crimson chronicle november 2013

12
1521 N. HIGHLAND AVE, HOLLYWOOD, CA 90028 VOLUME XI ISSUE II NOVEMBER 2013 HOLLYWOOD HIGH • HOME OF THE SHEIKS THE CRIMSON CHRONICLE Despite facing many difficul- ties, seniors are still trying to sell all their snack boxes to fundraise enough money to graduate at the Hollywood Bowl. A few weeks ago, seniors were forced to see the reality of how close they were to lose the right to graduate the at the Bowl. The costs to rent out the Bowl is an estimated $22,000 including the crew and equipment. They were given options about the actions they could take, which were to fundraise, pay out of their own pocket, or host the graduation cer- emony in the school’s auditorium. Many students were angered when they were told the news. Most seniors who chose to fund- raise have now chosen to pick up their boxes. About half of the boxes picked up have been sold so far. “We have had 132 boxes checked out, but right now only half of that has been paid,” PAM counselor Elizabeth Payne said. According to Payne, seniors have raised a total of $4,500 by selling the boxes. Only 24 students have continued not to pick up their boxes despite saying that they were going to fundraise. “They should take initiative, if they signed up to sell the boxes, they have to take responsibility,” said Jose Cruz, SAS senior. “It is for the Bowl, and everyone is depending on them, and they will be letting many people down if they don’t.” Many seniors have been trying to consider optional ways to fundraise the money, but there is currently no other way. “Unfortunately since we ordered the boxes, we are responsible for paying for them,” Payne said, “At this point, I do not see anything else. Dr. Brandy and I are trying to see if there are any other options, but we are still responsible for the bills of these boxes which are $12,000.” The decision to sell healthy snacks rather than chocolates boxes was a way for seniors to fundraise not only for the Bowl but to promote healthy living. Since the school has a healthy fundraising requirement on campus altogether, the items se- lected for the snack box were items on the approved list by the district. However, many seniors think that this is one of the biggest problems when it comes to selling the items. “I think the reason why is be- cause these items aren't ‘junk food,’ and like it or not, most people are not willing to buy healthy snacks when you can get a better deal (and junk food) at the nearest 7-Eleven,” said SAS senior Jessica Torres. Fortunately, seniors who have been worried about selling their boxes by the November deadline should be relieved to learn the deadline has been extended to Dec. 20 to give seniors more time to sell all the boxes they need left. “I think that the school did a good decision by extending the deadline. A lot of students are hav- ing problems selling their boxes, and giving them more time will greatly help,” Jose said. Despite all the difficulties in the fund-raising there is still belief from the faculty that the seniors can pull of this major goal. “I sincerely do believe in the class, and I sincerely believe that it is a possible thing, however it re- quires the student to start mobilize to fundraise,” Payne said. Even fellow seniors think that raising the $22,000 is still a reach- able goal. “I believe that we can raise enough money for the Dec. 20 deadline I have faith that in the very near future that class of 2014 will stop talking and start working on fund- raising and putting their grain of rice into upholding this tradition,” Jessica said. Will seniors meet goal to Hollywood Bowl? Current fundraiser is not going as planned, putting the venue on hold until December KEVIN FLORES MARCOS ARELLANO CHRONICLE REPORTERS Index 2 q op/ed 4 q news 6 q features 8 q entertainment 10 q Sports Visit us online at www.Thecrimsonchronicle.com The Classes of 2015, 2016, and beyond should learn how to say “goodbye” in French, Italian, and Spanish as there may soon be a major competi- tion for space in higher level classes, according to foreign language teachers. Future freshmen, sopho- mores, and juniors must take two to three years of a foreign language as part of their A-G requirements. All students in the second year of their foreign languages may not be able to advance to the next level, because there are more level one and level two classes and only one level three. More students are also being put into the classes, making it hard for them to learn what they need because of the stu- dent to teacher ratio. Three consecutive years of a language are needed to qualify but because students in the second year classes might not be able to move on to the third year, they may not qualify for a UC. Many of the foreign lan- guage teachers think that if we hire more teachers, this prob- lem will be resolved. The teachers realize that if this keeps up, it will be difficult not only for them, but for the students as well. “We need to hire another foreign language teacher to depopulate the amount of students per class,” said Alon- so Rolland-Estrada, French teacher. Currently, all for- eign languages have 30-50 students not only for their first level classes but for their second level classes as well. This makes it hard not just for the teachers to help everyone but for the students to learn the material correctly. "If you're a student who struggles with foreign language and you're in a class with 40 or more students, then it's going to be harder for not just the student but for the teacher as well to help you acquire the help you deserve,” said Emily Taron, Italian teacher. Also, with such amount of students, only 25% of the student in the second level will advance to the next level. We are looking at 60 students not being able to take their third year of the foreign language they are tak- ing. The Quality Edu- cation Investment Act (QEIA), a grant that Hol- lywood High school gets every year, provides money as long as the requirements are met. There can be no more than 27 students for each social stud- ies, math, science, and English class. As long as these requirements are met, the school can continue to buy books, computers, etc. However, the money can’t be used to hire teachers for non-core classes or the money will be taken from the school. Non-core classes include PE, and elec- tives, such as foreign language. "I support the QEIA fund- ing: however, the money does not go to the foreign language classes,” said Ana Estangui, head of the foreign language department. "Not only does it not affect the foreign language classes, but also for non-aca- demic classes." The only way the school can afford to hire more foreign language teachers would be to cut a teacher from another elective class or a physical education class. The gen- eral funds only gives enough money to hire 36 teachers and the money from QEIA makes it able for the school to hire the rest. When the school had com- plete Title 1 funding, hiring more teachers was possible but now that the school’s Title 1 budget is only $300,000, firing a teacher is the only way a foreign language teacher can be hired. “I cannot cut any academic classes because the QEIA fund won’t let me, and if I do, we will lose the QEIA funds,” said Principal Alejandra Sanchez. “If I wanted to add another foreign language teacher, I have to eliminate a teacher. The hardest part is which teacher should I eliminate?” Adios, Arrivederci, Au Revoir to upper level classes? Students are worried they will be squeezed out of third year foreign language CHELYAH MILLER WALTER CARRERO CHRONICLE REPORTERS Upper-level foreign language classes will not have as much open space as last year. Photo Credit: Samantha Clavel Class of 2014 has so far raised $6,500 for the cost for the Bowl. Photo Credit: Samantha Clavel

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Hollywood High Student Newspaper

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1521 N. HIGHLAND AVE, HOLLYWOOD, CA 90028 VOLUME XI ISSUE II NOVEMBER 2013

HOLLYWOOD HIGH • HOME OF THE SHEIKS

THE CRIMSON CHRONICLE

Despite facing many difficul-ties, seniors are still trying to sell all their snack boxes to fundraise enough money to graduate at the Hollywood Bowl. A few weeks ago, seniors were forced to see the reality of how close they were to lose the right to graduate the at the Bowl. The costs to rent out the Bowl is an estimated $22,000 including the crew and equipment. They were given options about the actions they could take, which were to fundraise, pay out of their own pocket, or host the graduation cer-emony in the school’s auditorium. Many students were angered when they were told the news. Most seniors who chose to fund-raise have now chosen to pick up their boxes. About half of the boxes picked up have been sold so far. “We have had 132 boxes checked out, but right now only half of that has been paid,” PAM counselor Elizabeth Payne said. According to Payne, seniors have raised a total of $4,500 by selling the boxes. Only 24 students have continued not to pick up their boxes despite saying that they were going to fundraise. “They should take initiative, if they signed up to sell the boxes, they

have to take responsibility,” said Jose Cruz, SAS senior. “It is for the Bowl, and everyone is depending on them, and they will be letting many people down if they don’t.” Many seniors have been trying to consider optional ways to fundraise the money, but there is currently no other way. “Unfortunately since we ordered the boxes, we are responsible for paying for them,” Payne said, “At this point, I do not see anything else. Dr. Brandy and I are trying to see if there are any other options, but we are still responsible for the bills of these boxes which are $12,000.” The decision to sell healthy snacks rather than chocolates boxes was a way for seniors to fundraise not only for the Bowl but to promote healthy living. Since the school has a healthy fundraising requirement on campus altogether, the items se-lected for the snack box were items on the approved list by the district. However, many seniors think that this is one of the biggest problems when it comes to selling the items. “I think the reason why is be-cause these items aren't ‘junk food,’ and like it or not, most people are not willing to buy healthy snacks when you can get a better deal (and junk food) at the nearest 7-Eleven,”

said SAS senior Jessica Torres. Fortunately, seniors who have been worried about selling their boxes by the November deadline should be relieved to learn the deadline has been extended to Dec. 20 to give seniors more time to sell all the boxes they need left. “I think that the school did a good decision by extending the deadline. A lot of students are hav-ing problems selling their boxes, and giving them more time will greatly help,” Jose said. Despite all the difficulties in the fund-raising there is still belief from the faculty that the seniors can pull of this major goal. “I sincerely do believe in the class, and I sincerely believe that it is a possible thing, however it re-quires the student to start mobilize to fundraise,” Payne said. Even fellow seniors think that raising the $22,000 is still a reach-able goal. “I believe that we can raise enough money for the Dec. 20 deadline I have faith that in the very near future that class of 2014 will stop talking and start working on fund-raising and putting their grain of rice into upholding this tradition,” Jessica said.

Will seniors meet goal to Hollywood Bowl?Current fundraiser is not going as planned, putting the venue on hold until December Kevin FloresMarcos arellano

CHRONICLE REPORTERS

Index 2 qop/ed 4 qnews 6 qfeatures 8 qentertainment 10qSports Visit us online at www.Thecrimsonchronicle.com

The Classes of 2015, 2016, and beyond should learn how to say “goodbye” in French, Italian, and Spanish as there may soon be a major competi-tion for space in higher level classes, according to foreign language teachers. Future freshmen, sopho-mores, and juniors must take two to three years of a foreign language as part of their A-G requirements. All students in the second year of their foreign languages may not be able to advance to the next level, because there are more level one and level two classes and only one level three. More students are also being put into the classes, making it hard for them to learn what they need because of the stu-dent to teacher ratio. Three consecutive years of a language are needed to qualify but because students in the second year classes might not be able to move on to the third year, they may not qualify for a UC. Many of the foreign lan-guage teachers think that if we hire more teachers, this prob-

lem will be resolved. The teachers realize that if this keeps up, it will be difficult not only for them, but for the students as well. “We need to hire another foreign language teacher to depopulate the amount of students per class,” said Alon-so Rolland-Estrada, French teacher. Currently, all for-eign languages have 30-50 students not only for their first level classes but for their second level classes as well. This makes it hard not just for the teachers to help everyone but for the students to learn the material correctly. "If you're a student who struggles with foreign language and you're in a class with 40 or more students, then it's going to be harder for not just the student but for the teacher as well to help you acquire the help you

deserve,” said Emily Taron, Italian teacher. Also, with such amount of students, only 25% of the student in the second level will advance to the next level. We are looking at 60 students not

being able to take their third year of the foreign language they are tak-ing. The Quality Edu-cation Investment Act (QEIA), a grant that Hol-lywood High school gets every year, provides money as long as the requirements are met. There can be no more than 27 students for each social stud-ies, math, science, and English class. As long as these requirements are met, the school can continue to buy books, computers, etc. However, the money can’t be used to hire teachers for non-core classes or the money will be taken from the school. Non-core classes include PE, and elec-

tives, such as foreign language.

"I support the QEIA fund-ing: however, the money does not go to the foreign language classes,” said Ana Estangui, head of the foreign language department. "Not only does it

not affect the foreign language classes, but also for non-aca-demic classes." The only way the school can afford to hire more foreign language teachers would be to cut a teacher from another elective class or a physical education class. The gen-eral funds only gives enough money to hire 36 teachers and the money from QEIA makes it able for the school to hire the rest. When the school had com-plete Title 1 funding, hiring more teachers was possible but now that the school’s Title 1 budget is only $300,000, firing a teacher is the only way a foreign language teacher can be hired. “I cannot cut any academic classes because the QEIA fund won’t let me, and if I do, we will lose the QEIA funds,” said Principal Alejandra Sanchez. “If I wanted to add another foreign language teacher, I have to eliminate a teacher. The hardest part is which teacher should I eliminate?”

Adios, Arrivederci, Au Revoir to upper level classes?Students are worried they will be squeezed out of third year foreign language chelyah MillerWalter carrero

CHRONICLE REPORTERS

Upper-level foreign language classes will not have as much open space as last year. Photo Credit: Samantha Clavel

Class of 2014 has so far raised $6,500 for the cost for the Bowl. Photo Credit: Samantha Clavel

the Crimson ChroniCle staff

Editor-in-ChiEf VANESSA GARCIA Mangaging Editor Holly SAN NIColAS Photo Editor AmbER CoRdERo ChroniClE rEPortErs

aDVisers: Karen Cusolito &

antonio manriquez

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER. THE CRIMSON CHRONI-CLE, OF HOLLYWOOD HIGH SCHOOL IS A PUBLIC FO-RUM, WITH ITS STUDENT EDITORIAL BOARD MAKING ALL DECISIONS CONCERNING ITS CONTENTS. THE NEWSPAPER OPERATES UNDER CALIFORNIA EDUCA-TION CODE 48907 WHICH GUARANTEE FREE ExPRES-SION FOR STUDENTS. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOMe AND WILL BE PUBLISHED AS SPACE ALLOWS. OPINIONS IN LETTERS ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE STAFF, NOR SHOuLD ANY OPINION ExPRESSED IN A PUBLIC FORUM BE CONSTRUED AS THE OPINIION OR POLiCY OF THE ADMINISTRATION, UNLESS SO AT-

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OPINION/EDITORIAL2 NOVEMBER 2013

Have you ever caught yourself taking out your phone to do a simple task? Some might take it out to do math calculations or just to take a pic-ture of something they can write down. No matter

what they use their phones for, it is all the same. We’ve become incapable of doing common tasks throughout our day. Since technology has become a major part of our lives, we can’t live without it because of the help we can instantly get. During class we all take out our phone regardless of the rules. Sometimes just to take a picture of work. Our teachers tell us to write down the homework or take notes of the lesson, but we just snap a picture and forget about it. Yes, the picture can be clear and get all the notes down for you but do you really learn any-thing? We can read them through scan-ning for information we could possible need, but that doesn’t mean we under-stand the whole lesson. Same as a book, we can’t scan through it reading only the parts we find inter-esting and say we understand the story. When we write down a lesson we read through it, helping us get a little point

across so we can have an idea of what we will learn when we study them. Throughout our day we all socialize with teachers, classmates and friends but with today’s technology we do it in a dif-ferent way. Derek Smith, writer of “The Unsettled World of Today’s Youth: How Technology is Affecting our Society” sees that, “Teens are no longer spending time talking to each other in person, they are hanging in their living room with friends just sitting, texting or watching each other talk online.” We all see it, teens talking to each other in the same room via text or any so-cial network. Even in a crowd of friends you see all of them glued to their phones or mobile device not communicating with those around them. Are teens so stuck on texting that they can’t communicate in person? Teens just don’t see the value of going out and having quality time with friends anymore. They’re so hooked on their phones they don’t see the beauty of just putting them away and experiencing life with their own perspective. Most of us go to school to actually learn and expand our knowledge on subjects we enjoy. Did you know all the knowledge known to man is in your hand? Search up facts and information on a topic and you can learn anything you want. Instead of expanding our knowl-edge we waste our time on the internet trying to catch up on what’s happening

at a party, with celebrities and sports. We try to kill time until we can get back to our regular day. Why not learn something new, something you’ve wondered about since you were little or catch up on what you’ve missed since the beginning of time. Countless people seek for answers around the world and here we are looking up what is trending online. People of all ages have at least once used a calculator when they could have done it in their heads, texting someone close by instead of getting up and talk-ing in person. What is technology doing to us? It’s making us lazy by giving us countless help to the point that we are incapable of doing that simple task. Our devices help us throughout the day with countless options to make our lives easier, but when your device is taken away, can you go through the day without it? Most can’t; they need it to be comfortable and confident by having help and information right at their fingertips. Technology isn’t a bad thing; we all embrace it, so we can thrive, but think about how it’s affecting you. Are you so attached to your device that you can’t do a simple task? Test it out yourself; see how countless hours with your devices have really affected you in the long run. Most will be ashamed to see what struggle they have to live without the help technology provides us.

A month ago, two teach-ers from the Performing Arts Magnet Program resigned and went to Ramón C. Cortines High School for an offer that was too sweet to refuse. With Stormy Sacks and Katherine Morrison’s decision to leave Hollywood High, the mag-net program is pleased to welcome back Paul Itkin as coordinator and Robert Sexton as the new music director. Although the magnet program has filled the empty slots, the loss of two of its teachers raises questions of fairness. People classify high schools according to what they do best whether they exceed in music, law or business. Cortines High was not known for its

programs, but rather for its expensive architecture. School officials wanted to change that and establish an excel-lent performing arts program that would rival the La Guar-dia High School of Music and Performing Arts in New York City. Since Hollywood High is known for its Performing Arts Magnet, administrators from Cortines offered to pay Sacks for the extra hours they put into productions, something that Hollywood High did not have the funds to provide. But even if Cortines High had the money to hire more teachers, an advantage that most schools do not have, it was wrong that they offered them to teachers that already had jobs and “steal” them from

other schools. Especially when the year was barely beginning and productions were already going to start. The magnet program also suffered a greater loss when over 12 students decided to join them at Cortines. The magnet program was on the verge of no longer existing because if more students checked out the required num-ber of students needed was not going to be met. Not only did it delay shows, but it also delayed classes for numer-ous of days. Students in stage production class have not had an official teacher for the past month, but rather a number of different substitutes. Cortines High has this reputation to be the most

expensive school ever built, it had to live up to be the greatest in every way possible. By having a lavish structure, equipment, Cortines wanted most importantly to have the best teachers and students. Although, they feel as if they need to have the very best it does not mean they have the right to hire away any teacher. If LAUSD wanted to make a name for itself for being able to provide the best public education they should not favor some schools more than others. Hollywood High does not have a lavish structure, but it is a historic landmark and it is located in the heart of Hollywood. If one dreams of stardom or fame, Hollywood

is the place to be. If LAUSD had the money to pay teachers extra money for after school production why did they not hand it to Hollywood High when Hollywood High has given a good reputation to LAUSD by being the best. From a variety of shows and singers like Best Musical of the Year and H2O, Hollywood did very well and these teachers were not getting paid for the extra hours that they put in. Why couldn’t Cortines do their own research in finding their own staff instead stealing ours and leaving a mess for Hollywood High?

The Ambassadors of Compassion had their first live broadcast with us as their audience in an assembly that was held on Oct. 18. A handful of celebrities came and talked about how their failures made them into the successes they are today and how the Ambassadors of Compassion (AOC) helped them achieve their goals, and take control of their lives. Upon going to the assembly I was originally excited and wanted to see what the assembly was about. However, when I listened to some of the stories about the Ambassadors’ journeys and what they

went through, I didn’t believe a lot of the things they said. When Trinity Wallace-Ellis spoke about her father abusing her for years, I felt terrible that anyone would have to go through a traumatizing thing like that. Then she talked about how her mother abandoned her and left her to take care of her sisters and brothers by herself and I started to question where her father was and what happened to him. I hoped I misunderstood and that she really had survived this experience and came out on the other side. Then another speaker talked about how negative energy can stay with you and impact your body. He talked about his bad experience with a teacher in elementary school and how it stopped him from being able to read for thirty years. After joining the AOC and forgiving him, he was able to read so much better than before. Yet doubt started to creep in when he talked about a girl who had a heart transplant. After she got the transplant, she al-legedly started having nightmares about

a man trying to strangle her to death. Apparently, the heart belonged to a girl who was strangled to death and the girl who received the transplant went with her parents to the police station and turned the man in. I don’t believe this hap-pened, not because it is impossible, but because it seemed like they said it only to help their cause. Since this was not an optional assembly, I think that the school could’ve done a better job of screening the AOC and finding out if they were truthful. I think it’s wrong of the AOC to tell us anything if only just to make themselves and their cause look better. Had they been completely truthful, I think they would have made much more of an impact on the students. I also think it was wrong of the school to make us go the assembly not knowing exactly what would be said and how truthful it was. Overall, the assembly wasn’t the best idea on both parts and had it been truthful it would’ve gone over a lot better with the students.

chelyah Miller CHRONICLE REPORTER

Jonathan lopezCHRONICLE CONTRIBUTOR

VISIT US AT THECRIMSONCHRONICLE.COM

Staff Editorial: Is LAUSD playing favorites?

Taking Ambassadors of Compassion with a grain of salt

Technology is making us stupid and lazy

Evelyn Ramirez SAS 12“I saw one of my male middle school teachers buying inappropri-ate clothing.”

NOVEMBER 2013 3OPINION/EDITORIAL

Cheyenne Daniel TCA 12“When I was at Best Buy I was standing in line and a homeless man started asking for money and then started taking off his clothes in front of everybody.”

Eric Gavilanez TCA 12“While I was at Wal-Mart I saw a guy rush in and smash the video game (glass) window and started taking all the video games and ran away.”

Man On The Street: What is the CRAZIEST thing you have seen on Black Friday?

McKenzie Guy MET 11“ I was at the mall… this old lady came up to me and snatched a sweater from me, I went to get it back and she just slapped me.”

The school has an unnecessarily low tolerance for hats. The school’s policy states that students are al-lowed to wear hats as long as it’s

plain and one solid color or

else they would be confiscated. I believe this rule to be bizarre and unjustified because the reason for it is to prevent “gang related vio-lence.” The school says that certain hats may be gang-related and stir up issues amongst certain students, but I cannot recall the last time anything like that has ever happened. There are students who walk around with gang-related tattoos and attire, yet no one says anything. However, if someone decides to wear a simple sports hat, they act as if it might cause a riot. Hats are mainly used to fight off weather conditions, especially now with winter on the horizon. If someone wants to wear their favorite Lakers beanie, they can’t, because of

the fear of confiscation over a small logo that hurts no one. There are still a few students around campus who violate this hat policy, but there have been little to no reports of violent incidents involving hats. The only issue I see with them is the supervisors confiscating them and then losing them later. Why take away a hat if you are not prepared to pay for it if it is damaged or lost? Hats serve many purposes and can be very important part of a person’s personality. You can tell a lot from a person by the kind of hat they wear, whether it promotes their favorite team, their rebellious attitude by wearing it backwards, or just their dislike of a haircut. The hat policy needs to be re-moved or at least revised for the sake of the students having a much more comfortable learning environment.

Kevin rodasCHRONICLE REPORTER

Does each student in all SLCs deserve a graduation cord when they graduate? Students should only get graduation cords if they have high academic grades, are ac-tive in particular clubs and are in special classes such as Leadership and JROTC, because the cords represent the students’ hard work and commitment. Not every student deserves a gradu-ation cord if they didn’t work hard throughout their four years in high school. Each student deserves a cord if they have achieved high GPAs. There should not be a different gradu-ation cord based on one’s SLC. It is unfair because it separates students and might make a certain distinction between SLCs.Instead of cords, people in clubs should have pins if they were active in the club for two years. They deserve it because it proves students put effort into participat-

ing in a group to achieve something. They do not have to take that step to be in clubs, they want to take that step. Leadership and JROTC are classes that are of major significance and need a cord. They serve the school by organizing events, telling the news regarding stu-dents, and provide security. Leadership (minimum 2 years) and JROTC (mini-mum 3 years) students have traditionally received a cord for their graduation. As for other students who are gradu-ating after the year of 2014, they can see this as a motivator to achieve high academic grades in order to get their own graduation cords.

Azniv Derdzakyan is a 10th grade SAS student and Beatriz Sison is a MET senior

azniv derdzaKyanbeatriz sison

CHRONICLE REPORTERS

Revise the hat policy Work hard for a cord

Paola Lopez SAS 10“I saw my fourth grade teacher shopping for bras and underwear and she just looked up and said hi.”

INTERvIEW BY : AZNIv DERDZAKYAN AND ELOSIA GARCIA

NEWS4 November 2013

NMA juniors are getting ready to premiere their trailers for their Junior Project at Egyptian Theater in front of a panel of judges on Dec. 9. Their projects are a combination of history, English, and video production on whether a united experience exists. Each student was assigned an American demographic subject and were asked to make a documentary trailer to examine the aspect of each group. “This project is meant for the stu-dents to get a an idea of how the Senior Project feels like. After the trailers are done they will available for students to see for enjoyment and future referenc-es,” said Carolyn Fagan MET/NMA English teacher. All NMA students are given a semester-long project: one for fall and the other for spring. Each grade is given a different assignment such as creating a trailer, website or movie. “This project is designed to integrate the core content with their career techni-cal classes and demonstrate their learn-

ing through an authentic project,” said Ali Nezu, special education teacher. For the past three years, students have presented their projects to a panel

of judges who are professionals in the media industry. They include produc-ers, directors, instructors,and LAUSD coordinators.

Besides the fact that this assignment counts for 30% of their final grade, Joceline Val-era said,”I am more excited to see my trailer being presented at the Egyptian Theater be-cause I can show that unified women are able to accomplish anything.” Subjects range from being Native American, a woman and being gay will be screen that night. “This project has many benefits besides that I am going to see my work on the big screen,” said Jason Ortiz. “I got to see and feel what a director does and the pres-sure that comes along with it. The work you put into it is hard and it made me realize

we take the movie industry for granted because they do the

impossible for our enjoyment.”

Under the school’s new tardy policy, students are able to go to class after the tardy bell. As the tardy policy has changed, assistant principal Dr. Travis Brandy stated that “that students who are late to class less than 10 minutes late should be admitted to class by their teachers should still be marked tardy, how ever they are no longer to go to room 408 to get a tardy pass.” However, if they are more than 10 minutes late, they must go to room 408 to get a tardy pass. Students who do not go to room 408 and their teacher mark them tardy will still get detention if they get more than three tardies. Jorge Maldonado, math teacher, thinks is a great idea for the students and for the teachers to have this change of policy.

“I like it because before you see many people have classes here in the 200 building so if they were one minute late the teacher would send them back to get a tardy pass and it takes five minutes to get there plus the line they had to wait for then they had to go back which took them another five min. By the time they get back they already miss half the lecture and now with this policy they can go straight to class within those 10 mins.” This idea of the change in the tardy policy was brought by Brandy himself thinking the same way Maldonado was thinking knowing that if doing all that trouble for the students they would have wasted some valuable time from class and not knowing what was the lesson. This benefits students who come late to school because the bus came late. The tardy policy is very straightfor-

ward to everyone knowing the change and what the change has become to the students and teachers. Brandy has sent an email to every teacher on Oct. 9 which tells them that the effect of this policy will be on Oct. 14. This tells them what was the change and what they should do if the student has come tardy more than three times. In the school website there shows the policy that is in the school. It is called “School-Wide Positive Behavior Sup-port and Discipline Plan” which is being revisited. There is a committee of school based management who are working together to revise some of the policies, Brandy said. One of the big issues is use of cell phones and electronics on campus is being discussed. With the weather turning cold, stu-dents may want to bring a hat to warm their heads. Hollywood policy states that

Hollywood hats or plain caps may be worn but cannot be worn indoors or with any profanity. It also states that any staff member who feels that a student is in violation of this dress code will refer the student to his or her counselor. It is up for the teach-ers whether or not they allow hats in their classroom. If the teacher does not allow hast they are to keep it and send it to the counselor. The SLC Administrator or designee will be responsible for contacting the student’s parent or guardian: this contact will include the particulars of the alleged violation and will inform the parent or guardian of their rights to appeal the matter to the Hollywood High School Base Management (SBM) Council if they desire.

NMA juniors get a shot at fame Students will premiere their trailers at the Egyptian Theater on Dec. 9 in front of a panel of judges vanessa Garcia susan ciFuentes

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND CHRONICLE REPORTER

Students late to class no longer need to stand in lineThe new tardy policy allows students who are late get to class quicker elosia Garciatroy hazelton

CHRONICLE REPORTERS

The performance magnet program was nearly lost due to over a dozen students moving to other schools, most of them to Cortines High. If a few more students would have left, Hol-lywood High would not have a magnet program anymore. Luckily, that was not the case. The school received two new teachers: Paul Itkin, the new magnet coordinator, and Robert Sexton, the new choir teacher. “This is such a great school,” Sexton said. He added that he was impressed with how well the students cooper-ate. “Most of them are soon-to-be stars,” he said.Thanks to the newly devel-oped recording studio that the school received, Sexton plans on using it to record the students. “I plan on using the newly-built recording studio that we have been gifted with soon,” said Sexton, “It’ll be very soon, I hope.”

According to Sexton, the school will have the annual Christmas show this year. H20 and PAM students who volun-teered to be in the show have been work-ing hard practicing to perfect their parts. They are rehearsing All I Want for Christ-mas, Under the Christ-mas Tree, and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. There are a lot more songs than listed, so don’t worry! They’ll have a lot of song varieties. Sexton had been a teacher at a few schools before com-ing to work at Hollywood. He owns his own home recording studio and he has also been his own producer. Before receiv-ing the job here, Sexton was a songwriter with a few other songwriters for such stars as

Rihanna and Chris Brown. “He’s pretty chill,” said stu-dent victor Lee, a PAM junior. After two years of retirement, former Drama/English teacher Paul Itkin has returned to Hollywood High School as Magnet coordinator. With Stormy Sacks gone, there is some continuity in having a previous PAM teacher return.

Itkin worked at Hollywood High School since 1991 and was well known as a passion-ate, dedi-cated teacher toward his students. Itkin said he returned for the same reason he left. “ There were some

students who were showing up in the classrooms but not neces-sarily to learn.” Although he retired two years ago, Itkin was still active with the Hollywood High drama community. Earlier this year, sometime in May, PAM students performed the musical In The Heights, with his assistance.

With his return, students are eager to see the expertise brought by a man with his repu-tation. Itkin expressed joy and felt anticipation for this upcom-ing year and students especially “the younger students because they have so much energy.” Itkin feels that ”this is train-ing ground; it’s all about work; it’s all about collaboration and cooperation.” He expressed all of his sentiments in a sincere manner and seemed to have a clear plan as to how he would execute his changes in the school’s magnet program to bring his vision into fruition. With all of these changes, the future for the magnet program does not seem too stable, but it is now left in the more than ca-pable hands of Itkin, who brings with him a good old- fashioned sense of how a classroom should be run.

Sexton replaces Sacks, Itkin returns as coordinator ericK MeJia nevi ivana

chronicle reporters

NMA Students edit their trailers last saturday for their Junior project Photo Credit: vanessa Garcia

Paul Ikin returns to lead the magnet program. Photo Credit: Nevi Ivana

News 2013 5NEWS

Juniors early start to fundraise backfired when the council was ini-tially unable to elect its officers. Since Seniors have had a tough time selling with their healthy snacks, the Juniors decided to start their fundraising this year. Unfortunately, juniors have yet to start any fundraising this year because they want to establish all council positions. The decision whether who is elected has been a controversy. Since SAS started the club, many Juniors from other SLCs feel they are not involved enough . “I find it unfair that students from other SLCs besides SAS are not remind-ed when are meetings. When there

is a varieties of way to announce and remind juniors,” said Daphne Hernan-dez TCA Junior. The requirements to run for a position discouraged many juniors. When the council only received one application from both the president and vice-president. SAS Samantha Englander was elected president and SAS Laura Moreno for vice-president both by default. The position of treasurer and secretary remain undecided since both have two students running and many juniors

agree it is fair to hold a ballot. Last week’s meeting only had seven stu-

dents attending and the voting was postponed. “I think of myself more of a repre-sentative than a president. We all need to work to-gether and when that happens, we’ll be able to fundraise past the

goals we have,” said Samantha. Juniors want to raise money this year, but many can not agree on who is represented. “What the council needs

is serious people with the legitimate credentials and reliability to get things done,” said Nick Kostetsky, MET Junior. Juniors plans to begin their senior fundraiser remains at a halt while they continue to decide who will hold a position in the council. This year’s class sponsor is Dr. Robert Keislar, who decided to take on the job and have the juniors meet every Friday rather than every other week as previ-ous years. They meet on every Friday on room 504.

Gregorio Luke, the director of the Museum of Latin Ameri-can Art in Long Beach, spoke to the foreign language and art classes about Diego Rivera in the school’s auditorium on Monday, Nov. 4. Luke, an expert in Mexi-can and Latin American art and culture, gave a speech on Diego Rivera and his life. “ Di-ego Rivera Barrientos and Ma-ria Barrientos had tried many times to have a child. When they finally did, they had twins. The younger twin died and the older one lived to become the great artist we know now as Diego Rivera,” said Luke. Luke spoke about Diego Rivera’s life and how his sur-

rounding influenced his art. Like presented many paintings and how they transformed as the years went by. Students were captivated by Diego

Rivera’s paintings. “Looking at Diego Rivera’s forbidden painting was amaz-ing,” said SAS senior Marvin Renoj. Foreign language and art

teachers were invited to take their classes. “I personally found it interesting when he spoke about Diego Rivera and his life and his career as a painter,” said Spanish teacher Miguel Martinez-Lafuente. Luke enjoyed speaking in front of a young audience and educating them on Mexican and Latin-American art. “I want to continue com-ing to high schools to teach young students about the

Mexican American culture, art and tradition,” said Luke.

There is yet more turmoil for the graduating class of 2014, only this time it is the debate over who can receive what cords and why.Traditionally, only students with academic honors and involvement with programs like leadership and JROTC, and association with certain clubs are awarded spe-cific cords to wear with their gowns during the graduation ceremony. Teachers and administrators met to discuss the issue and came to no agreement. Kelly Bender, Lead TCA teacher, believes that after three years of work and dedica-tion to TCA, students should automatically receive a cord in recognition of said efforts.

This led to different opinions as to what kinds of students should be rewarded. They met again in October to further discuss the issue and attempt to put it to rest, some believing that more cords spoil the formal tone of the event“All the different colors out there make it look like a party. That, to me, is poten-tially confusing. Partying comes later, this is gradu-ation we’re talking about here,” said Craig Alessi, assistant principal.Others disagree. “It is a celebration, and it is a party. I think it will be a joy for parents and family to see a burst of color showing the students’ four years of hard

work,” said Judith Bridges, English and drama teacher.But the issue is not just lim-ited to formality.“Cords should be reserved for students who go above and beyond in academics and community service,” said assistant principal Dr. Travis Brandy. “If everyone gets a cord, it loses its honor.”Students themselves, however think that all ac-complishments should be recognized equally. “I think every official club should have a cord, because it defines who that graduate is. It’s what makes that graduate unique,” said PAM senior and Thespian Club president Cody Gallegos. “Parents will look up and see kids with

an academic honors cord, a Thespian cord, a key club cord and know that they’re actors, volunteers, and scholars.”But the staff wants to make it clear that students’ achieve-ments are not being belittled.“JROTC kids work hard. Leadership works hard. They all work hard for the com-munity and earn their cords,” said Brandy. “Either every-one does it or we just stick to academics.”

Diego Rivera expert educates students on arts and life Gregorio Luke presents to the art and foreign language classes on the artist’s life and career

“I want to continue coming to high schools to teach young students about the Mexican American culture, art and tradition,”

aMber corderoPHOTO EDITOR

Will HHS ‘cut the cord’ for graduation ? holly san nicolas

MANAgINg EDITOR

Juniors step up to the plate-barely Class of 2015 is having trouble getting past electing officers and starting fundraisingsusan ciFuentes Julie contreras daron GoMez

CHRONICLE REPORTERS

“I find it unfair that students from other SLCs besides SAS are not reminded when are meetings...”

Previous graduates wore different cords for their academic performance. Photo Credit: Class of 2012

Luke presented on Nov. 4 to inform the students on Diego Rivera’s art career Photo Credit: Amber Cordero

Tiffany Parker is a TCA student who soon will be the class of 2014. The accomplish-ment she is most proud of is her 3.5 GPA. Although she said that she did not know what her teachers would be surprised to discover about her, she gave the thought some consideration before saying, “I’m a big donor except for blood.” When asked why not blood, her response was “Hell no,” because she had a bad experience in which a nurse took out her blood. Tiffany seems to be a down to earth per-son, so it is fitting that the fictional charac-ter she would like to meet is Cinderella. Her simple answer as to why was because “she is fierce.” Though she does try to turn in all of her homework on time, she, like many, occa-sionally slacks off. She stated that she does not have a favorite excuse for not turning in homework, that it is all “just a bunch of excuses combined together.” When she does have free time, she likes to spend it by watching movies and singing all day. Since she is a senior, she does have

regrets about high school, including giv-ing teachers her information about past conflicts. Tiffany believes that what most adults don’t seem to understand about kids is that there are some things that teenagers can’t live up to, that if they put too high of expectations on a teen, it can result in them failing those expectations. Three words that she thinks describe her best are glamorous, confident, and diva. When asked why a diva, she responded that everyone calls her diva and that she doesn’t know why. Tiffany believes it started when she was younger. She used to imagine herself being like so many superstars, and a great per-former. She hopes to be a great singer some day like her idols, some of the best perform-ers of all times.. One of the biggest changes she would like to make about herself is to do everything to her best ability, so she can achieve that goal.

The Fellow Sheiks you want to meet

Fabian Barron is unforgettable. He has the award from the senior recep-tion to prove it. Most people describe the SAS senior as a funny, fabulous and nice person because of his great personality and humor. Fabian has been given many nicknames by his friends, family and teachers such as Ginger, Nosul, Ron Weasely, and Fabulous Fabian. Fabian is a runner and the ac-complishment he is most proud of is making it to City Prelims for Cross Country which is the sport he loves. City Prelims is every runners dream that’s why Fabian is proud of that and especially since this is his last year doing Cross Country in high school. In fact, his biggest regret as a student is not joining Cross country when he was a freshman. “I am unconventional, odd and

interesting,” says Fabian as he describes himself. There is only one thing that he would want to change about himself and that is his math skills. According to him math is not his strongest subject but he has always gotten good grades at school. When he was little he saw himself as lawyer, someone fighting for rights, taking part in protests and just making the world a better place. He believes that most adults don’t seem to understand that kids could make a difference because we are all equal.

Richard Reyes is a senior in the SAS program and is best described by the phrase “I like turtles,” simply because, he likes turtles. That does not mean he moves slowly, however.One of his proudest accomplishments was getting his first medal in cross country which is one important thing for runners. His favorite excuse for not turning in home-work is, “I didn’t feel like it.” This may be his excuse because he feels that most teach-ers do not know that “kids have their own problems too.” One of his biggest regrets in high school was not spending enough time with his friends during sophomore year. He admits to “being a hermit;” however, he now spends his free time with his friends. Another activity he spends his free time on is running. He has been in cross country for three years and has even trained with his older brother Juan Reyes. "I've been in cross country since 10th grade, but I started

training for it in 9th grade with Juan." The fictional character he would like to meet would be Sonic the Hedgehog because he is a blue hedgehog that talks. Also when he was a child he used to imag-ine himself as a firefighter. "My imagina-tion used to revolve around the ideals of a superhero. I wasn't completely stupid so I knew that superheroes don't exist. So I just thought that a firefighter would be the next best thing for someone who can help others in need." Although Richard has a few regrets, he feels that he does not have any big changes he wishes to make in or about himself. “I wouldn’t like to change any-thing because I’m awesome.”

Tiffany Parker: On the path to stardom

Fabian Barron: Mr. Unforgettable

Richard Reyes: He loves turtles

abril chuvacCHRONICLE REPORTER

valerie herreraCHRONICLE REPORTER

neMesis GutierrezCHRONICLE REPORTER

Every person has something unique that makes them who they are, especially SAS junior Angie Quintanilla. She says that the biggest change she would like to make in herself is “to be less shy with people.” Once I started to talk to her, it was notice-able that she wasn’t as timid as she claimed to be, she was actually very interesting to talk to. As she started comfortably talking to me she even admitted that she would love to meet the fictional character Harley Quinn “simply because she’s a badass, clever and gorgeous.” When asked what accomplishment she was most proud of, she cheerfully exclaimed that it was “win-ning the English plaque for best student in eighth grade.” When it comes to school, Angie is a dedicated student hoping to achieve the honorable. At times, she admits school can be overwhelm-ing and sometimes she forgets to do her homework. When that happens, she confessed that she uses one of the most common excuses, “I forgot it at home.” She then said that adults just don’t seem to under-stand “the stress of homework.”

When she isn’t worrying about homework, Angie likes to spend her free time “listening to music and painting her heart out.” In ninth grade, when she had more free time on her hands, she was a member of Drumline, but had to quit to focus on her school-work. She called quitting drumline one of her “big-gest regrets about high school.” Angie is able to fill that hole of regret with her passion for painting. In fact, when she was younger, she said she imagined herself as “an artist.” She acknowledges that because of her timidness, most of her teachers are surprised to find out that she is “very creative.” When I asked her to describe herself in three words she replied “artsy, independent and amicable.” In those three words, she described herself perfectly. I was glad to have met such a wonderful person like Angie.

regrets about high school, including giv-ing teachers her information about past conflicts. Tiffany believes that what most adults don’t seem to understand about kids is that there are some things that teenagers can’t live up to, that if they put too high of expectations on a teen, it can result in them failing those expectations. Three words that she thinks describe her best are glamorous, confident, and diva. When asked why a diva, she responded that everyone calls her diva and that she doesn’t know why. Tiffany believes it started when she was younger. She used to imagine herself being like so many superstars, and a great per-former. She hopes to be a great singer some day like her idols, some of the best perform-ers of all times.. One of the biggest changes she would like to make about herself is to do everything to her best ability, so she can achieve that goal.

The Fellow Sheiks you want to meet

training for it in 9th grade with Juan." The fictional character he would like to meet would be Sonic the Hedgehog because he is a blue hedgehog that talks. Also when he was a child he used to imag-ine himself as a firefighter. "My imagina-tion used to revolve around the ideals of a superhero. I wasn't completely stupid so I knew that superheroes don't exist. So I just thought that a firefighter would be the next best thing for someone who can help others in need." Although Richard has a few regrets, he feels that he does not have any big changes he wishes to make in or about himself. “I wouldn’t like to change any-thing because I’m awesome.”

Aaron Dean Ramirez is an 11th grade PAM student who is likes to be called Dean. When he was younger, he used to imagine himself something extraor-dinary, "I used to imagine myself as an astronaut crocodile wrestler, Indian mariache, biologist, MMA fighter from Jupiter." He describes himself a tired and lazy person. The biggest change he would like to make himself is to be able to grow a mustache. He would like to meet Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games to ask her why she didn't marry Gale. His biggest regret about high school is not telling the teachers his true feel-ings about them. Most of his teacher would be suprised to know that he is European. While he does his homework which is not that hard for him and does

not have to bring an excuse, he spend his free time watching his dad sleep. What most adults don't understand about kid is that they are fat and they want to be left alone. It took him a while to state one last question that he brought to the end and says, "the accomplishments I am most proud of is helping Dulce with her interview and obtaining my drivers permit." He is to describes himself as a happy person as well.

ollywood Sheiks...

Angie Quintanilla: She’s the undiscovered artist

Aaron Ramirez: The astronaut crocodile wrestler

eriKa salazarCHRONICLE REPORTER

dulce ManduJanoCHRONICLE REPORTER

Photo Credit: Crimson Chronicle Staff

ENTERTAINMENT 8 NOVEMBER 2013

Assassin’s Creed Iv: Black Flag, the next chap-ter to Ubisoft Entertain-ment’s award winning series Assassin’s Creed, was released Oct. 29. However, this chapter is very different from previ-ous games in the series. In the past the player has played on the side of the Assassins, but due to events in the previous game, Assassin’s Creed 3, the player is now play-ing as an Abstergo Agent, or better known as a Templar. To recap what has happened over the course of the series, a secret war has been waging over centuries between the freedom-driven Assas-sins and the power-seeking Templars. Since the beginning of the series the main charac-ter, Desmond Miles, has been a present-day runaway assassin. Desmond was put into a machine called the Animus to relive the memories of his ancestors Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and Ratonhnhakéton or Connor Kenway, using his DNA. In each of his ancestors’ memo-ries the player has learned a little more about this secret war and their role in it. But Desmond’s time has ended and a Templar has taken over his position and is reliving Desmond’s memories. In AC Iv there have been many new changes ranging from the new main character to his surroundings and from the combat system to the weather system. A new transition system has

been implemented into the game that has never been used before. A player can smoothly transition from a rugged jungle terrain to a beautiful cove to your ship without a load screen in between each other. Environments in the game have also had a huge change to them. Jungle, sea, and city have all been improved and an underwater environment has also been added allowing you to go down and plunder for treasure. Many new animals have been also added to the land, air, and water. Those who have ever played Assassin’s Creed 3 and sailed out into the Atlantic Ocean you know how the weather system and naviga-tion is on the high seas, but ACIv pushes this feature to new levels. You are now able to take your ship out when-ever you want either for a nice

cruise to La Havana with a sea shanty from your crew or for a bit of privateering. The weather system has become even more intense than before. Before, a rogue wind or wave would throw you off course a little, but now it is better to stay away from storms. Maelstroms, waterspouts, and harsh rains have created an all new obstacle that could se-verely damage you, your crew, and your ship. The story mode is not the only one to receive an over-haul, multiplayer has also been revamped. New characters, abilities, weapons, maps, and game modes have been added along with a new feature, GameLab. GameLab gives the player the power to create their own game types by let-ting them create their own settings and rules to already existing game modes. Players will be able to decided what

maps they play on, what abili-ties sets can be used, how long game sessions are, and many more things. Like many modern games, AC Iv has an app tied to it that allows you to hook up your game to your Apple or Android device and access all your stats and items from your tablet or phone. So now, instead of constantly pausing the game to view certain items, you can look at your tablet or phone and fluidly play your game. The items it lets you look at are treasure maps, a progres-sion tracker for your game, an Animus database, and Ken-way’s fleet. A recent change done to the game is the exclusion of the Uplay Passport that al-lowed players access to Uplay, a service that held exclusive information and content for their games.

However, the exclusivity of Uplay brought about many complaints from players over the need to buy the passport when the game is already so pricey. In a smart move, Ubisoft decided to release the passport for free and players who wish to use Uplay can either download one from the Xbox Live or PlayStation Network. AC Iv will be the last game to have Uplay as Ubisoft will be discontinuing it with future games. The new game

runs for around $65 and about $60 when

used, depending on where you buy it. Exclusive content also varies between which store the game is bought at. Stores such as GameStop, Best Buy, Walmart, or Amazon have dif-ferent exclusive content that the game comes with. PlaySta-tion users also have a treat in-store for them because they receive 60 minutes more of gameplay.Assassin’s Creed has been an amazing series filled with mystery, excitement, betrayal, action, and suspense. AC Iv does not seem like it will fall short of its predecessors. Ubi-soft has created another award winning game that any true AC fan will be proud to own.

The Beginning of a New Assassin

The American Film Institute’s 27th annual festival ended Thursday night wrapping up their eight-day movie cel-ebration. The AFI fest was held right in Hollywood's famous movie theaters free for all the moviegoers to enjoy the works of many filmmakers. The AFI is an institute that helps preserve the history of the motion picture industry by screening works of art and honoring the masterminds behind them. In their eight-day celebration, they screened a selection of foreign, Ameri-can, independent, experimental, short and documentary films. One interesting screening was Eli Roth's latest film The Green Inferno. The Green Inferno was an absolutely top notch gruesome film that had me on my edge of my seat all throughout. The movie was inspired by Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust film, both being head-to-head for their bone-chilling masterpiece. The Green Inferno is about a group of college students that traveled to the Amazon jungle to protest their environ-mental concerns. Things take a turn when

the student's plane crashes on their way back and they fall into the hands and menu of a native tribe that still practice cannibalism. The performances by cast Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Daryl Sabara, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Sky Ferreira, Magda Apanowicz, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Alla-

mand, and Magdalena Apanowicz all made the movie feel so real. It was great that Roth gave an introduc-tion for all of the characters, because I began to care about them and although they aren't "real," knowing their fate in the movie really left a mark on me. So as

I watched this movie, I began to read and hear all the troubles, and the risk the cast went through really made me appreciate their wanting to really put on a show for the enjoyment of their viewers. Roth outdid himself with such a suc-cessful work of art. His movies such as Hostel and Cabin Fever were both terrify-ingly good, but he definitely upped the ante of modern horror with The Green Inferno. From the music to the images, The Green Inferno satisfies those who are up for a good classic horror film. It will shock anyone with its gruesome graphics and horrify one with the intense chilling music. The Green Inferno sure made a mark in the cannibal cinema and for those who are fans of his films they will really enjoy it and for those who have never seen his movies or are not fans are up for a big surprise. So horror moviegoers, prepare yourself for the ride of your life when The Green Inferno hits theaters.

Eli Roth’s The Green Inferno thrills audiences with a bone-chilling experience This year AFI fest shocked audiences from around the world with their midnight screening of The Green Inferno

Josue perezhovhannes MaGhaKyan

CHRONICLE REPORTERS

vanessa GarciaEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Eli Roth’s The Green Inferno was screened at the AFI fest last week at the Chinese Theater. Photo Credit: IMDB

In the new Assassin’s Creed 3, the player is now playing as an Abstergo Agent, or better known as a Templar. Photo Credit: GAMESTOP

Assassin’s creed IV the game to own

NOVEMBER 2013 9ENTERTAINMENT

Ender’s GameThe Book Ender’s Game is an enticing military science fiction novel written by Orson Scott Card and published in 1985. The novel is set in a time where humanity begins to further explore space with interplanetary space flight, along the way encountering some intergalactic prob-lems with aliens. These aliens are known as “Buggers” whom Earth has confronted twice in war, because Earth established a forward base in the asteroid Eros. In order to confront this alien race, three opposing ruling parties (the Hegemon, Pole-march, and Strategos) form a peace between each other and establish the International Fleet to fight against the Buggers. Fortunately, they were successful in those two wars, but they take precautionary measures to be ready for a third invasion from the buggers. One of the precautionary measures the International Fleet takes is the set up of the Battle School, a specialized program to subject children with the best skillful minds to rigorous training. One of their students is none other than Andrew “Ender” Wiggin the protagonist of this novel. Ender is already dubbed as the outcast for being the third child under Earth’s two-child policy. Of course, he is a very emotion-ally challenged character, yet at the same time he is so strong that he doesn’t even notice it. International Fleet Colonel Hryum Graff notices Ender’s callous yet sympathetic persona and encourages him to stay in Battle School. At just 10 years old, Ender is promoted to Command School and is mentored by former war hero Mazer Rackham. Ender undergoes simulations of fights with buggers. Soon dis-covering that his final simulation was the real deal, wiping out almost an entire bugger nation, also finding out that he killed two of his bul-lies, Bonzo and Stilson. Upon the realization of this, Ender is devastated. As repayment for the destruction he has caused Ender promises the Queen of the buggers to reinstate their alien race in another planet. The Movie It has taken twenty eight years for Ender’s Game to finally make it’s big-screen debut on November 1, 2013. Directed by Gavin Hood and one of the producers is the book’s author, Orson Scott Card. It also also includes a star-studded cast of Asa Butterfield as Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, Academy Award Nominee’s Harrison Ford as Colonel Hryum Graff, Abigail Breslin as valentine Wiggin,viola Davis as Major Gwen Anderson, and Hailee Steinfeld as Petra Arka-nian. There are many key differences between the movie and the book. One of the most obvi-ous one is Ender’s age; in the book he is ten years old, whereas in the movie he looks older. Another difference is the name of the alien race,while in the book they are called “Buggers,” in the movie they are referred to as “Formics.” Also, one pivotal discrepancy is the lack to often mention two fundamental characters, valentine Wiggin and Peter Wiggin. Overall, Ender’s Game conveys the main ideas of the book and sticks to its theme of the concept of games, ruthless-ness and humanity. Plus, with its realistic spe-cial effects and visuals it is a spectacular movie.

The Hunger Games:Catching FireThe Book Catching Fire is the second book in the Hun-ger Games Trilogy written by Suzanne Collins. Since its 2009 publication it has been a popular novel amongst young adults. The book picks up where the last one leaves off, where Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have returned to District 12 after controversial-ly winning the 74th annual Hunger Games. Katniss and Peeta haven’t really spoken to each other after the Hunger Games. As per tradi-tion the victors must go on a victory Tour to be presented to all the Districts, entitling Katniss and Peeta to fake a smile every time they are present among the districts. The 75th Hunger Games comes around with a special twist, that happens every twenty-five years known as the “Quarter Quell.” All the past victors of each district will be the only ones eligible to enter the random drawing of the tributes. Katniss and Peeta are once again entered into the Hunger Games. These Hunger Games involve tributes of all ages and the arena has an ocean-type setting. In the games, Katniss and Peeta develop unex-pected friendships most notably with 24-year old Finnick Odair and 80-year old Mags both from District 4. They endure a tactical, violent Hunger Games and in the end there’s an unexpected outcome. From there on, a rebellion has commenced against the Capital and all the planning is oc-curring in the thought-to-be-destroyed District 13.The Movie The second installment of the Hunger Games trilogy is expected to equal or exceed the suc-cess of the first movie. The director of the first movie, Gary Ross, did not return to directed the second movie; Francis Lawrence replaced him. All the main characters will return to portray their roles like Best Actress Academy Award Winner Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen). Of course, some new and beloved characters will be introduced like Finnick Odair portrayed by Sam Claflin. The first movie has received generally posi-tive reviews from both critics and audiences alike, so their are high hopes lying on this movie. Since there is so much hype surrounding Catching Fire, the tickets have been on pre-sale since Oct. 1 for its release on Nov. 22. Do you prefer the movie or the book? Are you among those who have pre-ordered their tick-ets for Catching Fire?

Allegiant by veronica Roth is a young adult novel that has got as much science fiction as romance. This third installment to the Divergent book series, whose movie adaptation is on its way to movie theaters, is 526 pages of action, romance, and an ending that had me so shocked I had to put the book down for a while and make sure I wasn’t dreaming, or hav-ing a nightmare. Unlike the 1st, & 2nd books this one jumps back & forth from the point of view of the heroine Beatrice Prior, or Tris, to the heroines boyfriends point of view Tobias Eaton, also known as four. In this “world” these people are all aware that theres more to the world than their little piece of land, they have a bor-der that separates them from what they call the “outside.” In the second book we see th Once Tris and Tobias make it to the outside they learn many new things that shake their beliefs and make them feel worthless and small, they learn things like where their city started, why, and Tris also learns a lot about her dead mother’s’ life and how she came to be who she was. Tobias learns some shocking news and the more Tris, Tobias, and their friends learn about what’s going on outside their city the faster they start to realize that the world outside doesn’t exactly need their help but more of a reality check. The people outside the city are prejudiced against GDs---genetically damaged people

and our Heroes are confused and distraught because they can’t seem to figure out which side is wrong and which side is right since they’re close close with people from both sides of the argument and even stand at different sides of the argument at one point in the book. This book plays around with the idea that maybe your opinions aren’t always the right ones, and asks questions like how do you know if you should you stand down, or fight back?, how do you know you’re on the right side of a war? The main idea of these books, though sometimes hidden, is knowing where you come from and the fact that sometimes finding a place to fit in once you’re an individual can be very hard, or very easy. This epic, preposterous, & extremely shocking conclusion to the three-part series is full of thought, feeling, romance and violence, which is always wars greatest companion.

The Hunger meets the End in the game A comparsion of how the movie differs from the book in several wayseriKa salazar

CHRONICLE REPORTER

Mara Dyer is a seventeen year old girl who moves to Florida after a terrible incident that changes her life. Now she has a new fresh start at a new life. However, memories of the in-cident still haunt her. She keeps seeing things that make no sense. It makes her think that she is mentally unstable. Her parents do not believe her and it makes her feel more insane. Worst of all she thinks that she can kill people by just imag-ining their deaths. She does not know what she is capable of and is scared by her own self. Good thing British boy, Noah Shaw, helps her on the path of self dis-covery as he discovers his own gift as well. In this captivating psycho-logical thriller it will keep you wondering who is Mara Dyer exactly? Mara Dyer is a girl who believes she is losing her sanity,

she is lost within herself. She is confused and horrified of what she is. She is a girl that wants her normal life back but she knows that will never happen with the power she believes is a curse. Most of all, she is a girl who is finding herself. She is unbecom-ing. She knows she is not normal because she has a newfound power. She is slowly creating who she wants to be. She is revo-lutionizing. You will get lost in the world of Mara Dyer and not want to put the book down. You will want to reread the book over and over again trying to understand Mara Dyer. Even though she is special she is like most teens, lost and confused. She can be a relatable character to some readers and her snarky comments will make you smile. It is a wonderful, beauti-fully told story that cannot be missed by anyone.

Gaby cordovaCHRONICLE REPORTER

It is finally over ana aMador

CHRONICLE REPORTER

SPORTS10 November 2013

athletes of the month

CC: How do you feel being Athlete of the Month?TM: I feel happy, excited, and surprised. I appreciate that I was picked out of every-one else.

CC: Why do you think you were chosen for Athlete of the Month?TM: I think because I put my “all” into the game. I love my team and I bring my “A” game.

CC: How long have you been playing volleyball?TM: For about three to four years.

CC: What do you like most about vol-leyball?

TM: I like that’s fun, it takes a toll on me and it feels better after playing.

CC: Who is your athletic hero? Why?TM: Destinee Hooker is my athletic hero because she is a Olympic volleyball player.

CC: Do you see yourself playing volley-ball in the future? Why or why not?TM: At the moment yes, in college, but not sure after that. I have two scouts looking at me right now and it feels amazing that they are looking at me! Although yeah, I’m not sure about after college.

CC: How do you feel being Athlete of the Month?JM: I’m kinda shocked and happy.

CC: Why do you think you were chosen for Athlete of the Month?JM: I honestly don’t know; it’s a huge shocker.

CC: How long have you been running X Country?JM: For two years this is my second year.

CC: What do you like most about X Country?JM: Everything, I love X Country, I like it bet-ter than track to be honest. We go out on a three miles run, you’re around nature, and no

one watches how you run. It’s just you.

CC: Who is your athletic hero? Why?JM: It would have to be my coaches, Coach Adolfo Carcano and Assistant Coach Fer-nando Jauregu Well, my assistant coach because he has the same injury that I have and because he’s being helpful. And my coach because he’s been through a lot and he still supports us.

CC: Do you see yourself playing X Country in the future? Why or Why not?JM: I‘m actually thinking about it, hopefully I do.

CC: How do you feel being Athlete of the Month?KC: I feel surprised.

CC: Why do you think you were chosen for Athlete of the Month?KC: I have no clue at all. I’ve been work-ing hard.

CC: How long have you been playing X Country?KC: For two years, this is my second year.

CC: What do you like most about X Country?KC: That it takes a lot of hard work to ac-complish your goals.

CC: Who is your athletic hero? Why?KC: Galen Rupp, he’s an Olympic runner for the USA. I like that he doesn’t show any weakness and doesn’t give up.

CC: Do you see yourself playing X Coun-try in the future? Why or Why not?KC: I’m not sure yet if I’m going to play X Country in the future.

Josie Medrano Grade : 12th SLC : SAS

Kevin Castaneda Grade : 12th SLC : TCA

Tiaja McKnight Grade : 11th SLC : PAM

INTERvIEW BY : JOSUE PEREZ AND ABRIL CHUvAC

november 2013 11news/ sports

Sheiks lost their first and last playoff game 42 to 7 against Polytechnic High School last Friday night. This brought football season to an end with a record of 3-8. Sheiks made the playoffs after their win against Roybal 15-14 in the last game of their season. “This year was a difficult for us, we had to commute to different schools to practice and we were not able to take all the equipment and we had little to work with,” said Coach Frank Galvan. Erick Merida score the 7-point touchdown that night. While the JV team ended their season early after the homecoming game against Belmont High after more than half the team were grade cut. The JV team did not have the number of players needed, forcing them to forfeit to against Bernstein.

Better luck next year Sheik football

Josie Medrano, SAS senior, has started The Environmental Club to promote the care of the environment. The club meets in room 209 on Tuesdays dur-ing lunch. Josie wishes to aid the environment throughout the community as well as the school. “I plan on putting recy-cling bins and compost bins inside the school, maintaining our school’s garden, informing students on their impact on the environment,” she said. The compost bins would be

used for the garden, as well as fundraising, if successful. Com-post promotes a healthy garden, and many people desire it for

their own gardens. It would be sold around the communi-ty directly to people, or maybe a farmer’s market. Josie’s plans also include

taking field trips, and cleaning up around the area. She plans to do beach clean ups first and then attempting bigger projects in the future.

The advent of the 2013 school year brings with it a new series of problems for the Academic Decathlon team. The team will be representing Holly-wood’s students at competitions and been rigorously preparing for this November. Lee Tuomala, the team coach and physics and chemistry teacher said, “It has been a little more challenging because the class was cancelled.” The team is doing the best it can to keep up with the pace

of the events without having the luxury of class to practice anymore, and are feeling the ef-fects of this, but staying focused on the task. With season coming up the team is staying optimistic about the competitions. The subject of this Academic Decathlon will be World War I, a broad subject therefore the students will be paying close at-tention in their history classes. Tuomala said that “since the program is not doing as well as it could” he is making the stu-

dents start meeting after school, and start studying more on their own. Since this last school year has had more unprecedented changes, the students are trying to challenge themselves more to meet the higher standards of the Decathlon and show a higher caliber of thinking. Tuomala invites new and ea-ger students to join this program and contact him in room 406. The program now only has eight active members to participate in

the Nov. 16 scrimmage. There is still plenty of time for the team and any aspiring members to join. To join a stu-dent must have at least a C aver-age and be willing to be part of a team for mutual growth. This month has been very active for members trying to accommodate for these new changes and look forward to seeing new faces. The competition is scheduled for the last Saturday of January and the first Saturday of Febru-ary. The team is representing

the intellectual integrity of the whole school so anyone stu-dents who believes that we can achieve more should be eager to join this team. The team is “challenging but worth it, and it pays off in the end,” said team member Van-essa Huerta, senior.

The Cross Country team made it to the league finals, with Josie Medrano taking first place for the JV girls team. Josie Medrano made it to city finals and will compete in a few weeks at Pierce College. “I am very proud of our girls team, said team-mate Ashley Carillo, a senior. “We are very small but worked together to bring home the title of league champions.” Many of the girls from the varsity team made it in the top ten, adding points for the overall team.Surrounded by well equipped teams, the

Sheiks seemed nervous. “My team has this and whether we lose or not they are great runners,” said coach Adolfo Carcano.The JV boys made it in the top ten winners. “Don’t think about the negatives just the posi-tives about this race,” said Carcano. The Cross Country team sets record for be-ing this year’s league champions.

This semester the New Media Academy has had many field trips and has had extraor-dinary opportunities of train-ing. MET has been on numer-ous field trips including going to the legendary Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Columbia Film School, and Woodbury University. From learning film in class, to experiencing the real live action, New Media Academy has been offering many hands on experience in the real world. “It is different from all of the other SLC’s, we are granted advanced learning from numerous professionals that really impact our futures,” said Lloyd Ea, a junior in the New Media Academy. “I hope we are continuously allowed to get a higher level education from people that are really passionate about what they

do.”SAS NEWS Get excited because SAS is restarting its SAS Brigade club where it will help plan activities and think about new electives . The new electives will be offered to the students next year. Also, the club will design shirts for SAS. The club’s president is Erin Gannett, vice president isKeitty Calderon, secretary is Amber Sanchez and the treasure is Diego Tamayo. The club will meet ev-ery other Wednesday starting from November 6. A parent group has also been created to support SAS. Lee Rossi one of the parents involved in the parent group said that she joined the group because, “I want to support SAS and I love the school.” Also, she wants to learn how the par-ent group and SAS can work

together and communicate with one another to get what SAS needs. Lately, the parent group has donated school supplies, like notebooks, paper and ink. The next meeting will be on Dec. 4 and parents will discuss home-work policies. One of the parents also recommended for teachers to create an Amazon wishlist. Karen Cusolito, English teacher and lead teacher of SAS, said teachers got a cordless vacuum because of the Amazon wish-list. The cordless vacuum will help make cleaning the floors much easier because the custo-dians sometimes do not sweep up the floors. So, tell your parents to come the next parent meeting to stay involve in what is happening in SAS.

Crossing the line as champs

Aca-Deca needs motivated students to take test WilliaM Guevara

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andrea perez Joanna Martinez

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sMirna GalindoCHRONICLE REPORTER

Students gets their hands dirty For the good of the environment Gerardo chan

CHRONICLE REPORTER

“I plan on putting recy-cling bins and compost bins inside the school, maintaining our school’s garden, informing stu-dents on their impact on the environment,”

Keeping up with NMA and SASchristian lehniGGaby cordova

CHRONICLE REPORTERS

The Cross Country team sets record for being this year’s league champions. Photo Credit: SMIRNA GALINDO

Football season is officially over with a win of 3 out of 11 games. Photo Credit: Nemesis Gutierrez