Millikan has gone through some major changes this summer having a direct effect on Millikan’s student body and teaching staff. Some of these changes have been long awaited for but the outcome and process might not have been what we were expecting.
Here are some of the changes in affect this school year:
Dress Code
“It’s been a long time coming” -Taylor Swift
Rams, it’s official, we survived the great war. After many long years of the enforcement of dress code policy at Millikan, we finally have more autonomy on our wardrobe. This school year marks the very first year that Millikan has adopted free dress, but still inclusive of the LBUSD guidelines. Millikan was the last LBUSD high school to condone this. All around campus, you can see students expressing their creativity and style sense in an array of colors and patterns that make Millikan students shine on a brighter spotlight. Most seem to be enjoying their freedom. According to a poll on the Millikan Corydon website, 100% of students enjoy free dress more than a designated dress code. Hopefully, it’s here to stay.
Parking
A major disappointment to seniors this year: parking passes for the lots on the corners of East Barbanell Street and East Belen Street are not available for students any longer. In past years, a lottery system was used to designate which students were able to park in the lot, but many teachers were spared instead, some not being able to find parking. This year, the lots are strictly for teachers only, leaving the licensed Rams to street parking.
When asked whether there was a difference between being able to find parking this year compared to last, Mr. Lange, French 1-2 and AP French teacher says, “Absolutely, it’s so much easier to find parking. There’s too many adults on campus that need parking and there’s not enough for the students”.
On the other hand, many seniors who drive to school think differently.
Kate Flanigan, a senior in COMPASS says, “I feel very rushed to get to school in order to find a decent parking spot now that we can’t use the lots.”
Other seniors agree saying,
“I don’t look forward to driving to school simply because the parking is pretty difficult to find, especially with traffic.”
“We have to get there super early to park or you can’t find parking close enough.”
“More students are beginning to go more into the neighborhood instead and I’m sure there have been disturbances.”
Construction
Beginning last school year, many classrooms and teachers had to make big moves to different parts of the school in order to allow for the construction of Millikan’s 100 and 200 buildings. Presumably in January, the campus will be divided and separated by subject: English in the 200 building, World languages in the 400 building, History/Social Sciences in the 500 bungalows, and Science classes in the 800 building. The 100 building will continue to serve as the main office and the 11000 building will house the College and Career Center, some Career Technical Education (CTE) courses, and Special Education classes. Next up, the 700 building (ASB room area), will take a blow as it is transformed into an outdoor pool in a few years.
Accordingly, that means that most teachers who have just made a move last year will have to make the move again to their hopefully permanent home. On a positive note, teachers have been promised that they will not make more than two moves over the course of this construction period. If you want to read more about Millikan’s in-progress construction, read Alyssa’s story here.
Construction is currently ongoing in the Main Quad as well and at other points around campus at this time. Many events that usually take place in the main quad will be moved to bigger spaces. The Homecoming Carnival for example is set to take place on the baseball outfield instead, this year, to allow for more space.
Cellphone policy
The Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education approved a new cellphone policy this September 4th that regulates student phone use in schools to enhance learning, support mental health, and strengthen safety. In accordance with the Phone-Free Schools Act, this mandates that all school districts in California establish a phone policy by July 2026, with Long Beach’s districtwide implementation on January 26, 2026.
Key Guidelines of LONG BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PHONE POLICY include:
-Devices must remain powered off and stored during instructional time, from the beginning to the end of each class period.
-Devices are prohibited in restrooms, locker rooms, on field trips, and during other school-day learning experiences.
Global classes
This year, “global classes” have made an appearance at Millikan. These classes mix up students from different pathways together, creating a diverse group of students from different sectors. Teachers that used to be primarily COMPASS teachers for example, have begun to see more students from other pathways in their classrooms. If you want to learn more about pathway intermixing, read Aubrey Calderon’s story here.
These changes are inevitably to support the learning environment here at Millikan and students believe that it’s sure to be a year unlike the rest. While the process may be long, the outcome will be well worth it.
Macy Blackman • Oct 14, 2025 at 1:57 pm
I came across this while going through the recent articles from the Corydon, and her thoughts and descriptions of the new applications to Millikan this year are compelling. Sastyangkul describes 5 major shifts happening this year and offers both her own, and others perspectives on each of them. For example, as she talks about parking this year and how seniors are no longer able to park in the school parking lot, she is able to explain a few seniors’ frustrations while also emphasizing the reasoning behind this new rule, and the struggles that student parking put many teachers through last year. I admire how she is able to connect different points of view in a clear and concise manner not only while talking about parking, but throughout the whole article.
Sastyangkul does a great job of putting all students’ thoughts to words about these new critical factors at Millikan. She illustrates how the new dress code policy allows students to express “…their creativity and style sense in an array of colors and patterns that make Millikan students shine on a brighter spotlight”. This was a very insightful way to look at the new dress code policy, and will definitely change the way I see our school. Is also emphasizes the thought that when students feel comfortable and confident in what they are wearing, it can provide more motivation at school. I also appreciate how she was able to explain not only why the new cellphone policy has been applied this year, but also what the exact mandates for this policy are, as it provides and easy way to look at it. Altogether, Sastyangkul’s article on these new school policies was very strong and smooth, offering a new way for students to see our improved school.
Caitlin Ujiie • Oct 14, 2025 at 1:32 pm
I was browsing through Corydon’s latest articles, and this one specifically caught my attention. I realize now after reading the thoughtful article, Millikan has and is going through a lot of changes since the past school year. With free dress, no student parking, construction, newly implemented phone policies, and global classes, I can now understand the mix of emotions spread around campus. Sastyangkul did an excellent job capturing the different perspectives among the student body and adults around campus.
It most certainly is interesting to see the outfits people come up with every day. I strongly believe that getting rid of the dress code was for the good and now everyone can really express themselves how they want to. Some of the changes Millikan is currently going through may take some time adjusting to, but ultimately will improve the quality of education on campus. I applaud Sastyangkul’s take on the ongoing changes around campus and I would like to point out that she did an amazing job capturing them all.
However, I would like to question whether or not senior parking will be back for the upcoming school year, and if well see an end to what feels like, the never ending construction here on campus.
Noelle • Oct 14, 2025 at 11:21 am
I discovered this informative article while browsing the corrydon and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It touches on the changes we are experiencing at the start of this school year opposed to the last including: dress code, construction, and parking, which we are all experiencing together. This article was an excellent recap on the impact of the changes we see around school everyday and helpful to explain the reasons behind them.
As well as engaging this article was also informative on less advertised ideas and future changes. For example, I discovered that there are plans to build an outside pool in place of the 700 (asb) room. This was new news that interested me, especially since we already have an indoor pool.
It was enlightening to discover the new parking rules as I will soon be driving to school. It was definitely beneficial for me to read this essay as I will have to take the traffic of parking on the neighborhood streets into account and leave enough time to get to class before the bell. This article was both enlightening and agreeable and such a beneficial article to the Millikan Corydon.
Sincerely,
Noelle Ball
Addison Yoon • Oct 14, 2025 at 11:13 am
This article is truly insightful as many students (including myself) were not aware of these major changes happening in our school. Having an outlet to get students this important information is vital to our Millikan community. Although changes such as free dress and the cellphone policy are on the top of everyone’s mind, thank you for including construction news and classroom moves. Reading that all of our classrooms are to be moved around in January was a shock. The ASB rooms’ fate to be an outdoor pool is stirring.
I also genuinely appreciate Sastyangkul’s addition of quotes about the new parking rules from the student body. It is reassuring that these new restrictions on Millikan’s parking lots aren’t only a burden on me, but every other licensed student. The war for street parking is equivalent to an intense game of musical chairs. Always trying to arrive early enough to get a spot, yet always somehow getting it stolen by a peer. If administrators see a rise in tardies this year, I won’t be surprised.
I admire this article and the work of Corydon authors wholeheartedly. Thank you for keeping Millikan’s student body up-to-date and speaking on issues within the school from not only our perspective but staff and parents too.
Isabella Clark • Oct 14, 2025 at 9:59 am
As a student who has their license, it is safe to say that parking can be very difficult. I arrive at school at 7:55 A.M. just to find a parking spot close to the school. Usually, I’ll only be able to find parking on the far right side of the campus or on Palo Verde. The traffic in these areas gets heavy when it is time to go home, and although I am not a senior, I understand the disappointment of this huge change. I enjoyed reading teachers’ opinions and perspectives on the subject; however, I do wonder where teachers are going to park once the parking lots are getting redone.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article because it gave wonderful insight on huge changes within the Millikan Ram community. I noticed how within this article, there was no biased opinion and the information on the new phone policy, uniforms, and construction were all factual. The editor was effective at presenting the information and showcasing other people’s opinions on the topics. I do wish that there was a teacher’s point of view on the topic of construction. Some teachers, as it states in the article, moved twice already and I am interested in their thoughts.
I am looking forward to seeing how the phone policy will impact student life. It will definitely be an adjustment for all the students at Millikan and I am curious to see how well the policy will be enforced. Overall, I can say that this article was very informative about the changes to Millikan High School.
Samantha Oropeza • Oct 13, 2025 at 2:00 pm
This article did a great job at describing the changes that have happened this school year and explaining them in detail. Additionally, I appreciate that she included evidence to support each claim about changes at Millikan. For example, Sastyangkul quotes other students, as well as a teacher, on the topic of parking. This gives the audience the contrasting point of view of both the teachers and students. I also liked that each change was separated by a heading. For example, the section about parking was organized under a heading labeled “Parking”. This made the article easier to read.
I just have a few questions regarding the parking situation. What was the parking situation like before construction? How were teachers and students able to share the limited parking spaces? After construction, will seniors be given the opportunity to get parking passes via the lottery system or will it be discontinued to make it easier for teachers to find parking spaces?
To conclude, this article is great and does an excellent job at explaining the changes at Millikan.
Ava Von Hoene • Oct 13, 2025 at 1:54 pm
The overall opinion of this article focuses on the new initiatives at Millikan this year and how free dress, phone policy, and construction are affecting the students and teachers. As a current student at Millikan High School, I agree with the fact that 100 percent of the students value this transition and that being able to express yourself plays an important role in making new friends and understanding the people around you. Other new implementations of this school year, such as the phone policy, have caused many concerns with not just the students, but the teachers too.
Although I agree with the statement that phones should not be used during instructional time, I would strongly suggest the reconsideration of banning phones during restroom breaks, field trips, and in locker rooms. Many students at school find it hard to go the whole class without a minor brain break, especially due to the fact that classes are over an hour long. This article mentioned how these changes support the learning environment at Millikan, but it is important to understand how this will impact the students. Imagine if a student were dealing with a family emergency or had health issues and needed to check their phone every so often to make sure everything is okay. This new policy goes against these very possible situations and may lead to further problems.
I have heard opinions of some of my teachers this year that have no idea how they are going to implement this policy in the incoming semester, and don’t know what they are going to do for the students who won’t accept this. I would strongly advise adding these enhancements to this article, so that the students understand the full aspect of the situation and can provide their own opinions on the policy.
The last aspect of the article that stood out to me was the parking piece, caused by construction. I appreciate how the students’ opinions were brought up in this section because some students and parents who take their kids to school, ride the bus, or don’t have to deal with parking don’t understand the impact of this situation. As someone who has to deal with parking every day, this is a major issue, and it is not only impacting the students.
I would recommend the suggestion to add more about the parking situation to the website because it is an outrageous issue that students have to deal with every day. With the addition of no student parking, this has forced students to leave their houses extra early just so that they don’t have to walk their feet off to their cars every day. This has caused blockage in roads, homeowner complaints, and made students late to school, just because they can’t find somewhere to park. I was overwhelmed with the parking situation this year, and this article has only contributed to my concerns on the issue.
In my opinion, I would suggest adding the fact that it is not necessary for staff to claim the parking lots. Teachers and staff get to campus much earlier than students do, so it is not necessary to block all possible parking to students because they get their spots earlier than students do anyway.
In short, there are a variety of outcomes that will come from the new initiatives at Millikan this year, but as demonstrated in this article, some are more serious than others. As a Millikan student, I value all the new ideas brought into the new school year, and it is important to honor both the teachers’ opinions and the students.
Ethan Ferry • Oct 13, 2025 at 11:58 am
On October 2, 2025, Brina Sastyangkul wrote an article titled “A different kind of Back-to-School”. In this article, she covered the major changes that came upon Millikan starting this year. Some major changes that she discussed were the dress code, student parking, the construction around Millikan, and the new cell phone policy. Regarding Sastyangkul’s coverage of the new dress code policy, she expressed the unifying idea that dress code should not exist at Millikan, as she sourced student polls, and dubbed this fight for attire autonomy as “The Great War”. One suggestion I would say is to also include the downsides along with the upsides of the new dress code policy as it increases credibility.
Sastyangkul’s coverage of the changes to student parking and the construction around Millikan was executed as well as providing in-depth details of the situations and student/teachers opinions on the matter. One addition that she could’ve made to this section of the article was an explanation of what the construction was for. She explained the construction as a negative impact, but if she had explained why the construction was happening, more students would be on board with the construction.
Lastly, Sastyangkul’s coverage regarding the new cell phone policy was excellent because she went very in detail on the new phone policy and she included why it was happening. Overall, this was an excellent article informing students on the changes coming to Millikan.
Aubrey Bestelmeyer • Oct 13, 2025 at 11:40 am
On October 2, 2025, Brina Sastyangkul wrote an article titled “A different kind of Back-to-School”. Brina successfully synthesized five different mini-stories about changes going on around the Millikan Campus starting the new 2025-2026 school year. Multiple of these stories included research from other Corydon writers, which gave the opportunity for readers to research deeper into the topic if they desired. Brina kept a generally neutral tone, presenting both sides of certain opinion-based issues to avoid bias, which gave greater credibility to her writing. At the end, Brina expressed an optimistic outlook on the potential outcomes that could come from these changes. This left readers feeling a similar feeling of hopefulness for the future.
Some of these changes included the new free-dress policy, the end of student-designated parking, construction forcing teachers to move classrooms, cellphone policies, and pathway-integrated classes. I learned a lot about what’s going on around campus, as I have felt confused by what was going on and the purpose of a lot of these changes. This article was well-written and concise, making it easy to read and very informative.
Almost all of the students at Millikan have felt at least one of the repercussions of these changes, whether it be negative or positive. The biggest question is this: are all of these changes permanent or will they only be relevant during the 2025-2026 school year? Similarly, while students may feel one way about a change, such as being disappointed in the parking situation (as described in the article), teachers may feel differently about the same issue. Which opinion holds more power at Millikan; which side will be taken more often regarding issues like this?
Karina Ruiz • Oct 13, 2025 at 11:39 am
Brina Sastyangkul did an excellent job on describing how free dress now allows students to express their creativity and style. Sastyangkul also described how most people are now enjoying their freedom of expression and how free dress allows students to wear different colors as well.
Sastyangkul also described how the parking situation is a concern to many students because many students claim to feel rushed in the mornings in order to find a decent parking spot. This is a concern because there are hundreds of students that have to find parking in the mornings. Students now have to come much earlier to school in order to find a decent parking spot. This could cause many students to be late or feel rushed when driving to school.
She also mentioned how devices are prohibited during other school day experiences like using the restroom, school day learning experiences, and more. This is untrue because students at this moment are allowed to have their phones with them during lunch and nutrition. Students also have their phones with them all around school except during class
Atiana Avila • Oct 13, 2025 at 11:38 am
On October 2, 2025, Brina Sastyangkul wrote an article titled “A different type of Back-to-School”. This article provided an insight to the new policies around school, and I was able to learn so much about how our school is changing and what’s new. I praise the fantastic writing that I read throughout this article, and your writing continuously engages the reader through a fascinating and informative delivery. Your writing is very intriguing and portrays well throughout our perspective on how different people are viewing differing policies, and really displays how students and teachers are reacting to the changes around the school.
Recently, I have seen that our school parking lots have been closed off to teachers only, and as a QUEST Junior who has recently just got their license, I also agree with your articles’ view on how it can be frustrating for students to try to find parking around the permission of school. Not only do I have to get to school around 7:50 AM for decently close parking on Palo Verde, but the rest of the school’s parking frustrates me with only 2 hour parking surrounding campus, and street sweeping on Thursdays and Fridays that closes half of the street. This article not only informs me about the changes to the parking situations on campus, but also gives me additional insights to how other students are feeling similar to the way I am. I thought this article was so eye-catching because I was able to connect to the other perspectives and really see how people like me have the same emotional perspective and the cons to having a car and a license.
Additionally, besides all of the wonderful policies that were listed such as free dress-code, I was able to learn about some things on campus I would’ve never known of. I’m excited that there’s going to be a new swimming pool by the 700, but also concerned with the exceeding amount of construction that is going to occur. This renovation is disrupting the functionality of our school, so that is a little concerning to hear about. I was also able to learn about the new phone policy going into place. Your writing is enlightening and I love that I was able to take time and learn something new about our school.
Sarah Buss • Oct 13, 2025 at 11:35 am
On October 2, 2025, Brina Sastyangkul wrote an article titled “A different kind of back to school”. The structure of this article was superb as it covered all the different aspects of this new school year, without the writing becoming too choppy. I was very impressed with the way that the author incorporated the thoughts of students and teachers so that the reader can hear it from both sides of the story. Even better, Sastyangkul did this in a way where the reader can formulate their own opinion, but it didn’t diminish the argument she was building. She did a great job writing in a fun and creative tone but also still making it a formal article. This made it way more interesting to read. Continuing this idea, the use of pictures for each of the topics was also helpful because it wasn’t just writing and made it less generalized. Although a question for her to consider may be: If there is a picture for every other topic, why isn’t there one for the section where the author talked about parking lot closure? This would make the article more cohesive. Another concern I and other readers might have about this article is the use of the quote by Taylor Swift at the beginning of the article. While I understand what the intentions may have been behind this, I don’t think it is relevant to what Sastyangkul is going to be speaking about in the rest of her article. It did add a fun light to this piece, but maybe choosing a more relevant quote would be ideal. Overall, this article was very well written and I appreciated all the details that were included.
Gabriela • Oct 13, 2025 at 11:31 am
On October 2, 2025, Brina Sastyangkul wrote an article titled “A different kind of Back-to-School”. Brina begins by writing an informative piece on the new Millikan dress code, mentioning that this year is the first year Millikan is allowing their students to wear free dress. I love that she describes how this new dress code helps students share their creativity. She also adds a helpful poll that demonstrates 100 percent of students like this new free dress code. She states that Millikan was the last LBSUD school to enforce this new free dress policy. One question I have is why Millikan was the last school to enforce the new dress code?
She then gives a detailed description of the new parking situation at Millikan. She provided a very useful context in which she compares last year’s senior lottery system for parking spots to this year’s no senior parking spot system. She then provides two different points of view on this policy: students and teachers. The teachers, who were previously short on parking, are happy with this change, saying it’s much easier to find parking. On the other hand, the students expressed their new challenges when it comes to finding parking. These different perspectives really helped me gauge the different views on this new system and the way people are reacting to it.
A brief overview of the new LBUSD phone policy is also given. She gives helpful details as to what this policy pertains to and when it will start. An enhancement to this section could be both teachers’ and students’ opinions on this new policy.