage of the shut down because there is no order. If this proceeds any longer than it has to, will our government truly be considered a democracy?

  • The King Reigns Over a New Empire

    The King Reigns Over a New Empire

    As the gates open for another National Basketball Association (NBA) season, debatably one of the best basketball players on the earth, LeBron James (LBJ), enters a new team: the Los Angeles Lakers.

    Why is this so important?

    Well it’s LEBRON FREAKING JAMES. The 3× NBA champion, 3× NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, 4× NBA Most Valuable Player, 14× NBA All-Star, 3× NBA All-Star Game MVP player (the list can go on and on). James offers everything the LA Lakers need from leadership for the young potential they have to dominant offensive and defensive presence on the court.

    The thirty-three-year-old, premier basketball player takes over the court against any team and single handedly carried the Cleveland Cavaliers (21W – 45L before LeBron came) to become a four time finalist team, but sadly lost three of those titles against the Golden State Warriors.

    Although, let’s be real, the Cavalier’s roster didn’t have the pure talent that the Lakers have now such as Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, and JaVale McGee. The current roster is projected to win the 2018- 2019 NBA Championship and many more after that. If LeBron James can take a below average team to the NBA finals four times, there’s no doubt in my mind LBJ can do even better with the LA Lakers as the team already has a solid foundation as it is.

    The likes of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart all grew up watching LeBron and now they’re playing with him?! They will flourish into extraordinary players as we get deeper into the NBA season with the leadership of LBJ which bodes well for the LA Lakers. Young players such as Lonzo Ball synergizes with LBJ as the player fares well with long distance passes enabling LeBron to cherry pick layups and dunks.

    Lebron James will dawn number twenty-three against the Portland Trail Blazers this Thursday.

    Kind of weird to see Kobe Bryant’s team and Michael Jordan’s number on LeBron James’ back, huh? I hope to see a dominant start to further solidify the superiority the LA Lakers have now.

  • Letter to The Editor: Mr. Puth Speaks Out About Grad Night

    Letter to The Editor: Mr. Puth Speaks Out About Grad Night

    All In Press
    Dear High Life Editors and Jackrabbit Class of 2019,

    Thank you for expressing your frustration regarding Grad Night (“Goodbye Disney, Hello Universal” published October 15), giving voice to you and your peers. Let me first state that Grad Night has traditionally been a parent-led event and the previous Grad Night Committee disbanded at the end of last year due to lack of parent volunteers. In my earlier loopmail to the class of 2019, I explained the financial issues involved:

    “Two years ago, Disneyland offered Grad Night with a park hopper pass for $90. Last year, they raised the price to the current cost of $139 for the tickets alone. Our Senior Spirit Packs reflects the pricing that is student-friendly for ALL of our activities and has our Grad Night prices starting at $90. With 437 students buying

     senior spirit packs… the senior class would have to cover for $57,970 [more] to keep with our allotted 700 Disney Grad Night tickets.”

    [700 Tickets x $139 = $97,300 /// 437 Spirit Packs x $90 = $39,330 /// $97,300 – $39,330 = $57,970]

    Two areas I would like to clarify: First, students in last year’s class of 2018 did not overspend. Their Grad Night Parent Committee raised money over several years so that when the price for tickets went up last year, the committee decided to cover the missing funding for the class of 2018 to attend Grad Night at Disneyland.

    The parents on that committee had students that graduated last year or earlier, so at the end of last year’s they quit the committee. At the beginning of this school year, there were no parents from the classes of 2019, 2020, 2021, or 2022 left on the committee, so I realized Activities would have to do something to make it happen this year.

    Disneyland revealed their offer to us with the pricing of $139 per ticket on September 17, 2018 and we had to make a commitment to cover that cost within that week.  Disneyland had the luxury to choose who and when they would offer Grad Night spots to, while we had to move forward with a plan that was best for all of our students right then. It would have been impossible to make up the $57,970 that we still needed to commit to Disneyland.

    Secondly, the Senior Spirit Pack was sold based on the whole package for seniors to have an all around senior experience. Prom, extra graduation tickets, yearbook, a class ring, cap and gown, an ASB sticker, a senior shirt/sweatshirt from senior senate, and grad night. Senior year is already expensive, and making the Senior Spirit Pack more expensive would potentially mean some students wouldn’t be able to purchase it, missing out on opportunities every senior should get to have.

    Third, there have been people who have asked for refunds thinking that they can go to Grad Night at Disneyland on their own. You can’t go to Grad Night at Disneyland without going with your school – they won’t let you in. You could go to Disneyland with your friends or by yourself, but it just isn’t the same: You don’t get to stay after hours when the park normally closes, there won’t be any special events for the class of 2019, and most importantly, you won’t be with all the classmates and friends that you’ve been with during your last four years at Poly.

    Lastly, I thank everyone for doing what Poly is best known for, striving for an open and inclusive campus. While I understand it can be disappointing that we are not going to a more local place for Grad Night, I believe that the class of 2019 knows that it’s always better when we have more Jackrabbits celebrating together.

    Respectfully,

    Vincent Puth

    Activities Director

  • The AP Room is Now Open

    The AP Room is Now Open

    This year Jason West, the new AP Coordinator for Poly High School has turned Room 132 into a study lounge for any student who is currently enrolled in at least one Advanced Placement class.

    This lounge was inspired by a coffee shop as a place where AP student can receive tutoring, study in group, and access a wide variety of resources as well as other non-traditional materials, including a welcoming cup of tea if you bring your own mug. The room offers a warm, relaxing, and welcoming vibe. This will allow students to remain comfortable and focused.  Much like most college campus’, who offer a study room, students must be signed in upon arrival.

    Poly’s AP room is a learning atmosphere where students can join a study group and succeed in their classes, it symbolizes as a badge of honor for all the hard works students have put into their classes. Teachers are always welcomed to visit West for support, resources, materials, and for addressing students needs.

    If students are even in need of supplies, textbooks, study materials, or a spot to study, they are more than welcomed to stop by in room 132 for freebies that West has collected over the 12 years as a teacher.

  • National Merit Finalists

    The National Merit scholarship program provides opportunities for students to be recognized for their phenomenal academic achievements. Students with PSAT scores at the top one percent of scores in the state, with the addition of reflecting transcript records of their score, qualifies them to be semifinalist. There are currently three semifinalist at our school that will compete against students from other states for a $2,000 scholarship.

    Many Ivy league colleges and corporations sponsor these scholarships, potentially giving semifinalist additional scholarships to almost any school they apply to. Pace Counselor Connie Loggins strongly believes the Poly students will “have no problem entering the final round” because of their strong commitment to academics and extracurricular activities.

    Erin Shin, a PACE senior, is one of the semifinalist, and she dreams of going to Stanford or Yale. She hopes to major in neuroscience and one day become a physician. Through her experiences thus far, she believes it is important to be a leader by taking the initiative to help others.

    Shin is persistent in her school work, but makes sure to make time for outside activities. She belongs to a youth orchestra and piano quartet at Colburn School of Music in Downtown LA; works at Kumon and the school cafeteria; and recently began tutoring in the AP Resource Room.

    Despite her full schedule, Erin is persistent in managing her time “by trying to stay off social media” though she admits that “doesn’t really work these days”.

  • Robotics Club Hosting Fundraiser

    Long Beach Poly Robotics Club participated in an off-season competition called Fall Classic and placed first in the competition.

    The Fall Classic is hosted by a company yearly with the objective of having games created for schools to compete with their designed robot.

    The LBP Robotics Club completely redesigned their robot within 4 weeks.

    Although this is their second year as a rookie team they’ve done well with the club and competitions. There are currently 30-35 members active in the club.

    Senior Marine Alais has been part of the club for two years now and said she was recruited by Theana Guttieri, a now graduated Poly student, when Guttieri stopped by the science classes to discuss about recruitment, Alais said it sounded interesting and joined. Alais experience with competitions makes her feel like it’s “a really big community”, with most schools helping each other out and working together.

    The club not only has their focus on competitions but also in community outreach, working on projects, and mentoring middle school students.

    An upcoming fundraiser  for the club will be taking place December 15 at Applebee’s.

    The club is also hoping to create a Vex team and have an upcoming competition taking place during the beginning of January.

  • Poly North: From a Counselors Perspective

    Poly North is an opportunity for sophomores to gain experience in the woods that will dramatically change their lives forever.

    The origin of Poly North started 4 decades ago. It is focused on supporting the students on a more personal level. Anyone can say that the activities, for instance, the mountain hikes and seminars that are introduced to the students, impact everyone including the staff, senior counselors, and students.

    At Poly North, students interact with each other through seminars about topics or problems that Poly or society has and focuses in on solutions that could benefits students on a personal level.

    For instance, Vincent. Puth (Activities Director/Mentor/Poly Alumni/etc) shared his story of the time he went to Poly North and how he went from wanting to do bad things to being Student Body President. His story contributes to the meaning behind Poly North. This opportunity is a life changing experience that Poly believes every sophomore should endure.

    The first camp took place on October 26-28. Once the bus landed at approximately 3:00 pm, the sophomores eagerly waited to be grouped into their seminar groups. Once the seminar meeting ended, both senior counselors and staff members handed out meal cards for the hungry campers.

    In the dining hall, group activities called Warm Fuzzies took place. The game was to pass a softball from one person without using hands. The purpose of Warm Fuzzies was for the sophomores to get close and comfortable with close interactions. Staff members then performed skits in front of the sophomores.

    The last activity on the first day, was the night hike. Temperatures at lowest reached 38 degrees whilst on the night hike, as the hikers looked upon the starry night. Finally, the campers participated in their own cabin talks.

    On Saturday, the second day, campers rose bright and early at 7:30 to breakfast. After eating, seminar groups met up again for a seminar talk and to participate in several outdoor activities. Some activities included rock climbing, hiking, low ropes, and co-op games working their seminar groups.

    The sophomores then headed back to the dining hall for another round of Warm Fuzzies, this time passing a lifesaver between toothpicks held in the mouth.

    After all activities and seminar talks, the sophomores and seniors were then ready to perform their own skits for the staff and everyone else.

    After all the skits were performed by each seminar group and senior counselors, the usual night hike took place and short dance happened.

    On the final day, the seminar groups met up one last time as everyone said their goodbyes. Free time was then administer as the sophomores chose what they wanted to do, such as archery, volleyball, or just hanging out. Senior counselor took the traditional route and all jumped into the freezing lake together.

    After lunch, were the goodbyes. With the cabins all packed up, everyone who attended camp said their final goodbyes and bittersweet farewells.

    The committee for Poly North can  aided with donations – which can be accessed on Long Beach Poly’s school website.

  • How to Volunteer Locally

    If you’re looking to be more involved within the community and volunteer, there are many opportunities to do so.

    If you’re interested in working with children the YMCA of Greater Long Beach has a variety of volunteer options. Volunteers under 18 have the chance to work in areas like child care, computer rooms, and office work.

    There are ways to help out in thrift stores, food service, and many other fields at the Long Beach Rescue Mission. You can apply online at lbrm.org and wait for a confirmation email on when to attend an orientation.

    Litter Free Long Beach is available for all ages. Their responsibilities include picking up trash and litter from surrounding neighborhoods as well as  beach cleanups. To join meetup at the participating location. To see the schedule go to www.litterfreelb.org

    The Western Museum of Flight has chances to work in restoration, tour guides, office support, and maintenance and upgrades of facility. It’s a great opportunity if you are looking to be in that field of work in the future.

  • Fun Places to Volunteer

    If you are looking for a good way to giving back to your community you can volunteer at multiple places. When you volunteer you can even fall in love with something and find a new hobby.

    One place you can volunteer at is your local animal shelter. Animal shelters are almost always looking for people to volunteer with multiple things you can help out with. If you volunteer at an animal shelter some things you can are answering calls or emails, providing assistance, or walking the dogs. When working with animals you can become connected to them and enjoy helping them find homes with loving owners. It could eventually become a job if you enjoy it and earn money.

    If an animal shelter does not interest you you can volunteer at a national forest. This would be good to volunteer at to get out of the house or if you are a nature lover. Volunteering does not just mean just cleaning up trash if you like it enough you can work at historical sites protected by the National Park Service. You can explore the outdoors and see how beautiful the world truly can be and help protect it.

    A third option is at a local library. You do not have to love books but it is a very quite place and you could eventually love books. Things to do there ar putting books back, organizing shelves, helping people who walk in, or even helping with public events. Some public events could be book fairs or author signings.

    If none of this interests you there are always food pantries and  soup kitchens. If you see a homeless person at times you feel bad and want to help well this is a way to help them. You can hand out hot meals to people who probably have not eaten in days and just by passing out that one meal it could change their mood. Even if it does not seem like a big deal it is because you are giving starving men and women something they need to survive and give them energy. If you enjoy cooking you could be the one who cooks the meal for them to eat and see the smiles on their faces as they eat something you made.

  • Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities in Long Beach

    Help put a smile on a child’s face this holiday season. From late November thru December Poly is hosting holiday project workshops to help students and clubs earn service hours by donating gifts for elementary school children from low income families in the long beach area. After school from December 4 to December 15 in room 105 students meet and wrap said gifts from 3:00-4:45pm. Students that complete at least 6 hours in the volunteer workshop, have an opportunity to actually give out toys to the children during the main event, taking place on December 16. There will be performances, food, and crafts for the children  Visit room 105 for more info.

    The Port of Long Beach are still planting trees to fulfill their goal of planting 6,000 trees by 2020. Many people come out to get their hands dirty and all are welcome. The next meeting location will be in Wrigley on December 9. For more information contact Margaret Madden at margaret.madden@longbeach.gov

  • Help for Wildfire Victims

    In orange country last month a wildfire burned dozens of structures forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes, leaving everything behind. Through generous donations from donors anaheim hills will soon recover. Most charities and organizations prefer monetary donations, it’s easier for those who do not live near the affected area. To avoid transportation costs, shipping delays and customs fees, cash is highly suggested as donations .

    You can send any donations except glass to Redwood Empire Food Bank at 3990 Brickway Blvd in Santa Rosa. If you would like to give items locally The Salvation Army truck accepts donations, 100% of its disaster donations go to support local disasters relief operations. GoFundMe’s “Official CA Fire Relief Fund” campaign has a total of $215,048 up till now.

    You can also make $10 donations to Red Cross by visiting their website, calling 1-800-REDCROSS, or texting “CAWILDFIRES” to 90999. All the donations are used to “prepare for, respond to, and help people recover from the disasters.”

  • Port of Long Beach Internship

    From mid-June to mid-August, approximately 25 students from around the LBUSD donate eight weeks of their summer to a rare, educational opportunity.

    The Port of Long Beach Summer Internship offers students a way to explore various Port careers through hands-on experiences.

    For senior Claire Barr, the internship’s Program Management Division allowed her to “work with civil engineers on projects” related to Middle Harbor, one of the four fully automated terminals in the U.S.

    Not many internships allow high school students to get “up close to cranes”, or go on vessels and unfinished bridges, but the Port of Long Beach (POLB) internship does. According to Barr, students work with one another and gain skills necessary for their future careers.

    For senior Aidan Kenny of the Survey Division, one of his favorite memories was “being a part of a high priority meeting” with his supervisor.

    For senior Evan Swanson of Environmental Planning, the most valuable thing he learned was “how to behave in a work environment.” S

    enior Julia Pecego of Construction Management was also a part of the program.

    The application process for the internship is highly selective, however, Barr encourages all eligible students to apply because “it will help guide you towards your future.”