Our Story
On August 11, 2020, the Poly Green School Campaign was officially launched at Long Beach Polytechnic High School with a long term goal of transitioning LBUSD to 100% renewable energy. Poly Green Schools is a satellite campaign of the Green Schools Campaign of the Climate Reality Project.
The campaign quickly grew as Poly students reached out in support of a transition to 100% renewable energy. The campaign's leaders include Poly students Kaaya Batra, Diana Michaelson, Simona Michaelson, Victoria Quach, and Hamid Torabzadeh. The club advisor is Long Beach Poly teacher Patrick Gillogly. The campaign also works with Sybil Azur, a trained Climate Leader who was a leading figure in transitioning LAUSD to 100% renewable energy. The campaign is also partnering with Sierra Climate Club Climate Parents, who have worked with many campaigns similar to ours.
Our campaign has recently joined forces with the Helen Keller Greenies from Long Beach, which is led by 8th grader Ruthann Heis, with the assistance of Cathy Procopio, Program Advisor for the nonprofit Grades of Green. We are also joined by the Hughes Middle School Airbenders, who are led by 8th grader Dia Rubio and teacher Danielle Van Divort.
We are beyond excited to share our campaign with the rest of the world and help alleviate the effects of impending climate change.
Meet the Team
Diana Michaelson
Diana (she/her) is a senior at Long Beach Polytechnic high school and the founder of the Long Beach Green Schools Campaign. During the summer of 2020, she became a trained Climate Reality Leader and joined the LA Chapter's youth-run Green School Campaign, where she serves as a region coordinator for the LA area. Diana serves on the City of Long Beach's Youth Advisory Council, representing District 5, and is a student researcher at UCLA's Biomedical Research Program.
Ruthann Heis
Ruthie (she/they) is a youth climate organizer from West Long Beach, CA, who works as a student leader of the Long Beach Green Schools Campaign and representative of Poly High School. She joined the campaign as an eighth grader at Helen Keller Middle School and representative from the “Keller Greenies” Green Team. Ruthie became a climate activist after learning about the impact of air pollution on her community, through the Grades of Green RISE Campaign in 7th and 8th grade
Rohan Reddy
Rohan Reddy (he/him) is a senior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He joined the Green Schools Campaign because he wants to act now to secure a safe planet for future generations and prevent further damage to the environment. He believes that local efforts are a crucial first step towards creating worldwide change. Apart from campaigning, Rohan also enjoys building robots and playing the saxophone.
Emma Huynh
Emma (she/her) is a senior at Robert A. Millikan high school and the lead Millikan liaison for the Long Beach Green Schools Campaign. Starting in 7th grade she has been involved with multiple organizations to combat plastic pollution and the current climate crisis including the Algalita Youthboard program and the Long Beach Sustainability Youth Climate Ambassadors. She hopes to work locally and internationally to create greener, cleaner, and more sustainable areas to inhabit for the generations to come.
Lily Palmer
Lily (she/her) is a junior at Millikan High School and a member of the Long Beach Green Schools Campaign. She is passionate about environmental conservation and sustainability. In middle school, she helped her school win a state-wide waste reduction competition and advocate for the district as a whole to reduce their waste. She hopes to one day become a scientist.
Patrick Gillogly
Patrick (he/him) has been a teacher at Long Beach Poly High School for 17 years, teaching AP US History, Model United Nations, and Model United Nations II / Leadership. He is passionate about environmental and human rights issues and would like to see the United States work towards and become more familiar with the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Green Schools Campaign is a great vehicle for local change and sustainable development and he is very excited to be a part of it.
Don Dao
Don (he/him) is a senior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. Though he uses his hobbies of animating and graphic design to help other clubs, he mainly joined the Green Schools Campaign to help research and educate himself on environmental justice. He wishes to further the awareness and practical implementation of renewable energy, as well as ways to mitigate the effects of climate change using methods like bioremediation to clean up pollution.
Dia Rubio
Dia (they/them) is a tenth-grader at Long Beach Poly High School. They became involved in environmental advocacy after learning about climate change in sixth grade and later became involved with a team that helped LBUSD make huge strides in waste reduction. When Dia's not campaigning, they can be found drawing, making something somehow, stimming, running or singing along to 80s rock.
Hamid Torabzadeh
Hamid (he/him) is a freshman attending Brown University and a recent graduate of Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He strives to serve The Poly Green Schools Campaign by combining his multidisciplinary interests for environmental sustainability and global health to actively mobilize swift and comprehensive energy changes at LB Poly and in LBUSD.
Paige Zwerner
Paige (she/her) is a senior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. She is Poly's Student Body President for the fall 2022 term and is active in the political and environmental sphere with her internship with Suzie Price's 3rd District Office. She loves to read and roller skate and is thrilled to have been a part of the process of passing Board Policy 3510.1 at LBUSD.
Kaaya Batra
Kaaya (she/her) is a freshman at UC Berkeley and a recent graduate of Long Beach Poly, where she served as the Treasurer of the Green Schools Campaign club. She has been a basketball player and dancer her whole life, and has recently found a new love for singing as well. Kaaya hopes that through Green Schools Campaign, she can help further better her community by learning more about climate change and contributing to a safer, healthier planet.
Kirsten Bucu
Kirsten (she/her) is a sophomore at Long Beach Poly who likes to crochet, hang out with friends, and participate in the Green Schools Campaign! She joined GSC because she is concerned about the future of the Long Beach Unified School District and she wants to contribute to the change that GSC wants to make!
Neil Patel
Neil Patel (he/him) is a junior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He enjoys computer science and writing short, fictional stories. Neil joined the Green Schools Campaign to be educated on the topics surrounding climate change and renewable energy. He believes there should be greenery everywhere and in places that have little to none for a calm environment.
Cathy Procopio
Cathy Procopio is a Program Advisor for the environmental non-profit Grades of Green, which provides support and resources to students as they turn their passion into environmental action. She participated in the Los Angeles 2018 Climate Reality Training program and is currently supporting students around the world in Grades of Green's Climate Solutions Campaign.
Mary Lunetta
Mary Lunetta is the Senior Campaign Representative for Sierra Club. In her role, she supports parents, students, and teachers across the nation organizing to move their school communities to commit to 100% clean energy, and electrify school buildings and school bus fleets. She lives in Idyllwild, CA on the traditional land of the Cahuilla, and she is a mom to two young children in elementary school.
Erin Rogers
Erin (she/her) is a junior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. She helps to manage the social media accounts of two organizations and clubs alongside Poly's Green School Campaign. She is a PACE student and has been on the Poly Girls Swim Team since 2019. Erin joined GSC to help improve the school district’s waste management and pave the way for a greener LBUSD.
Theodore Pruitt
Theodore (he/him) is a junior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and a member of the Long Beach Green Schools Campaign. He recently joined this year and has learned so much. Recently, Theo learned how to plant a tree and learned that eating seafood is better for the environment than any other types of meat. He can't wait to see what will come in the future.
Sybil Azur
Sybil Azur is a mother of two, writer, and documentary filmmaker. She is a volunteer for Climate Reality Los Angeles and led them team that spearheaded the initiative to transition the Los Angeles Unified School District to 100% clean, renewable energy. She is proud to be acting mentor for the Long Beach Green Schools Campaign since its inception.
Soli Nickerson
Soli (she/her) is an 8th grader at Rogers Middle School. She joined her school’s green team in 7th grade, which sparked her interest in the environment. Since then, her team has won an award during a competition run by Grades of Green for helping reduce water usage in their community. She has also presented to her Congress representative on behalf of her school. She is very excited to be working the Long Beach GSC and make a difference in the world.
Christian Klenz
Christian (he/him) is a junior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He is a Green Schools Campaign member who is invested in improving the environment through science and community participation. Christian is interested in bettering the air quality of society and bringing nature to modern society to create a better quality of life.
Victoria Quach
Victoria (she/her) is a senior at Polytechnic High School and the Vice President of the Green School Campaign. She is also a part of the Long Beach Climate Task Force working to transition Long Beach to 100% Green Energy. By joining GSC, Victoria hopes to encourage LBUSD to commit to its sustainability plan in order to ensure that the community most disadvantaged can live in a clean and safe environment.
Amy Crevino
Amy (she/her) is a junior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. She wants to participate in the Green Schools Campaign to be a part of the solution to a problem that is far too often ignored. Amy knows that this young, but mighty, group of individuals can make a substantial impact on their environment.
Simona Michaelson
Simona (she/her) is a junior at Long Beach Polytechnic and the Social Media Advisor in the Green Schools Campaign. As an 8th grader at Hughes Middle School she received 2nd place at the California State Science Fair for her work in psychology. Simona has been a committed singer since she was a toddler and has recently begun exploring the dancing world. Simona is excited to learn about and better the environment through the Green School Campaign.
Spencer Boggs
Spencer (he/him) is a junior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He joined the Long Beach Green Schools Campaign because he cares about the future of the planet and improving the quality of life for students. He is an aspiring musician and programmer.
Angelique Gonzalez
Angelique (she/her) is a Junior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, CA. She has always tried her best at being environmentally conscious, but she wanted a way to get involved and to make a notable difference for the environment and her community. Angelique will be helping to connect people and raise awareness for the Green School campaign through Instagram and other social media platforms.
Edward Flores
Edward (he/him) is a junior in the CIC program at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He has participated in and led many projects that have benefited the environment with his Boy Scouts Troop since 2015 and with the Long Beach Green Schools Campaign. He is an avid supporter of GSC's missions and is working diligently to help reach the goal of 100% clean energy at LBUSD!
Charlotte Peterson
Charlotte (she/her) is a junior in the PACE program at Polytechnic High School. She is also president of her school's activism club, Poly For Change. As someone committed to social justice she also champions environmental justice.
Keira Lam
Keira (she/her) is a sophomore at Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California. Her hobbies include listening to music, sewing, photography, and the outdoors. She’s excited to work with GSC to take some action and make change within our community and the world.
Althea Aguel
Althea (she/her) is a sophomore at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. She is very passionate about helping the environment. Althea's hobbies include writing music as well as singing and playing her guitar and piano. She hopes she can create substantial change through the Green Schools Campaign.
Jonah Willis
Jonah Willis (he/him) is a junior at Long Beach Poly High School, and a brand new member of the Green Schools Campaign. He is very active in environmental restoration, landscaping the community garden as well as the Bolsa Chica National Reserve in his free time. He is the co-leader of the school's Irrigation Club, educating attendees on the importance of natural and manmade waterways of Southern California.
Malia Holm
Malia (she/her) is a junior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. She has been playing volleyball since the 6th grade and plays on Poly's Varsity Volleyball team. During her junior year, she helped found the Poly Outreach club, which aims to get free menstrual products in the Poly bathrooms as well as cleaner and fully stocked bathrooms. She is also a co-president of the Best Buddies Club, which aims to create an inclusive environment for disabled students
Lauren Griffieth
Lauren (she/her) is a sophomore at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and a part of the Long Beach Green Schools Campaign. She has been involved in restoring the planet since being on the green team at her elementary school. She hopes to one day become a lawyer.
Ella Chang
Ella (she/her) is a sophomore at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. She is a member of Green Schools Campaign because she wants to support local action against the climate crisis. She hopes to later pursue a career in environmental science.
Konrad Schreiber
Konrad (he/him) is a junior at Long Beach Poly high school and a member of the Green School Campaign at poly. He is a student in the PACE program and has run cross country and track since his freshman year. He joined the Green Schools Campaign to make the school district a cleaner and healthier place for everyone and to help to preserve what is left of the natural world.