February 2007

The Poly Optimist Vol. ii John H. Francis Polytechnic High School february 2007 Parrots Prep for “Five chicks in mini skirts, fish nets and thigh-high boots.” Science Bowl XV By Karen Aguilar elimination rounds are held all Optimist Staff Writer day. The final session is based Showalter Rocks 10 Parrots from Poly’s on the old “General Electric Math/Science magnet are pre- College Bowl” television paring to compete for the re- game show. Subjects included gional title of the 15th annual computer science, biology, Kosovo for USO Los Angeles area Science physics, geology, astronomy, Bowl on February 24. The robotics and space travel. Poly drama teacher takes her band on the road to Kosovo. Bowl is sponsored by the De- The winner will receive partment of Water and Power. $1,000 in science equipment, materials or software and each By Meri Sarkisyan If the Poly squad can win the Optimist Staff Writer regional title, they will com- of its five team members will pete at the national finals to be receive Hitachi scholarships What’s a Poly teacher do- held April 27-30 in Washing- of $1,000. The second-, third- ing halfway round the world, ton, D.C. and fourth-place schools will on the rolling hills and farm- Science teacher Karen Bo- also receive money for equip- land of Serbia, singing to brow is sponsoring the teams, ment, the DWP said. hundreds of America’s finest. who also get training from a Public schools from Find out as the Optimist goes Science Bowl coach. This is throughout the Los Ange- on tour with Drama teacher Bobrow’s first year as spon- les Unified School District Amy Showalter. sor. (LAUSD), charter schools Q. Tell us about your The magnet students are and private/parochial schools band. split into A and B teams, in the city participate in the A. I’m in an all-girl group each with five members. The Science Bowl. called BANDSHE. We are groups practice once a week Local teams have won on MySpace and gigmasters. for three to four hours, usually four national titles and placed com. We are a six-piece band. on Saturday or Tuesday. among the top five schools na- Shelby and I handle the leads. Last year, 42 teams from 32 tionally nine times since 1995. She has a really, really high public, private and parochial The national titles were won voice, so she sings Christina schools competed for the title by Van Nuys High School in Aguilera and Heart. I sing all at the DWP headquarters in 1995, Venice High School in the Jimi Hendrix and Janis Jo- downtown Los Angeles. 1996 and 1997 and North Hol- plin stuff, any song sung by Courtesy of MRW During the competition, lywood High School in 2001. a guy, cause I have a lower RED HOT : Showalter belts out “Dani California” to troops. voice. We are really good about how long was the tour? shipping crates like on a train not being jealous of each A. The tour started and that are all hooked together other because everyone gets ended in the Kosovo area. It’s and lined up long ways and their own turn on stage. We called a “whirlwind tour.” It’s you get two beds and a little play rock and roll. It is heavy, the shortest tour the USO has. dresser and little wardrobe heavy stuff like Red Hot Chili It’s two days to travel, two and a little mirror. But you Peppers. Oh yeah, we’re like days to perform and two days had no bathroom. You had to slammin’. home. share a bathroom down at the Q. Who contacted you to One of the bases was in the end of the line. We didn’t care go on the USO tour? Croatia, Serbia area and the though because they were A. The bass player had been other was smack dab in the warm and it was cold outside. on a tour before with another middle of Kosovo. Q. And the gigs? group a few months ago and There’s military presence A. We played in Bondsteel, she got us hooked up with all over there. You see tanks the main Army base in Koso- Photo By Jose Peralta A.K.A. A.K.A is a privately- and humvees, burned-out vo, first. 500 Army guys were FIRING UP THE PIPES: Poly Choir members practice owned production company buildings, its like war-torn. there to hear us. Then we went Extreme’s “ More than Words” for Valentine’s Day gig. in Burbank that books USO It’s so surreal, a weird experi- to a NATO base the next night. (United Service Organiza- ence. It makes me appreciate There were soldiers from 36 Singing Their Way tions) tours. what I’ve got at home. different countries there and We sent them our press Q. Where did you stay? thousands of people. pack. They heard us and hired A. We flew from LAX to We signed autographs af- Into Your Hearts us. We went and played and Washington Dulles and then terwards and it was like a By Jose Peralta words of love, however. they’ve already scheduled us 13 hours to Vienna. We stayed mob scene. Some of the girls Optimist Staff Writer Here’s an excerpt from Ex- again for another tour at the there for a night in a hotel. were “like oh-my-God I feel The lilting sounds of 37 treme’s love-struck ballad – end of April. The regular hotels are not like the Beatles” because they voices delivered a little ro- Q. Who was in charge of like American hotels. They wanted our autographs. But mance to Poly classrooms on “Saying I love you the tour? are nicer on the inside but they they probably hadn’t seen Valentine’s day, February 14, Is not the words I want to A. The production company are smaller. We are big people American woman in a long as five groups of Choir mem- hear from you assigned us a tour manager, in the States. Everything there time, especially five chicks in bers sang 200 telegrams Par- It’s not that I want you who took care of everything, is really clean but the rooms mini skirts and fish nets and rots had ordered. Not to say, but if you only from making sure the plane were tiny. The beds were little thigh high boots. We had a It’s a traditional event at knew tickets arrived to making us and the comforter didn’t even great time. Poly, sponsored by Choir How easy it would be to get our passports. His name cover the whole bed. Q. Transportation? Master Kevin Patterson’s show me how you feel was Fab and he was fabu- In the military bases we A. The General took a lik- sturdy group of vocalists. More than words is all you lous. We had a great time with slept in something called con- ing to us. “Oh you guys don’t The lullabies this year have to do to make it real.” him. nexes. The military guys call need to be driving around in aren’t exactly traditional Q. Where did you play and them tuna-cans. all these entourages,” he said, Ain’t romance grand. They’re like these metal [See Tour Page 2] Campus Connection The Poly Optimist “Young people can have a dramatic impact.” USO Tour [Showalter from Page 1] students and politics: getting “we need to just fly you over.” So to get to the bases, we flew on a Black Hawk helicopter. out the vote for Alarcón Q. Compensation? A. I made 1200 dollars On the campaign A.They are projecting that press her democratic right that cal things. Going to Sacra- for 6 days. All of our meals the turnout will be very low, people felt almost guilty. So mento and going through the were paid for, all of our hotel trail with city so our big focus is to get young people can have a dra- actual legislative process in rooms were paid for and then council candidate. enough volunteers to get the matic impact. the rooms where the legisla- we were paid 300 euros (about voters out. Also, the average age in tors do it. I know the kids get $500) for spending money. a great kick out of that. By Jennifer Rivera Q. Why do you use high my district is about 25, so it’s Q. How long did each show Optimist Staff Writer school students to help you a very young district. That Q. What events are the last? campaign? means I have to pay a lot of Young Senators’ favorites? A. We only had to play 2 The Optimist spoke with A. When I ran for city coun- attention to young people. A. Different students like hours. Two hours both nights. former Poly grad Rich- cil in 1993, a lot of volunteers Q. Why did you create the different things. But the event Its awesome. You get to came from Poly High School. they like the most is when ard Alarcon, now running Young Senators program? take a trip, you play for little Mr. Blackton, the Govern- A. I felt that one way to give they go to Time Warner and for a Los Angeles City bit, then sign autographs. The ment teacher at the time, was back was to tell young people produce their own show. They first night we signed auto- Council position, during giving extra credit to students something they don’t get from get to be the director, anchor- graphs for an hour and a half.

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