Administration revises finals schedule

Posted on December 15, 2015 by in Announcements, News

Franklin Franco
Editor-in-Chief

In light of the recent threats this morning to LAUSD campuses, administration had to revise the schedule for final exams this week. According to an email to staff from Assistant Principal Samuel Dovlatian, the final for period one has been moved to Wednesday and the final for period two, to Thursday.

Final exams for periods one and two are not cancelled, and instead there will be three finals in one day instead of two. The new schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, Dec. 16:
Period 3 (Final): 8:00 – 10:13
Nutrition: 10:13 – 10:28
Period 4 (Final): 10:34 – 12:32
Lunch: 12:32 – 1:02
Period 1 (Final): 1:08 – 3:06

Thursday, Dec. 17:
 Period 5 (Final): 8:00 – 10:13
Nutrition: 10:13 – 10:28
Period 6 (Final): 10:34 – 12:32
Lunch: 12:32 – 1:02
Period 2 (Final): 1:08 – 3:06

LAUSD faces mass shutdown

Posted on December 15, 2015 by in News

Franklin Franco

Editor-in-Chief

Schools all over LAUSD are closed today due to “electronic threats” made to a number of campuses in the district. All 900 campuses are closed, affecting around 700,000 students in the “second largest district in the nation.”

According to a recent reporting by KCAL 9, the “email” was received from “overseas” at around 5 a.m. this morning and is being analyzed.

Such a shut down is seen as an “unprecedented” procedure for LAUSD but Superintendent Ramon Cortines said to news reporters this morning that he was “not going to take a chance with the life of a student.” Cortines announced that he learned of threats to multiple schools in the district through a police report this morning. According to CNN and KCAL 9, the threat was sent to a school board member through an email from Frankfurt, Germany; however, the exact location of the source is still being investigated.

It is also, coincidentally,  first day of finals and students showed up to Hollywood High ready to face their final exams, but instead they face news that all schools in LAUSD have been closed due to a bomb threat involving “backpacks” and other “packages” left on campuses.

Cortines said in a morning press conference that “it is important that in the last four hours this city [and] this community come together in behalf of our students.” He said that the safety of LAUSD students is ensured and has taken “all sorts of precautions” to guarantee that they will come home safely.

“[As for] those students that walk to school, we have had principals meet them at the gates of the school and were not dismissed until parents or guardians came to pick them up,” said Cortines during the press conference.

The safety of LAUSD students is priority, especially for parents. Parents were advised to take their children back home and pick them up at the Reunion Gate. Luckily for parents who are unable to pick up their children, Metro is also providing free bus and train transportation for all students as long as they have the proper school I.D.

Mayor Eric Garcetti advises parents to “remain calm.”

“We have also asked for our Emergency Operation Center to be activated and we have arranged for MTA to help by providing free bus rides to all LAUSD students.” said Garcetti.

This morning many students were bewildered by the news, confused as to what to do and who to believe. Many other students were watching the news as the information came up and they quickly notified their friends through calls, texts, and group messages. PAM junior Elizabeth DiMuro said she sent a message to all her friends through a text message on their group chat and she said she soon saw other members of that chain sending the same news.

“My dad told me if I had heard what happened. He told me and I couldn’t believe it.” said Elizabeth.

News channels city wide are reporting across the district reporting that there will be a search of the 900 campuses before school can reopen. According to a report by KTLA 5, many students still went to school to check out what was going on. Sheiks also went to school to see what was going on. KCAL 9 interviewed a pair of students who are still wondering what will happen to their grades and final exams.

Officers are currently searching the surroundings of Hollywood High according to the live broadcast by KCAL 9. They also reported that there are faculty members from within not allowing anyone to enter the school and are perhaps awaiting further update.

Twitter is buzzing with tweets from district official and students alike. Students are tweeting about the news. “#LAUSD” is the number one trend on twitter this morning and many are advising their friends to be safe and hoping for the best.

SAS senior Natalie Khanbeg tweeted “For those worrying about their grades… no one cares about that [right now.]”

Everyone is standing by for updates. A press conference will be held this morning to find out more information. On our campus, only the plant manager and administrators are allowed in.

Making the BIC Menu More Appealing

Posted on October 16, 2015 by in News

Franklin Franco

Erika Buot

Editor-In-Chief & Photo Editor

Jeff Mills, CEO of Genuine Foods, and Cary Greene, food lawyer, discussed the infamous topic of “Breakfast in the Classroom” and how students are negatively reacting to the menus of their schools, even here at Hollywood High.

Mills was involved with launching the BIC programs in schools in Washington D.C. Mills said it was meant to be more convenient for students and allowed all students to receive food, removing the stigma attached to the whole school lunch issue.

“You didn’t know who qualified and who didn’t. We even did that for lunch.” said Mills.

“The benefit of [the program] is that the students can have [breakfast], but there [has always] been a stigma attached. Where people in the program would either be allowed to get the food or [not]. [Now] there is no stigma attached, which is great.” said Carla Hall, co-host of “The Chew.”

Although the title of the session alluded to a discussion on the food at this school, the debate mainly revolved around the financial issues of the BIC system and how other regions, mainly D.C., have been trying to advocate for better prepared food.

What was also addressed in the session was how students are reacting negatively towards the food they are served and question how nutritious it really is. It was agreed that is common to see that food is having a big impact on students and the general public, making the industry pretty important.

“Big food really controls what’s happening.” said Mills.

The reason why it may be hard for kids to be satisfied with the food on the menu is because the food vendors involved may not be as willing to spend more money on variety when they can buy the same things for a cheaper price. Mills and Greene said that either way, much of the food is being modified to fit the standards of “nutrition” that the schools need to have.

It was brought up how students are “grossed out” by the food served. Greene argued over the fact that students might just hate the way the food is prepared, and the problem does not have to do with the food itself and its taste. He also said that this increases the problem of food being wasted every day.

“The average studies show that 25 percent of the food just gets thrown away. So we should reduce that. Either it gets thrown away  or kids just choose not to eat it before it even reaches their plate.” Greene said.

When it came to the food here, it was advised that students do something to advocate for better food on the menus so that “voices can be heard” and so that there is more of a student and parent involvement in the food system.

Seniors Cash Out

Posted on May 18, 2015 by in Announcements

Now that college applications are in and most seniors know where they will be for the next four years, it may seem like the time to relax. However, it is  important to keep good grades and apply for scholarships. Scholarships can make a difference in how much debt a student will have and even the college they can attend.

This year Ms.Brown has issued an application in which students select the scholarships they qualify for. The scholarships vary from the The Alice Rippey Memorial scholarship ( for students who have given service to  the school) to the Mardi Mardossian Scholarship (for former ESL students). There are several art and academic scholarships as well.

The application requires information about the applicant’s intended college, possible major and family income. Students may also choose to include a letter of intent.

The application is due by Monday May 22. Applications are available in the College Center.

Link to another scholarship website: http://www.fastweb.com/

 

Students compete to be the next Hollywood Idol

Posted on March 31, 2015 by in News

Franklin Franco
Chronicle Reporter

Of seven acts, Melissa Navarro, Lloyd Ea, and Marlon De Silva were named this year’s Hollywood Idol and won $100 following a performance before the whole school in the auditorium on March 27. Joel Alvarez placed in second and won $50 and Morgan Martin and Shannon Warusevitane placed in third, receiving $25.

Hollywood Idol is a talent show that is produced by SAS English teacher, James B. Carmicle. The show allows participants to showcase their talents and have fun as they compete to be the next Hollywood idol. This year, there were seven acts: one dance, a rap and five vocal performances, including the first ever band on Hollywood Idol.

This year’s show opened with a lip sync performance of “Bye Bye Bye” by *NSYNC which then led into the second part of the opening, a performance of “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls. These classic hits captured the audience and was an entertaining introduction to the show.

The first act was a dance by Morgan and Shannon. The duo danced to a medley of current pop songs. Their hip-hop moves were well in sync and earned a large support from the crowd. The second act mellowed the mood with a cover of Ed Sheeran’s popular song, “Thinking Out Loud’ sung by Jeovanny Fritz with Rafael Linos on the guitar. They truly captured the audience with this love song as the room was illuminated by the lights from the audience’s cellphones.

The third act was a cover of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” by Brandy Mendoza who was able to live up to the song’s powerful vocals and emotions. Following Brandy, Joel got on stage to perform an original rap which impressed many people in the crowd.

Adding a bit of teen pop, Angel Corros performed a cover of “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift with Hakop Ovsepyan on the piano. After that, Angie Duenas brought back Adele by singing “Someone Like You” acapella.

The competition ended with a group performance by Melissa, Lloyd, and Marlon. The trio, going by, MLM started out by having Melissa sing “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton but soon mixed things up by performing “Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars. The group was very good at pumping up the crowd.

The show was officially closed by a fashion show, which displayed some elegant clothing worn by student models. Some of the models included some of the contestants who had just performed. The theme of this year’s show was black, white, and gold. All the dresses were designed personally by Fashion Club president, Raven Smith. The fashion show was directed by Raven and Fashion Club vice-president, Jenecie Huante. The entire show displayed elegance and originality as the crowd cheered on the students who walked down the runway. 

Watch the full video at: https://vimeo.com/123812849

“Let the Road” takes Rixton to the next level

Posted on March 22, 2015 by in Entertainment

Franklin Franco
Chronicle Reporter

A band begins make a permanent place for themselves in America all the way from the other side of the pond. Rixton, is a band of four young men from the UK who have brought their own twist to pop and R&B love songs usually associated with artists like Ed Sheeran. Their debut album, “Let the Road” is now available in North America as of March 3.

The band Rixton is made up of four boys from the UK who are all in this band for the love of music. Jake Roche, 22 is the band’s lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. Danny Wilkin, 24 plays the bass and keyboard. Charley Bagnall, 28 is the band’s lead guitarist while Lewi Morgan plays the drums.

This album places Rixton on the map with its mixes of pop and R&B. The album has songs such as their debut single, “Me and My Broken Heart” which went platinum in the U.S. and “Wait on Me.” The opening song, “Let the Road” is one of many new songs and focuses on the voices these boys have as they sing acapella. The album itself is a medley of love songs and truly captures a sensitive side to the band’s lead vocalist.

This album is ride that takes listeners through different moods of the band. As the album starts slow and heart warming, the beat suddenly rises with “Wait on Me” and soon moves into a nice break up song, “Beautiful Excuses.” The most party-like song on this album would have to be “We All Want the Same Thing” which takes listeners into a club like scenario that could lead to a dance party. What makes this album different is that it ends its story the way it started, with “Whole” a heartfelt song played on the piano.

Of the 10 songs on this album, three were actually written by Rixton. Another, “Hotel Ceiling” was co-written by Ed Sheeran, giving the band a song that will show a feel different from the other heartbreak singles.

For a debut album, it truly is a batch of songs that will surely attract people when they wish to forget about that lost love, or rock out to an upbeat song. Rixton is currently finishing a tour with Ariana Grande and will then move on to tour with Ed Sheeran in the summer.

For tour dates and venues, click here.

Rising star: Dylan Gardner

Posted on March 9, 2015 by in Features

Franklin Franco
Chronicle Reporter

From singing in his bedroom in Illinois to touring the country, Dylan Gardner has managed to rock  several cities in the US as well as the a few high schools in the country. Dylan got the Sheik crowd into a new kind of groove by performing songs from his album, “Adventures in Real Time” on Friday March 6 in the middle of the quad. This young artist seems to live for the feel of performing and took enthusiasm to a level where it became contagious.

Dylan started out writing and demoing his own music in his bedroom. His passion for making music led him to converting his bedroom into his own personal recording studio. Dylan said that his music would be sent out to different people and he would continue to meet people after people about his music and that is how he eventually got into performing. Being a novice at touring, Dylan did not know what exactly to expect but has loved the different emotions that come with the experience.

If singing and writing his own original music was not enough, Dylan is even instrumentally gifted. He plays a number of instruments including: guitar, drums, bass, piano, and mandolin; however, he said he does not have much knowledge over brass instruments and has great respect for those who do.

“I think my favorite instrument is the piano [because] in a lot of ways it can be so versatile and play different cord combinations.” said Dylan.

Although he did not play the piano during the performance, he still gave his songs a new feel with the sound of acoustic guitar playing.

One can ask, what got this boy into making music in the first place? Well, music seems have a great effect on Dylan as he listens to different sounds and feels different emotions towards each melody and music group. His songwriting all depends on his feelings on that day he is writing and the phrases just flow out once he picks up on a good melody.

Out in the quad Dylan showed to live for the feel of performing for crowds. “I love playing for high schools because I get to play to people my age. No one is better than anyone, it’s just celebrating music during lunch. I have the time of my life doing this.” said Dylan.

His family has been nothing but supportive since day one. Dylan owes his success and place in the music industry to the hard work of his family. “I have the most supportive parents in the world who have helped me achieve my dreams.” said Dylan, “Behind every great artist are his parents.”

Dylan was adored by the Sheik crowd and he too loved the feel that the school was giving off. When told about how the audience thought him to be “dynamic and thought he had music that speaks to you,” Dylan said he felt honored to hear someone say that. He wants to continue to perform and write songs until he physically cannot. He also wishes that other students at school follow their dreams of becoming an artist.

“It’s completely possible, you can do it, you just have to believe in yourself and not rely on anyone but yourself because at the end of the day, you’re the one that can make your dream happen.”

CSUN hosts annual write-offs

Posted on March 8, 2015 by in News

Franklin Franco
Chronicle Reporter

The Los Angeles Journalism Teachers Association sponsored a High School Journalism Write-Off competition at California State University Northridge in Manzanita Hall on Sat. March 7. There were student journalists from 11 different schools and of those schools, Chronicle reporters placed in 10th and seventh place in News, seventh place in Sports, and seventh and third place in Opinion, allowing them to advance to a state write-off competition.

The write-offs are a competition where student journalists are given a topic to write about, depending on the category they choose, and have to come up with a well written article in an hour. Students were able to pick between the categories: news, features, opinion, sports, and photography. Each one had their own assignments for the students and all awards would be given out an hour after all the articles were submitted. Out of those who competed, only the first 10 winners from each category were allowed to advance to compete in the statewide write-off competition.

Those who signed up for news sat and listened to a guest speaker talk about a recent issue. In this case, Ron Rubine, Field Deputy of the 12th District Councilman Mitchell Englander spoke to students about certain laws that are meant to put an end to street racing and hit and run accidents. A well written news article had to be written using all the information given to the students.

Students writing opinion pieces had to base their opinion on the same information given to the news students. The articles put students to choose a side of the argument and share their take on the entire issue.

Articles written for the features competition were about a teenager and all the facts given to the students about this teen. Some of the students could have found it as a challenge to try and base an article on someone their own age who might just be like any one of them.

The topic for the sports articles was sports injuries that students have. These articles were flexible since students had more freedom on what way they wished to approach the topic. Fortunately for them, there were only eight students who competed for sports and so they all managed to earn a ticket to state.

Photographers had to submit a flash drive with a series of photos taken by them. The photos would be judged as the other students compete in their separate write-offs.

The entire event ended with an awards ceremony as students received recognition for their efforts and accomplishments. All qualifying students will go to Rancho Dominguez Preparatory School on March 21.

Essential tricks for student journalists at USC Annenberg

Posted on March 1, 2015 by in News

Franklin Franco
Chronicle Reporter

The LA Times held a Journalism Day for its High School Insider program at USC Annenberg on Feb. 28 for high school journalism students. Students from 37 different school attended the event to learn about the advantages of new technology and the power of a cell phone and to participate in a mock “Around the Horn” debate.

Students were welcomed by Willow Bay, Director USC Annenberg School of Journalism and introduced to staff members of the LA Times. Kyle Finck, HS Insider Project Lead talked about how the program is giving high school students the chance to post their stories to share things about their schools with LA Times readers. Finck said that the event at USC Annenberg is only the launching pad for a great future for the HS Insider project and how he hopes the schools will be able to take the project into the future and strive to get more students involved in the program.

One of the sessions was on the use of mobile devices in journalism. Amara Aguilar, Associate Professor of Professional Practice in Digital Journalism, gave a lesson on how useful a simple smartphone can be when being a journalist. She introduced students to a number of apps and techniques that would help student journalists get high quality image and audio for their videos and interviews.

The other session was taught by Laura Castañeda, Professor of Professional Practice, and students learned the basics to writing a good lead for hard news stories. Students also learned about leads for broadcasting news from USC Annenberg’s MS Program Coordinator, Vince Gonzales. The two stressed a need for clarity and simplicity when writing news stories for print or digital publication.

The highlight of the day was when students were given the chance to have a one on one debate with Bill Plaschke, sports journalist for the LA Times. The debates were on current sport topics and were meant to be a mock debate from “Around the Horn,” a panel game styled discussion show produced by ESPN. The crowd was entertained by the way students would defend their side of the argument against Plaschke.

To end the day, Bay gave students the opportunity to take a tour around the media center within the Annenberg building. Students were able to see the studios and control rooms the center has for their broadcasting program.

Overall, students got a chance to experience what technology can do for journalists in this new era of technology and social media.

 

LAUSD robs us of beloved food sales

Posted on November 17, 2014 by in Op-Ed

Franklin Franco

Chronicle Reporter

LAUSD continues to make things harder for kids at school with the new policies that are a part of their Wellness Initiative. The new policies were recently implemented in schools throughout the district and have caused administrators to cancel the food sale that was originally scheduled for Nov. 21. This has left a few clubs to try and figure out what else they will be able to do.

I think that LAUSD has made things harder for students with so many rules when it comes to what we can and cannot sell on campus. Such policies frustrate me as president of the Junior Class Council since it means the juniors have to think of other ways of getting money so we can have a chance at graduating at the Bowl next year. So many of us were relying on the food sale to give us a chance at quick and easy money, but now we need to leave behind any ideas we had and try to move on to something that we can rely on for the time being.

Other clubs have also responded negatively to the new policy since so many clubs live off of the money that is brought in with food sales. Since it is not for sure if or when the food sales will be able to come back, other clubs have to try to do other things, and that can be a very frustrating thing for everyone involved with these clubs.

I understand that LAUSD is trying to promote a healthy lifestyle, but all these new restrictions only hurt us, not benefit us. Clubs have to comply with the “approved list” for foods and beverages, but no one really has access to such a list. Another issue that arises is trying to avoid competing with the Student Store since it too has to follow the new rules.

LAUSD needs to reconsider all the strict rules because its hard for anyone to try to find some sort of loophole. The new criteria is very specific and really forces people to watch what they are gonna sell. Complex policies such as this one only makes people want to sell junk food for quick money since LAUSD only adds on more and more obstacles. This new policy only forces the school to sell things the students will not buy, and will make other students sell other things to satisfy the student body. So even though LAUSD might be trying to improve our eating habits, they are actually indirectly contributing to this “black market” that goes on in our campus on a daily basis, which also hurts the Student Store.

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