LAUSD Cancels Contract with Apple
Posted on September 26, 2014 by Hollywood High in News
Josue Perez
Crimson Chronicle Reporter
A contract with Apple that would supply LAUSD schools with iPads has been halted, Superintendent John Deasy announced Aug. 25th.
Before Deasy announced the suspension of the contract, ties were discovered between him and former Deputy Superintendent Jaime Aquino, as well as with executives of Apple and Pearson, providers of curriculum on iPads. According to an LA Times article, “Emails… showed detailed… contacts between Deasy, Deputy Supt. Jaime Aquino and the corporate executives.”
Before Aquino had become Deputy Superintendent of LAUSD, he was an executive at Pearson. “In one email… Aquino seems to strategize with higher-ups from Pearson on how to ensure that it got the job. ‘I believe we would have to make sure that your bid is the lowest one,’” the Times reported.
Apart from the political side of the suspension, an internal report of the iPad rollout showed that there were serious problems.
“The iPad rollout, I’m all for it, [but] I would prefer to have laptops,” Principal Alejandra Sanchez said in a news conference. Apart from supporting the Common Core Technology Program (CCTP), she said the logistics of the program were not worked out and many things were not thought through.
Schools were not adequately prepared for the job of handling the new equipment. In the past year, the district has been hard at work improving the network infrastructure for the CCTP. However, administrators and teachers have not been properly trained on how to handle and use the tablets.
LAUSD received a large amount of criticism about how fast the CCTP was working and deploying the new tablets. Many problem had occurred due to the speed. An article on LAUSD’s website says, “The Common Core Technology Project was designed in phases for exactly this purpose…to take the time to pause and reflect along the way. Only then can we take stock and make refinements as we continue to broaden the program to additional schools.”
Apart from deployment problems, issues had arisen over the security of the devices. The problem of students “hacking” the tablets and changing settings. However, LAUSD reported, “No student has hacked into a device, compromised security, nor has any wireless system failed to function. In truth, some enterprising high school students were able to switch the settings on their tablet in order to access non-educational content outside the District’s firewall.”
Deasy has also announced that the CCTP will restart in the future, along with a laptop pilot program that will supply schools with laptops. LAUSD will take this time to “learn from their mistakes” and improve the program. Deasy said “it will also give us time to take into account concerns raised surrounding the CCTP and receive new information from the California Department of Education regarding assessments. We will incorporate the lessons learned from the original procurement process.”
Students Present at Metropolitan Water
Posted on June 4, 2014 by Hollywood High in Features
Josue Perez
Crimson Chronicle Reporter
New to Xbox 360 and One
Posted on May 20, 2014 by Hollywood High in Entertainment
Josue Perez
Crimson Chronicle Reporter
The upcoming month of June is bringing great news for future and current Xbox 360 and Xbox One owners.
In June, it has been announced by Microsoft that Xbox Live will be receiving an update that will make changes for all Xbox 360 and One owners. To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Games with Gold for Xbox 360, Microsoft will release Games For Gold to Xbox One for all Gold members. Along with this release, apart from the usual two free games released each month, an additional third game will be offered for free as a sign gratitude to Xbox Gold members. The three games that will be offered for Xbox 360 are Dark Souls, Charlie Murder, and Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition. Xbox One owners will receive Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood and Halo: Spartan Assault.
Along with Games for Gold, Deals for Gold will also be released to Xbox One owners. Deals for Gold are special discounts on games that can range from 50% to 75% off. The first two games being offered on Xbox One will be Forza Motorsports 5 and Ryse: Son of Rome.
Although, most of the updates for Xbox Live will benefit Xbox Gold members, Silver members will be benefiting as well. Popular entertainment apps will be available for all Xbox 360 and Xbox One owners. Xbox offers over 170 entertainment apps, some of the most popular apps such as, Netflix, HBO GO, Skype, NBA Game Time, and many more, will be available for download to all Xbox owners in June.
Most people who do not own a Xbox One and are planning on buy one in the future, may find it more economical to buy a new Xbox One on June 9th. Microsoft has made it more economical to buy a Xbox One by lowering the price to $399. This new pack will contain a Xbox One console and controller, but will not include a Kinect Sensor. If someone wishes to buy a standalone Kinect Sensor, they will have to wait until Fall.
Gold Access Is Worth the Cost
Posted on May 12, 2014 by Hollywood High in Op-Ed
Josue Perez
Crimson Chronicle Reporter
We have all heard the term Gold or Premium membership for some type of program or group, specifically Xbox Live Gold membership. For gamers who may own a Xbox 360 or One, we know how limited it is to turn on our consoles and see that we only have Silver membership. It begs the question, is it worth to buy a month or two of Gold membership?
I believe it is worth buying at least a month worth of Gold membership access. The benefits of gold are immense, in my experience I have spent years with Silver membership constantly finding limitations to the marketplaces and apps Xbox has for digital download. Without Gold most features Xbox offered were limited or restricted, the most annoying restriction was the inability to play multiplayer in games. After upgrading to Gold, it was a dream all the restrictions were gone and I could do anything I wished.
The people who do not have Gold membership have their own reasons for not upgrading and there is nothing wrong with that. But if it’s an economic reason, it is quite easy to get a month of free Gold membership. Rewards programs such as Bing Rewards have a partnership with Microsoft that allows users to redeem reward points for a month of Gold membership for Xbox Live and many other Xbox related deals.
The benefits of Gold have doubled recently, a program begun by Xbox last year, Games for Gold, has been rewarding its Gold membership users with two free Xbox games each month. Apart from this video game agencies like Crytek and Wargaming.net have released games such as Warface and World of Tanks to the Xbox Live Arcade for free. These games seem like a create addition to a gamer’s collection, but there are limitations to the games. Both games are multiplayer only, there is no single-player aspect to either games, and in the case of WOT, a gamer must have a Gold membership to receive it for free.
Xbox Live Gold is definitely worth $10 a month, and it is even better if you receive it for free.
Thank God It’s Funky
Posted on May 12, 2014 by Hollywood High in Entertainment
William Guevara
Crimson Chronicle Reporter
Jack Brown, more commonly known by his emcee name, Wildchild, has released his third long-playing record, titled T.G.I.F. The album was released on May 6. This is his first album since coming back from tour in Europe.
The album features fellow hip-hop artists, J-Ro, Alkaholiks, Medusa, Jamie Lidell, Steve Arrington, and Chalice. The album is designed to inspire and elicit good feelings towards Hip-Hop through upbeat songs and positive messages. “Field Of Dreams,” the sixth song in the LP, is a good example of this because of its positive message about dreams.
We highly recommend this LP to everyone who loves hip-hop and is looking for a new artist to listen to.
New to Xbox’s Games for Gold
Posted on May 5, 2014 by Hollywood High in Entertainment
Josue Perez
Crimson Chronicle Reporter
Dust: An Elysian Tail was initially released on Aug. 15, 2012, for Xbox Live Arcade. As of May 1, 2014 it was released to be a part of Xbox’s Games for Gold.
Games for Gold is a rewards program Xbox has released to reward their Gold Membership members on Xbox Live by giving away two video games each month. This month’s games are Dust: An Elysian Tail and Saint’s Row: The Third. Dust will be available for digital download from May 1st until May 15th and Saint’s Row from May 16th to May 31st.
Dust: An Elysian Tail is a 2D side-scrolling, action role-playing video game that was developed by Humble Hearts and designed by Dean Dodrill. The game is centered around the protagonist, Dust, and his friend, Fidget, which are on a quest to figure out what is happening in the fictional world of Falana, which has been inhabited by dangerous monsters.
The game is an action packed game that has many quests and adventures for the player to go on and discover what mysteries and rewards await them. There is no shortage of monsters to defeat and mysteries to discover.
For those ready for a thrilling adventure we recommend this game. Especially Xbox Live Gold members that can receive the game for free.
Donkey Kong Returns to the Gaming Scene
Posted on April 23, 2014 by Hollywood High in Entertainment
Hovhannes Maghakyan
Josue Perez
Crimson Chronicle Reporters
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was released on Feb. 21, exclusively for the Wii U.
It has improvements from the previous game, Donkey Kong Country Returns, for the Wii. Some mechanics have been removed from this game such as blowing flowers in order for bananas or banana coins to appear. Other than that, everything else from the previous game is still there. Since this game uses the Wii U Gamepad, you don’t need to shake the controller in order to ground-pound like the one on Wii.
DKC:TF starts out with Donkey Kong surrounded by Diddy, Dixie and Cranky having a party with banana cake. It then pans out to show Snowmads coming to the island to freeze it whole, exiling DK to a far away island where the new adventure begins.
The adventure begins with you inside of an airplane with you button-mashing in order to break free from the inside. After he breaks free, he needs to start making his way back home going through six islands each with its own boss. Throughout each level, there are collectibles that need to be found in order to unlock cool pictures, figures, and dioramas. The collectibles include puzzle pieces (ranging from 5 to 9 pieces per level), four KONG letters, bananas, banana coins, and balloons.
For those unfamiliar with the series, here is a quick guide as to what each collectible does. Balloons give extra lives, banana coins are in-game currency to buy necessary items from the shop. Bananas are collected for extra lives as well (100 bananas = 1 extra life), KONG letters are for a completion bonus, and puzzle pieces are for pictures.
Something has to be stated before anything: the game is extremely hard. Rage-inducingly hard. You will want to take breaks frequently. Time Attack will probably unleash the inner demon in you, and getting gold is extremely difficult. Trying to get a high position on the online leaderboards will require much patience and many tries.
We strongly advise against co-op! Although co-op sounds fun and seems like it may help on a difficult level, it will only make things harder. You’ll probably ruin your friendship and waste all your lives in the process. If you are up to the challenge, go ahead, get a friend, grab an extra controller, and game on.
As you progress, there will be different kinds of levels. Some will be just walking and running while other levels let you take control of a mine cart, a barrel rocket, or even Rambi the rhino.
Although the game may be hard, it is a lot fun to play, and if you’re up for a challenge, this is the game is perfect for you. We recommend this game to everyone who loves Donkey Kong and likes challenging games.
The “UnEpic” adventure starts in the bathroom
Posted on February 18, 2014 by Hollywood High in Entertainment
Josue Perez
Hovhannes Maghakyan
Crimson Chronicle Reporters
A refined version of the game UnEpic was released on Jan. 16 for the Wii U. UnEpic was initially released on Steam for PCs on September 2011. The game was developed in Barcelona, Spain by Francisco Téllez de Meneses. The game is a 16-bit action/adventure platformer that has won praise by both consumers and reviewers alike.
UnEpic’s story is based around a gamer named Daniel. One day while playing Dungeons & Dragons with his friends, he needs to go to the bathroom. While he is in the bathroom the lights mysterious go out and he is left in the dark. When he pulls out his lighter to try his way around he discovers he is in a dungeon-looking place with bones scattered around the floor and broken barrels in the surrounding areas. This is where our characters adventure begins.
The world is filled with traps, creatures, and mysterious characters that may help or hinder you. As you walk around, there are quests that need to be done in order to earn keys to gain access to other areas. But all the keys cannot be earned through completing quests, there are various bosses throughout the game that need to be defeated to earn keys and other rewards. Apart from quests and bosses there are many challenges that could be completed, but they are not easy and require a lot of patience and skill.
The controls for the game are very simple, but the hit detection does have some problems. If you ever think about pausing and leaving to go get a quick bite or use the bathroom, beware, as the game does not stop. Even though you are on the pause screen, the game will still be going on in the background and if there are enemies near you, better watch out, you may return to see your character dead, but a quick and easy way to counter it in the Wii U version is to just press the HOME button and have the HOME menu pop up to actually “pause” the game.
In the world, you can wander around and go to previous areas you have been but you can’t progress until you go and defeat a current boss or explore a certain area. Your character is able to get special abilities such as being able to throw fire or icebolts. In order to be able to do this you must complete quests that will reward you with spells that will allow you to use these special abilities.
There are many weapons scattered throughout the world, it will not be out of the ordinary to find the same weapon more than once, but if you have too many of the same weapon or need extra coins you can go to a store and sell them. Sometimes if you’re lucky enough, you can find a “unique” version of a weapon that’s been possessed by a ghost that gives it special powers. The power that a weapon receives can range from added damage with each attack or extra damage to a certain type of creature.
While traversing the game, some quests will reward you with a pet that will help in certain situations. Early on you are rewarded with a frog that will later on eat bugs or insects and also a blue animal that will freeze and chill nearby fire enemies if there are any, but beware as your pets also have health that once depleted will die. The only way to revive them is to find that one and only store that sells pet revival.
A sub-quest in the game that helps later on is to light all the torches in the entire castle. It’s not that hard of a quest because rooms are divided into sections and once you light all the torches they all glimmer for a second notifying you that all the torches in the room are lit. When you check your map, any room that is one flat color means that the whole room has had it’s torches lit, while a room with a darker color than the color of the border means you have yet to light all the torches.
UnEpic is an interesting game that has very fun elements that are original and creative that should be applauded by many people. We highly recommend this game it is full of adventure and action, go check it out. You won’t regret it.
A Day in the Life of the Valedictorian
Posted on February 14, 2014 by Hollywood High in Features
Marcos Arrellano
Josue Perez
Hovhannes Mahakyan
Crimson Chronicle Reporters
Through hard work and dedication, anyone can rise to the top. Angel Contreras has proven this theory throughout his four years. Angel, with a GPA of above 4.1 is the Valedictorian for the class of 2014.
He uses his knowledge to help his classmates understand assignments. His achievements show what it means to be honorable. He is one of the top students who have attended Hollywood High.
Angel has become a great role model for his fellow classmates and underclassmen. He rises to the challenge of AP classes. He spends time helping students at the college center during his College Peer Counseling class. He helps students study and fill out college applications. He is an athlete who competed in cross country and soccer. Angel demonstrates what it means to achieve the honorable.
Bell Schedule Should Be Changed Again
Posted on February 14, 2014 by Hollywood High in Op-Ed
Josue Perez
Crimson Chronicle Reporter
Since the beginning of the school year, there has been a lot of talk over the new bell schedule. People have said good and bad things about it, but I think that the bell schedule should be changed again.
At the beginning of the year, I thought that the new schedule would be great. I would finish my A-G Requirements faster and I could get extra classes like Video Production or Journalism that I would have fun with during my senior year.
But now, after half the year has gone by, I’ve come to hate this schedule.
It is a lot of work to maintain an A in seven classes, especially when you have to worry about AP classes as well. I don’t think our old schedule was the best either, though, because we didn’t have that extra class. I think it would be more beneficial to have a block schedule, like we have on those Tuesdays and Wednesdays when we get out early.
A block schedule would help any students only having to deal with three or four periods a day, which would mean a smaller workload each day. They would even have an extra day to complete homework for a class or some extra time to study for a test.
Teachers would benefit too, because they would be get more time in class in each period to cover more topics or dive deeper into a topic and help their students understand the material better.
With the block schedule, it is even possible to get an eighth class added to the schedule. Just like the seventh period that we have now, it would be an extra class that would help students finish their requirements faster and have optional classes that they would enjoy. The eighth class would even be used to even out the days, four classes one day and four classes the next.
With a block schedule, we could even bring back those fifteen minutes of homeroom that we all loved in mornings past.
The block schedule with eight classes may seem like a lot of work, but in practice, it could be pretty good for all of us. There is nothing wrong with an extra class, all it can do is benefit students. The extra class could be an AP or some type of life skills class that would benefit your transcript and make you look better when applying to college.
