Hollywood High • Home of the Sheiks
The Crimson Chronicle 1521 N. HIGHLAND AVE, HOLLYWOOD, CA 90028
Morales Is Moving on Up
VOLUME IX, ISSUE VII JUNE 2012
Principal will be leaving, replacement not yet announced Jaime Morales, Hollywood High’s principal, will be promoted to instructional director in LAUSD come July. His replacement has not yet been announced. The promotion came following two searches in LAUSD for instructional directors, people responsible for overseeing the academic development of several schools; a supervisor of principals. Those interviewed were principals of experience and after the first round, there was a lack of directors who had any experience in high schools, Morales said. During the second round,
Morales applied as well, wanting to be a “resource for high school issues.” To fulfill the duties of the office, he would have to leave Hollywood. “After I went through the job interview...I was hopeful they would say no,” said Morales. “It is very hard, I’ve been here four years and I love Hollywood.” Morales plans to continue visiting campus to support the Sheiks. “I’m planning to come to events like plays and homecoming.” Morales said he is
proud of the achievements of the students under his supervision as principal. “Academically speaking, we rose 120 points in our API...it made me feel really good.” The impressive numbers may have been one of the reasons he was offered the job, but some of Morales’s winning edge may have to do with his good attitude and
Photo Credit: Damien Smith Jr.
WILLIAM SAN NICOLAS COPY EDITOR
Jaime Morales has been Hollywood High School’s principal for four years.
work ethic. “I think overall in my case, I’m a people person...and I work hard.” The school will be receiving a new principal next August. It is unknown who that will be at the moment, but Morales assures his teachers that, “I promise teachers that I will let them know who the person is as soon as possible.” Morales will begin his new job after a nine day training session, which will be administered after the graduation of the Class of 2012 at the Hollywood Bowl. Hollywood High School and its Sheiks will continue as before, but the memory of its old principal will not be forgotten.
Class of 2016 Faces More Rigorous Classes Graduation changes do not affect current students WILLIAM SAN NICOLAS COPY EDITOR
Starting with next year’s freshmen, all students will be required to take A-G classes in order to increase college readiness. However, the number of credits required to graduate will be lowered from 230 to 210. A year later, the minimum passing grade will be raised from a D to a C. The Los Angeles Unified School District will implement the new
requirements in several stages. In phase one, the class of 2016 will need only 210 credits for graduation but those must include and the A-G curriculum, such as taking a foreign language for two years and progressing further in other core courses. Phase two will be piloted on the class of 2017 and it will raise the required passing grade for all A-G courses from a D to a C. Receiving a D in courses outside the A-G classes would not affect graduation, according to
the LAUSD website. “We are focusing more on the quality of the instruction, in terms of rigor and higher standards, rather than the quantity of credits in a student’s high school career,” said a statement on the website. “I think it is a positive change because we want students to be prepared to reach their highest potential,” said Marjani Chidinma, Cal State LA recruitment specialist. “Unfortunately, many well-performing students are still not ready [for college placeSee page 16
A-G requirements are the classes that are needed to be accepted to the University of California campuses and many private universities.
Seniors to Go to Disneyland After All
Parents Grad Night after snafu Threatenedrescue with cancellation, parents comelegal through at last minute PTA would have to organize and sponsor the event. In past years, Hollywood High has sponsored the After a heated PTA meetevent. However, after a time ing on May 22, parents change in Disney’s closing agreed to sponsor Grad schedule, the school sent Night, which was threata letter to be checked by ened with cancellation. It is LAUSD lawyers, who were now scheduled for June 22. astonished that Hollywood According to Marco Tolj, was putting together the assistant principal, for event while opening itself Grad Night to happen the KARINA GALVAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
index 2 • Op/Ed 8 • Features 4 • News 12 • Entertainment 14 • Sports
See pages 6-7
Which teachers are retiring?
to legal liability. The senior class sponsors announced the situation on May 17 in the large gym. Furious seniors demanded an explanation. However, neither senior class sponsor was able to further explain the situation; everything had to be asked directly to Tolj. On May 22, Tolj, Principal
What will seniors miss most after graduation?
Man on the Street
See page 3
See page 16
Jaime Morales, Smith, the president of the school’s PTSA board, and other parents held a meeting to reach an agreement as to what would be done. There, Smith demanded that Tolj and Morales apologize to the students for their lack of responsibility See page 16
Cooking finalist earns big Know your starting line-up money See page 14
2 JUNE 2012
Staff Editorial
OP/ED
Blame the Lawyers It was uncertain whether or not this year’s senior class would be participating in the traditional Grad Night due to liability concerns. One afternoon, after one of the long and tedious hours spent in the large gym, the senior class was informed that the school would no longer be sponsoring the event. Seniors went insane and protested and fussed about the unexpected action. While many of the students complained and demanded answers, no one in administration was able to provide them satisfying replies. We believe that students have exagerated the situation. Grad Night will be held after all and the administration is not to blame for matters that are out of its hands. Although many wanted to revolt against the senior class sponsors, thinking they were the ones to blame for the last minute cancellation, many others from the graduating class really didn’t care much about the notification.
The lack of communication resulted in misunderstanding. LAUSD lawyers advised the school that if it sponsored the event, it could be held legally liable for any incidents that might occur.In reality, the administration is willing to help PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association) organize the event, but cannot send checks or any forms under the school’s name. PTSA came together to save Grad Night for our seniors with assistance from administration. Well, turn that frown upside down; although it will be held three days after graduation, it will be for a longer time since it will be from eleven p.m. to three a.m. What started as a huge confusion and resentment towards the school might possibly end up having a fairy-tale ending. We hope next year’s seniors do not have to go through what the class of 2012 endured.
Dancing on their toes jennifer guido chronicle reporter
Palm Springs is a beautiful location. Getting the opportunity to go with other dancers from Hollywood High made my first time there memorable. Within the first step off the bus, you can feel the blazing hot sun shining on your skin and realize you have finally arrived. Every year, 40 students are invited to attend a trip to Palm Springs for dance workshops. Freddie Thompson and Keny Long are the coordinators of this trip. It is an opportunity to meet
other dancers from around California who share the same passion for dance as us. Upon our arrival to Palm Springs we were all sore due to our two hour bus ride. Once we got out of the bus, we were assigned our hotel rooms. I was really excited because I had never been to a hotel before so this was a new experience for me. After that, my friends and I decided to go swimming in the pool to stave off the humidity. There were other adult visitors there; when they saw us, they appeared stunned as if they had never seen kids before. After that strange encounter we decided to get out of the pool to eat; we settled for Burger King. We went back to our room and watched TV while eating our food. We were then instructed
to get some sleep considering we were in for a long day ahead of us the next morning. The next day we got up at six in the morning and got dressed quickly. Breakfast started at six forty-five sharp. Afterwards we went to the Palm Springs convention center. That was when the fun began. We were encouraged to join classes like zumba and contemporary jazz among others. I was able to meet people from all over California and Arizona. It was amazing how people were very passionate about their dancing. They inspired me to improve my skills. All in all, I was pleased with my experience and will definitely attend again next year.
projects assigned by teachers in each class. In an attempt to make class schedules work during those days, the school comes up with a special bell schedule for that time frame, which only results in extra exhaustion for students. Every time May comes around, I am not enthusiastic at all; I just want the month to move as quickly as possible. No one wants a crazy-packed month before the end of school. That’s why everyone looks forward to June’s arrival during May, because it means that school will soon be ending. But even with that, we still have finals and projects that we need to complete. Stress doesn’t
stop there; after the whole “May madness,” everyone already begins to worry about the next school year’s class schedule and workload. May exausts me with all the studying it requires. It’s the only time of the year that every student wishes he or she could already be on vacation. May is a hectic month; it’s even dreadful to think about it. LAUSD should consider changing exam dates to different time periods. This would allow for us to have more time to study for each test instead of having to cram for each subject the night before each exam.
Testing = May Madness vanessa garcia Chronicle Reporter
May has always been my favorite month of the year simply because it is filled with birthdays and festivities. However, school has definitely managed to make May a very stressful month taken over by AP exams, CSTs and several research papers due here and there. Testing changes students into moody, stressed out individuals. Not to mention the enormous stacks of homework and
Letters to the Editor All letters to the editor need to be signed, however, names can be witheld upon request. Letters should be 250 words or less. Dear Editor, What I like about the paper is that there are many pictures. It informs us of upcoming events and things that are going on around the school. Some things I don’t like is that there are not many articles that are very interesting or catch the readers attention. Something they should include is to make it colorful. It would also help if they could put the upcoming games for all sports; it would help a lot with school spirit. -Celeste Leon, MET, 11th Grade
Dear Editor, What I like about the paper is that it’s timely and has a lot of information. Some of the articles are very long and many people would rather not read them. The pictures are good quality and it’s nice to see people I know on there. I like the features pages and the sports pages the best because it usually has interesting new things to see. - Darling Ortiz, TCA, 11th Grade
Dear Editor, I like the newspaper and in general it is a good source of school spirit. I like that sports are spread out and that it is not just focused on one sport. I look at the “man on the street” part because my friends sometimes tell me that they are going to be there. I think if you put more pictures of students and activites then it would have a bigger audience. Sometimes I don’t like the front page because it does not have many interesting stories that students want to read about. Most of my friends and I just skip and look for interesting pictures. - Diana Mora, TCA, 11th Grade
Crimson Chronicle Staff Editor-in-Chief: KARLA SAMAYOA &
KARINA GALVAN Opinion Editor: Karina Galvan News Editor: maria alcoser Features Editor: karla samayoa Entertainment Editor: KARLA SAMAYOA Sports Editor: VANESSA GARCIA Copy Editor: WILLIAM SAN NICOLAS DANIEL BOROR TANIA DOMINGUEZ JENNIFER GUIDO
NANETTE LIBERATORI WOARIA RASHID DAMIEN SMITH JR.
Adviser
Karen Cusolito THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER. THE CRIMSON CHRONICLE, OF HOLLYWOOD HIGH SCHOOL IS A PUBLIC FORUM, WITH ITS STUDENT EDITORIAL BOARD MAKING ALL DECISIONS CONCERNING ITS CONTENTS. the newspaper operates under california education code 48907 which guarantees free expression 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 ATTRIBUTED.
OP/ED
JUNE 2012
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“SENIOR” ON THE STREET
What will you most remember from HHS? Basketball games, I love the sport. I enjoyed meeting new people that were able to change my life, like Ingrid Barrera. - Mari Santos, SAS
During a matinee for Red Rhapsody at Hollywood when we wore green tights with underwear and had bows and arrows. -Chris Aguilera, PAM
Lunchtime with my girls, we’re all crazy and have fun. You never know what to expect.
A football game against Bernstein. I had four sacks and seven tackles.
- Cristina Calvillo, PAM
- Kenneth Ribeiro, MET
Interviewed and Photographed by: Nanette Liberatori (Chronicle Reporter), Karina Galvan (Editor-in-Chief), and Woaria Rashid (Chronicle Reporter)
New Grad Requirements are Misguided WILLIAM SAN NICOLAS COPY EDITOR Preparing for college by shooting for the stars is always the best course of action. But what does LAUSD do to get its more dense students to defy gravity? Change the curriculum! Nothing beats a good old fashioned reorganization. That is because chances are that whoever finds them moving and adjusting things here and there might actually assume that things are
getting done. The reason that this whole idea of jump starting college readiness (with fewer graduation credits and more college classes) came about is that the key figure heads of LAUSD seem to be at a loss of what to do with all of the failing and underachieving students. What they do not seem to realize is that the bad habits and problems students leave high school with, often begun not in high school, but in elementary and middle school. Learning and achievement gaps do not develop over the
course of freshmen orientation meetings. They develop as a child progresses through the school system. As the knowledge and expected learning benchmarks build upon one another, any one left behind even slightly really feels the full weight of the resulting stress of being stranded at sea with nothing but a piece of rotting wood to keep them afloat on. Clutching for dear life onto an unpleasant reminder of the hopelessness does not really inspire any further attempts at greater strides toward self improvement. Not knowing what
needs to be done, what needs to be learned puts one at ends with the universe and that limits many kinds of potential success in a young person’s life. LAUSD should focus its educational overhauls on the salted soil of the garden, rather than on the brand of water it uses, to feed its withering crop of young people. If the root of the problem cannot be addressed, how is it going to go away? Before we try “fixing” any more high school kids, we should work on studying how exactly the early education facilities have failed us so badly. The el-
ementary and middle schools have gotten off of the hook with mediocre performance levels for way too long now. The high schools in LAUSD need to be left alone for once so that the real perpetrators can be held accountable for their part in this strange and depressing dilemma.
similar in the ways that count. We have grown together and understand each other in a way that is amazing. When you find a group of people that understand each other as well as we do you never let it go.
Changes and adjustments occur in life, but nothing will ever break our sisterhood.
too far from Cheryl or Maria, but Veronica, on the other hand, shall be living on the east coast. The four of us really bonded in eighth grade. Hanging out at “Dead End,” Pan Pacific Park, and in front of John Burroughs Middle School are memories I honestly will cherish for the rest of my life. Although we are separated, our cellular devices and Skype will allow us to stay in touch. Without their friendship, I don’t think I’d be where I am today. I love them with all my heart and I cannot thank them enough.
separate and of course she has to go millions of miles away. I’m going to miss her so much. I know I’ll never stop trying to keep in touch with her. I’ll bug her whenever I can to see what she’s up to. We don’t always get along, but she’s always there for me. She is my better half. I’ll always have Maria and Nicole here in Cali with me. Maria and I are always in sync. We dress and act the same. We’re always mistaken for cousins or sisters. Nicole and I had a rough start. I then started to get to know her a little better, she’s the sweetest person ever. I love talking to her and just gossiping about our lives! They’ve made my middle school and high school experience 100x better. I really don’t know where I’d be without them. They made a huge impact on my life and helped me grow as a person. I love them all, and I know our bond will never fade.
Sisterhood of the high school friends VERONICA DAVIS MARIA SAMANO NICOLE GOZUM CHERYL ELIZAGA CHRONICLE CONTRIBUTORS
Veronica:
My best friends mean the world to me; their friendships have helped me in ways that I cannot even begin to describe. We met in middle school and have stayed together throughout high school. However this isn’t the story of how we came together, but rather the hope of how we’ll stay together after high school ends. I’ll be moving completely across the county to a college in New York. I’m afraid this distance will impact our friendships. Yet, technology has come so far that, with the help of webcams and Facebook, our friendships will last. In our group we are all different, yet
Maria:
With the school year coming to an end, the day of us going our separate ways has also arrived. We’ve been through a lot and going to different colleges won’t change anything. Veronica will be the only one moving to a different state; the rest of us will stay in L.A. I will be attending Pasadena City College and figure that it won’t be too hard to stay in touch with Cheryl and Nicole. Although the situation with Veronica will be different and challenging, we will do whatever we can to stay in contact with each other.
Changes occur in life, but nothing will ever break our sisterhood
Cheryl:
Nicole:
As graduation approaches, I realize that I shall be separated from my best friends, Veronica Davis, Maria Samano and Cheryl Elizaga. As I attend CSUN, I will be staying in LA, so I will not be
Not all good things have to come to an end. Yes, we are all going our separate ways, but the bond we have is everlasting. I’ve known Veronica since elementary school. We always have a good time together. This is the first time we ever had to
NEWS
4 JUNE 2012
Community Wellness Center to Open Saban Free Clinic Will Close its Doors tania dominguez chronicle reporter
Kaiser Permanente will be funding the opening of a school based wellness center that is scheduled to open sometime in September. The auto-shop will be remodeled to house the wellness center. The Saban Free Clinic has decided to close its school based health center due to a lack of funding, according to Principal Jaime Morales. Previously, Saban and Kaiser joined forces to fund for this new clinic, however, Saban was unable to continue funding the project and decided not to be a part of it. “LAUSD and Kaiser are committed to opening this center and they’re looking for a partner,” said Morales. Noel Santiago, school nurse, was sent as a representative of Hollywood High School to Sacramento for a meeting about the wellness clinic on March 11. There, he talked to senators about the funding problems to
photo credit: karina galvan
Ana Estangui and Jessica Potravitza’s classes held an art show, where students made pieces out of recycable materials as part of an assignment in which the organization Arts from the Ashes visited their classes. Arts from the Ashes is currently helping fundraise to build the Wellness Center at HHS. They held a fundraiser on May 17 at the Barnsdall Gallery Theater.
photo credit:damien smith
Wasteland Wins Battle of the Bands vanessa garcia sports editor
The band “Wasteland” won the $300 grand prize and the chance to play at Starfest at the second annual Battle of the Bands. Literacy, Arts, Culture, Education and Recreation (L.A.C.E.R) held their second annual Battle of the Bands competition on May 11 in the large gym, where several bands competed for the 300 dollar grand prize. Saul “Rudy” Gomez SAS junior , Chris Gamez HNAS sophomore, Alexis Argueta MET sophomore and Michael Ayoub MET Junior ,members of band “Wasteland” will have the grand opportunity to perform at the Starfest Talent Show that will be sponsored by L.A.C.E R on June 10. “Well, the experience was something else for me, I love to play in front of a crowd. To be able to play for a considerable
Alexis Argueta, Wasteland drummer, warming up for the performance at the All School Fair. group of family and friends was something else,” said Wasteland lead singer Saul Gomez, “The performance also helped me earn vocal confidence, as people complimented my work up there that day.” This year the audience was the judge and the winning band was chosen based on how loud their fans were. Auditions were held weeks before and L.A.C.E.R own Rock band “Immoral” participated that evening. In addition four other bands
played. “I was impressed by the work all of the bands that played out there. I thought that every band did a good job,” said Coordinator Jeanine DiTomasso. Starfest is a yearly event sponsored by L.A.C.E.R. Members from all schools that are enrolled in the program are chosen to perform and show off their talents. Wasteland is currently rehearsing for their next competition at the Starfest Talent show.
Long Implements Hiatus on Dance Shows
woaria rashid chronicle reporter
PAM Dance Instructor Keny Long put on his last dance show, “The Last Curtain Call,” on Apr. 27-28 in LeConte Middle School. Long decided to put a hiatus on his dance shows, said he, until he can see a change in motivation in his dance students and more participation from the student body and administration. Long is an award-winning choreographer who has been teaching dance for 42 years. The dance shows take eight weeks or more for preparation: mixing lights, designing sets, modifying dance steps so all students can perform them. The costumes are sometimes designed by Long, which he would spend all night to make. He would also use his own money to purchase costume pieces or what ever is required to advertise his dance shows. Complimentary tickets were offered to teachers and administrators but according to Long, only magnet teachers and Dr. Jeannette Burns would make an effort to at-
AP English Students Defend Thesis at MWDS jennifer guido chronicle reporter AP English Composition students will participate in the “Junior Defense of Thesis” as part of an annual event in James Carmicle’s class. Six selected students will defend their thesis in
front of a panel of members of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Presenters will be William San Nicolas, Paul Chun, David Khudaverdyan, Krista Lubiano, Andrea Renteria, and Rebekka Grammenos. Carmicle contacted Benita
try to secure funding for this new project. “They will support us,” said Santiago. This health center is going to be open for the community and for the school. On certain days the clinic will only be opened for students and other days it will only be opened for other people in the community, such as parents. This will help avoid absences and instead of having to go to the doctor, students can go to the one at school and have easy access to health care services. Students who play sports will have access to physical exams, said Santiago. The main focus is to promote health and nutrition for the students. They want to help prevent obesity, alcohol and drug use, and help with students’ mental health. People who live in the community will be able to get health care services such as medical and dental check ups. The services will be free and Medical will be accepted.
Horn and Russ Donelly, the education team at MWD about their water politics program. Water Politics is a ten case in-depth study of how water issues affect all Californians and how these issues address the public, businesses, agricultural, environmental and corporate forums.
tend not only his shows but also the other performances held by the other PAM teachers. “We were more supportive of each other before we got into SLC’s,” said Long. “We’re not one whole school anymore.” Long observed that the athletic teams, culinary competitions, or student video productions are not supported as they should be by the student body and faculty. When Principal Jaime Morales was inquired if he supported Long’s claim that the student body does not support each other, he disagreed. “We take turns to attend the shows and even though we all are not there, at least one of is,” said Principal Morales. “We try to be at every show, play, or musical.” Long disagreed with the idea of “taking turns” because that doesn’t indicate that the administrators are going to support just solely to supervise. “We just need to support each other,” said Long. “Once we fix this situation, it’ll make the school as a whole much stronger.”
AP students were required to write a 15-page research paper on water conservation methods. Later, several students participated in dry run presentations to select six finalists that would be able to present at the Metropolitan Water District. “This trip is one of the high-
lights of my annual curriculum and its objectives,” said Carmicle. This program benefits students because they get to enhance their presentation, speaking, and thinking skills as they answer questions from the panel of judges.
ROTC Goes Out with a Bang karina galvan editor in chief
ROTC participated in their last big event, on Wednesday May 16 at the ROTC Awards Ceremony. Several people joined the ROTC cadets of the sheik battalion that night including their parents, the DAI staff, administrators, and some organizations, which support the program. The American Legion Post 43 and the Sons of the American Revolution were some of the different organization members that attended. The awards ceremony began at 6:00 p.m. Each one of the cadets received ribbons for their participation in the program. Several other cadets received medals of
NEWS
recognition for their outstanding performances and dedication; they were divided into different categories consisting of competitive, team, organizational, and academic awards. One of the most prestigious awards given out that night was the “Superior Cadet Award” which were awarded to 4 cadets: C/LTC Lord Rigonan, C/2LT Jorge Salvador, C/1SG Erick Avila, and C/SSG Jam DeLos Reyes. Several of the cadets received different awards depending on their participation in the program and their leadership skills. The Masters of Ceremony was C/LTC Rigonan, C/2LT Dayon, and C/SSG Juarez. “The Ceremony was a success, it was an amazing year and we
ended it strong! Thank you so much for the support, and Good Luck to you all next year!” said BC Rigonan. However, with the closing of the year, it was also time for a “change of command ceremony.” That involves the retiring position of the graduating senior cadets. C/LTC Rigonan retired his position as the BC and acknowledged C/1LT Freddy Garcia as the new BC for SY 12-13. Along with those changes, C/ SGM Estefani Luna will be moving up to XO and C/1SG Erick Avila will remain in his position as BN CSM. Although ROTC events have finished, the cadets will continue to participate in color guard and courtesy patrol events like Hollywood High School’s 2012 graduation at the Hollywood Bowl.
Summer School Canceled Students take courses elsewhere
NANETTE LIBERATORI CHRONICLE REPORTER
Summer school will not be available at Hollywood High for students who need to make up failed classes. Instead, students will be able to attend Franklin High School or Miguel Contreras High School for their make-up. “It’s going to be tough for students to have to go to the other schools and adapt, but it’s going to go fast though its only four weeks for four hours a day,” said Principal Jaime Morales. SLC counselors informed their students by visiting advisories about a month before they had to submit the applications. “We print out the application for the students and fill it out with the course they need to make up, and send it to the school,” said SAS counselor Raul Grijalva.
MET counselor Tony Aldana also informed his SLC of the summer school change. “I visited homerooms and gave the application
It’s going to be tough for students to have to go to the other schools and adapt, but [time] is going to go by fast
the schools.” Summer school will last four weeks and each course will be three hours long. It will begin on July 9 and end on Aug. 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. “Quite a few teachers will be needed,” said Dr. Jeanette Burns. Several teachers will be hired for summer school courses at these schools. However, the hiring of teachers remains to the discretion of that school’s administration. “If you think of playing games, don’t because other students are waiting to get in as well,” said Burns, “If a student is in great recovery, they will make the effort”.
to the tenth and eleven graders about a month or so before, and called them in and we sent it to
Flooding is Dirty Business vanessa garcia sports editor
A clogging accident in the mainstream pipes in the girls’ restroom caused many complications within the school’s plumbing system, resulting in thousands of dollars in repairs, according to Frank Muniz, Plant Manager. The girls’ restroom and locker room had a backup in one of the toilets that flooded the entire area with water and toilet paper on May 9. Muniz said that the pipes underneath broke apart due to the backup and it ruined circulation throughout the entire school campus. The pipes were fixed within two days, but the reason why it took so long was because
the repairs created more problems and the entire locker room area needed to be sanitized to prevent further damage. Trees near the school entrance
Teachers lost student work and hundreds of dollars of equipment because they were destroyed by the flooding.
also needed to be removed to fix the other pipes that were damaged and dirty. These repairs lasted approximately two weeks. Portable toilets were placed
next to the copy room to be used during those two weeks, which frustrated both teachers and students. “It is so gross that we have to use these bathrooms. I would go to the one in the main building and it would be really full and I just did not like it because a lot of people used them,” said Silvia Duarte, SAS sophomore. Repairers caused several problems for P.E teachers as well; they were forced to hold their classes in the quad for days. Teachers lost student work and hundreds of dollars of equipment because they were destroyed by the flooding, said Mary Langer, P. E teacher.
JUNE 2012
5
NEWS BRIEFS Microphones Stolen from the Auditorium About twenty thousand dollars worth of microphones stashed away in the under-renovation auditorium of Hollywood High school have been stolen, according to Principal Jaime Morales. The microphones were stowed away in a strong box with a padlock located in an off limits room within the auditorium. “What it appears to be...[is that the] padlock was broken, [and] someone just walked off with them. We protested to the district...they will buy new ones,” said Morales. The missing microphones are not likely to be returned, but the new replacements should be ready soon enough for future events.
William San Nicolas
Achieve the Honorable Awards Achieve the Honorable ceremony will be held on June 13. This ceremony is held annually to recognize outstanding individuals as well as students who are usually overlooked. The money for the scholarships has been fundraised by Hollywood High’s Alumni Association. The scholarship committee will be giving seniors their scholarships on the day of the ceremony. More than 10 scholarships will be given out during this ceremony and four or five of theses scholarships will be worth approximately $1,000 to $2,000. One of these is the Alice Rippey Memorial scholarship. This scholarship is in honor of Dick Rippey’s wife. They were both Hollywood High alumni and high school sweethearts. Other scholarships will be given out such as the Derrick Brice Memorial scholarship and the Kieph Kuhn Memorial scholarship. Silver seal bearers and gold seal bearers will also be acknowledged at this ceremony. Seniors are strongly advised to attend and admission is free.
daniel boror
Make Me A Match Match Maker was a survey conducted for students to find whom they are most compatible with. This survey was also meant to help students find a date to prom. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors took this survey in their advisory class. This was the first time Hollywood High School has conducted a survey like Match Maker. Before conducting this survey, Grace Quintanilla,leadership advisor, got feedback from other schools to make sure this company was reliable. On the second week of May, leadership students were selling the results of the survey in the quad during lunch for one dollar. Mari Santos, SAS senior, said “It was fun,” and that she would participate in a survey like this again.
tania dominguez
AP Placement Exams Students were required to take AP placement exams before signing up for an AP class this year. The results of these tests were meant to allow students to know the challenge and rigor needed to take an AP class. “[The tests] went well; there are some things that we can change,” said college counselor Heather Brown. A committee comprised of the teachers who teach AP reviewed the results and then decided which students had the necessary skill to take an AP class. “It is not just about being qualified,” stressed Brown, “It is making students understand the type of commitment an AP class is and to stop them from dropping the class.” However, students who did not meet the requirements can still take an AP class by attending a parent-counselor conference in which both the student and the parent understand the rigor expected behind an AP class. Some students were unable to take the entrance exam due to problems with scheduling. They will be allowed to sign up for the class by attending parent-counselor conference.
maria alcoser
6 JUNE 2012
NEWS
Hollywood Bids Fare Chronicle: How long have you been a teacher? How long have you worked at Hollywood high? Snyder: 30 years working in schools and 14 working at Hollywood
Chronicle: What do you like best about your job here? Snyder: I really enjoy being the work coordinator; it’s a positive job. I get to help kids find jobs and help them throughout the whole employment process. Chronicle: What advice would you give a beginning teacher? Snyder: Keep a sense of humor and always keep it firm and fair.
Chronicle: What will you miss most? Snyder: My work experience program, it’s just really good.
David Snyder
Chronicle: What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned here? Snyder: Don’t stress out about things. That’s how I try to live my life. Things will always get better. Chronicle: What do you plan to do after you retire? Snyder: I will be doing music fulltime. I have a band; I record, write and work on songs. I’ve worked for Latin Hip Hop, Warner Mexico, Wea Latina, Putumayo Records, Interscope, etc.
Chronicle: What do you plan to do? Pierce: I think I’m going to tutor Chinese students in Pasadena and coach football at a high school. Chronicle: How long have you been a teacher? Pierce: I’ve been teaching since 1988 and began teaching in 1996 at Hollywood.
Chronicle: What do you like best about teaching at Hollywood? Pierce: I think I like the friendships with the other teachers and the diversity of the stu-
dents.
Chronicle: What inspired you to become a teacher? Pierce: I had not planned to be a teacher. This was a second choice.
Chronicle: What advice would you give a beginning teacher? Pierce: Make sure you have a good and clear discipline in-classroom rules. Use media as much as you can.
Douglas Pierce
Chronicle: What do you plan to do? Itkin: Reasses the rest of my life.
Chronicle: How long have you been a teacher? Itkin: 27 years
Chronicle: What do you like best about teaching at Hollywood? Itkin: The joy of teaching is to see the surprised face when a student actually gets something. To be able to engage somebody into a process. I enjoy working with the kids in the performing arts magnet. Chronicle: What is your favorite memory? Itkin: It’s a laundry list of moments each day. Watching plays that I direct
come alive.
Paul Itkin
Chronicle: What advice would you give a beginning teacher? Itkin: Be yourself.
Chronicle: What is the biggest lesson you have learned as a teacher? Itkin: a) There’s no rules, b) To be able to change on a dime,c) There are always better questions
Chronicle: What do you plan to do? Miller: No specific plans, just relaxing as much as possible. Chronicle: How long have you been a teacher? Miller: 35 here, 41 years in total.
Chronicle: What do you like best about teaching at Hollywood? Miller: It’s a very interesting place. The interaction with the best staff and
students.
Chronicle: What inspired you to become a teacher? Miller: I never considered anything else. Past teachers I knew. Frankly, it’s a fairly common thing for first first generation students. We have the most interaction with teachers. As far as teaching high school, I hate to write, which is necessary for teaching at the college level. High school students are interesting. Chronicle: What advice would you give a beginning teacher? Miller: Do what works for you. Don’t let other people tell you how to teach. Things that you find interesting your students will find interesting.
Raymond Miller
NEWS
JUNE 2012
7
well to Retiring Staff Chronicle: What do you plan to do? Lempert: I’m going to write, paint, cook, and travel.
Chronicle: How long have you been a teacher? Lempert: I’ve been at Hollywood for 9 years and worked for the district since 1989 and ten years before that at private schools.
Chronicle: What do you like best about teaching at Hollywood? Lempert: Teaching is a real learning experience, a real eye-opener. I’ve always enjoyed working with younger people because it makes me feel young. Chronicle: What is your favorite memory? Lempert: My favorite memories are of students who really want to learn.
Peter Lempert
Chronicle: What inspired you to become a teacher? Lempert: I sent out a lot of cover letters. As an actor, I wasn’t making enough money, and I like to work, so I applied to private schools and was hired. I taught English as a foreing language to adults in France.
Chronicle: What is the biggest lesson you have learned as a teacher? Lempert: One thing I learned is not to engage bad behavior.. When a student says something or does something, I don’t pay any attention. Not all students are nice people.
Chronicle: What do you plan to do after? Eschrich: Working on administration credential and masters in administration leadership. I do not plan on retiring; I’m just looking for a new venue. Chronicle: How long have you been a teacher? Eschrich: 25 years.
Chronicle: What do you like best about teaching high school? Eschrich: I love that I get kids from all over the world. Chronicle: What inspired you to be a teacher? Eschrich: My grandmother was a teacher and superintendent of a school.
Chronicle: What is the biggest lesson you have learned as a teacher? Escrich: You learn tolerance because you deal with teenager and you learn something new everyday. Photographed and Interviewed by: Karla Samayoa, Karina Galvan, Jennifer Guido, Damien Smith Jr. and Woaria Rashid.
Betsy Eschrich
8 JUNE 2012
Senior Prom
On the top left hand corner seniors party hard on the dance floor, the two smaller pictures on the right hand corner are a demonstaton of the glamorous dinner setup.
2012 SAVES THE LAST DANCE NANETTE LIBERATORI CHRONICLE REPORTER
From Left to Right: Edgardo Lizama, Jilder Castillo, Alexander Moshensky and Mahamadou Sylla posing.
Romina Vives holding a ballet pose on the dance floor.
Romina Vives, Katherine Lopez and Sharon Panameno show off for the camera.
king. Those who ran awaited the results anxiously as Ross and Marco Tolj helped clear the dance floor. The king was announced first. McCaulley Marroquin said, “It was an adrenaline rush. I was surprised and honored, YOLO.” Cassandra Beran was announced prom queen, “I was thankful that people voted for me. I gave it my all since it was my last year. I love this class, class of 2012 all day!” said Beran. The King and Queen then danced. The night was one to remember by all seniors.
Seniors experience their last dance as high school students by dancing among their friends and enjoying their elegant prom night. Photo Credit: Jennifer Guido, Ariadna Ariel Angulo, and Jessica Perez
From left to right: Miguel Gonzalez, Perla Cortez, Jesse Valcarcel, Helen Alvarez, Edwin Chojolan, Ariadna Angulo, and Samuel Kwon show some school spirit wearing red.
The senior class of 2012 partied all night under some bright lights in the big city at The Mark. Lights were flashing, the music was blasting, and everyone was enjoying themselves. “I had a good time, the place was really nice, the music was good, and everyone seemed to have a good time,” said Neylin Suazo. “I enjoyed myself; with the right group of friends you can enjoy yourself,” said Veronica Davis. The atmosphere was a simple
elegance combined with a Hollywood night club. “Last year it was in an open venue and it was cold so I think this year was a very nice setting, both were very nice but very different,” said Cynthia Ross. Everyone was up on the dance floor moving and grooving to the music all night long. This year’s food menu was well-received. “The service was good I liked the dinner they served us, the chicken was delicious,” said Karina Espinal. As the night winded down, it came time to announce who would be the prom queen and
Prom king McCaulley Marroquin and prom queen Cassandra Beran slow dance to “I’ll Be” by Edwin Mccain to celebrate their victory.
JUNE 2012
Photo Credit: Ariadna Ariel Angulo
Junior Prom Alexandra Rosella Tiffany Martinez, Wolf Woodcock, Valeria Franco and Andrea Renteria sheik partying spirit.
Luis Rivera and Erick Zavala show their “mad love” for each other.
Perla Cortez and Jesse Valcarcel ready to ‘dance the night away.’ Jessica Trujillo shows off her happiness with a huge smile.
Samee Shahjahan, Chris Diaz, and Tawny Ramirez pose for their close-ups
Rony Castillo and Abigail Tapia getting mushy on the dance floor.
Ariadna Ariel Angulo shows of her dance moves
Raven Leon dances with her partner while the crowd goes wild.
Andres Diaz and Jacqueline Portillo enjoying themselves at their first dance.
Jose Remploa, Luis Matute, and Sandy Jimenez show up fancy to junior prom.
Photo Credit: Ike Dayon
Juniors ‘Dance the Night Away’ VANESSA GARCIA SPORTS EDITOR Junior Class Council hosted its annual Junior Prom at the Women’s Club on May 11. After last year’s disappointment when Junior Prom was canceled due to insufficient funds, the Junior Class sold approximately 175 tickets and was able to raise almost $1900 that will go toward their future senior class events. “All of the students that at-
tended enjoyed themselves, the decorations were great. Overall Junior Prom turned out to be a very good night,” said Elizabeth Payne, magnet coordinator. To avoid an insufficient sale of tickets, the requirements for Junior Prom were less rigorous than previous years. Students wishing to attend were not required to clear detention hours and students from every grade level were invited to attend. “I had a lot of fun, people were not dancing as much as I
thought in the beginning, but once they put on music that you can dance to the floors got very fun, I had tons of fun and so did my friends,” Emily Juarez, junior PAM. Junior Class Council has been working hard to fundraise. They previously held weekly pie throwing events where students would throw whipped cream pies at faculty members for $1 a throw.
Katherine Gonzalez, Jessica Delgado, Evelyn Gonzales, and Sally Roman show their friendship is tight at junior prom.
9
College
10 JUNE 2012
PAM
SAS
Stephanie Garcia Blanca Gonzalez PCC
Cristina Calvillo
LACC
Kevin Alvarez
CSU Long Beach
SMC
Jennifer Ascencio
Colorado State University
Steven Bridgeman Manuela Chavez Edwin Chajolan
Summer Cureton Melissa Curiel Tyrone Fisher Helen Garcia
Eduardo Gasca
Katherine Gonzalez David Jenkins
Malikah Johnson Katherine Lopez
Jazmyne McNeese
Alejandro Morales Martha Munoz Yakelin Oajaca
Shayanne Ortiz
Sharon Panameno Aaleyah Pearce
Tennessee Prieto Luisa Rodriguez Ashley Santos Ian Stewart
Charclai Thomas Romina Vives Christen Wre
UC Riverside
LA Recording School UC Berkely SMC
Maria Alcoser
Josh Arguelles
Stephanie Arias Areli Baires
Dillard University
Kevin Baires
Mt. Saint Mary’s College
Jaime Bautista
Sacramento State University CSU Long Beach
Ateneo de Manila University LACC
CSU Los Angeles
CSU Los Angeles
Jasmine Barcia
Point Park University
Riverside CC
Evelyn Beltran
SMC
UC Irvine
Katherine Cardoza
LACC
Manuel Castillo
CSU Los Angeles CSU Los Angeles
St. Johns University LACC LAVC SMC
UC Irvine
Pasadena City College Tuskegee University CSU Los Angeles SMC
Cerritos CC
CSU East Bay
Le Cordon Bleu
CSU Northridge West LA
Amy Barrios
Juvilyn Bolaoen Tania Cabrera
Christian Carranza
UC Riverside
CSU Los Angeles UC Santa Cruz
CSU Los Angeles UC Los Angeles
CSU Long Beach
Jilder Castillo
GCC
Brando Celaya
LAVC
Jesus Castro
Nancy Ceron
Stephanie Chavez Justin Cornejo Joshua Cruz Kevin Cruz Joe Curiel
Chelsea Dandan
Chaunda-Le’ Davis Veronica Davis
SMC
Juan Torres Garces
Jeneffer Acuna
Syracuse University
Estefania Flores
Gail-Ann Fernando
Mt. Saint Mary’s College
Anastasia Barragan
CSU Sacramento
Kevin Favela
Helen Alvarez
Farhana Akter
Barbara Dominguez
GCC PCC PCC
Mt. Saint Mary’s College UC Los Angeles GCC
LeTourneau University CSU Los Angeles GCC
Humboldt State University Columbia University
Nicole Gozum
UC Santa Cruz
CSU Los Angeles Pasadena CC
Sacramento State University UC Santa Barbara CSU Northridge
Anthony Granados
SMC
Karen Hernandez
CSU Los Angeles
Jenneva Guzman
Noelle Hermosisima Thomas Hernandez Karen Herrera Emily Hidalgo
Marvin Hidalgo
Cherelle Johnson
Cal Poly Pomona
University of the Philippines GCC
UC Santa Cruz SMC
San Francisco State U UC Merced
Hemashary Juarez
SMC
Edgardo Lizama
SMC
Ashley King
Samuel Kwon
Jacqueline Martinez Mario Mayen
Tamara Mayorga Ashley Marquez Vanessa Mejia Iris Mercado
Joel Moreira Jr. Juan Moreno
Alex Moshensky
Amanpreet Multani
Hawaii Pacific University UC San Diego SMC
Pasadena CC SMC
UC Irvine SMC GCC
SMC PCC
UC San Diego
CSU Northridge
Gillete Nevado
GCC
Jessica Perez
PCC
Tania Nolasco Bernice Ortiz
Woaria Rashid Monica Renoj
Eloisa Renteria Henry Reyes
CSU Los Angeles CSU Los Angeles CSU Fullerton UC Irvine
CSU Los Angeles SMC
Acceptances
Jeremy Reyes
GCC
Carlos Rodriguez
UC Santa Barbara
John Reyes
Lord Rigonan
Edgar Rodriguez Jorge Salvador Maria Samano
Karla Samayoa Costin Sandoi
Gabriela Sandoval Mari Santos
Alexis Segundo
Joselyn Sermeno Raygena Smith Bernardo Sosa Rosales Edwin Sosa Fatim Tall
Arshalous Tavitian Irvin Torres
Katherine Torres Kimberly Torres
CSU Fullerton
MET
SMC
Mynor Gramajo
CSU Northridge
CSU Los Angeles
Firefighter School SMC
Pasadena CC
Harvard University GCC
CSU San Bernardino UC Riverside
California Baptist University SMC GCC
UC Berkeley
CSU Los Angeles SMC SMC
CSU Fullerton
Harutune Tsotsikyan CSU Los Angeles Erica Villa
Shanka Udugampola Mayorin Velasquez Martin Williams
CSU Los Angeles UC Irvine
UC Riverside
US Marine Corps
Evette Abraham
UC Irvine
Nayely Cabrera
CSU Los Angeles
Cassandra Beran Ana Bocanegra
Jocelyn Fuentes
Antonio Garay Jr. Bryan Granados Jorge Guzman
Sheila Hercules
Catalina Hernandez Prisma Hernandez
Hovannes Kegeyan Adriana Lopez
Enrique Lopez Del Real Christian Mannise
McCauley Marroquin Isela Martinez
Tracey Mendoza Daniel Meza
Mayranush Mkrtchian Andy Nava
Brayan Ochoa
Sebastian Palacios Jonathan Perez
Alejandra Quintero Kenneth Ribeiro Jr. Diana Roman Natali Rosas
Scarlett Salazar
Damien Jr. Smith Ana Solis-Lima
CSU Northridge LACC PCC
CSU Nortridge SMC
JUNE 2012
TCA/AVID
Pasadena CC
Araceli Aguilar
SMC
PCC
Edward Cenizal
LATTC
Jocelyn Fuentes
PCC
United States Army LACC
Elizabeth Beltran Nayely Cabrera
PCC
Daisy Dominguez
SMC
Antonio Garay
GCC
LAVC
Moorpark College LAMCC LAVC PCC
Jocelin Donis
Oscar Guzman
Catalina Hernandez Stephanie Jimenez
SMC
Bridgewater State U Mt. SAC PCC
LACC
El Camino CC LACC
SMC
CSU Northridge SMC PCC
LATTC
Pasadena CC
Daniela Ramirez
SMC
LATTC
Brayen Ochoa
LBCC SMC
CSU Los Angeles
SMC
Mayranush Mkrtchian
CSU Los Angeles
ACC
Enrique Lopez Del Real
LATTC
Pasadena CC
11
Andy Nava
Juan Reyes
Miguel Romero
Brandon Sanchez
LACC
CSU Los Angeles CSU Los Angeles
UC Santa Barbara
PCC
SMC
12 JUNE 2012
ENTERTAINMENT A Modern Show JENNIFER GUIDO CHRONICLE REPORTER
CREDIT: JENNIFER GUIDO (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): A PRODUCTION NUMBER, SHAYANNE ORTIZ AS MILLIE DILLMOUNT, ABBY DEMAURI AS DOROTHY BROWN AND TREVOR BROWN AS TREVOR GRAYDON, A SCENE IN THE HOTEL PRISCILLA.
Paul Itkin’s production of Thoroughly Modern Millie was performed by a primarily Performing Arts Magnet cast to enthusiastic audiences from May 25-28 in the updated auditorium. Thoroughly Modern Millie is an energetic play full of laughter, intrigue, and romance. It is set in the 1920s flapper era. Millie (Shayanne Ortiz) is a young woman who has just moved to New York from Kansas and sets her sights on marrying her wealthy boss. Millie definitely has some obstacles along the way, but she learns that love has everything to do with marriage, even for “modern” girls. While Millie pursues her love interest, the evil Mrs. Meers, who runs the Hotel Priscilla where young women stay, is kidnapping her tenants who are orphans and selling them into white slavery in Asia. As Mrs. Meers, Mae Ann Butryn had to go back and forth be-
tween an exaggerated Chinese accent and a tough New York accent, which she did wonderfully. Hollywood High School students definitely have talent. Christopher Mitchell played Millie’s love interest, Jimmy Smith, and Trevor Chandler played her boss, Mr. Trevor Graydon. Not only was there inspiring acting but there was also graceful dancing, powerful singing and a lot of well-timed humor. Each actor is able to connect with their character and makes the audience believe like they are actually that person. The musical was engrossing. The play dealt with young people seeking fame and fortune in New York City and how they survived on very little money. Every character is portrayed well and their words come out fluently just like actors on Broadway. The play showed that the students as well as the director worked hard and delivered a great performance. This was a show where one is entertained every minute. An extravagant, amazing, lively play was created by the Hollywood High cast.
Beware the Three Types of School Trips william san nicholas copy editor
How to Manipulate Your Future Roommate WOARIA RASHID CHRONICLE REPORTER
After four years of late-night study sessions, downing Starbucks coffee while taking Facebook breaks every 15 minutes, seniors are finally graduating from high school to advance to a higher level of acquiring knowledge. In progressive institutions (which is a little like boarding school but less structured, for
those who didn’t know), we will have the opportunity to dorm with a roommate or multiple roomies. One concern for most of us is, “Will my roommate and I get along?” Well fellow peers, don’t fret because after you’re done reading this guide, you’ll be an expert at manipulating your roomie into doing what you want. Be warned though: only extraordinary people can perform some of these methods. If you and your roommate are off to a rocky start, you can
acquire a mind-reading superpower by gazing at the sun during a solar eclipse just as Matt Parkman from “Heroes” did. With this extraordinary power, you can “push thoughts” into your roomie’s mind so he/she will clean your side of the room, do your laundry, cook gourmet meals for you, and do your Quantitative Molecular Biological Engineering assignment. Another method is to be assertive and make your roommate feel diminutive the first time you meet so he/she can
submit to your authoritative demeanor. If they took your desired side of the room, simulate an earthquake so your roommate will run away and then toss their bags out the window and say, “I saved your bags, now save yourself!” Then commandeer the desired bed and when everything is back to normal, your roommate will be forever in your debt. If you have a roommate that is obnoxiously rude and threatens you because you are a weak maggot, gather up your courage
and spit out a lie. Preferably one that goes along the lines of, “My father is a mafia ringleader who will send one of his henchmen to give you an offer that you can not refuse.” Then wink and put a creepy gut-wrenching grin on your face. That’s sure to do the trick! Follow these steps and you’ll become the ideal roommate, in your perspective that is. You’ll be the ringleader of your hall because everyone will fear your presence and will willingly perform your duties for you.
ENTERTAINMENT
JUNE 2012
13
Larry, Curly, and Moe Meet the Jersey Shore william san nicolas copy editor
The first question on everybody’s mind regarding this film has got to be, “How well did they portray the original characters?” There is really only one answer for that: perfectly, that’s how. Moe, Curly and Larry were exactly who they were supposed to be. Not only did the actors look and sound the part, they acted it. The energy of the original show was not lost to the void of
time; the Stooges were just as slap happy and “clever” as they have ever been. This excellent resurrection of the Stooges alone is worthy of the highest kind of honor a remake can get. The film is set in the 21st century, with unforgiving nods to reality shows and their ilk. The Stooges’ appearance in this time frame disrupted very little in terms of character development and behavior. It also managed to avoid some of the worst cliché’s directors often tempt themselves with. The jokes and slapstick were just terrific and left me near exhaustion from laughter. There
is no other movie that has made the simple attempt at the eye gouging of another man so hilarious. The action and head injuries were unpredictable and actually took a few people by surprise. On another note, the sound effects for the moments of impact seemed like they came from the sound board of the original series! For those who have seen the original Stooges and those who have yet to see it, watch the movie; it will make your day.
CREDIT: THETHREESTOOGES.COM THE ORIGINAL THREE STOOGES HAD THEIR ICONIC LOOKS REPLICATED NEARLY PERFECTLY IN THE 2012 VERSION.
The Avengers Satisfies Comic Book Fans KARLA SAMAYOA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Joss Whedon’s The Avengers has broken all sorts of records in its opening weeks; currently, it’s the third highest grossing film of all time. According to CNN, the film earned $450 million in only 17 days, breaking the record previously held by The Dark Knight with its respective 27 days. As of June 5, the movie has grossed over a billion dollars worldwide in a record amount of time. It has currently grossed $1.331 billion, beating Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II by $3 million. The reason for such jaw-dropping success? Anything a person could dream of for a comic book movie is present. Witty dialogue, extremely talented (and attractive) actors and actresses, awesome interaction, character development, etc. are present in The Avengers. The movie masters the bal-
ance of being serious without Renner)- wreck aliens as eas- abilities. Seeing him wreck the losing the fun that a comic book ily as Thor (Chris Hemsworth) aliens on screen made all the movie should have. or the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). difference. Personally, my all-time faThe movie is not without vorite comic book movie is its faults, however. For the The Dark Knight, but I have uninitiated into the franto say that I felt like I was chise, the first hour or so of watching a completely difsetup will make little sense. ferent genre when watchFellow moviegoers kept ing The Avengers. whispering and asking who While it was an adrenathe guy with the weird hat line-pulsing experience to was, and more casual viewwatch the rebooted dark ers who had only seen a and gritty Batman, the couple of the films couldn’t Avengers are just as enunderstand the opening tertaining with their fastsequence with the Tesserpaced and brightly colored act. I would definitely recinteractions. It held none ommend watching at least of the oppressive and overThor to understand the bawhelming drama Batman sics of the film. and Joker inspired, which When watching, beware made it all the better for the critics. Okay, so the CREDIT: MARVEL.COM moviegoers who wanted to Black Widow does not gain enjoy the fun experience of a scratch when backhanded LOKI IS ONE OF THE MOST SPINELESS EVIL seeing the good guys win. by the Hulk, but come on! VILLAINS IN SUPERHERO MOVIES. There is something exIt’s a movie! And yes, Loki tremely relieving and sat(Tom Hiddleston) is an evil isfying about seeing Iron Man They were the breakout stars drama queen with daddy is(Robert Downey Jr.) and his in this film; for example, seeing sues, but that makes him all fellow unmodified colleagues- a guy with a bow and arrow in the better to watch getting beat Black Widow (Scarlett Johan- the trailer didn’t inspire much up. As for the continuity issues sson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy confidence or interest in his with the other films, well, it can
hardly be wrapped up perfectly with all the different directors and writers. Ignore the haters and watch the pretty colors. Once the fighting begins, though, it’s all smooth sailing. Watching Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), and Thor duke it out for whatever contrived reason was one of the best moments in the movie. Even better were the mounting tensions amongst the Avengers and the snarky dialogue between arrogant Tony Stark and old-fashioned Steve Rodgers. Especially suspenseful was waiting for the Hulk to just lose it and destroy everything. When he finally hulks out, it is nothing short of a magical moment. Even better? The film credits included the typical bonus scenes of the franchise, which hinted at a sequel. In early May 2012, Disney formally announced that the sequel was in the works.
H2O competed against approximately 20 different schools. H2O members and Vocal Prose received Superior High School Mixed Choir, Superior Show Choir, Best Choir Overall, and the Esprit de Corps Award. “It was an honor to get those awards because it was a team effort,” said Abigail. Receiving the Esprit de Corps Award was a
Carmina Burana and other songs from their repertoire, said Sacks. “This year was the finest H2O we’ve had. Their blend was really wonderful. I’m really proud of them,” said Sacks, “I can count on them to step up to the plate and really shine.” “We worked very hard and I think that we deserved it,” said Abigail. “It was fun being amongst other people who share my passion for singing. Now I’m graduating and I wish the new people a lot of luck,” said Aaleyah Pearce, H2O member. H2O had an exiting year. They performed with the Broadway’s cast of Memphis, appeared twice for CNN and appeared on 2020.
H2O Is Recognized for Vocal Performance Maria Alcoser Managing Editor H2O and Vocal Prose received four First Place Awards and Abigail Demauri, PAM junior, was recognized as Best Soloist at the Annual Music Parks Competition at Six Flags Magic Mountain on May 12. The competition took place at Valencia High School and Los Robles Middle School during the morning, but the awards ceremony was held at Six Flags during the afternoon, said Stormy Sacks, Magnet Coordinator and Music Director. Music in the Parks is open to schools from all around the country and
PHOTO CREDIT: CICI GODINEZ H2O’s very own Abigail Demauri won the Best Soloist award during the Annual Music Parks Competition on May 12.
great surprise, said Sacks; it is only given to participants that show spirit and teamwork during the competition. “After receiving all the other awards, I said ‘At least now we can relax, we never get this’,” said Sacks. Participants competed in to different categories; Vocal Prose competed in Mixed Choir and H2O performed
14 JUNE 2012
SPORTS
Know Your Starting Lineup 2012-2013 Cheerleaders
photo credit:Vanessa garcia
Captains: Selena Reyes, Shyla McCall, and Kimberly Luna
Flyers: Jenny Capuz ,Kelly Taylor, Jaqui Baca,Jackie Orellana,Kahlyia Stevenson,Tara Aultman
From Left to right: Harely Davis, Paola Giron, Debbie Campos, Fernando Casamalhuapa, Kimberly Luna, Victoria Jo,Kennedi Brown, Jocelyn Varela, Astrid Medrano, Karissa James, Michelle Oliveros , Danielle Bossette, Sesha Brown, Shyla McCall, Selena Reyes, Valerie Orrellana, Esperanza Hernandez, Summer Kazama
may’s athletes of the month
Daniel Boror Tania Dominguez Chronicle Reporters
Jose Hernandez Baseball SAS Senior
Jennifer Lopez Softball TCA Sophomore
CC: What inspired you to play baseball?
CC: What inspired you to play softball?
JH: My dad played when he was in Guatemala.
JLO: It’s a fun sport.
CC: Who is your athletic hero? Why?
CC: Who is your athletic hero? Why?
JLO: Jennie Finch (a former member of the USA national softball team) because she is an excellent pitcher and I’m a pitcher, so I look up to her. CC: How do you contribute to the team?
JH: Chico, (former Sheik Francisco Herrera who tried out for the Dodgers) because he showed that anyone can make it in the sport. CC: How do you contribute to the team?
JLO: I’m the number one pitcher at the moment.
JH: Doing anything required, helping out the team however I can.
JLO: There’s a possibility if I do it all four years, which I want to.
JH: Yes, in college.
CC: Do you see yourself playing softball in the future? CC: What advice would you give to other athletes? JLO: To work hard and never give up.
CC: Why do you think you were chosen to be Athlete of the Month? JLO: Because I contribute the best I can to the team.
CC: Do you see yourself playing baseball in the future? CC: What advice would you give to other athletes? JH: Work hard and don’t be cocky.
CC: Why do you think you were chosen to be athlete of the month? JH: No clue, it was a surprise.
SPORTS
JUNE 2012
15
Lady Sheiks Win League, Stumble in Playoffs
League record 10-0 winning streak ends in loss to Lady Rough Riders Nanette Liberatori Chronicle Reporter
Softball team’s hard work paid off when the Varsity team players became league champions with a league record of 10-0. “It was a good way to end my senior year,” said Jacqueline Martinez, first baseman. The team defeated Torres
High School 17-11 on May 2. Senior Stephanie Garcia was up to bat and hit the ball to right field, bringing home her other teamates and reaching third base herself. Jacqueline was up next and hit a pop up. The opponent grabbed the ball but dropped it, and Stephanie stole home plate by diving head-first. “I’m proud of what we accomplished; as a team we did way better than last season. We built up a relationship over
the summer, we put aside our differences and gave it our all,” said Stephanie. Coach Tony Acosta agreed. “I’m proud of my girls, they’ve exceeded our expectations for the season and were mentally prepared,” he said. “(Boys coach) Cauley was my mentor and backbone,” Acosta said. “He had experience and I took my experience and learned a lot from him and used the two together.” Acosta had a personal goal
this year to prove that he could turn the team around when given the opportunity to coach Varsity. “I wasn’t afraid to take it,” said Acosta. Acosta has only helped better the girls during their season. “He helped me as a player telling me that I can do it, that I can become very successful,” said Hirania Lemus, TCA freshman. “At the end of the game they came together, this was 100% team effort,” said Acosta.
Their streak ended in a playoff loss to Roosevelt High School 14-4 on May 15.
Swim Team Members Take on City Finals Girls team competes in freestyle 200-relay at city finals at ELA College vanessa garcia Sports Editor
From all the struggles the swim team endured this season, they remained strong and ended their season on May 25, with seniors Alex Moshensky and
Costin Sandoi making it to the city championship at the East Los Angeles Swim Stadium. Four other swimmers made it to finals on May 18. Competing in the freestyle 200-relay were Juniors Rebekka Grammenos, Erika Zazueta, Senior Noelle Hermosisma and Freshman Loreal Kaufman. At the city championship, Moshensky competed in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:45 and
the 100 backstroke with at time of 53:36. Sandoi competed in the 100 breast stroke. They also placed eighth in the 200 medley and 12th in the 200 freestyle. After the swim team's first meet in April, the pool filter stopped functioning. Unable to practice, the team still managed to bring in a win. In the past, the team has had issues with the amount of swimmers joining, but this year
they were able to recuit new swimmers, of which many were freshmen. Despite the inexperience of the new recruits, they managed to give it their 100% in every meet, teammates said. "Some of our new swimmers did not know how to swim in the beginning of the year and now we can't get them out of the water,” said Rebekka, girls team captain, “They have made great progress and major im-
provements. This year has really been remarkable one and I can't wait to see how well we do next year." Many swimmers are looking forward to starting their 2013 season while others are disappointed that their time at the pool is over.
Track Members Run to City Track Prelims Reyes posts his personal best for the mile at 4:34 at Birmingham HS
Track ended the season with two Sheik runners- Karla Hernandez and Juan Reyes- qualifying for city prelims on May 17 at Birmingham High School. “This was my first year attending city prelims; overall it was a good experience,” said junior Karla, MET. Karla, the Varsity girls distance captain, finished in 31st place in the two mile, with a new personal best of 12:50. TCA Senior Juan Reyes, varsity boys distance captain, qualified for the for the mile and two mile at city prelims. Juan’s personal
best for the mile was 4:34. Track only won one meet this season but the team did not give up their morale and kept trying.
“I feel pretty good about the way it ended. Our runners finished the season strong”
“I feel pretty good about the way it ended. Our runners finished the season strong,” said coach Adolfo Carcano. Carcano said the track team improved and has become much
faster. Everybody on the track team worked hard this season. “I was particularly impressed by our freshman runners. They are running at a level that has surpassed our expectations,” said Carcano. Carcano said he expects to rebuild a strong running program at Hollywood which suffered after the retirement of longtime coach Loera a few years ago. This was Carcano’s second year as coach. Dorsey High School dominated the Los Angeles City Finals on May 23 at Birminham High School with 115 points to Pali- (Left)Juan Reyes sprinting for first place durig city prelims sades High School’s 80 points. (Right)Karla Hernandez competing during city pre-lims
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photo credit:karla hernandez
daniel boror chronicle reporter
NEWS
JUNE 2012
16
Prom King is also a Culinary Artist
Marroquin wins $3,300 scholarship from C-CAP McCaulley Marroquin, MET senior, won a $3,300 scholarship from Careers through the Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) on May 18. McCaulley was one of 33 seniors who competed for scholarships. “I have been practicing for three years and I felt really confident,” said McCaulley. C-CAP is a non-profit organization that works with public schools across the country to prepare students with college and career opportunities in the
Restaurant and Hospitality Industry, according to the C-CAP website. Only senior students are allowed to participate in the competition; students of other grade levels can also attend to see what the pressure is like, said David Papa, Culinary Arts Teacher. “It’s like Hell’s Kitchen, they have to memorize the recipes and prepare the same dish,” said Papa, “But he knows a lot about flavor and he knows what good food tastes like.” Participants were required to prepare from scratch Chicken Chasseur with Sauteed Pota-
toes and Crêpes Sucrées; however, during the competition McCaulley chopped off part of his thumb, which required him to start from scratch, said McCaulley.
“It’s like they are eating my art!”
“It’s an unwritten rule. You are not supposed to cut yourself,” said McCaulley, “But I told
Students Visit Sacramento Daniel Boror Chronicle Reporter
Ruth Cardenas, Health teacher, took three of her students on a trip to Sacramento to be part of the Youth Advocates Network for Sustainable Communities (YANSC) from May 20 through May 22. Students that went on the trip discussed with other students how some changes can be made around the community for the better and how they can help make healthy choices that will benefit everybody in the community, according to Cardenas.
myself ‘this is what I have been training for, I’m going to focus and finish everything’.” For the competition, participants must prepare two separate dishes, one for tasting and the other for presentation. However, one of the judges misplaced McCaulley’s presentation dish and put it in the tasting table; by the time McCaulley realized the error, the judges were already eating his dish. “I knew I was better than everybody else; if that [cutting my finger] didn’t happen I know that I could have done better but it reminded me to stay humble and be grateful,” said
Ryan Woodson. Hollywood High School Partnership Program is funded by a grant from Kaiser Permanente which gave a generous amount to the program. Ryan Woodson is in charge of managing the program here at Hollywood High. Because of this program the students involved and Cardenas have created F.A.M.E., a club that promotes healthy choices and activities that students can make or do together.
Photo courtesy: Ruth Cardenas
Maria Alcoser Managing editor
McCaulley. “I’m really passionate about what I do... when I see the mess I make to create something so small! It’s like they are eating my art!” said McCaulley. McCaulley wants to major in Management and Hospitality and will be attending LA Mission College and plans to transfer. “I only put students [into the competition] that I know are serious about culinary arts,” said Papa. Over the past 10 years Hollywood High has received over $35,000 in college scholarships through C-CAP, said Papa. From left to right: Ruth Cardenas, Catherine Duran, Jose Bautista, Yasuein Ramos, Dulce Gutierrez, Nadia Smita, and Ryan Woodson.
NEWS BRIEFS
Faculty voted to keep the current schedule.
The faculty decided to keep a six period day instead of a seven period day that eliminated advisory. The idea was that adding an extra class to the school day would allow a number of students to take recovery classes, while those that did not need to recover credits had the opportunity to take an enrichment class. “Change is difficult, it always is,” said Principal Jaime Morales. According to Morales, the administration will probably not try to implement a block schedule again in the near future because LAUSD had lowered the amount of credits that students need to graduate.
English teachers replaced by substitutes
Maria alcoser
Two long time English teachers, Cary Cauley and Carlos Garcia were replaced by substitutes last month for reasons that could not be confirmed. “They will not be back this year,” said principal Jaime Morales, adding that he could not discuss the matter further. Cauley was a popular baseball coach who also taught English in the New Media Academy. Garcia taught ninth and twelfth grade English in TCA
ment tests].” UCLA spokesman Ricardo Vasquez from Page 1 gave his perspective. “We always believe that the idea of students being prepared is important,” said Vasquez. “In terms of rigor...we recommend not only A-G, but honors and AP courses. UCLA spokesman Ricardo Vasquez gave his perspective. “We always believe that the idea of students being prepared is important,” said Vasquez. “In terms of rigor...we recommend not only A-G, but honors and AP courses.
Requirements
Grad-Night from Page 1
and for the miscommunication. Morales then tried to explain how the event was still a possibility; however, the problem would be getting the PTA ready
for organizing it. Because of Disneyland’s new rule for the time at which Grad Night will end, the students would arrive back at Hollywood High at 4 a.m. making it then a liability issue for the chaperones, something that LAUSD no longer was holding as their responsibility. In the end Morales apologized and said, “We are not trying to hide anything..,I would hate for Grad Night to not happen in the end; it would be really sad.” From there, Tolj proposed piggybacking Fairfax’s Grad Night. This would allow for the event to still take place with no inconvenience only that it provide the school with a secure date to attend.