This year’s Oasis night, a longstanding Poly Prep tradition, took place on Friday, January 10,
and was a huge success. There were hundreds of students and alumni in attendance to cheer on the Boys’
and Girls’ Squash, and Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball teams.
The Boys’ and Girls’ Squash teams unfortunately both lost to Hackely in two hard-fought
matches. However, their season is still in full swing and they will continue to fight for an Ivy League
Championship.
The Boys’ basketball team faced a tough Hackley side, in a rematch of last year’s NYSAIS
Championship. The game went down to the wire, with Hackley leading for the majority of the game
before the Blue Devils gained momentum and made a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback to win the game
55-52. The Legacy Gym was packed with students, alumni, and staff, who stayed loud and created an
electric atmosphere, cheering and supporting the Blue Devils relentlessly.
After the game, many students and faculty stayed to watch the Girls’ basketball team, who also
played Hackley. The team secured a dominant 58-30 win, to cap off a celebratory Oasis Night.
In addition to the wonderful food, merchandise, and sports events at Oasis night, this year, Poly
planned a special celebration for Michael Junsch — Poly alum, parent, and Girls’ Basketball Coach. This
celebration was in honor of Junsch’s fiftieth year at Poly. Throughout his tenure at Poly, he has had an
array of jobs, including a middle school dean, physical education teacher, and most importantly, a friend
and mentor to students and staff alike. Junsch was honored in front of an audience of former students
whom he coached, his family, his friends, and former classmates. For Junsch, Poly Prep has always been
a mutually supportive community. “I can get on the phone and call anybody if I need something or they
can call me if they need something,” said Junsch.
Poly’s Director of Student Life Jared Winston recalled Junsch's time at Poly: “In reality, though,
it really encompasses a large chunk of Poly's standing in history as a school. Coach Junsch has done so
much for students across the years. It is an important reminder to celebrate the present, think positively
about the future, and honor the past.”
Junsch’s celebration included a special presentation of his own special varsity jacket. As Director
of Sports Information Bill McNally described, “We have this cool varsity jacket that has a big 50 on it.”
As he looked forward to the night, Junsch expected it would be an emotional occasion. “I hope I
don't cry,” he admitted.
Let's go back in time and think about why Oasis Night first started. Oasis Night was created by
the Oasis Society, the longest-running student organization in the school. According to a Polygon article
by Lila Daniels, the society was made up of a select group of honors students who demonstrated a high
level of citizenship.
Director of DEIB Erika Freeman, who used to run the Oasis Society, stated “Oasis Night was
historically an opportunity for members of Oasis Society to pick a charitable organization of their choice
and raise money for that charitable organization, while consecutively honoring students with high levels
of citizenship.” At former Oasis Nights, students who wanted to come and support the teams playing had

to buy a pin for $5 to enter the gym. This money would go to the clubs for which the Oasis Society
members chose to fundraise.
The Oasis Society continues to play an important role in the Poly Prep community. The society is
currently exploring new ways of involving itself in the Poly community through a new peer mentorship
program and annual Oasis Summit as mentioned by Noah Saivetz in the Polygon.
Although Oasis Night now does not involve fundraising, the most important aspects of the night,
promoting community and the culture of our school, remain alive. As Winston stated, “Oasis Night still
stands today as an homage to that previous tradition while keeping community at its center.”
When asked what Oasis Night was all about, Winston responded: “Oasis Night is about Poly
spirit, the Poly spirit that runs through both current students and alumni as well as families and faculty.”
For Winston, it is an event that celebrates and brings together the school community. As he added,
“Anytime we can get families, students, faculty, and alumni on campus together it is a nice reminder of
how special this community is. Culture is a hard thing to put your finger on. You can't necessarily touch
it, you can't reach out and know that this is culture but you can feel it, it's an emotion.”
McNally has been helping to plan Oasis Night this year and recalled past Oasis Nights. “I think
that you always look at your traditions, and you also look at what's a good idea moving forward. So you
always look at things with fresh eyes. And Oasis night has been a staple here…kind of like homecoming
for a lot of schools” said McNally.
Oasis night has always been a special night. “I think it's about the Poly spirit. I think it's a great
event where we can all come together and show our support for all the teams that are working really hard
in the winter,” said Junior Mila Leonardi.
The one thing that has always remained the same about Oasis Night is the love and energy that is
the hallmark of the Poly community.