LB Poly Class of '59

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Long Beach Poly High School
Established 1895 

Long Beach Polytechnic High School (more commonly known as "Poly") was founded in 1895 as Long Beach High School, and is the flagship high school of the Long Beach Unified School District and the most populous high school in California.  It is a large urban school with more than 5,000 students.

Poly has long been distinguished in both academics and athletics.  The PACE Magnet Program and the CIC Magnet Program boast more total University of California admissions than any other high school in California.  In 2005, Sports Illustrated magazine named Poly the "Sports School of the Century."  Poly has also received numerous prizes for its music program, including multiple Grammy awards.  Long Beach Poly has also sent more players to the NFL than any other high school in the country.

Poly High School Firsts

Ø  Poly was Long Beach's first high school (1895)
Ø  Poly had California's first interscholastic athletics league (1899)
Ø  Poly had California's first PTA (1910)
Ø  Poly had California's first graduation in caps and gowns (1921)

Poly High School Facts

Ø  Poly's school colors were originally red and white but, after a semi-pro baseball team donated green and gold uniforms, the school changed colors to match the uniforms.

Ø  There is a Federal Art Project (circa 1938) painted in a now-locked stairwell at the south end of the 400 building.

Ø  There is a tile mosaic at the corner of the campus.

Ø  The Science building was fully financed by the State of California to boost student interest in the Sciences.  All the Science buildings in all of the Long Beach Unified School District were fully financed by the State and built around the same time.  They are the newest buildings on these campuses.

Ø  The book "One Great Game" by Don Wallace (Poly alumnus) is a biography of Poly's football team during the 2001 season when the team played Concord De La Salle in the first-ever game of the top two nationally-ranked teams.

Ø  The 1909 Poly swim and water polo teams practiced in the ocean.  There was no swimming pool at the school until the 1920's.

Ø  A cornerstone beneath the flagpole at the center of the campus was sealed in 1910.  It was said to contain newspapers from Long Beach and Los Angeles, church circulars, bank statements, city documents, Chamber of Commerce pamphlets, and school forms.  It was opened at Poly's Centennial Celebration in 1995.

Ø  In the 1920's, dancing was not permitted at school activities.  Proms ended at 10:00 p.m.

Ø  In the 1924-25 school year, Poly's enrollment reached 3,750.  During most of the 1920's, Poly High was the largest school west of the Mississippi.

Ø  Bricks from Poly were sold as souvenirs after the 1933 earthquake.  The proceeds paid for a memorial flagpole that now stands at the center of the campus.  After the earthquake, classes were held in tents.

Ø  In 1929, Poly captured five CIF titles in one year for Football, Basketball, Cross Country, Swimming and Water Polo. 

Ø  Because of World War II, many students missed out on Senior Activities.  Ditch Day at Catalina Island was closed for war defense, and there was no senior prom.  Many male teachers were drafted into the armed forces and were replaced by female teachers.  Senior girls had a class called Mobilization of Woman Power (MWP), and they were assigned a very daring book which was wrapped in brown paper.

 

Poly High History Timeline

1895:   Class began in the fall at the Methodist Tabernacle Chapel, northeast of Third Street and Locust Avenue.  Principal Walter S. Bailey and teacher Hattie Mason taught English, Math, History, Latin, Greek, and German to 28 students.

1897:   On June 1, Ernest Shaul received his diploma, the first graduate of the Long Beach schools and the sole member of the class of 1897.  Classes moved to Chautauqua Hall at Fourth Street and Pine Avenue as work began on a new Long Beach High School at Eighth Street and American Avenue (now Long Beach Boulevard).

1898:   Long Beach High School was dedicated on May 20.  It was a mission-style building with a red tile roof, four classrooms, and an assembly hall. 

1899:   The Long Beach High School Athletic Association is formed.  A semi-pro baseball team donates uniforms to Poly which changed the school colors to match the uniforms - from red and white to green and gold.

1902:   Courtney A. Teel graduates, the first student to go through every grade in the Long Beach schools.

1903:   The first Long Beach High School yearbook, "Caerulea", is published.

1904:   Football and basketball come to Poly.

1906:   California's first student government is formed.

1907:   David "Daddy" Burcham becomes principal, a title he would hold until 1941.  The girls' basketball team wins the first of three consecutive state championships.

1909:   Debate begins on a site for a new "Polytechnic" high school with a curriculum patterned after the Los Angeles schools.  A fraternity called Comus is started by ten Poly students.

1910:   The corner of 16th Street and Atlantic Avenue is chosen as the school's new, larger, and permanent site.

1911:   Long Beach High School graduates its final class.  Poly High School opens with 31 teachers and 850 students. 

1914:   The California Interscholastic Federation forms, as does a girls athletic league.

1919:   JROTC starts.

1917:   School life and sports are interrupted by an influenza epidemic and World War I.  Inspired by the rabbits that roam the athletic field, the track team members decide to call themselves The Jackrabbits.

1918:   On December 27 the old Long Beach High School burns down.  It last served as an elementary school.  Twenty-two students gave their lives in World War I.

1924:   David Burcham Field, the Poly athletic field, is dedicated on January 18.

1925:   Woodrow Wilson High School opens in eastern Long Beach and quickly becomes Poly's chief rival.

1931:   The new auditorium is built at a cost of $200,000.

1933:   A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hits the area and the school's towering dome at the entrance collapses.  Many buildings were ruined and the Science building burned down.  School re-opened the following week in 47 tents on Burcham Field.  "Tent City" remained for three years.

1935:   A new science building is constructed and the auditorium is remodeled.  Architect Hugh Davies authors the school motto "Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve".

1936:   A new administration building opens.

1937:   One-thousand and six students graduate.  The class of 1937 is the first class to graduate over 1,000 students.

1941:   "Daddy" Burcham retires as the United States enters World War II.  Poly students grow Victory Gardens, and join bond and scrap drives.  Four thousand students and staff enlisted to fight in the war.  Seventy-seven died.  Many fought before they graduated, and many came back from the war, finished their credits, and received their diplomas.

1944:   The Hutch opens on Willow and Pine and is the site of many off-campus dances.

1945:   Poly High celebrates its 50th anniversary.  "The Spirit of Poly," a bomber plane built by Douglas Aircraft Company, and financed with war bonds sold by Poly students, flies over the campus.  It reinforced the spirit and patriotism of the students.  McDonnell-Douglas also made metal bracelets with the initials LBPHS.

1952:   The old wooden bleachers at Burcham Field burn down.  The new Veterans Memorial Stadium becomes Poly's home field.  Howard Hicks becomes principal.  Poly is, at this point, the best-known institution in the nation through its leadership in sports and academics.  The gyms and student store are built.

1953:   The Library is built at a cost of $500,000.

1954:   Basketball wins its fifth consecutive CIF title.

1957:   "Home of Scholars and Champions" is coined by Principal Neil W. Philips as a second school motto.

1959:   Poly's football, basketball, track, and baseball teams all advance to CIF playoffs with Poly becoming CIF champs in both football and track.

1965:   Poly has won 60 CIF titles in various sports. 

1966:   A record number of 117 candidates run for office of Student Commissioner as the Student Body By-laws are changed.

1969:   On May 27 approximately 100 White and African-American students fight on campus in response to a racist leaflet.  This leaves 24 students injured.

1970:   Poly celebrates its 75th anniversary. 

1971:   Homecoming King and Queen tradition ends due to racial tensions.

1973:   JROTC program starts allowing females to participate.  SEA (School of Educational Alternatives) Program is established based on Summerhill "Learning Without Walls".

1975:   Poly North opens at Big Bear Lake as a weekend human relations camp.

1976:   PACE (Program of Additional Curricular Experiences), the school's oldest academy, is first started by Nancy Gray, a language teacher.  This program brings in gifted students from around Long Beach for college-preparatory classes.

1978:   Girls Track and Gymnastic teams are formed.

1982:   CIC (Center for International Commerce) is co-founded by Greta McGree.  This program brings in gifted students from throughout Long Beach for college-preparatory classes with an emphasis on international studies and commerce.

1984:   USA Today recognizes Poly as the #1 ranking in the Nation with titles from Moore League, CIF, and State.

1986:   Poly High is one of six California schools this year to receive the Distinguished School Recognition Award, the California Department of Education's highest honor.

1988:   Poly High has six National Merit Scholars, more than any other high school in the United States.

1989:   Poly becomes a four-year high school.

1993:   The new science building is built.  Poly also becomes the first Long Beach school to have two principals.

1994:   Tardy Sweep is implemented.  Hong Tran Nguyen, a Poly teacher, is named Teacher of the Year by the Walt Disney Company.

1995:   Poly celebrates its Centennial Anniversary.

2000:   Poly wins five CIF Championships in Football, Girls Volleyball, Girls Basketball, and Boys and Girls Track and Field.  Poly's music program is recognized as a Grammy Signature School Gold, placing them among the top ten music programs in the country.

2003:   A building-by-building campus modernization process begins.

2004:   Poly's music program is again recognized as a Grammy Signature School Gold, placing them among the top seven music programs in the country.  PACE Student, Sumner Arano (Class of 2005), scores a perfect 1600 on the SAT I, and a perfect 36 on the ACT college entrance exams.

2005:   Harvard University's recognition of Poly as the Most Successful High School in California in the number of graduates.  Sports Illustrated recognizes Poly High School as the #1 Sports High School in the nation.  Poly administers 704 Advanced Placement tests and enjoys an overall pass rate of 81%.

2006:   A new system requiring a school ID to be worn at all times is implemented at Poly and other schools in the district.  PACE student, Samantha Larson, has now climbed the Seven Summits, the tallest peaks on each continent.  She is the youngest to do so.  The music department adds a fifth jazz band with two advanced ensembles, two intermediate, and one beginning class of over 50, thus accommodating approximately 170 students in the jazz department alone.  Also, the graduating class of 2006 is required to pass the California High School Exit Exam after the test was rendered unconstitutional and then reinstated.  Senior Siodhbhra Parkin on Poly's Speech and Debate team captures the State Championship in Student Congress competition.

2007:   Beginning with the class of 2007, students need to complete 40 hours of community service as a new LBUSD graduation requirement.  Poly Water Polo wins the Moore League for the first time in over 20 years.  One thousand and ten students graduate from Poly, about 200 more than any other school in the LBUSD.

2009:   Poly's best, the Class of 1959, celebrates its 50-Year Reunion at the Long Beach Hyatt Regency!

2014:  Still the best...........the Class of 1959 celebrates its 55-Year Reunion at Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula on October 18th.

Notable Alumni

Actors:  John Wayne, Van Heflin, Cameron Diaz

Opera Singer:  Marilyn Horne

Rapper:  Snoop Dogg

Tennis Player:  Billie Jean King

Baseball Players:   Chase Utley, Milton Bradley, Randy Moffitt, Tommie Sisk, Oscar and Ollie Brown, 2007 Hall of Fame Inductee Tony Gwynn and brother Chris Gwynn

Basketball Players:   Mack Calvin, Tyus Edney

Football Players:  Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed from the "Rocky" movies), Marques Anderson, Omar Stoutmire, Gene Washington, Earl McCullouch, Hershel Dennis