Tag: Long Beach Polytechnic High School Newspaper

  • Affects of the Heat

    As temperatures rise here in Long Beach, so does frustration with beauty routines. Spending hours on hair and makeup, perfecting it, all to go outside and for it to run down your face along with the sweat due to the heat. For many, getting ready during heated days feels like an uphill battle.  Carefully curled hair falls flat, eyeliner smudges before lunchtime, and setting spray barely puts up a fight. There are other factors such as how the heat affects our energy to get ready, and the physical effects. 

    At Poly High I think we’ve all taken notice of the lack of air conditioning in some of our classrooms. The first couple of minutes in class is a pain, even in classes with air conditioning it takes a while to settle down. Long Beach weather in general has been pretty high reaching the 80s to 90s, not much fun especially for those who enjoy getting ready for school. There are so many struggles that come with going to school in unbearable heat and how it affects students physically and mentally.

    Being at school while the heat just continues to rise is a type of frustration many can relate to, but when it comes to hair and makeup, the struggle is hard. Between walking to class, hours spent under the sun, and classrooms without air conditioning, makeup and hairdos tend to fade fast, annoyingly. “It takes forever—like 2 hours to get ready, it takes long to do my hair and sometimes even my makeup, all for it to be uneven or frizzy like an hour later.” Said Diana Romero, a senior at Poly. The heat tends to mess up hair, the moisture from the humid weather causes frizzy hair and creates sweat that causes makeup to separate, quite annoyingly and quickly which creates a feeling of discomfort and vexation.

    Personally, when going to school and having makeup and hair done but then feeling uncomfortable due to the heat is a feeling so bothersome. Making it hard to focus on school due to the heat, the feeling of sweat filled hair and faces is such a sensory overload. Having some classes where teachers have about only one fan and spending the whole class wondering how isn’t anyone drowning in the heat as you are. The heat in general can cause anyone to be side tracked in classrooms where we come to learn which can be overwhelming.

    While the discomfort and annoyances from the heat can be such a bother, there always seems to be ways around it. Adapting is a huge step but at times may just benefit us. Some tips that can help avoid these challenges include adjusting routines, changing products, and finding what fits best for us. Changing up the routine and going for a more natural look in the summer is a huge yes and changing the way you do your hair and makeup, also a yes. For instance, using a hair curler racks up all that heat, but overnight heatless curls can do just the trick! Being able to adapt and feel comfort in weather you’d not expect to can also create a shift in mindset, we can always choose to see the bright side of things.

    Dealing with the heat isn’t just about beauty routines, it’s also about patience, flexibility, and learning to adapt when things aren’t how we want them. Whether it’s hair, makeup, or just the heat being a bother, finding comfort in imperfection can make all the difference. Sometimes the best thing we can do is just improvise, stay cool, and fight the heat!

  • Beyond the Classroom: The Hidden Layers of School Safety

    Juliet Haesly

    On November 18, 2025,  around 10:15 a.m., a Long Beach Polytechnic student was shot outside of Atlantic Avenue. CBS News reported, “According to the Long Beach Police Department, a 16-year-old student was injured when an adult male walked up to a group of boys and fired shots at them.” The boy was immediately sent to a local hospital, but has non-life-threatening injuries. Poly Principal Dr. Alejandro Vega reports that “our campus remains safe, and there was no impact on school instruction.” But this issue raises the question: are we truly safe while on campus? Parents are now concerned that it is unsafe to send their child to school, fearing that their kid could be the next victim of a violent attack. Long Beach Polytechnic High School is in a neighborhood that has historically faced crime challenges, but in recent years, it seems as if crime has gone down. Crime rates for specific high schools are not publicly reported in official city statistics, but less and less stories are being told about crimes occurring in the neighborhood. The last shooting in the neighborhood occurred on March 27, 2024, when a 34-year-old man shot 17-year-old Brianna Soto outside 11th Street when she was on her way back from work. On July 31, the man was sentenced to 358 years to life in prison. Now that students are being shot outside of school zones again, students begin to fear for their lives. Dr. Vega reported, “As an added precaution, LBUSD School Safety will maintain an increased presence around our school,” but what does that mean for the future of Poly? Polytechnic is a part of the LBUSD district, which is said to have a safety plan that includes emergency drills for various scenarios, a campus-wide notification system, visitor registration, and the use of school safety officers for suspected criminal activity rather than all student incidents. The future of Poly remains unknown, but we hope that this incident will provide an understanding of why we need increased safety procedures implemented throughout schools. Schools can be made safer through a combination of physical security measures, creating a positive and supportive environment, and implementing safety training and emergency preparedness. 

  • Mental Health In Students

    Student Interviews:

    Student mental health is a prevalent issue in schools. I interviewed 20 students from my school, Long Beach Poly, to find out how students feel school impacts them mentally. Out of the 20, 19 of the students said school has a negative effect on their mental health. Many students said the amount of homework and pressure to do well were the main reasons that school affected them. A way teachers could help students is by giving more guidance, such as office hours for additional help. Another way would be to help foster a community, by getting to know the students on a more personal level. This would make students more open to communicate, and make it less nerve racking to ask questions, and lastly, can add a positive connotation to the class. 

    A 9th grade student told me, “Oftentimes I feel too scared to ask the teacher questions if I don’t know them well. Once I get to know them, it makes it a lot easier to communicate.”

    Teachers also should be mindful that many kids juggle extracurriculars such as sports or clubs, meaning they might have to stay up late to finish work. 

    A 10th grader mentioned, “There are many nights when I stay up late doing homework after soccer games. It feels like there’s never enough time to do everything I need to get done.”

    Knowing this could help teachers be more accommodating, and more mindful about the amount of work they assign. The 1 person who says they have a positive experience at school said it was because teachers help guide him, and show countless amounts of support. 

    An 11th grade student told me, “My teachers this year always help me with my work, and I never feel embarrassed or judged to ask them. This is a huge step up from some past years, where I was too scared of my teacher to ask for guidance.”

    This is very important in order to build a safe space for students. If we want to help struggling students we all need to do our part to help each other feel welcomed in schools.

    Teacher Interviews:

    I also discussed with three teachers about what they notice about mental health, and how they can help kids feel less anxious about school. Mr. Montooth told me that he notices many small habits with students, such as fidgeting of twitches. He can use these as indicators for how to adjust the lesson. If someone looks nervous about popcorn reading, he will simply ask another student. 

    “Body language is a big sign that someone is stressed. I always look for that because I know most kids aren’t always vocal about their anxiety.”

    Ms. Scholl told me that she senses when students’ moods change from day to day, and figures out how to approach them based on how they’re feeling. She won’t be as goofy around them if they are clearly upset. Matching moods helps students not feel overwhelmed in the classroom setting.

    “I had a student last year who went from very peppy and excited about school to tired and low energy. When I asked him about it, he told me he takes care of his siblings, and after finishing homework, there’s not much downtime to relax. Together we were about to figure out how to solve this issue. I ended up spreading out the workload more. I know students have lives outside of school, and I really wish all teachers understood that.”

    Lastly, I interviewed a teacher who said that she leaves resources for students in easily accessible places, such as Canvas. This helps students feel more comfortable to reach out without feeling like they’re put on blast. 

    Ideas for the Future:

    From personal experience, and after discussing with students, I feel that mental health can have detrimental impacts on students. I am beyond thankful that there are teachers that I know I could always go to if I were struggling, but a big issue is that not every teacher is as open with their students. I hope that we can advertise student mental health more. For example, student council can mention months such as Suicide Prevention Month (September) and Mental Health Awareness Month (May). This would help many students feel less alone in the internal battles they fight. As students we will do our part, and we hope teachers can join alongside us.

  • Dodgers World series Champions

    Los Angeles Dodgers
    Back To Back
    The Los Angeles Dodgers are 2025 back to back champions. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2025 season focused on building a dominate starting rotation and continuing their powerful offense to win their second consecutive World series. The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the 2025 MLB Playoffs with a “must-win” and “all-in” mentality, laser-focused on repeating as World Series champions after winning the title the previous year. It would be extremely difficult for the Dodgers to win a back, to back, to back championship because wining one is hard enough and repeating is even harder. Making it a three peat would be one of the rarest and most impressive accomplishments in modern baseball history.
    The Dodgers have a high chance on winning next years world series and making it a three peat because there defense is very good and their bullpen will be even better than this year. Manager Dave Roberts said that “ we are focused on working our bullpen right now due to the fact of some of our players injured half of the season and we will have them healthy and ready for the 2026 off season”.
    A Long Beach Poly freshman, Santiago A Gonzales who is in Polys CIC pathway and is on Polys freshman baseball team said, “ I was expecting the Dodgers to make it to the world series and also they spent a ton of money on buying players that it would be sad if they lost”. Santiago also stated that, “ I was over joyed with happiness when the Dodgers won the World series back to back because it is a very hard accomplishment and the Dodgers are a very talented”. Santiago finally stated that “ It is possible for the Dodgers to win a three peat tittle because they usually make it to the playoffs so I would Imagine that the Dodgers would win another one because of there players this year”. it is very clear that the Dodgers have a very high chance on winning another championship.
    2025 World Series Champions
    November 25, 2025
    Athlon Sports
    ESPN

  • A Reality Check

    Social media has quickly made its way into the majority of people’s daily lives. We pick up our phones in the instance of any free moment or boredom. Yet, most people that use apps such as Instagram and Tiktok are aware that these apps are harmful to our attention spans, and productivity. We disregard the warnings though, because doomscrolling is a great and accessible way to pass the time. In the new age of addictive technology, I think it is the perfect time to start new hobbies. Students especially could use a break from devices, and have something fun to do. It’s almost a superpower to be able to put down your phone these days, and do something completely away from our devices. Boredom is the best opportunity to spark creativity.

    Social media has changed our perception of right and wrong, and what is “cringe” or not. We have been made to think that anyone that deviates from the societal norms set by these apps are strange. I think getting an interesting hobby has been made to be somewhat weird as well. Most of us have a version of ourselves in our head, our truest form of self, that we are afraid to let others perceive due to fear of judgement. When you do not express yourself, you cut yourself from opportunites, and meeting other people who are similar. I think being vulnerable with what you are passionate about is something that makes a person truly interesting, and gives others a window to your soul.

    To start doing something without your phone, your phone needs to be put away. I often find myself watching videos about things to do instead of doomscrolling, but I save them for later and go back to being on my phone. It’s so easy to have the ambition to get off your phone, but making the sacrifice is the real battle. I find that having my phone in a different room, and setting do not disturb on is a great way to focus. Out of sight, out of mind. Once all distractions are eliminated, focusing on what you actually want to do becomes legitimate.

    Some things that can embrace the idea of individuality, and putting down your phone are creating digital, physical, or multi-media art, thrifting clothes, going out to a library and reading, or hanging out with friends. All of these things are easily approachable, and don’t break the bank. It may take a little effort, but in the long run, putting down your phone will improve so many things such as mood, mental well-being, posture, and social interactions. Hobbies are also just a refreshing way to enjoy life, be present, and put things into a positive perspective.

  • Dancing for a Diploma by Lucy Holmen

    Long Beach Poly has a long history in athletics and a wide selection of sports for students to choose from. To graduate, each student needs at least 2 years of participation in a sport or physical education. A lot of these sports are well known, but there are a few sports here at Poly that are not recognized by a large portion of the student body in the sense that you can receive P.E credits for them. The Long Beach Poly dance team is one sport that falls into the “gray area” category of being a sport/club/extracurricular. The sport of dance is a great way for anyone can receive P.E credit, which may not be known to a lot of students, especially new ones.

    The dance program is run by coach Luis Lira, and tryouts start at the beginning of the school year. To gather some more information about what actually happens within the dance program, I spoke to sophomore dancer Samantha Foster. When asked about her favorite part of being on the team, she spoke highly of the captains and how the overall community was extremely welcoming. As a younger member of the team, Foster also added that no matter what skill level you are starting at, you can join the dance program, as it is a great learning environment.

    In the dance program, dancers start conditioning for dance within the first week of school starting. Every dancer participates in a jazz dance and learns the choreography. Depending on technicality during rehearsal, dancers are graded. Hip hop and contemporary dances are up for individual tryout. Lastly, solo dances can be given out to chosen dancers. Once the choreography for these dances is completed in practice, they are tweaked for synchronization and looks. The next step is dance shows and other performances. There is a show on November 20, with more performances to follow this school year.

    To make it clear about the confusion regarding the dance program and dance clubs, while there are clubs that dance, and some participate in the dance program, the dancers in these clubs are not receiving credits for their participation. The only ways to receive P.E credits through dancing are by being in the dance class or team. Since most people I speak to are not aware that dance is a sport, I asked Foster why she thinks that so many students do not know that they can receive credits for it. In response, she pointed out the lack of advertising and how Dance Team is not specifically listed as a sport anywhere. All of this confusion can make it hard for incoming freshmen to know when and where dance tryouts are, and what the team really is.

    For a second opinion from someone on the Dance team, I spoke to Freshman Shanti Alimahomed-Wilson. Since she recently joined the program as a freshman, she shared some of the same thoughts as Foster. To start, her favorite part of being on the Dance team is the friendships she has made this year, and her welcoming older peers. Wilson found the team initially through the official Instagram, @lbpdance. As the account lacks details, Wilson emailed former Dance Teacher, Ms. Negrete for more information about the program, and how she could audition. When asked about publicity, Wilson suggested that dance could be promoted on the general Poly Jackrabbits account for more students to see. Lastly, she proposed that dance have a booth at the Freshman Sport Orientation as she stated that it confused many Freshmen.

    The key takeaways that come from speaking to Foster and Wilson are that Dance is a sport for anyone to gain P.E credits from, and that it needs to be publicized so more students are aware of this opportunity. Tickets to Dance shows can be bought through dancers or at the shows. For any further information, see @lbpdance on Instagram.

  • “Silent Sidelines” By Lucy Holmen

    As a cross country and track runner at Poly I have noticed the differences in attention that different sports get. For example, football games are heavily promoted through ASB with hallway posters, rallies, and announcements while cross country does not have any students that attend meets because they are not promoted, and the sport lacks popularity. If sports that had less attendance were promoted in the newspaper, then school spirit regarding these sports would be increased. This not only introduces the student body to new sports they have never watched, but it also gives the athletes participating a boost of confidence seeing their peers at their events. For this story I decided to focus specifically on cross country, and interviewed 2 people with different experiences with the sport.

    I interviewed Rosemary Morishita who is a sophomore in her second cross country season, and a new addition to the varsity seven on the girls’ team. She said, “I think cross country is not publicized as much as football and other popular sports for sure, but every now and then when someone breaks some amazing time, it is talked about.” Morishita also mentioned seeing videos on social media about running.

    Morishita explained she thinks that cross country does not get as much attention as other sports. “I think cross country doesn’t get as much attention because of societal preferences. I mean we’ve all heard of the Super Bowl and the World Series, but there isn’t really anything big for cross country in that way. We’ve made such a big culture around other sports.” She also went on to mention the fact that it may seem overall less entertaining.

    Morishita said, “I think we can gain more attention from students at Poly to come to cross country meets and to make cross country more entertaining by showing how running doesn’t have to be miserable. I think running has a bad reputation in a way. You make so many connections and friends and now running doesn’t feel so bad. You learn to love the sport and the people you run with. It’s not just running, it’s lifelong friendships, experiences and memories.”

    I was really satisfied with Rosemary’s answers, as I am a cross country runner on the team with her as well, and I feel the same way about all of her responses. Running is perceived in a negative way, and changing the way it is seen would definitely help people enjoy it more, and even want to watch it. Knowing that I got some information from someone in the sport, I wanted to speak to someone that publicizes events such as football games. For my next interview, I decided to talk to Devyn Curamen, a member of the student council who knows exactly what goes on behind the scenes of publicizing sports.

    Curamen said, “ASB usually arranges publicizing of sports through social media. For example, many times all ASB commissioners are required to repost Friday Football games to increase the attendance and energy of the student section. There are also posters around campus publicizing sports game dates and dress up themes, if there are any.”

    She also said “Some sports are advertised more than others due to student participation. For example, at football games, 3 sports are involved to show the spirit of Long Beach Poly. These sports are the Football team on the field, the cheerleaders on the track who give the student section energy, and the band who plays each famous tune known to make the Poly culture. Also, ASB is heavily involved in planning these events; with MCs for the student sections, running the concession stands, and grade senates selling items for the game.” She also shared how all of these factors unite the student spirit at games, celebrating our Poly tradition.

    Curamen finished her thoughts saying, ”I think we can gain more attention from Poly students to come to cross country meets through increasing the spirit and energy of meets. Curamen gave some ideas to improve school participation at cross country meets such as doing cheering contests, playing music, and having more publicity on platforms like Instagram.

    I really appreciated getting Devyn’s point of view because I got a better understanding of why sports like football are promoted more, and how the attention is directed to make it that way. I definitely think in the age of social media, getting people’s attention for cross country meets will need to come from somewhere people will see it, which is probably digital advertisement. For my next interview, I wanted the perspective of someone different, who understands cross country, and has seen the popularity and publicity change in the sport over many years from experience. I decided to ask Coach Mandy Wainfan, the head coach of girls cross country about her views on the topic. Coach Mandy ran at Poly all four years while she attended, and was a varsity athlete on the team for a part of those years as well. She is now the Head Coach of LB Poly Girls XC, Dr. of Chiropractic at Performance Place Sports Care, and an ultra-marathon runner. An overall very impressive woman that I am glad to know and have the benefit of receiving knowledge from.

    Coach Mandy explained, “XC was known as a huge team when I was at Poly— if I recall correctly the girls team alone had more team members than football. It was status quo to have friends pulling their friends into XC who pulled their friends into it and so on. We were known for our team culture of support for one another and celebrating each other doing hard things no matter the speed/place etc” She mentioned her own time at Poly and how the team had a successful sweep at Moore League finals in all three levels on the girls side, and the Varsity team making it to state. “Perception has changed some with several coaching changes and with Covid killing our numbers for a couple years. The results side of it is different given sweeping league etc was insane, but I think those two factors combined have made cross country not cross the minds of those who don’t know about the sport.”
    She stated further, “XC attention starts with the team and their friends and family. The first step is to get the team excited for the teammates they don’t know as well— knowing their PRs and goals and staying at races to cheer them on.” She also spoke about family members attendance helping the numbers, and telling your peers about the sport itself since they might not know a sport like cross country exists. “Context is everything particularly in a sport that isn’t as spectator friendly. A good viewing area at the finish is always exciting too!“

    Lastly, she added “In fairness part of the lack of attention comes down to a larger social culture. Running, in the US, is seen as punishment or something people force themselves to do for health reasons. In other countries, races are celebrated as peak athleticism even below the pro level. There are trail races, basically adult XC, that look like the Tour de France in terms of how many spectators there are. If running were celebrated as a natural activity and something humans were born to do, I think the competitive side of it would be celebrated much more than it is in the US.” She added that if more people started to run, they would understand the insane physical attributes that High School runners have. People typically ask “why” runners put themselves through the pain, instead of being impressed by the determination. “Celebration starts with culture, and while I can’t control national culture, I think cultivating the support and context and excitement starting with the team and extending out to friends and family and hopefully the student body at large will help bring attention to XC.”

    Coach Mandy’s answers put my research into a whole new perspective for me. Her points were above and beyond what I was looking for, and I am so glad to have her views in my story because they add so much more value from her experience, and that is something that you can’t fake. I realized that since running is perceived as a punishment in most sports, and an extremely painful physical feat to most people, so much so that most people are too shy to start running. Some don’t know where to start, and some don’t give it any thought because they “hate running”. I do think it is not impossible to shift this widespread view by society though because as Coach Mandy said, other countries celebrate running as part of the culture. The view of running being too difficult goes beyond just running, I think the U.S has normalized being significantly less active than other countries. This ideology is passed down from generation to generation, and as people spend less time outside, less time active, their perception of running and physical activity becomes worse and worse to the point where they just don’t do it. So going back to the heart of this entire story, we need to publicize, and let people know that small sports like running are fun, and not something that should be dreaded, it is something that you should be grateful that you have the ability to do. All in all, educating people about a sport through things like social media, that they do not know much about, could help the number of spectators attending increase, and bring a lot of benefit to athletes.
  • Dangers of Long-Term Screen Exposure

    Dangers of Long-Term Screen Exposure

    Screens in 2020 have become the fulcrum of many people’s personal, professional, and familial lives. Almost every interaction between people is done with a phone, chrome, laptop, or desktop. Because of this, many can spend tens to hundreds of hours looking at a screen over the course of a month. And with school going online in March and continuing into the 2020-21 school year, it would come as no one’s surprise if teens and young children who have spent all of this time staring at screens begin to show eye problems beginning in their late teens or early twenties.

     

    Eye problems have already existed in recent generations affected by the introduction of electronics. Many young people spend most of their social life on apps behind a screen, and the extended exposure has already proven to cause multiple eye problems. These problems are described on UMPC: Life Changing Medicine and can include eye irritation, nearsightedness, and long-term retinal damage.

     

    The retinal damage can also lead to a possible loss of sight, as UMPC says, “Studies show that blue light can damage light-sensitive cells in the retina. This can lead to early age-related macular degeneration, which can lead to loss of eyesight.”

     

    This is caused by a blue-light that screens emit, that can cause erosion at the back of the eyeball, and can eventually lead to blindness. The best way to avoid any long-term ramification that comes from staring at screens for hours at a time is to take time away from them, and allow your eyes to rest from the strain.

     

    The best way to counter this is to minimize the time spent on all devices, regardless of how big or small they are. With developing eye problems, and the warning headaches and eye fatigue of eye strain, The Clinical Eye Institute suggests the 20/20/20 rule to assure that your eyesight doesn’t deteriorate due to eye strain. “For every 20 minutes a person is working they take a 20 second break, looking at something 20 feet away.”

  • What in the World?!?

    Monday, November 20

    An Argentine submarine with a crew of 44 members went missing, and a satellite call raised hope only for officials to realize it was a false alarm.

    Tuesday, November 21

    Thirty-two people were killed in an Iraqi town by a suicide bomber, which was confirmed by both the central government in Baghdad and Kurdish regional authorities.

    Wednesday, November 22

    A Filipino Catholic Priest was accused of molesting two boys from North Dakota in the 1990s. Chief State Counsel Ricardo Paras explained that the priest was arrested and flown to the United States because of his alleged sexual advances, which will soon appear in the North Dakota court.

    Thursday, November 23

    Three sailors went missing on Wednesday from a US Navy aircraft crash, and American and Japanese officials are searching the Philippine Sea.

    Saturday, November 25

    French President Emmanuel Macron began an initiative to tackle violent rhetoric against women in France and end the stigma around the harassment of these women.

    Sunday, November 26

    1.9 million doses of vaccines were delivered to Yemen by the United Nations Children’s Fund.

    Tuesday, November 28

    Peace talks were supposed to take place with a meeting involving Syria and the UN in Geneva but Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s delegation was absent.

    *Information was obtained from the World Digest section in the Washington Post*

  • A Night to Remember

     

  • Freedom in Philly

    Two weeks ago on Thursday, November 2 through Sunday, November 5, three Poly students were chosen to be a part of the Freedom Foundation Youth Conference. Juniors Carina Ayala and Lenny Khan, along with Senior Elaina Miskiel were the chosen participants to go to Philadelphia and experience the fundamentals of the program. They stayed on the Freedom Foundation’s campus at Valley Forge.

    The Freedom Foundation was started in 1945 and has been running successfully ever since. It’s focused on “overcoming challenges to freedom by providing experiential educational programs while challenging participants to examine our history and discuss the issues of the day” according to their website. Each of their programs have been thoughtfully planned out and designed to ensure that both young people and adults gain new or deeper appreciation for the significance of the founding documents and acquire tools for engaged, responsible citizenship.

    Since its beginning, Freedom Foundation’s mission was and still is to educate Americans on rights and responsibilities, honor acts of civic virtue, and challenge all to reject apathy and get involved.

    Carina Ayala explained that her experience “definitely changed the way [she] think about Congress” and “[she’s] learned so much”. All participants expressed their enjoyment of the time they had and the new information that they learned. Lenny Khan said, “It was good to see other’s perspectives on how they view politics. It was fun to meet others from other states.”

    During their trip Ayala, Miskiel, Khan, other students from other schools had the chance to go around the city and sight see some of Philadelphia’s landscapes. Some of the landmarks that they had the opportunity to see in person were the Liberty Bell, the Independence Hall, the Philadelphia Courthouse, and where George Washington’s home used to stand. They had the opportunity to be a part of a mock trial of the Masterpiece Cake Shop, Ltd. versus Colorado Civil Rights Commission while in the courthouse which is in fact a real case that will occur on December 5 of this year.

    Khan described the lessons that the trip taught him personally: “Be more open, don’t shut other people’s thoughts down. Consider other’s ideas not only your own.”

  • Poly’s Day in Court

    On November 2 Poly’s mock trial team tackled the first round of the court case People vs. Davidson and were rewarded by a winning verdict. The trial happened at the Los Angeles Superior Court with real judges and attorneys.

    Charlie Dodson is an AP World History teacher and is the advisor of the mock trial club at Poly.

         “The Constitutional Rights Foundation sets this [mock trial] up every year,” Dodson said. “A competition for LA county, which over 60 schools participate in  and our school has participated for a number of years. Teams are divided into prosecution and defense. We are given a single case.”

         Sophomore Tammy Pham described the experience  she encountered as a member of the club.

    “You are presented with a case and you would have to go into court and present to the judge whether the defendant is guilty or innocent, depending on the side you are on,” said Pham.

    Poly’s mock trial team was given the case, People vs. Davidson, and Dodson explained that the case was centered around Casey Davidson’s felony of the murder of Alex Thompson with a walking stick.

    “The case was about murder,” he said. “There are forensic reports for the prosecution and a rebuttal. There are witnesses for the prosecution and for the defense. For round one, our job was to defend Casey Davidson, the defendant, to prove him not guilty by creating reasonable doubt, which we did.”

    Senior Marco Romero is the president of the Mock Trial club. He was on the defense team for the case and described the difficult, yet exciting experience.

    “I think it is a great way to expose people who either want to be lawyers, want to step out their comfort zone, or just want to get a taste of what lawyers do,” Romero said. “The competition is judged by a real life judge and scored by either lawyers or law students.”