October 9, 2015
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No track, no problem: X-country wins first meet

Posted on October 17, 2013 by in Sports

Steven Montoya

Chronicle Reporter

Undeterred by an unusable track, cross-country runners have won victories against Robert F. Kennedy and Bernstein High Schools on Oct. 10th.

The race, set in Elysian Park, ended with the Boys Junior Varsity and Varsity teams securing wins against Bernstein and RFK, while the girls’ team ended up tying with Bernstein, but did not win against Robert F. Kennedy.

The team has had to face challenges in training this year due to ongoing construction and renovation projects on the school’s track and football field, according to cross-country coach Adolfo Carcano. The team usually did their practice runs on the track, but now, they must either do long runs around the school campus, or do their repeats on the Runyon Canyon Park hiking trails, Carcano said.

This year, the team hopes to land a spot on the All-City Finals once again, to finish at least in the top three of the Central League. “I hope that we don’t end last,” Carcano said.

SAS Sophomore Henry Le said that despite the track closure, he had felt ready for the track meet. “We trained during the summer, which has helped us a lot. The feeling of family has kept us together through everything,” he said. “All we have to do now is run.”

The team will face off Marquez High School at their next meet on October 17.

 

TCA Students on the Road

Posted on October 14, 2013 by in News, Uncategorized

Eloisa Garcia

Chronicle Reporter

 

TCA students have a great advantage ahead of them this year. All freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors will be able to have a great learning experience through field trips throughout the course of the year.

This year’s field trips are full of hands- on activities and two career field trips for students who are interested in becoming teachers. The Lull Special Education Center (a center that handles severely disabled handicapped students), is one of the places that would be provided for students who are interesting in a teaching career. Before going to the the center, students would first have to create a lesson to later on teach at the center.

TCA also provides students interested in science and enjoy hands- on experiments to have the opportunity to visit the Sepulveda Wildlife Basin, where they will be taught an experiment which will later be taught by them.

“TCA is is a completely inclusive small learning committee,” agreed Kelly Bender, lead teacher of TCA. “The purpose of these field trips and experiences is to help our students see that they can make a difference in their own lives and in the world around them, which goes along the TCA motto: ‘creating a more humane society through lifelong teaching and advocacy.’”

Transportation and field trips are available to TCA students thanks to the support of Linked Learning and Hollywood High School, who have been supporting TCA since past years.

As students keep advancing into the next grade level, they are a step closer to college. For this purpose, Hollywood High provides TCA students with a learning experience at colleges.

Sophomores this year will be visiting Cal State Northridge and Pierce college to inform themselves more about college and start preparing for it. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors get one field trip per year, which only applies to field trips to colleges.

For this reason, each grade level will visit two colleges in one day- one community college and one four- year college. These field trips will help students understand how to transfer from a community college to a four year university.

 

2013-2014 Staff Changes

Posted on October 14, 2013 by in News

Jenny Jeong

Crimson Chronicle Reporter

The school year started with fewer staff members than last year including PE teacher Mary Langer, history teacher Mike Ulmer, math teacher Sofya Groyslayt, science teacher Pavel Darmanyan, english teacher Dean Levengood, and SAS counselor Cynthia Ross.

Not all the teachers got laid off; some retired, some left to other schools.

Although the school lost many faculty members, new teachers and administrators joined the staff such as assistant principals Craig Alessi and Dr. Travis Brandy.

New psychologist, Cindy Crouse and new pupil service attendant and PSA counselor Abel Villasenor will help students improve tardies, help deal with emotional problems, whether its at school or at home. ”I love it so far all the students I have worked with have been great and I really enjoy coming here everyday and meeting new people.” said Crouse.

Attendance and PSA counselor Villasenor deals with all of the attendance issues and counsels issues that may affect a student’s attendance such as family problems, drug problems, gangs, etc.

“I want to change the culture of tardiness and change the culture of how students see absences and tardies,” said Villasenor. “When you go into real life you can’t take 30 or 20 days off  your job. Tardies are are a big issue of all teenagers and adolescents because to them it isn’t a big deal walking in with Starbucks and its 8:10 or 8:15.”

Administration is working one on one with every student to help achieve a 96% attendance and rewarding those who come to school every day with gift cards from local restaurants.

JROTC’s Annual Fun Day

Posted on October 14, 2013 by in Uncategorized

All of LAUSD’s JROTC programs are taking part in JROTC’s traditional Fun Day on Saturday, October 19, 2013 at Six Flags Magic Mountain. The admission price is $30,including the bus and ticket fee.
The main reason why JROTC holds this special day is to not only to have fun enjoying the park’s attraction, but to give the cadets, the people who are in the JROTC program, an opportunity to communicate with other schools’ cadets. The Fun Day activity helps engage cadets involve in cooperation and participation to instill a sense of unity.
“Fun Day is a tradition that JROTC has been doing for over 15 years. It is not mandatory to attend, but it is mandatory to have fun,” said Senior Army Instructor MSG Herbert Harris.

GTA V: So Good, it’s a Felony

Posted on October 12, 2013 by in Entertainment

Courtesy of Rockstar Games

By Josue Perez and Hovhannes Maghakyan

Crimson Chronicle Reporters

Grand Theft Auto V, one of the most anticipated games of the year, was released on Sept. 17. It is the successor of Rockstar’s 2008 game, GTA IV. GTA V takes place in the fictional city of Los Santos.

In GTA V, the city of Los Santos is based upon the city of Los Angeles, including landmarks as the Hollywood Sign, Venice Beach, and the Santa Monica Pier. In the game, players are able to interact with the world more than in previous games. Players are able to visit Del Perro Pier (Santa Monica Pier) and ride on the roller coaster, The Leviathan, and the Ferris Wheel, appropriately named the Ferris Whale.

In the game, a new ability the player has is to play as three different characters. The three characters of choice are Franklin, Michael, and Trevor. Each character has a specific skill set. As one plays, the level goes up for each skill set even further. Each character also has a special ability (like Franklin’s ability to slow down time). In the game, these three characters are always doing something even if you are not playing or near them. With the use of three characters, missions and free roam have become much more diverse and enjoyable.

The ability to switch between characters within missions can have a major impact on your results. If one is better at doing something like driving or creating a distraction, one is able to switch to a character that is doing that task and have a Non-Player Character or NPC take over your previous task. In free roam, if using one character gets boring, players can switch to another character that could be something much more interesting.

GTA V’s open world is nothing less than amazing and beautiful. The world is triple the size of GTA IV’s. The game world feels much more open. The new structures, landmarks, and environments give the players motivation to continue playing and exploring everything the game has to offer.
The game still manages to include previous iconic landmarks from past GTA titles such as San Andreas, Mount Chilliad. With the addition of the new ocean environment players are able to go fishing. They can even get attacked by a shark.

GTA would be nothing without its vehicle buffet. The brand new, long awaited addition to the game is the use of airplanes. Airplanes can now be used whenever the player wishes. Ever wanted to go for a joyride in a submarine? Of course you have, and lucky for you, submarines have also been added to the game. Later in the story, players will gain access to a submarine in order to explore the seafloor.

There are also new cars available in the game along with a improved garage to customize cars. The garage has been given many more additions to it, including upgrades, parts, and much more. Always running into gunfights or want some extra protection? Go over to the garage and upgrade your armor. Want a better looking car? Give it a nice paint job. Driving in the game has also been improved, handling is better than it was in GTA IV and it feels much more smoother.
In previous Rockstar games the graphics engine Criterion Games’ RenderWare was used, but GTA V has implemented a new graphics engine, Rockstar Advanced Game Engine or RAGE, created by Rockstar games.

The price for a brand new copy of GTA V is around $60 with used copies around $55. The game has only been released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but for anyone wanting to play it on Next Gen consoles such as the Xbox One or PS4 you will have to wait until 2014.
Throughout the years, Rockstar games has created several timeless classics that many people have enjoyed to the fullest extent. GTA V was the most anticipated game of the year, but it could also very well be the best game of the year.

No More D’s for the Class of 2017

Posted on October 12, 2013 by in News

New A-G requirements will affect future students graduation status

By Azniv Derdzakyan

Chronicle Reporter

Graduation requirements and college admission “A-G” requirements, which were passed by LAUSD a year ago and take effect as of this year starting with the freshmen.

“Some people are so worried about it, in reality its not adding much to the basic diploma, just a few classes. Nothing is beyond any student. They need opportunities for a better life,” said Assistant Principal Craig Alessi.

College counselor Heather Brown supports the new requirements. “To be college ready, to be college prepared, students should take math,english,science, and history every semester until they graduate,” she said. Students should “always do more than the bare minimum,” Brown said.

The minimum credits needed for the class of 2016 is 210, whereas the classes of 2014 and 2015 can only graduate with 230 credits. Classes of 2014 – 2016 could graduate with a D or higher, but the class of 2017 has to graduate with a C or better. The new requirements include the A-G curriculum (15 college prep classes) health, and physical education.

“The district’s most important goal is to have students graduate from LAUSD,college ready and prepared for careers,” Superintendent John Deasy told the Huffington Post.
The classes of 2016 and 2017 require 30 credits (three years) for math and 20 credits (2 years) for world languages to graduate high school. However, the classes of 2014 and 2015 require 20 credits for math and no languages for high school graduation.

“It is challenging us freshmen to graduate,” said SAS freshman Edgar A. Castro. LAUSD made the requirements for high school graduation and university similar so that they could accordingly be considered for admission.

Book Review: Starters

Posted on October 11, 2013 by in Entertainment

By Maricela Cordova
Crimson Chronicle Reporter

Starters, by Lissa Price, may seem like your typical dystopian book about a girl who is left to fend for herself and falls for a guy but there is a twist to this society that is characterized by oppression and disease. Callie, whose parents died in the Spore Wars, is left to take care of her younger brother who is sick. She is in desperate need for money, which leads her to turn to Prime Destination. Prime Destination is where the elderly can rent a younger person’s body for the elders can feel young again. Except while Callie’s body was being rented out, something goes wrong and she is found back in her own body three weeks early. Not only that, but the woman who rented her body still lives inside her and was using her body to take down Prime Destination. Callie discovers the dark secrets of Prime Destination and has to make the ultimate decision of either fighting for Prime Destination or fighting against them.
Callie, who is only sixteen years old, is the embodiment of a fierce and brave girl. She is not whiny; all she cares about is keeping her brother safe. Price creates a beautiful bond between Callie and her brother that expresses their love and care for each other. Throughout the story it keeps the reader wondering what is going to happen next?
Starters has a little bit of everything. It has suspense, action, drama, mystery and romance. It is not your average dystopian book, and the ending has a real plot twist that will only leave the reader craving for the next book to come.
352 pages

 

I’m wearing your grandpa’s clothes

Posted on October 11, 2013 by in Features

By Susan Cifuentes and Maricela Cordova
Crimson Chronicle Reporters

“Only got twenty dollars in my pocket. I- I- I’m hunting, looking for a come-up.” (Macklemore, “Thrift Shop”) Thrift shopping or as some people are calling it “thrifting” has really changed in today’s society. It is now considered cool and hipster, add in the great prices and it’s no wonder that thrifting has gotten popular.

Crossroads Trading Co. is one of the many thrift stores located in Los Angeles.This thrift shop is mainly about finding your own sense of style. There is a variety of clothes to choose from, such as animal prints, lace, and designer clothing. You could even say that it is better than Ross. The store is super clean and the workers there are very friendly.
Crossroads is not only friendly on your budget but also friendly to the environment. This thrift store is not just a second-hand store, it is a place where one recycles clothing. What’s the difference? The thing about thrift shops is that whatever you donate they automatically take it and put it in their sale racks. Oh sure, they check for tears or rips but they don’t exactly check the quality. With Crossroads, the workers personally go through every piece of article to see if it is torn, stain or simply not worth recycling. If it is not up to their standards there’s a dumpster right next to the store.
When we say it is easy on your wallet, we mean it. If you have unwanted clothes still in good shape, they will buy it from you, and you can use that money to buy more clothes from their store. For all those environmentalists or people who actually care about our planet, Crossroads supports the planet by donating five cents to the environmental defense fund when the customer does not take a plastic bag. How can you not like Crossroads?
Thrift stores have always been stigmatized over the belief that they are dirty and/or unsanitary. We are not saying it isn’t entirely true, but at Crossroads, they do their best to keep the customers happy. This means having the place and clothes sanitary. When we asked Avery, an employee, on his thoughts about the stigmatization towards thrift stores he answered that people have always had stigma about thrift stores, but that it doesn’t change the fact that there are still good quality clothes for customers.
Goodwill is another thrift store that offers clothes at a affordable price. Goodwill offers more than clothes though; it offers books, movies, and home furnishings at amazing prices. However, Goodwill isn’t the best place to buy clothing in our opinion. But it is the best place to buy books. If you like to read books but do not want to go to a bookstore, you should go to Goodwill. The books have been hardly used, and they cost next to nothing.
So what are you still doing? Get yourself to a thrift shop where you can have the ultimate thrifting experience and look chic after buying all those clothes from the thrift stores.
Crossroads Trading Co.–
4470 W Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA
7409 Melrose Ave. Hollywood, CA
8315 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood, CA

Goodwill-
4575 Hollywood Blvd Los Angeles, CA
1218 Vine St. Los Angeles, CA

 

 

 

Book Review: It’s Kind of a Funny Story

Posted on October 11, 2013 by in Entertainment

By Ana Amador

Crimson Chronicle reporter

It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini is a modern, incisive, and witty look into the life of a teenager, as accurate as it’s going to get. In this 444 page-long fiction novel, Craig Gilner a New York city teenager, is about to enter the ninth grade except to him it won’t just be high school it’ll be THE high school.

Craig spends his entire summer studying,reading, and preparing himself for a prestigious school which he really feels the need to get into, because like many teenagers before him Craig is worried about getting into a good college.The school and the pressure from the world around him give Craig depression. Completely written from Craig’s point of view, the author takes you through Craig’s extremely relatable problems and eventually how these problems land him in a mental hospital.
It’s no wonder the feelings described in the book by Craig, the main character, sound so authentic since the author himself, Ned Vizzini, spent five days in adult psychiatric and wrote the book only a few days later. Most of the books Vizzini has written are relatable to teens.
The way Craig explains how high school and life generally can be depressing (and he admits that the fact that he’s lazy makes this a lot worse) is great. Craig describes his life in a very interesting way, explaining how he has tentacles which are all the horrible things that intrude his life, an example he uses is how getting behind on homework can become a nightmare because things spiral out of control he puts it as, no homework= not passing the class, which leads to not passing school = not getting into a good college = not having a good job = no good health insurance = not being able to pay for all the antidepressants he’s sure he’s going to need because his life sucks, thats what the tentacles are to Craig evil things that just spiral out of control because he’s so overwhelmed.
Craig also has something called anchors which are things that occupy his mind or make him temporarily happy, his major goal in the story is to find a solid anchor.
Craigs friends definitely play a part in his depression. The friend that plays the biggest part is Aaron, a smart, fearless, and handsome guy whose dad seems to be some sort of mad writer, the richest kind (Aarons mom lives with him too but Craig doesn’t discuss her as much).
Aaron also has a girlfriend, Nia, whom Craig becomes attracted to and jealous over. To Craig, his friends are the real world and the mental ward is another world, which to him is easier to handle in some ways.
At the end of the book you’ll be left hoping for the best and wanting to hear more. It is very relatable, dramatic, hilarious, and real.

New Schedule, New Problems

Posted on October 11, 2013 by in Op-Ed

Abril Chuvac

Chronicle Reporter

Compared to last year’s schedule, we have one more class to worry about. This means we have 50 minutes in each class instead of the previous 53 minutes. Many students like this new schedule because of the benefits it has brought to them but what about the negative aspects of the new schedule? We now have more homework, another class, and less time to get to class.

For the past two years, I have been worried about my six classes and how much homework I get for each of them. Now I have another class to worry about this year? Which to me means more homework and less time to do it as well. It used to take me four to five hours to finish my homework but now it takes me a hour or two more. Not only do I have to worry about my AP classes and keeping my grades up but I also have to start thinking about what colleges I want to go to. If it wasn’t stressful during the past school years, I wonder how stressful it will be this year.

During passing period we used to have six minutes to get to class but now we only have five minutes. Now, I know what you’re thinking, what does it matter, it’s just one minute of a difference? Well, apparently that extra minute does matter since before I still had time to go to the restroom now I have to rush to class especially, this year since my classes are across campus. Funny how no one notices what a difference a minute can make until it is needed; its like that extra penny no one cares about until its needed. If we still had that extra minute we would probably have less people being tardy.

I must say though that the one thing, as a student, that I miss the most and I am sure everyone does is, is advisory. To me, advisory used to be boring, but at the same time it was fun to have 25 minutes get help in our academics. It was also the time most of us used to study for a test/quiz we would have been having that day. Most of all though we used it to finish homework assignments that we did not have time to finish at home.

Even though this new schedule can help some students to improve their grades it brings a lot of stress in the rest of us. Now we have to worry about another class and more homework to finish on time without advisory to help us. Having our old schedule was less stressful and helpful as well. Hopefully, this year school does not end up being as stressful as it has started to be.