Tag: Long Beach Poly

  • Bye Bye Spidey: Spiderman Leaves The MCU

    Bye Bye Spidey: Spiderman Leaves The MCU

    Spider-Man is a character that everyone in the world knows about. Fans enjoy him, people enjoy the movies, and kids demand his merchandise. But Sony wants to take the rights that Marvel owns from using Spider-Man in their movies. You might wonder why this is an issue, but when Sony wants to take away Spider-Man in the middle of his story being told, fans will get angry.
    Back in February 2015, Disney, Marvel Studios and Sony announced a deal to share the Spider-Man film rights, leading to a new version of Spider-Man to be introduced and integrated for the Marvel cinematic universe. The deal allowed Sony to have final creative control over MCU films where Spider-Man is the main character, while Disney had full control over films with Spider-Man as a side character. It also stated that the character was allowed to be in five movies as part of the contract. I believe that Marvel misread the contract since they wanted to make five stand alone movies of Spider-Man, but Sony is including Spider-Man’s cameos for the Avengers as part of the five movie deal. Right now, Sony has offered to give Marvel 30% of Spider-Man rights and money that it makes from the films, but Venom from Sony’s Venom universe needs to be included in the MCU as well. It’s weird how Marvel owns this character, yet they’re fighting the rights to use it with another company. I believe that it shouldn’t even be an argument about who owns the character since Stan Lee of Marvel created him in the first place. But at the end of the day, we can say that money has a lot to do with it. It couldn’t be about anything else…that’s Hollywood baby.

    UPDATE:
    Spider-Man is reportedly back in the MCU after the studios, Sony and Marvel, reached a new deal to continue their partnership. The new deal sees Marvel Studios producing the next installment of Spider-Man’s cinematic franchise, with Kevin Feige taking a lead role in the production once more. Spider-Man will also appear in other MCU movies going forward as he has previously done.

  • Girls Volleyball Spikes Success

    One of the many sports active this season at Long Beach Poly High is girls Volleyball, coached by Leland McGrath. Tryouts and training for Frosh Soph, Junior Varsity, and Varsity teams were held earlier this summer. The girls volleyball teams have matches held on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays with tournaments also taking place on some Saturdays. Junior Varsity and Frosh Soph games start at 3:00pm while Varsity begins at 4:15pm.

    On Sept. 21-22, the teams competed in the Durango Volleyball Tournament in Las Vegas, NV.

    After a few tough matches against Wilson and Millikan the Jackrabbits started getting the outcomes they’ve been hoping for in their matches, including a  25 – 16, 25 – 13, 25 – 10 sweep against the St. Joseph Jesters.

    Thanks to a lineup change made by Coach McGrath and a change in the girls’ energy the Jackrabbits got what they were striving for. McGrath put sophomore Adonia Faumuina as one of the setters in the team’s two-setter system.

    Halfway through the  Moore League girls’ volleyball season, Long Beach Poly swept Lakewood on Sept. 25, forcing a first-place tie between the Jackrabbits and Lancers.  Poly was also fierce in a road sweep of the Lancers, winning 25-21, 25-10, 25-15.

  • Softball Gets Lessons with Living Legend

    Softball Gets Lessons with Living Legend

    Softball began their season with their new coach, Elizabeth Martin-Sanchez, who took over as head coach for the girls. She brought the girls home with many victories and even to the first round of CIF. This was actually the first in years that the girls made it this far. Losing to Grace Brethren, the softball girls kept their heads up and encouraged good vibes for the years to come. Starlynn Ramirez said, “Even though we lost I am glad to have done something that hasn’t be done in a very long time.” All of the team and Coach Sanchez believe that they have done they’re beat and considers the team as family.

    Sanchez introduces a softball clinic that allows young softball players to connect with a softball World and Olympic champion, Crystl Bustos, with this program this summer at Poly. This gives the girls an opportunity to see how dreams can be achieved and they could end up like Bustos when it comes to terms with softball. Sanchez has given out flyers that enlists that Bus- tos will be here on August 12th. The program, though, is from August 10-14. The clinic will help softball players condition and practice for their upcoming seasons. This program is free as long as the right documents are turned in and are filled out correctly.

    Crystl Bustos is known for being 3 time gold medalist for the USA olympic team in Beijing. She has become a great role model for the soft- ball community. She is originally from Southern California; she lived in San Clarita. Started her softball career in the little league in Canyon  Country. When she moved on to higher education she attended Palm Beach Community and that began her fame as a softball player. She played in the Beijing Games in 2008 taking silver and won a gold medal in three international league games. The girls this summer have an opportunity to look up for their future.

  • 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.

  • Senior Appreciation

    At last, we have come to the end of this school year! Congratulations to all the students that have made it, but more importantly, con- gratulations to the seniors who have come so far and even now, are still continu- ing to go even further as they take their next big step in life. This school year, I have met so many amazing seniors that have influenced me and left a huge impact on me in several ways. They helped me settle in when I was unsure of what to do in a certain class, they were the greatest student counselors at Poly North, they were even there to assure me that I was always welcomed in a friend group. It was always the little moments that made

    them leaving me thankful for ever having the oppor- tunity to have met them. Friends, classmates, peers; call them whatever but to me they will always be one of the biggest influencers to have ever come into my life. I also feel like they should be more honored and feel proud of themselves as we should for them. After all, they once started out like everyone else. They began sprouting as a tiny bunny and grew throughout high school becoming the ex- travagant jackrabbits they are now. This class of 2019 should deserve more ac- knowledgement because even without knowing it, they influenced a lot of other people’s lives, not just mine.

  • Prom 2019: Time to Shine!

    Prom 2019: Time to Shine!

    Sunday May 26 at 7:00 PM at the Hotel Maya was where the class of 2019s prom was held. At the event there was food, games, caricature, henna, karaoke, photo booth and multiple dance rooms.

    The weather was not as cooperative before prom, as it was raining. Multiple girls were either holding their dresses up or not even bothering to do so.

    Not only did they have a main dance room but there was also room dedicated to just music in Spanish. In previous years, this was not a thing and people were upset about having very limited songs played.

    Most of the activities were present in the same building as the Spanish DJ. There was some confusion amongst students about where some of the activities were. With the food not many people were enjoying the food, such as on how on one side there was cold food and the other having hot food.

    Senior Denise Diaz said her experience was “fun” and really liked the Spanish DJ. Diaz noticed that people who “normally don’t dance to Spanish music” were dancing to it. Although much people weren’t fond of the food, Diaz enjoyed the “chicken tenders”. She disliked walking in her heels, as she had to keep going “back and forth” and it felt like “forever” walking in them.

    Senior Darli Ortiz doesn’t consider herself much of a “party person” but for prom being one of her first “parties” she found it enjoyable. Ortiz disliked the fact that there was “two different ballrooms”, as everyone was separate and there not being much unity.

    Senior Montserrat Valencia Delgado preferred the spanish DJ as they played spanish music and was “smaller”. Delgado was alternating between the two dance rooms and liked that there was a “variety” of spanish music. Senior Jose Diaz added onto what Delgado said and stated that due to it being small “you could request songs”. Senior Rachcna Sokhom-Khou also said the area with the Spanish DJ was “crowded”.

    Senior Evelyn Sanchez was surprised when arriving to prom, as she expected “less” to be present. Sanchez felt the main dance room could have been “a lot better”. Sanchez liked the Spanish DJ but when it came to him playing music, he played a lot of “reggaeton” and she didn’t know how to “dance to it”. Sanchez for the most part had her expectation pretty low for prom, but when at the event felt it had went past her expectations.

    Senior Amy Martinez had most of the same remarks as other students but did point out about the lack of seating, and how people were “standing up” and had “nowhere” to put their stuff.

    The night ended with confetti falling from the ceiling and songs relating to having a good time and living or remembering the moment. Doors started opening up at 10:30 but most students stayed for the entirety of prom.

     

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Beach Volleyball Update: They’re Killing It!

    This past week Long Beach Poly high school competed in its first Beach Volleyball Tournament and League Games. They first competed at Santa Monica Beach on Saturday March 16th against Santa Monica and Notre Dame. The three teams competed to win their match then the school that wins two out of the three matches takes the whole game. These three matches were close games with long rallies.
    Long Beach Poly lost to Santa Monica High School 2-1 and beat Notre Dame 2-1. “Playing these developed Beach volleyball programs was a cool experience for our first year” according to Senior Beach Volleyball player Sofia Skukan.
    On Tuesday March 26th, the Beach Volleyball team played their first league games against St. Joseph and Laguna Beach at the Huntington Beach courts. They played St. Joseph first and only four of our beach players could make it so whichever school won both game took the match. Long Beach Poly beat St. Joseph 2-0 and then played the strong Laguna Beach team.
    The Lady Jackrabbits lost 3-0 sets to the D1 college committed Laguna Beach players. “Competing with some of the top girls was so motivating because most of us haven’t played much beach volleyball in our lives,” said Junior Beach Volleyball player Ellie Requejo. The Poly girls are expected to play against Los Alamitos and St. Anthony’s teams in scrimmages next week.