Poly Times, Volume 1, Issue 2

Before you begin to think about the next school year, we have some summer ideas to help you enjoy the season.

Be safe, but have fun!

FOR STUDENTS, BY STUDENTS SUMMER 2021

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Welcome Letter

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Advice for Sophomores

08-09

Tales From Blended Learning

10-11

Summer Fun

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Quench Your Thirst

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Polish Your Resume

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What’s Your Sign?

City Poly Fam, E

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The Team Editor-in-Chief Gabrielle Hall Creative Director Bayzed Ullah Managing Editor Djineylla Baptiste Executive Editor Amera Roche Senior Researcher Nikolai Markov Writers and Contributors Erwin Alicindor Mia Reyes Annaytza Santiago Yanua Zevallos Advisor Ms. Nicholson

We are quickly coming to the close of yet another bittersweet year, which has brought us many ups and downs and with it many introductions and goodbyes. This is our summer issue of City Poly’s very own magazine which will help rising sophomores adapt to in person high school life. Congratulations to our graduating class of 2021! You are officially high school graduates and your four years are finally over and adulthood is approaching and magazine club wishes you the best of luck! To our rising seniors. Our time is almost up and we have to enjoy this last year to the fullest!

We urge you to make the best of it and make your last year as highschoolers memorable. Finally to our upcoming freshman, sophomores, and juniors we would like to thank you for choosing and sticking with us for your high school experience and we hope we can make it your very best. Make sure to stay on top of your academics, but also have fun- join clubs, attend school events and trips, and spend quality time with your friends.

With that we hope you have an incredible summer and hope that when you close this issue you would have found new ways to have a productive, safe, and fun summer.

Much Love,

Upperclassmen Offer Their Advice On What In-Person School Is Really Like By: Yanua Zevallos O. Rising sophomores, there are many of you who haven’t been to school in-person at all. I know I haven’t even seen it in person, and while some of you are and or were on blended learning this school year, it still isn’t the same Poly experience that upperclassmen have had. And if the plan for all NYC schools to go fully in person in September goes accordingly, it’s for sure going to be awkward entering your second year of high school with people that you may have never seen or maybe even heard their voices.

I know sometimes the mic does work, you just feel more comfortable writing it in the chat and having the camera off. But still we were classmates for a whole year. That’s why we asked the current seniors, juniors and sophomores to share some things with you about what school is like in person. Here are their answers: Let’s start with something easy, but important, their favorite subject in City Poly, now you might say what’s important about that or what do I care about that, but think about it just for a bit, they all have been at least two years (with this one) in this school and if they can say that’s their favorite subject even through a global pandemic, I might start paying more attention in that class. So tied with a 22.2% the top two favorite subjects appear to be CTE and Gym, you know I’ve heard those CTE projects are fun and Gym come on who doesn’t enjoy sports (not judging if you prefer to stay in bed though, cause same), next with a 21.1% is math, which I gotta say I’m surprise in a good way I was already feeling like I was the only one who doesn’t relate to the memes about hating/not understanding math.

“Be ready to walk up four flights of stairs everyday multiple times a day.”

Want to Know What to Expect Your Sophomore Year?

Continue 05

What to Expect .....(Cont’d) Now let’s get to something I’ll bet most of you would like to know: which class has been the hardest and the easiest they have taken at City Poly (in general).

33% Math 17.1% Engineering 12.8% History

What is the hardest class you have taken?

37.1% Other CLasses

Take gold seriously if needed.

What is the Easiest class you have taken?

37.5% GYM 13.5% ELA 12.5 % Math

10.6% Science 7.7% Engineering 18.3 % Other Classes

Prepare for a lot of essays and re-writing.

Don't slack off because the work you miss now is gonna come back in the future and hurt you tremendously.

Sometimes Irather Go Without Eating 68.9% Regular 38.9%

What do you think about the free free?

Surprisingly Good 2.2%

What time should I arrive to get through scanning? Twenty-three percent said 8 am, followed by 9am at 21% and 7:50 am at 17%.

46.7% Depends on teacher 15.6% All I see is work to do 23.3% Increases

What do you think of the usual workload of in person learning at city poly?

8.9% same 5.5% Decreases

For the question what makes City Poly enjoyable, most people said the people, clubs, teachers, CTE and the sports.

Have fun and don’t get too caught up with the idea of school. Live a little. Even still don’t slack, and always try to stay on top of all your work because if you don’t, you’re gonna regret it!

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Tales From Blended Learning

As you know, the Coronavirus pandemic has caused 150 million people to get infected and has resulted in three million deaths worldwide. The pandemic has also caused millions of school children to stay home and participate in remote learning. This type of learning is not for the weak-minded and has detrimentally affected students socially, physically, mentally, and emotionally. However, through wearing masks and educators taking the vaccine, New York City schools were allowed to be open again with reduced capacity and mask-wearing. Poly Times interviewed a few students and teachers on their experience in blended learning so far and here are their responses:

City Poly Students and Teachers Share Their Experiences By: Djineylla Baptiste Mc Intosh

“As a student who just started blended learning, I can say it has helped me for the better. I noticed how being around my peers and my teachers can really help me truly understand what is going on in my classes because if I need help I can just ask a peer or teacher. Also, being around other students who are also learning keeps me motivated to learn as well.

Overall, I believe that blended learning is exactly what I needed to start getting focused back on my classes again.”—Joshaun Jakes “Blended learning was a big adjustment at the beginning for both teachers and students.

I feel that blended learning is definitely not for everyone, but there have been many positive

Joshaun Jakes

outcomes. For one, there is consistency with every teacher using Google classroom and less paper waste from handouts. It has also helped teachers find new collaborative tools such as Nearpod, Kahoot, Flipgrid, and more. Some struggles that come with blended learning are IT issues, not being able to see every student in person, and less time for students to socialize with their friends. Some teachers and students may lack self-motivation when working from home and need to come into the building every day but there are some who thrived and found their voice over blended learning. Students who are usually shy or nervous in school were able to feel comfortable and participate more online. There are many pros and cons to blended learning, but I would love for it to continue as an option for those who were successful with it during this time.”—Ms.Grimes “Blended learning is the answer to the question that no one wanted to ask: How can education survive during a pandemic? I won't deny how difficult these last 14 months have been; the technology, apathy, and turned-off cameras are enough to make teachers tear their hair out, but just getting students back into the building has given me a breathtaking boost. It

isn't perfect by any stretch, but being able to meet my 9th-graders in person and actually get to know them has been more than I could even imagine.”—Mr.Abry “Blending learning has got me motivated to finish tasks. Being in a working environment helps me concentrate on the task at hand.

Interacting with students and teachers help build a community and friendships. Instead of things distracting you when you're at home, sitting in a classroom where everyone is doing the same things helps me focus better. I’ve also noticed assignment have been handed in faster than when we were in online class.”—Phoenix Li At the end of the day, teachers and students both believe that in-person learning is very beneficial because it helps everyone to stay focused, allows them to socialize, it is easier to do assignments, and receive motivation from others. Overall, in-person learning has benefited both teachers and students and we hope to see you in school next following year for full in-person learning!

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Summer, Summer, Summer Time!

By: Amera Roche and Erwin Alcindor

Summer ‘21 is finally here! We Outsideeeeee! Y'all know the Vibes! Ain't no stoppin us. We got y’all with some places to visit, where you can eat, hang out and “enjoy yourself” as Pop Smoke said.

Places To Visit Color Factory Artech Museum Beat the bomb Area 53 Bowl 360 Sip and Play Brooklyn Bridge Park Roller Skating Picnic Play Hide and Seek Eat BasketBall Prospect park Roller Skating Hudson River Park Beach Volleyball Mini Golf Basketball Skatepark Sky Zone Take the Tram to Roosevelt Island Regal theater Governors Island

Places to Eat Penelope Cafe Maison Pickle Cheeseburger Cheeseburger 375 Chicken and fries Lemongrass grill Lil Sweet Chick Mister Dips

Sweets Insomnia cookie Get Stuffed Cold Stone Creamery

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Y’all Thirsty?

Cause I Am. Recipes combiled by Amera Roche

Drinks To Go:

-Iced Peach Tea Lemonade 3 pumps of raspberry syrup -Strawberry Acai refresher w/ lemonade and raspberry pumps -Green Tea Lemonade with Raspberry (sweetened) -Peach Green Tea No Water Substitute for Very berry hibiscus Scoop of Blackberries -Mango Dragon Fruit with apple juice -Passion Tea Lemonade with Raspberry pumps -White mocha frappe 1 hazelnut pump 1 pump of raspberry whipped cream, crunch and strawberry puree on top -Lemonade with guava juice double blended with cream base with strawberry puree on top -Strawberries and creme frappe with pumps of vanilla and white mocha and strawberry inclusions , extra strawberry puree at the bottom with graham cracker pieces on top -White Mocha cream frappe with 4 pumps of vanilla a scoop of cinnamon powder, extra caramel drizzle on side of cup with on whipped cream and caramel drizzle on top

Jobs and Resume Advice BY: Djineylla Baptiste and Nikolai Markov

Summer is finally here and with that comes time to find a job or an internship. From your first job to your last one, you will need to present a resume. Your resume allows employers to get a glimpse of your goals, skills and accomplishments. Before they see/meet you, they will look at your resume. It sounds weird, but most college and scholarship applications require you to upload a copy of your most recent resume. Rather than waiting until your senior year to create one, you should do so now and update as often as you acquire new skills and experiences. Even if you have never had a job, you can add things such as: •Volunteer experience (in and outside of school) •Academic achievements (GPA, Awards, Honors, etc.)

•Clubs and extracurricular activities •Skills (soft and hard)

Resume Formatting Tips: •Keep it concise •Focus on depth and length of commitment •Provide detail whenever possible •Formatting is key •Be honest and accurate

Here are some activities that would be helpful to boost your resume and add context to your college applications: •Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship Program •The Greater Boston STEM Program •2021 Software Engineer Internship •Manhattan College Summer Engineering Program •ACE Mentor Program of Greater NY •East New York Educators (Paid) •Brooklyn Library: Today’s Teens, Tomorrow’s Techies Internship •YVote Summer Changemaker Institute, July 13-Aug 17 •Brooklyn YWCA LEAD Program Application

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Learn About Your

Zodiac Sign By: Mia Reyes

Water Signs

Fire Signs

Water signs are exceptionally emotional and ultra-sensitive. They are highly intuitive and they can be as mysterious as the ocean itself. Water signs love profound conversations and intimacy. They rarely do anything openly and are always there to support their loved ones.

Fire signs tend to be passionate, dynamic, and temperamental. They get angry quickly, but they also forgive easily. They are adventurers with immense energy. They are physically very strong and are a source of inspiration for others. Fire signs are intelligent, self-aware, creative and idealistic people, always ready for action.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22) Scorpio (October 23 - November 21) Pisces (February 19 - March 20)

Aries (March 21 - April 19) Leo (July 23 - August 22) Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)

Earth Signs

Air Signs

Earth signs are “grounded” and the ones that bring us down to earth. They are mostly conservative and realistic, but they can also be very emotional. They are connected to our material reality and can be turned to material goods. They are practical, loyal and stable and they stick by their people through hard times.

Air signs are rational, social, and love communication and relationships with other people. They are thinkers, friendly, intellectual, communicative and analytical. They love philosophical discussions, social gatherings and good books. They enjoy giving advice, but they can also be very superficial.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20) Virgo (August 23 - September 22) Capricorn (December 22 - January 19)

Gemini (May 21 - June 20) Libra (September 23 - October 22) Aquarius (January 20 - February 18)

Friendship Compatibilities: Cancer + Sagittarius Taurus + Pisces Gemini + Capricorn Libra + Leo Scorpio + Aries

Virgo + Capricorn Sagittarius + Aquarius Gemini + Leo Cancer + Scorpio

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POLY PRIDE

SUMMER 2021