Photo courtesy of Jonathan Evans.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Former Jackrabbits Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
For years, Long Beach Polytechnic High School’s graduation ceremony has been held at Veterans Memorial Stadium at Long Beach City College. This year, Vets hosted the largest graduating class in all of Long Beach, as nearly 1,000 Jackrabbits walked the stage as a part of the Class of 2026 in what was the final graduation ceremony at Vets before its demolition and reconstruction starting in the fall.
One of the most integral parts of the ceremony is the reading of the graduates’ names. Poly is known for its immense diversity, resulting in a wide range of unique pronunciations that echo throughout Veterans Memorial Stadium as each graduate crosses the stage.
“Graduation is a great moment in any student’s life,” said Poly teacher Mr. Alexander, who didn’t read names this year but had previously done so for the past 20 years. “As a person who has read names, I always took it seriously, because you only get that one moment. It’s the last time that all of that class is together and this is the last time I’m going to see 95% of these people. I just want to hear your name right.”
With Poly boasting a lasting legacy throughout the city of Long Beach, the pressure of reading names for so many graduates is no small feat. CIC teachers Mr. Knapil and Mr. Pluton were the readers for Poly’s ceremony this year. Knapil, who grew up in Long Beach, understands the significance of graduating, and especially the importance of correctly pronouncing names on the big stage.
“The baton was passed to us,” Knapil said of he and Pluton reading names at graduation. “We’ve only done it a couple of times. We’re learning how we want to do it.”
With plenty of complicated factors at play under the bright lights of the ceremony, mistakes are bound to happen.
“I try to do my best,” Knapil said, stating that he always tries to “say it as true to the name as possible.”
Even with the largest graduating class in Long Beach, Poly’s graduation ceremony was the shortest from start to finish, a testament to the Jackrabbits’ staff and everyone involved in making the event run smoothly.
