Tag: Long Beach Polytechnic High Life Newspaper

  • Students Fighting for the Care Center: The Results

    Students Fighting for the Care Center: The Results

    Recently, it was said that the C.A.R.E. Center was closing for the 2018-2019 school year. Funding outside of school was going on to help raise money to keep the center open. Due to the help of students, educators, alumni, parents and community activism, the C.A.R.E. Center will remain open for next school year.

    Along with the C.A.R.E Center remaining open, new classes will be forming. If you will be in 10th or 11th grade next year and interested in social work or community health advocacy tell your counselor that you are interested in the Social Work and Health Class. If you will be in 11th or 12th grade next year and are interested in pursuing a future in mental health and behavioral health tell your counselor that you are interested in the Mental and Behavioral Health Professional class.

    These classes will help anyone with an interest in social work, community activism, community-health advocacy, mental-health professions, and if you would like to be a coach or educator.

    Michael Gray, C.A.R.E Center counselor, will be teaching the new classes. The new classes will be counted as a “g” elective for the A – G college requirements.

  • LB Port Supplies School District With New Air Purifiers

    LB Port Supplies School District With New Air Purifiers

    Long Beach Polytechnic has recently filled all the classrooms with purifiers. A purifier is a device that removes contaminating particles (such as dust, pollen, and dander) from the air. Air purifiers that draw air through fabric filters are among those that do the best job of removing dust and smoke from the air without producing any ozone. Many classrooms at Poly do not have air conditioning, so even with the purifier it should help get a little breeze while still cleaning the air. Assistant Principal Matt Brown said, “To my understanding there was a grant by the port of Long Beach that the district applied for and schools that are impacted by air quality by port that do not have central air were provided site purifiers, and it was no cost to the district.” These air purifiers will be replacement for air conditioners until the school gets a full set. Brown added that, “They’re suppose to be cleaning the air. If it’s hot,  you have to have the windows shut. The air purifiers are supposed to be top of the line so they will do the job. The cool thing is once the central air is put in through the campus (HVAC) the same the filters that are in air purifiers will be put into the AC Units.” According to Los Angeles Times, the Long Beach ports are the largest source of air pollution in Southern California. According to the port of Long Beach, they are committed to improving the environment and protecting the community from harmful environmental impacts from port operations.

  • Possibility of Care Center Closing

    Possibility of Care Center Closing

    Is it true that the C.A.R.E Center closing, as people have been saying? Could the one safe place for some people on campus really be going away? Well the rumors are somewhat true. Sadly, as far as it is currently known the C.A.R.E Center will be closed for the 2018 – 2019 school year.

    On January 30, Poly’s School Site Council, which makes recommendations to the LBUSD School Board, held a meeting in which they talked about various topics. One topic being providing money to staff the C.A.R.E Center. School site council and the school board unanimously voted to not fund the C.A.R.E. Center next school year, in part by voting to fund other positions.

    At the February 27 School Site Council meeting about 30 students and a few teachers showed up to make statements in support of the C.A.R.E. Center. When asked about what the school could possibly do to provide funding for the C.A.R.E Center, junior Brandon Corza stated, “There should be a lot more active fundraising.” Clubs and sports can do fundraising and something as important as the C.A.R.E Center should be able to do some fundraising to help keep money flowing so it will not be at risk of closing.

    Michael Gray, C.A.R.E Center counselor, mentioned that people have been getting together to help raise money for the C.A.R.E Center. Students, parents, and even community members are coming together to help raise money. The downside of fundraising is that it would require producing a large amount of money every year.

    During the wellness week a fair was held in which some booths even had petitions students could sign. The petitions were for the C.A.R.E Center, mentioning that it is an important place on campus that students need and it should not close.

    History teacher Michael Tinsley discussed the importance of the program:  “If the C.A.R.E Center closed, our problems will be bigger. We would have an uptick in absences, potentially more students failing, social and emotional problems among students, and potentially something dangerous to staff and students.”

  • Where Did Everybody Go?

    After an explosion of tweets and posts regrading the threats of an alleged school shooting, many students decided to stay home from school on February 21. That morning,  Superintendent Chris Steinhauser sent out a group email stating, “We have been alerted to unsubstantiated social media rumors that a possible shooting was planned to occur at Poly High School.”

    Pictured is the empty parking lot with limited amounts of students attending school that morning.

     

    For more information, read Issue 10 released on Thursday, March 8.

  • The Week of Wellness

    The Week of Wellness

    Khmer Girls in Action are having their fifth annual Wellness Week.

    “I think it’s great and very beneficial because not only does it help students on campus but it’s also a great way to be interactive with the workshops and to learn about their health!” junior Christina Yim said.

    The theme this year is Planting Seeds of Love which will honor the many roles teachers play.

    Wellness Week began on February 20 and ended February 23 with something new each day. To set up, people from the club signed up for rallies, art, tabling and social media. For the rallies, the people decided how they would like to perform and promote wellness week. For art, they had two big boards, one which had an enormous flower that students were able to write in petals. The other board had the words Planting Seeds Of Love, and students were able to write what support looks like to them. As for social media, students promoted wellness and inspired everyone to come and join.

    “It’s very helpful!” junior Josephine Mam said.

  • A Senior’s View of Poly North

    A Senior’s View of Poly North

    Camp 2 of Poly North happened over the weekend of February 16 to 18. I can say, it being my first Poly North experience, it was emotional, eye opening, and amazing. It being my first time there as a senior counselor, I wouldn’t do it any other way. The program offers a once in a lifetime experience to our sophomores. They are able to reach out to others in different academies, create new friendships, and most importantly learn a bit more about yourself.

    One of the students there said to me, “These memories are going to stay with me for a lifetime.” During the long weekend, lots of team and trust building activities took place. You really had to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Mr. Shock said, “If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not growing.” It was interesting to see how comfortable everyone there was with each other. It was a safe space for many, in which we shared our stories and heard many other’s experience with sexual harassment, racism, and many ongoing situations today.

    A memorable moment I will hold closest to my heart would be our final seminar together. Our group shared what we were all thankful for, from our weekend together. From tears to laughs shared together, I felt closer to each and everyone one of the sophomores and seminar leaders I had just met three days prior to that. A few hours before we were going to leave, the seniors all planned to jump into the freezing, icy lake as it is tradition to do so. Except for me and a few others, the smarter ones. As I watched majority of our senior counselors jump into the lake, that moment, was a cheers to senior year.

    Poly North is one of the prime examples of what Poly truly is, a family. It felt like a big family camping trip.

  • Marjory Stoneman Douglas Shooting

    Marjory Stoneman Douglas Shooting

    In Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018, seventeen students were shot dead in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. In addition to the lives lost, fourteen students were hospitalized in light of their injuries. Since the infamous Sandy Hook massacre in 2012, Stoneman Douglas has been one of the most devastating school shootings in America.

    In the midst of the massacre, it is said that the shooter entered the bottom floor of the building, worked his way up to the third floor, dropped his AR-15 assault rifle and backpack, and pretended to be a student. Following the six minutes of disaster, he walked to a Walmart where he purchased a soda at its Subway restaurant. He then proceeded to a McDonald’s and loitered before leaving on foot. Just a few minutes after, he was stopped by a police officer of Coral Springs and taken into custody. The 19 year old perpetrator confessed and was charged with seventeen counts of premeditated murder.

    Allegedly, the gunman had posted comments on YouTube revealing his aggression and goal of “becoming a professional school shooter.” It is also said that the shooter purchased the rifle legally from a nearby Coral Springs gun store in February of 2017. The Police stated that the shooter holds “extremist” views and his social media accounts contain an excessive amount of “anti-black and anti-Muslim” slurs. The gunman’s YouTube videos also included comments like, “I wanna die fighting killing [a] shit ton of people,” intentions of mimicking the University of Texas tower shooting, and threats against police officers and Antifa (an anti-fascist organization).

    Of those who were victims, twelve died in school, two just outside the school buildings, one on the street, and two at the hospital. The dead include: Alyssa Alhadeff, Scott Biegel, Martin Duque, Nicholas Dworet, Aaron Feis, Jaime Guttenberg, Chris Hixon, Luke Hoyer, Cara Loughran, Gina Montalto, Joaquin Oliver, Alaina Petty, Meadow Pollack, Helena Ramsay, Alex Schachter, Carmen Schentrup, and Peter Wang. Biegel, Feis, and Hixton were among the brave members of faculty who tried their best to protect the fleeing and traumatized students.

    Fifteen year old freshman , Peter Wang was among the few that attempted to help others and upon his death, was posthumously admitted to the West Point Military Academy, his dream school.

    Many students who were either survivors or witnesses of the shooting have become gun control activists and founded the advocacy group Never Again MSD. Notably, Emma Gonzalez gave a speech on February 17, 2018 in front of a gun control rally in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Gonzalez addressed President Trump, the National Rifle Association, and every politician who was against tightening gun laws.

    The chaos conjured by this tragic event spurred many national panics. One being an unsubstantiated gun threat via social media toward Poly High School. Although it was unclear which Poly campus the threat was made against, actions were taken to protect the California students. Long Beach Poly featured a heightened amount of police and security, but the campus was nearly empty anyway. Approximately half of all students were absent.

  • What in the World?!?

    Friday, January 26

    In Syria, President Ergdon said he would expand Anti-Kurdish operations.

    Saturday, January 27

    The Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu calls out the Polish Death Camp Law, which states that anyone who declares that Poland is be responsible for the Polish Death camps would be punished.

    Sunday, January 28

    In Yemen 80 people were wounded and 10 killed when government troops fought with Yemeni separatists.

    Monday, January 29

    Romania’s first woman Prime Minister was sworn in.

    Tuesday, January 30

    Raila Odinga was sworn in as the “people’s president” in Kenya.

    Wednesday, January 31

    African leaders almost call for President Trump to apologize for his vulgar remarks about Africa.

    Thursday, February 1

    The oldest son of Fidel Castro commits suicide at age 68.

    Friday, February 2

    The government of Burma denies that there were mass graves in a village located in the Rakhine state.

    Saturday, February 3

    The leader of Poland’s ruling party says that the Polish president should approve the controversial Holocaust bill.

    Sunday, February 4

    Iran sentences a man to six years in prison for allegedly selling nuclear informations to both the United States and an unknown European country.

    Monday, February 5

    A U.S. conservationist, Esmond Bradley Martin, was found dead in Nairobi.

    Tuesday February 6

    A 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan, killing 2 and injuring more than 200.

    *Information for this segment was compiled from the World Digest section of the Washington Post*

  • Today in History

    1825 – John Quincy Adams is elected as the 6th president of the United States.

    1861 – Tennessee votes against secession (US Civil War).

    1895 – Volleyball is invented by W G Morgan.

    1926 – The theory of evolution is forbidden in Atlanta, Georgia schools.

    1935 – US female and male Figure Skating championship won by Maribel Vinson and Robin Lee.

    1940 – Joe Louis beats Arturo Godoy for the heavyweight boxing title.

    1971 – Apollo 14 returns to Earth.

    1990 – the Galileo flies by Venus.

    2011 – Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday” reaches number one on the Billboard 200 chart for its eleventh week.

    2016 – The Denver Broncos defeat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 at Super Bowl L.

  • Beyond U.S.

    Beyond U.S.

    Just outside Libya’s capital of Tripoli, a shocking video came to surface on July 8, 2017, showing groups of migrant farmers being sold at Libyan detention camps. Most of the victims were migrant farmers and north African refugees.

    These auctions involving migrant farmers, have been going on for quite a while, however, a specific date is not clear. The video in question, provided by Casey Quackenbush of the New York Times, shows the detained being auctioned off for as little as $400 to work around neighboring African countries and even the Middle East. According to the International Organization for Migration, “slave markets” have been most active along migrants routes of North Africa. Some of these slave camps have been raided by the Libyan police and the conditions were said to be horrific with cramped quarters and meals barely enough to suffice. The African Union’s top official Moussa Faki Mahamat, has stated that there is about 700,000 African migrants detained in these camps.

    “Some Nigerians were being sold like goats for a few dollars in Libya,” said Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari at the Ivory Coast Summit on November 29, 2017. At this summit, various North African countries came to speak on Libya’s so called “lucrative” trade.

    The country of Libya, has been taking measures to expire these camps with formal investigations by the Libyan government. Libya and various European countries such as France and Germany in connection with the United Nations, have flown over 250 migrants out these camps back to their home country. However, progression in Libya is dismal. Libya, infamously known to be a lawless country, has been turning a blind eye on slavery for years with past leader Moammar Gaddafi being accused of inflating the trade.

    Libyan officials, however, have been trying their best with the help of the European Union to eliminate the countries humanitarian crisis. As of now, the future for these migrants and refugees remain unknown.

  • Poly Nation Makes Transportation Presentations

    Poly Nation Makes Transportation Presentations

    On January 11, a group of PacRim sophomores were given the opportunity to give a presentation to the board members, including CEO Kenneth McDonald, at Long Beach Transit (LBT). According to LBT, students are not “utilizing enough transportation in the city.”

    To provide more perspective, the students were divided into small groups and assigned to a specific target area. According to Melannie Rodriguez, the groups “surveyed over 500 kids and basically found what the students didn’t like.”

    The marketing presentation ideas ranged from creating an app that would provide accurate schedule updates, to partnering with brands like Supreme for sponsorship, to distributing cards with electronic chips.

    For Korey Loueng, the Supreme proposal was his favorite because of its current popularity and it is something “people would like.” There also appears to be a reputation stigma surrounding bus transportation. Often times, buses are littered with trash and most seats are stained.

    According to Angelica Murillo, providing “more comfortable seats” may invite students to frequent bus transportation.

    And in this day and age where students cannot live without their phones, Serena Ier stated that “putting wifi on the buses” may reel in the high school demographic that LBT is looking for.

    The experience allowed the students to gain insight on the importance of what they learn in PacRim; Kevyn Reyes liked the challenge of applying his marketing knowledge to a  “real world problem” that may be valuable in the future. Jahmal Bell, Mercie Vivao, Jocelyn Yanez, Sodavid Nit, Kaiya Phillips, Jaileen Williams, Anahi Nunez, and Vincent Thornton were also participants in the bus changes presentation.

  • Look at this Posse

    Look at this Posse

    Alena Taing (Middlebury College, Vermont)

    “I’m so grateful for this experience of course, and all the learning that comes with it and the support system I will have throughout my whole life. I had always wanted to go to a school on the east coast, but private school tuition was so high it seemed almost impossible. So I am very thankful I have the chance to live out my childhood dreams.”

    Miles Denmion (Dickinson College, Pennsylvania)

    “I look forward to a new experience where I can represent the knowledge and experiences earned in Long Beach.”

    Lauren Calderon (Northwestern University, Illinois)

    “It still doesn’t feel, like, real that I’m receiving almost a quarter of a million dollars to attend the school of my dreams. I never imagined this would be a reality. I cannot wait to spend the next four years of my life at Northwestern, where I plan to major in Chemistry and minor in Spanish.”

    Paula Clemente (University of Wisconsin, Madison)

    “From the Posse program, I get more than a money check, but a lifelong network with people who are there to support me! I’m excited and scared to go to the University of Wisconsin, Madison in the fall as a molecular biology major, but I’m still going to have to adjust to the weather. All I know is when the time comes next year, I want to nominate a student from Poly, so they can be a Posse scholar!”