1521 N. HIGHLAND AVE, HOLLYWOOD, CA 90028 VOLUME IX, ISSUE VI APRIL 2012

Hollywood High • Home of the Sheiks

The Crimson ChroniCle

INDEX2 • Op/Ed 6 • Sports

4 • News 8 • Entertainment

Budgets Affect Prospective Students

10 • Features See Page 9

WASC Visiting Team Mem-bers came to Hollywood High late last month and met with parents, teachers, and students to determine whether students were being academically chal-lenged or not. This year, in preparation for the visit, the school planned for announcements to be made, advisory visits, and for post-ers made to be put all around the campus by Leadership stu-dents. “Ms. Sanchez met with about 5

students to come up with ideas to make the students aware of what was about to take place,” said Graciela Quintanilla, math teacher. “The members of the Visit-ing Team were quite impressed with everyone they had a chance to observe or converse,” said Principal Jaime Morales. In 2009, the Western Asso-ciation of Schools and Colleges announced that the Accrediting Commission for Schools had granted Hollywood High School a three-year term accreditation, which would have expired in June of 2012, said Commission Chair Thomas C. Beecher.

According to the 2009 VC re-port, it was “strongly recom-mended that the focus of the curriculum and instruction programs be more focused on research based models as op-posed to its very broad scope of current existence.” Along with that, other com-ments suggested the school to expand the implementation of Learning Teams and for the school to utilize a school-wide assessment system to track student achievements. There was a need for developing a process that would help assess student’s work including cali-bration to ensure rigor and rel-

The California State University system plans to cut enrollment for the 2013-2014 spring ad-missions by limiting the incom-ing students to 20,000-25,000 at most of the CSU campuses “Spring freeze is for transfer students in community col-leges,” said College Counselor Heather Brown. Eight CSU campuses—Sacra-mento State, Channel Islands, Chico, East Bay, Fullerton, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Francisco—will take applica-tions only for community col-

lege transfer students who complete the Associate Degree of Transfer. Students who apply during the fall of 2013 admissions will be accepted on a conditional basis, which is based on state fund-ing. If voters consent to pass Gov-ernor Brown’s tax initiative, ev-erything will be fine. However, if it is not passed, CSUs will face more budget cuts resulting in loss of employees, limited class-es, and curtailing admissions. The number of courses stu-dents can take will be limited to 15 to 17 credits each term but exceptions will be allowed for CSU graduating seniors. “This is a scare tactic that Cal

States have issued to get voters to pass the bill,” said Brown. “My advice to students next year is to apply to private schools and apply to out-of-state schools.” Students will be waitlisted de-pending on the upcoming Nov. 6 election when Gov. Brown’s tax measure is known. “I feel horrible because now my options are limited and if my GPA is not where I want it to be then I won’t be able to go to UCs and I don’t want to go to community colleges.” said TCA junior Mercedes Conley. Students will face limited low-cost options for college.

CSUs Cut 2013 Admissions

WOARIA RASHIDNANEttE LIbERAtORItANIA DOMINGUEzCHRONICLE REPORtERS

KARINA GALVANEDItOR-IN-CHIEF

WASC a SuccessCommittee pleased with improvement

SEE PAGE 10

VANESSA GARCIASPORtS EDItOR

Bullying Curtailed via Contract

ANtI-bULLYING CONtRACt WAS PRESENtED tO StUDENtS IN ADVISORY.

The administration has creat-ed a formal anti-bullying policy to address growing complaints of bullying and cyber-bullying around campus and through so-cial media. “We have had numerous bul-lying situations before, but this year there has been a rising number,” said Marco Tolj, assis-tant principal. The contract requires for the student and their parent or guardian to sign and adhere to the rules of behaving in a re-spectful manner and reporting bullying incidents to the staff. “Now that we have added a new policy, our goal is to pre-vent students from being bul-lied or being bullies,” said Tolj.

However, the majority of the bullying incidents occurred through social media such as Facebook and Twitter; for that reason the bullying contract added a section regarding inap-propriate picture and text mes-sages and social networking sites. Failure to adhere to the rules can result in student arrest, sus-pension and expulsion. “This new policy is for those bullies out there to realize that their bad actions will have con-sequences. We have boundaries that we can’t cross,” said Tolj. Experts encourage students to find peaceful solutions and for parents to contact the school immediately if their child is be-ing bullied.

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REGINA HIRSCH SPOKE tO StUDENtS AbOUt HER EXPERIENCES DURING tHE HOLOCAUSt.

SEE STORY PAGE 4

How will the CSU enrollment freeze

affect you?

Manon theStreet

See Page 3

See Page 4

roTC CAMP Titanic 3D

Review

Check out the HHS Sheiks

Athletes in the Sports

SpecialSee Pages 6-7

2 APRIL 2012

OP/ED

Crimson ChroniCle staff

Editor-in-Chief: KARINA GALVAN & KARLA SAMAYOA

Managing Editor: MARIA ALCOSER 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

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 CON-CERNING 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 PUB-LISHED AS SPACE ALLOWS. OPINIONS IN LETTERS ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE STAFF, NOR SHOuLD ANY OPIN-ION ExPRESSED IN A PUBLIC FORUM BE CONSTRUED AS THE OPINIION OR POLiCY OF THE ADMINISTRATION, UNLESS SO ATTRIBUTED.

DANIEL BOROR TANIA DOMINGUEZ

JENNIFER GUIDO

NANETTE LIBERATORIWOARIA RASHID

DAMIEN SMITH JR.

Letters to the EditorAll letters to the editor need to be signed, however, names can be witheld upon request.

S o c i a l n e t -w o r k -ing is a m a j o r part of Internet life. Fa-cebook,

the lead-er in social networking sites, al-lows users to interact with their friends. It seems very useful; people can hold business meet-ings, study groups, or they can simply chat with one of their buddies. However, as with most things in life, there are many people out there who, like the sor-cerer’s apprentice, bring the brooms to life, but lack the wit and ability to stop them once they get started. These are the immature peo-ple who are better known as “trolls” who exist solely to tor-ment others and make their lives miserable for lack of any-thing better to do.

If you think that cyber bullying is only confined to after-school specials on television, then you are sadly mistaken. Recently, there was an incident in which a group of aforemen-tioned trolls created a Facebook page using the name “Holly Shizz.” To my knowledge, I am one of the few, if not the only person, named Holly attending Hollywood High. Of course, friends and class-mates added this person, be-lieving it was me. Sadly, this account became responsible for flaming several individuals to the point where one of them became the recipient of a death threat. I found out what was hap-pening when one of my friends called me and told me to look at what was being said. The things posted under my “account” were quite disturbing and do not bear repeating. It was quite difficult to digest the situation, let alone deal with the possibility that some people might have believed it was ac-tually me posting those nasty, cruel remarks. I was filled with dread at the

thought of returning to school from spring break to an angry mob. I have never bothered to make a Facebook profile for fear of something like this hap-pening in the first place. Cyber bullying is idiotic, imma-ture, and a waste of everyone’s time. To all those trolls out there (and you know who you are), please think before you type. Social networks should uphold the same level of etiquette as a face to face confrontation, even more so if one would con-sider how easily things spread around the internet. Based on the consequences of what happened recently, even if you are joking, even if you are not serious about it, when you post hurtful things about any-one on the internet, others will eventually become involved. That is because feelings are more easily wounded than one might think. These trolls ruined many good things and have gained absolutely nothing. Good for them, they win the In-ternet. Think they are proud of themselves yet?

Cyberbullying gone too farHOLLY SAN NICOLASCHRONICLE CONtRIbUtOR

Gossip: the New Addiction?

Rumors, r u m o r s , r u m o r s , why are they so hard to a v o i d ? E v e n though I

might say that I do not get in-volved in drama, it is just so hard to actually stay away from it. Sometimes, if it concerns my best friend or someone that I am close to I refuse to listen to the rumors that are spread be-cause most of the time, they are really bad.

I don’t think I’d like it if some-one insulted my best friend about something that may not be true. When one of my friends comes up to me and begins ask-ing me if I heard about so-and-so going out or breaking up with so-and-so, I usually react a little like, “Really she did that,” or “Are you serious?” I always find myself unable to believe what I hear, but end up taking it for certain. It is understood that we should all mind our own business. Sometimes people make that difficult however by display-ing it as their Facebook status, but then again, I believe that if people wanted privacy then they should not have posted so

much on Facebook. Facebook is one of the places you can’t really expect privacy from so I guess they basically want their issues to become the word of the school. Gossip usually spreads like wildfire and I sometimes feel left out when I get the “news” days after, but I remind myself that gossip is wrong and that I should not continue with this bad habit. Gossip is what makes drama and that’s basically what high school is known for, four years of nonstop drama. Why don’t we try a drama-free experience; it sounds impossi-ble but it is definitely plausible if we all stick to just worrying about ourselves.

When I was a fresh-man in high school, I always had the time to eat breakfast at home. Three years

later, that is not the case be-cause life gets very hectic when you’re a senior and juggling AP and Honors courses. This year, I probably tasted the school food twice at the

most because I always find something wrong with it; either it has been served two months past its “sell by” date, or it’s just a concoction of brown stuff. I have relied on fast food to keep me energized throughout the day. There are approximately nine fast food restaurants that are within less than a block radius from HHS— and those are just the ones students are able to run to because of the 30-min-ute lunch. Fast food has become a bless-ing in disguise for me and I’m sure for most of the student body as well.

Even though I’ve gained several pounds since fresh-man year, I continue to feast on delicious chow mein with a multitude of side dishes to choose from, while shooting daggers with my eyes to the guy who works at the counter for not giving me more. Usually, I would listlessly hunch through school because I didn’t have breakfast or lunch but now, my stomach rumbles and grumbles like thunder until I can finally have my daily dose of bona fide fast food.

Fast food becomes a daily mealWOARIA RASHIDCHRONICLE REPORtER

VANESSA GARCIASPORtS EDItOR

Dear Editor,

The newspaper keeps me well informed about what goes on around school. It would be nice to see other news, though, like news about outside the school as in sports, very important news about politics or something that catches everyone’s attention. Overall the newspaper is good to read but more topics/articles should be introduced to the paper.

- Abraham Garcia, 9th Grade, SAS

Dear Editor,

I really like the newspaper; usually I just look at the pictures first. The stories are sometimes too long and are too boring to read so I only read the short ones. I like the features pages be-cause it usually has something fun to read, like the Valentine’s is-sue with its suggestions for fun and lame dates. The sports pages should include different sports each time though, and I never saw any pictures for the girl’s soccer team.

- Leslie Rodriguez, 11th Grade, TCA

Dear Editor,

What I like about the paper is that it keeps us well informed about the school and the pictures are nice. What I think would make it better would be to include more articles, perhaps even some poetry. If not, then maybe add more fun games like word searches and crossword puzzles.

- Devic Galeas, 9th Grade, MET

OP/EDAPRIL 2012 3

MAN ON THE STREETHow will the CSU enrollment freeze affect you?

“The situation makes it difficult for those who had planned to transfer to a UC, considering the chance of class shortages as a result of insuffient money. It’s going to be difficult for others who have to work harder to get into a UC.”- Amanpreet Multani, 12th Grade, SAS

“I wouldn’t care, but I know my friends would be disappointed.”

- Daniella Masangkay, 11th Grade, meT

“Doesn’t seem right. Incoming college freshmen would have to go looking out of state or to a community col-lege. It’s going to be hard especially because not all of them match up or apply themselves enough for a UC.”

- Rob Getilban, 10th Grade, MET

“It’s going to be harder for kids who wanted to apply there as a back-up school, because it won’t be accessible any more. They might even have to go to a CC, which might not be something they had planned.”

- Natalie Hernandez, 11th Grade, SAS

Interviewed andPhotographedby: Nanette Liberatori(Chronicle Reporter)andKarina Galvan(Editor-in-Chief)

Recently, the murder of young T r a y v o n Martin has been mak-ing news all over the c o u n t r y ,

but has had a direct affect in Florida. The problem revolved around the Neighborhood Watch leader George Zimmer-man of age 28, who allegedly

Bright, blaring, and oppressive lights spar-kle in the New York City skyline, stretching into infin-

ity. New York City is the city of dreams, and from past experience as well as this one-in-a-lifetime trip, I am

sure to never forget it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Bill Goldyn, ex-theater teacher of Hollywood High school with his gaggling group of 40 theater aficionados and Ms. Bridges, host teacher of Hollywood’s Thespians Club, planned this trip for those inspired to take a bite out of the Big Apple and despite the monetary sacrifices made by all who attended to af-ford tickets, the experience was certainly priceless. While we were in New York, we visited the plethora of icon-

ic symbols from the mayor of Strawberry Fields to the Lady Liberty herself, immersing our-selves in another big-city cul-ture. From the solemnity of the World Trade Center memorial to the immense height of gaz-ing down upon New York City from the top of the Rockefeller center, the architecture alone is a testament to the diversity of the city. New York is a city with many faces and as a group, many of us split up to explore parts of it including Little Italy, China-

town, Coney Island, and others. But the highlights of the trip (as any theater student will agree) were the shows ranging from the deeply moving period piece about a boy and his one true love, his “War Horse,” to the wacky and flamboyant retelling of Peter Pan’s origin in “Peter and the Star catcher.” The all around favorite though, was the show “Godspell” which, during intermission, allowed audience members to join in the festivi-ties onstage. This atmosphere of openness,

passion, and fun was reflected throughout the show and the rest of New York City. The trip mixed the educational oppor-tunities of visiting Julliard and fun with the giant Ferris wheel in the Toys “R” Us store and not to mention wandering aimless-ly through the bright splendor that is Times Square. It was a trip not soon forgotten.

shot 17-year-old Trayvon Mar-tin to death on Feb 26. Zimmerman was not put in jail immediately because many argued that it was a form of self-defense. However, after his first court appearance on April 12, Zimmerman was finally charged with second-degree murder, which came as a relief to many who wanted to see Zimmerman punished. On the day of the crime, Zimmerman, who was on watch at the time, had called the police to let them know what was going on. The police responded to Zimmerman by

telling him to leave everything alone and to just wait for them to arrive. He didn’t listen and did the complete opposite; he “took matters into his own hands” by shooting Martin. Police should have arrested Zimmerman on the spot when they arrived at the crime scene, particularly because he was in possession of a gun. It’s unfair because if Martin had killed Zimmerman, he would have already been in jail and sentenced to over ten years in prison or juvenile prison. That’s merely because many people

have negative views about Afri-can-American’s and stereotype them as being “hoodlums” who only look for trouble. This was an act of inhuman-ity, a boy with no defense just shot and killed. Aside from that, authorities didn’t take much action in trying to find Zim-merman and bringing him to justice. This is not the first time this has happened; injustices made from brutality and racism shouldn’t be left without pun-ishment. If he, Trayvon, were my broth-

er, I would want the person who killed him put in jail right away. Trayvon was a high school student, a son, and a friend to many who knew him. He didn’t deserve to die that way. Zimmerman was fully aware of his actions, self-defense or not, and it was a crime that could have and would have been avoided had he just fol-lowed the instructions directed to him by the police. That wasn’t the case though, and therefore his actions turned into a crime for which he is now being pros-ecuted.

Justice for Trayvon

Taking a bite of the Big Apple

JENNIFER GUIDOCHRONICLE REPORtER

SAVVY DUPLISSEACHRONICLE CONtRIbUtOR

4 APRIL 2012

NEWS

Senior Hemashary Juarez is a partici-pant in the Donate Life Run/ Walk in memory of her brother Spencer Juarez who passed away during a football game. Donate Life Run/ Walk will be held on April 28 at the California State University, Fullerton’s field. The Donate Life Run/Walk is a three-mile course dedicated to organ donors who passed away. The participants con-sist of organ donors, families of organ donors, and organ recipients. Hemashary’s group, “The Flying Jala-penos,” consists of family, friends, and supporting teachers. Manuel Alas, Geof-frey Buck, Juan Burciaga, Alvin Jackson, Eric Burns and several students will

participate in memory of Spencer. “Our first year was really fun and special to see people who [are] going through the grief I’m going through,” said Hemashary. To register, individuals are required to pay $20 to the sponsoring organization One Legacy, which pays for the snacks, water, and personalized t-shirts that participants will receive at the event. The event will be held from 9 A.M. to noon. Afterwards, participants can visit a garden honoring the donors who passed away. “I’m always running [in races] but this race is more important because it’s for him,” said Hemashary.

WOARIA RASHID CHRONICLE REPORtER

Running for the Flying Jalapeño

Students experience real military trainingKARINA GALVANEDItOR-IN-CHIEF

The ROTC team left for camp on Thursday, March 23 in the afternoon. They remained at the site for three days. During the course of the three days the group had hands-on training from the JROTC curriculum. Day 1 was math and science classes, Day 2 was rappelling courses, and Day 3 was obstacle courses.” The first day, the cadets learned how to do first aid, CPR, and read maps. The second day consisted of the cadets learning how to rappel off a 70-foot cliff (with instructors supervising) and learning how to tie a knot, which was meant to teach them safety. The third day required full energy from the cadets since it involved different and diffi-cult obstacle courses requiring speed. “Camp SLO was an unforgetta-ble experience. Not only did we make new friends, but we also

received hands-on experience of military life while having fun,” said SAS junior, Ariadna Ariel, “We acquired new leadership skills, military skills and life skills such as map reading and how to save a life. My first year at Camp San Luis Obispo was remarkable, especially because I rappelled for the first time and I think I got a little buffer.” “Camp is supposed to be a re-ward for the students who do well in the program,” said SFC Adams. “They get to get over their fears of height, they get challenged physically and get to eat well and meet new people.” All 17 schools in the district with a ROTC program went to camp. “Camp SLO was a fun new ex-perience. I got the opportunity to make new friends and learn new things,” said SAS junior Es-tefani Luna. The camp, along with rigorous tasks also held a small party on their second night there. It al-lowed for the cadets to get to know other cadets from differ-ent schools.

Michael Ulmer introduced Regi-na Hirsch and Harry Davids, Holo-caust survivors, to his ninth grade students on March 29. “We Jews are survivors,” said Hirsch, now 84 years old. Her fam-ily got a room that allowed them to hide from the Nazis. While they were hiding there, they weren’t allowed to have valuable posses-sions such as bikes or radios. For four years, her little sister Lily helped them elude the Nazis as the family’s spy. When warned of impending danger, they would

hide in Jewish cemeteries, in at-tics, and in straw houses. Eventually the Germans found them in the cemetery and took them to the Auschwitz concentra-tion camp. Hirsch, then 16, wasn’t sure if she was going to be put in a crematorium, gas chamber, or used for slave labor. She was used for slave labor and it was so terrible she decided she didn’t want to live anymore. Af-ter three days of not doing any-thing, she realized it wasn’t time for her to die so she started be-having well. They gave her water and soup with a little bit of potato flavor, which was just enough to

keep her alive. In 1945, the war ended and the Allies liberated those in the con-centration camps. Hirsch and her two sisters were then released. After the war, they started looking for Joe, Hirsch’s brother, in Ger-many. They later found out that he died on the day of liberation in the hospital. Hirsch was given an education and was taken care of in Germany. Even after the Holocaust was over, she was insulted for being a Jew, but she didn’t let it get to her. “If you lose hope, you lose your life,” said Hirsch.

Holocaust Survivor SpeaksTells a miraculous storytANIA DOMINGUEzCHRONICLE REPORtER

Erick Zavala (left), Jorge Salvador (center) and Estefani Luna (right) participated in many obstacle courses during their stay in the JROtC camp at San Luis Obispo.

photo crEdit: kathErinE guZman

donate Life run/Walk is held to celebrate organ donors and organ recepients. Last year’s participants were (from left to right) Angel Contreras, Karla Hernandez, Mario b. Cecilia Flores, Hemashary Juarez, Justin Cornejo, Carlos Lopez, and Jose Valcarcel.

photo crEdit: hEmashary JuarEZ

JROTC Gets Down and Dirty

The faculty voted for choos-ing a seven period day that eliminates advisory (Op-tion A) on April 23. They will have to vote be-tween keeping the current schedule or changing to a seven-period day on April 26 and 27, according to Mi-chael Ulmer, UTLA Chapter Chair. Teachers voted on three schedule options suggested by SBM Council.

“It’s hard to tell if the schedule that is going to be on the ballot is going to pass,” said Ulmer. For a new schedule to be adopted, 50 percent of the faculty plus one must ap-prove the schedule. “If more than 50 percent of the people vote for Option A, than that is going to be the new schedule,” he said “It’s good to know that we actually have a say in our working conditions.” Results are expected to be known by April 30.

MARIA ALCOSERMANAGING EDItOR

Faculty Voted to Choose 7-period Day

APRIL 2012 5

NEWS NEWS BRIEFS Seniors who are waiting for their CAHSEE results will have to wait a little longer because the CAHSEE results from February and March have not yet come in. “All seniors, juniors, and sophomores can find out about their results by going to their counselors,” said administra-tor Tadeo Climaco. A letter will also be sent home to inform students and parents of their scores. “I encourage the students to get ready for the CAHSEE and ask for help if needed,” said Climaco.

Waiting for CAHSEE results to arrive

DAMIEN SMITH JR.

The Young Feminists Club hosted a discourse on sexual violence prevention on April 24 in room 421 during lunch. They observe Denim Day on April 25. Denim Day is an occasion when people wear jeans in protest to an Italian court decision that ultimately excused a rape because the victim was wearing tight jeans and “asking for it.” Two guest speakers shared past experiences to raise awareness of sexual violence.

Young Feminists Observe Denim Day

VANESSA GARCIA

Feminist Club silent in solidarity of LGBTQ

Feminist Club members did not speak for a whole day and handed out ribbons in solidarity of those who have to be si-lenced because of their sexual orientation. Day of Silence is held every April 20. Feminist Club promoted it throughout the entire week. Leadership also worked with the Feminist by putting flyers and posters around campus. Day of Silence is a student-led national event that brings attention to anti-LGBTQ name-calling, bullying, and ha-rassment in schools. Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) became the official organization spon-sor for the event.

JENNIFER GuIDO

Single and ready to mingle? Match Maker can help. Having trouble finding a date to prom? Leadership con-ducted a Match Maker survey, for all juniors and seniors, on April 17. This survey had questions about their inter-ests and their likes and their dislikes. Students are going to be matched according to their com-patibility with others. To get their results, students will have to pay one dollar at the student store. This was the first time Hollywood High School has taken part in an activ-ity sponsored by a company like Match Maker. Leadership wants to get as many students as possible to participate to see how it turns out. Students should expect to get a list of names in different categories if they decide to get their results.

TANIA DOMINGuEz

Aldonia “LaVerne” Fisher passed away at the age of 66 on April 8. Fisher taught in various middle and high schools and she ended her teaching career by becoming Assistant Principal at Hollywood High School. Aside from working as Assistant Principal, Fisher was also the Ad-ministrator for the Foreign Lan-guage Department. “She hired me [as a Spanish teach-er],” said Safety Coordinator Rosa Cruz. “She was very honest, classy, professional, and approachable.” After her retirement in 2008, her dedication to education contin-ued with tutoring and becoming a classroom parent at her grand-daughter’s elementary school in

Evanston, IL. Her husband, daugh-ter, granddaughter, sisters, and a host of family members will con-tinue to preserve her memory. “Working with her was really en-joyable because she was easy to

get along with,” said PAM Eng-lish teacher Essick Allen. Allen shared a story that he recalled about Fisher: Once, he [Allen] was in her office and she was talking on the phone, so while he waited, he moved an object on her desk. Without looking up, she moved it back to its original place and he contin-ued this two more times until she finally looked up and scru-tinized him. “It was a funny moment be-cause I did these things just to mess with her,” said Allen. “She was very fastidious about things being in order.” A memorial service was held April 12 at the Donnellan Fam-ily Funeral Home in Skokie, IL and was later interred in Hamp-

ton, VA. A scholarship is being funded in honor of Fisher for HHS students exclusively.

April 23, 1945 - April 8, 2012

Aldonia “LaVerne”

Fisher

Budget Woes:14 faculty members receive layoff notices

School Site Council met after school to finalize the decision for the 2012-2013 school bud-get on March 21. Principal Jaime Morales then presented the finalized pro-posal to the LAUSD District on March 28, said Gracie Quinta-nilla, SSC Secretary. During the SSC meeting sev-eral recommendations were made. For example, a approxi-mately $9,651 was released to pay for school advisory commit-tee expenses, parent training al-lowances and general supplies. There is also a possibility of having a Dean take over the Safety Coordinators duties in case funding does not allow that position. Karla Samayoa, student mem-ber and Vice Chair, afterwards motioned to take one teaching position funded by the QEIA grant to pay for a sixth coun-selor and thus release money

from the Title 1 funds to make them available to purchase oth-er needed positions. P. Walker, parent, suggested purchasing two part-time Li-brary Aides, and extra Com-munity Representative, and one more TA from the Title 1 funds. However, 10 teachers, a Safety Coordinator, a SIS Coordinator, a Work Experience Teacher, a Teacher Librarian, two Office Technicians, three Campus Aides, three teacher Assistants will be let go. The school psy-chologist will only work half time and the hours for the Mi-crocomputer Technician will also be decreased. “It will be unfortunate that we had to make cuts, but per-sonally I was upset that the cuts were not across the board,” said Quintanilla. “I am going to have more students next year because we’re cutting teachers, but counselors didn’t think that they should be more responsi-ble for more students.”

It is never easy to let people go, but that is the budget process when you simply just don’t have money, said Morales.

KARINA GALVANEDItOR-IN-CHIEF

Arts from the Ashes is an organization that uses re-cyclable material to create new pieces of art to fund-raise for people that have been affected by natural disasters. Joy Fever is the founder of Arts from the Ashes and

they contribute to other organizations such as Well-ness Works, Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health, and California School Health Centers. Arts from the Ashes is going to have a fundraiser on May 17 at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre to help build a health clinic at HHS, for students and the commu-nity, where the auto shop used to be.

Librarian position eliminated

Sherri Whitham, teacher librarian, is to be replaced by two part-time aides beginning this school year. School Site Council has decided that there is not enough money to purchase the services of a teacher librarian and instead the school will hire two part-time aides. Aides, because they are non-cre-dential, are not allowed by district law to be remain with students alone. Also, the aides will lack the training to instruct students, use subscription databases, and suggest reading material to complement the curriculum. If Whitham has enough senior-ity, she will be placed at a different school. “I encourage people to go to LASLA.net to advocate for school libraries,” she said.

MARIA ALCOSER AND DANIEL BOROR

Arts from the Ashes to help fundraise for a HHS health clinictANIA DOMINGUEzCHRONICLE REPORtER

photo crEdit: daniEL boror

The All-City Invitational Marksmanship Match for ROTC took place on Saturday April 14 at the Hollywood High School shooting range to which 17 schools from the LAUSD ROTC program are invited to each year. “It was our annual event and the Sheiks preformed re-ally well, I’m proud of the team’s hard work. Go Sheiks!” said MSG Harris. The match was conducted under the supervision of the Headquarters Staff and the DAI. Hollywood’s team consisted of five shooters (who used air-rifles for the competition): Lord Rigonan, Jem De los Reyes, Kris Bianca Balvyot, Daniel Caceres and Alssaou Thiobane. De Los Reyes, Balvyot, and Caceres were first year shooters and were the ones who struggled the most with anxiety the day of the invitational. “Our kids got nervous, especially the three new shooters, but they’ll do better next year,” said SFC Adams. Although Hollywood placed 3rd in the invitational against Lincoln High, they were ranked first place in the All-City Conference. “Hollywood placed first for the 7th year in a row,” said SFC Adams.

KARINA GALVAN

All-City Invitational Marksmanship Match

6 APRIL 2012

SPORTS

SOFTBALL

It’s swim-a-thon season for the almighty Hollywood High swim team. According to their coach, after an impressive win against Santee High School they dived into the league finals. The entire team placed first in each event from the 200 medley, to the 4x50 relay. “I think Santee did great con-sidering they had only one boy on the team,” said Alex Moshen-sky, SAS senior.

BASEBALL

KARINA GALVANEDItOR-IN-CHIEF

SwimVANESSA GARCIASPORtS EDItOR

“Our team has definitely been improving, and if everyone con-tinues practicing, then we will be better. Our next meet is go-ing to be league finals. It’s one of the most important meets of the year because it’s the quali-fier for the city meet. Everyone has to be at the top of their level because this year we need to win it all,” said Moshensky. Santee High has had trouble finding new recruits to enlarge its team, as well as Hollywood High, but the Sheiks were able to defeat the Falcons. “I am so proud of our new swimmers.

PHOtO CREDIt: VANESSA GARCIA

They try really hard and always give it their best in each and ev-ery meet. It is amazing to see how far they have come,” said Captain Rebekka Grammenos. They have had their fair share of complications when they had a meet against Maywood. When one of the swimmers was strug-gling to finish the backstroke event due to health complica-tions, they all managed to keep up and continue swimming. Coach Vladmir Lando looks for-ward to seeing what the team will overcome in the upcoming meet.

The Hollywood softball Sheiks have officially started season and are staying in the top with a current score of 9-4 overall and 4-0 in league. “We’re exceeding out goals from the beginning of season,” said coach Tony Acosta. “It’s my senior year and I’m happy that I’ll be leaving with a big victory,” said senior Jack-queline Martinez, SAS.

Austin Quinta-nilla 3rd base, #3

Jose “Palisades” GuerraCenter Field, #20

Edgardo Montesutility, #15

Elliot JimenezOutfield, #9

Freddy “Big Turk” SalazarRight Field, #24

Jose Chavez, #30Catcher/Pitcher

Jose “Darky” Her-nandezEverywhere, #14

Juan “little” Santiago1st Base, #16

With the team’s determina-tion, it is likely that they will be league champions said Acosta. After league, the team hopes to go straight to play-offs where they would like to host a home game for the first time in years. Jennifer Lopez still falls under the top 10 city strike-outs. The team’s top two hitters are Diana Martinez and Evelyn Gonzalez, Martinez being ranked as top 5 in the city and Gonzalez leading the team in home-runs. “The chemistry is starting to build up, first half they started to slack off but now it’s going

back to normal,” said Acosta Now that the team’s biggest competition against Torres has passed with a final score of 12-6. The team is working harder to beat them again on May 4th which would secure their title as league champions. With approximately five more games before the end of the season the girls are practicing together as a team to cooperate and put their skills to the best for the chance to get to play-offs.

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Enrique Lopez Del RealShortstop, #21

Antonio Garay2nd Base, #2

#20 Pre-Game Ritual: “Fix my hair”Favorite Food: EnchiladasDream Super Power: Read minds

#15 Pre-Game Ritual: “Play hard/keep head in the game”Favorite Food: MexicanDream Super Power: Fly

#9 Pre-Game Ritual: “Eat, use the restroom, lay down and listen to music”Favorite Food: LasagnaDream Super Power: Fly

#16 Pre-Game Ritual: “Pray, dedicate the game to grandpar-ent and S.J. #12”Favorite Food: Italian FoodDream Super Power: Power to stop time

#24 Pre-Game Ritual: “I do a little prayer”Favorite Food: LasagnaDream Super Power: Fly

#30 Pre-Game Ritual: “None just play hard”Favorite Food: Dad’s pastaDream Super Power: Invis-ibility

#14 Pre-Game Ritual: “Make fun of Jose “Palsades” GuerraFavorite Food: PizzaDream Super Power: Invis-ibility

#21 Pre-Game Ritual: “Listen to music and visualize”Favorite Food: Whatever the ladies likeDream Super Power: Dumb and

Dumber

#2 Pre-Game Ritual: “Say a quick prayer, and write my grandfathers initials on the infield dirt”Favorite Food: CevicheDream Super Power: X-Ray Vision

Know Your Starting Line-up

APRIL 2012 7

SPECIALApril’s Athletes of the Month

Rebekka Grammenos: Swim“Try my best everyday”

Chronicle: How do you feel about being athlete of the month?

Rebekka: I’m very sur-prised and happy to be recognized; it’s very cool.

PHOtO CREDIt: DANIEL bOROR

Chronicle: What inspired you to play volleyball?

J.R.: I just kind of picked it up on my own, but as I continue to play I become more and more inspired to get better.

Chronicle: Do you see yourself playing this sport in the future?

Rebekka: It’s more of a thing I like to do personally and not a competitive thing in college.

Chronicle: How do you con-tribute to the team?

Rebekka: I’m team captain. I make sure to always give advice, coach, always be there when people need me, and I try my best.

Chronicle: What inspired you to join swim?

Rebekka: I always loved swim-ming since I was a little girl and I thought it was a great way to have fun, exercise, and meet new people.

Chronicle: Do you see yourself playing this sport in the future?

J.R.: I’ll definitely give it a try on college volleyball even though I know the intense competition of collegiate sports but I do plan to continue play-ing beach volleyball.

Chronicle: How do you con-tribute to the team?

J.R.: Leadership and knowl-edge of the game and inten-sity because when a lot of the players are down I try to stay optimistic.

Chronicle: How do you feel about being athlete of the month?

J.R.: I feel really honored and this only motivates me more to becoming a better athlete and leader for my team.

J.R Rempola: Volleyball

“Be better than I was yesterday”

Track & Field

PHOtO CREDIt: NAtALIE HERNANDEz

The competition for the Hol-lywood Sheiks begins to heat up with league finals approaching within less than a month. So far, the team has lost about every meet to date leaving them in 7th place in league. However, the distance coach Adolfo Car-cano believes that they “are do-ing absolutely fine.” He points out that the runners are im-proving and are more in shape opposite to their start. “We are now beginning to see their full potential and it’s hap-pening at the right moment,” said Carcano. “When I started track I thought it was gonna be a big challenge but when season started it was all good and easy,” said fresh-man Tiffany Ortiz. Carcano hopes to see the

PHOtO CREDIt: bERNARDO SOSA, bERNICE ORtIz, AND SHA-RON SANtOS

athletes at their best to “win League Finals and come home league champions.” Juan Reyes (Distance), Mari Santos (Sprinter), and Mikko Villaluna (Field) are among the top placing athletes on the team. On Friday April 20, the team raced against Santee, last race before going into the Southern League Prelims, the precursor meet, which is dated for May 10th at Santee. Hollywood High fell behind and was unable to defeat San-tee but hopes to beat them at Finals. “Well, I stopped running for four months because of an in-jury and 2 weeks ago I ran a 6:00 mile and on Friday I ran a 5:25 mile. Hopefully in 2 weeks I can run a sub- 5 minute mile so I can make it to finals,” said

junior Alfredo Robles. “The biggest competition for Hollywood High has been San-tee, [with] an all around track program, they are the best school in our league [and] will be the team to beat at League Finals,” said Carcano. With Finals coming up, the team has been practicing with different workouts each day, which have “proven favorable” for each individual runner. Only the best athletes in the league will qualify for city pre-lims and from there on only the runners who prove worthy will advance to City Finals. “We are a growing program at Hollywood High School with young athletes. With the given time, we will become better and eventually, be one of the fa-vorites in the Southern League,” said Carcano.

KARINA GALVANEDItOR-IN-CHIEF

Mikko Villaluna (on the left) practicing his jumps on the hurdles. Mari Santos (on the right) focusing on her shot put event against belmont.

Interviewed by tania Dominguez(Chronicle Reporter)

Interviewed byDaniel boror(Chronicle Reporter)

8 APRIL 2012

ENTERTAINMENTThe Girls Everyone Loves to HateDamian: She’s fabulous, but she’s evil.

Mean Girls is coming to Room 503 from June 6-7 with two separate performances at 1:00 P.M. and 4:30 P.M. Kate Bridges’ drama students will bring an adaptation of the movie that starred Lindsay Lo-han, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfreid to the small auditorium early this June. Some of the creative liberties Bridges is taking with the story include a larger variety of mu-sic, a slightly condensed scene or two, and even some dancing.

The nuances of female social life portrayed in the original film captured the attention of the fair sex largely because they present a deep series of char-acters that girls can more read-ily empathize with. The cast believes that their play would therefore attract a strong fol-lowing from girls who enjoyed the original movie. PAM junior Jade Hill, who is going to be portraying Ms. Nor-bury, said that she prepares for her role by, “Studying her be-havior in the movie.” This is not her only prep work however, like many people, there is a certain degree of ner-vousness on stage to overcome. “It is nerve racking performing

in front of a live audience...but you have to face your fears.” Other cast members are step-ping up to personal challenges as well. PAM senior Luisa Rodriguez, who is playing the role of Re-gina George, said, “I’m glad I got the role because it’s a chal-lenge; I’m used to playing the sweet girl. I get to step out of my comfort zone.” Admissions are based on a do-nation system with a suggested minimum of $3 per person.

Jennifer Guido and Vanessa Garcia contributed to this article.

WILLIAM SAN NICOLASCOPY EDItOR

Social Commentary Overlooked in Favor of Romance

Regardless of the everlasting trope that is the romantic tri-angle, The Hunger Games can-not hide that in the end, it is a movie about (spoiler alert) 22 teenagers dying progressively more gruesome deaths. What The Hunger Games did do was overemphasize the ro-mance while ignoring the op-portunity to highlight the totali-tarian regime that is Panem. Everyone always says, “The book was better,” for a good rea-son. Katniss explained at length the revolution against the Capi-tol and described the poverty the majority of the districts faced on a daily basis. The more affluent districts live lives of overconsumption, vapid posturing, and ignorance

because they choose to be hap-py with the status quo. What does that say of present day Americans, the ancestors of these shiny, empty crea-tures? The majority of the social com-mentary was lost amongst the glitz and glamour of the typical teen movie, which may have been a good call if one is to look at the box office suc-cess the movie has had. At least The Hun-ger Games presents a strong female role model that does not harken to the “heroine” from another teen franchise. Katniss, played by Jennifer Lawrence, is

assertive, resourceful, strong,

and very much capable against her stronger opponents. She demonstrates her vicious will to

live and achieve freedom, which incites a rebel-lion against Panem’s to-talitarian re-gime. Maybe decades ear-lier she could have been a part of the Occupy Wall Street genera-tion. While strong, Kat-niss does not lack compas-sion, which makes her an excellent

character overall. She is merely an unlucky girl who is thrust into the Capi-

tol’s pissing contest against the citizens. Katniss is given the opportu-

nity to kill several of her oppo-nents, but does not do so until another kills someone dear to her. She can only kill once some-one has violated her moral code, and this is what makes her such an excellent heroine. The cinematography and cast-ing of the film was excellent, by large, as the adaptation proved faithful to the novel. The beauty of the scenes was magnified be-cause of how they were juxta-posed with the violence. Book purists will most likely dislike the amount of scenes that were cut, but there weren’t as many cut as with the Harry Potter series, so they’ll be fine. There won’t be an uproar over changed eye color or hair color, at the very least. They convey that Panem’s beauty is slowly being destroyed by the festering virus that is the Capitol. Overall, I’d give The Hunger Games 4/5 stars.

KARLA SAMAYOAEDItOR-IN-CHIEF

Titanic 3D: A Sinking Disappointment

Titanic, the heartbreaking, ro-mantic melodrama that every person on this planet is aware of according to its $2 billion profit, hit theaters again earlier this month in 3D. Although we must admit that James Cameron is a great film-maker and has great ability when it comes to his films, the new 3D version of the 1997 motion picture isn’t as great as expected. Avatar demonstrated his fantastic ability to produce a product that utilizes 3D to its maximum benefit, but convert-ing the classic film proved more challenging.

When one thinks of Titanic, we immediately reflect back to Jack Dawson and Rose (no one both-ers to remember her last name) and their love affair surpassing all odds and class dis-tinctions. Occasion-ally, we remember Cal, the enormous elitist jerk who was the key villain (until the ice-berg hit the scene). However, no one really thinks the ship is that critical until it begins to sink. Why would we care until it proves a danger? Remastering the movie into 3D format seems to be a misstep in Camer-on’s career. There is no terrify-ing action scene or speed chase

or a possessed ship hunting down Rose and Jack. Beauty and the Beast never

became a 3D movie because the producers understood there

was no positive result to come from spending millions to con-vert a movie to a headache-in-

ducing mess. Originally, the movie proves to be a compelling story and satire about the shallow lives of the rich. Who can forget the classic dinner scene where Jack is discriminated against for being poor? Instead of eliciting an emo-tional response,

the moment felt washed out and pale. If the colors of the 1997 ver-

sion were more vivid than the 2012 version, they’re doing

something wrong. The only scene that actually fit the whole 3D effect was the remarkable scene of the sinking ship. That’s the only scene that was made for 3D. Other than that, the film fails as this year’s big 3D release. Instead of doing this overblown 3D affair, they should have pro-duced the Titanic 2 movie that has a trailer floating around on YouTube. Now that would be worth the 3D expense. Nothing will ever compare to the emotional impact that the original films produced. It will always hold its title as “the world’s most beloved and ac-claimed film.” Many will “never let go” of that first experience.

KARINA GALVANKARLA SAMAYOAEDItORS-IN-CHIEF

PHOtO CREDIt: VANESSA GARCIA

tara baudmann and Mara Patterson rehearse a scene from Mean Girls.

Katniss weilds her bow expertly to shoot an en-emy offscreen.

tHEHUNGERGAMESMOVIE.COM

the most well-known scene in the movie still brings forth emotional impact.

CREDIt: tItANICMOVIE.COM

APRIL 2012 9

ENTERTAINMENTHow to Be a Yogi, Young Grasshopper

When you see a jovial person walking or strutting down the street during a crummy after-noon, it is difficult to restrain yourself from murmuring hor-rendous things about said per-son, but in your subconscious (located in the primitive parts of the brain: the medulla ob-longata and the limbic system) you wish to be as happy and as sprightly as that person. Well here is the secret young grass-hoppers: YOGA.

Of course, if you do not want to work through the strenu-ous Down Dog, Lotus Tree, or Warrior I/II poses just for in-ternal and external relaxation, strength, and health benefits, here are a few easy tricks to achieve external happiness similar to a true yogi (a person who practices yoga). Occasionally wear yoga pants to look the part of a yogi. Yogis usually look relaxed and cool, so purchase several stretchy but appealing yoga pants to attract someone with your harmoni-ous poise. Pretend that you did NOT re-

ceive an “F” in your class and all is right with the world. Experts say that if you merely imagine in your mind that you’re filled with confidence, your subconscious will accept that as true and when repeated often enough, your behavior will change. That is, you will become the person you want to be. Avoid friends with bad auras. Negative people bring down your mood and the atmosphere around them. If your friends are: sobbing because their boyfriend was glancing at another girl, the drama queens (or kings) who

get furious when attention is di-verted from them, the constant talker who interrupts you just to put their two cents in, or the one who requires endless help because their “life is over” ev-ery day; then it’s time for you to find new friends or fly solo because truth be told, they are most likely sucking the life out of you. Talk in a “zen” voice. This is difficult to master because you may be pegged as a pothead prototype for your laidback dis-position. Soften your face. If your face is tightly gripped and you have

the demeanor of an intimidat-ing person who participates in a fight club during the wee hours of the night and steals candy from babies for fun, then there is a problem. SMILE. Sure, you might ap-pear a little odd smiling for no apparent reason, but that’s the first step to being happy and comfortable with yourself: ac-cepting that you’re unusual and darn proud! Others will envy you.

WOARIA RASHIDCHRONICLE REPORtER

Wrath of the Titans: See It For the FX

I left behind the sounds of the whining children and obnoxious elderly occupying the snack bar in exchange for a comfy seat in a pleasant theater. I put on my 3-D glasses as indicated on the screen and marveled for a mo-ment at how real the guy’s head in front of me seemed. Perhaps the movie would be just as im-pressive as this new special ef-fect. Wrath of the Titans is the se-quel to the film Clash of the Titans. Following the adven-tures of the demigod Perseus, it tells the tale of a conspiracy to bring back Zeus’s evil molten lava monster dad, Cronos, and of Perseus’s endeavors to stop him from burning people and dramatic landscapes. If watching a movie means to you paying special attention to its plot as well as its cool special effects, then I would not recom-mend this movie. For instance, one of the most obvious and almost hilarious inconsistencies in the whole

movie was the way Zeus was treated upon his capture by Ar-ies and Hades. He is of course, chained up al-most immediately for dramatic effect. But it appears that he is then subjected to being chained up again at least one or two more times. Were his chains re-moved earlier to be polished? Did they chafe him so much that they had to release him for a second and switch to the sensi-tive skin variety? Whatever it is, it doesn’t add up because they wind up practically melting his arms at some point in his cap-ture anyway. Any twists that were attempt-ed for an effort at brain stimu-lation were met with dismal failure. The least predictable thing in the movie was when Hades decided to help Zeus in the final battle...mostly because he chained up and tortured the guy for most of the movie. That weird plot device was more of a bend than a twist in hindsight. The lesser bad guy teaming up with the good guy to fight a common enemy is nothing really special. Besides a mild case of the

bends, the film felt predictable, so much so that I was almost convinced that I was the head case responsible for writing the script in the first place. I knew exactly who would win every fight and which band of war-riors would remain alive, based simply on how many main char-acters were involved in the con-flict. Overall, the movie made no special effort to tell a well craft-ed, unique story, but to be fair, it made no indication that it would do otherwise. Wrath of the Titans did exhibit some charm that managed to outshine the rest of the medical waste mentioned earlier. The comic relief found in the son of Poseidon who managed to pull off a few good chuckles and that sneaky mechanical owl (it serves as a reference to the orig-inal Clash of the Titans) made a brief, but humorous cameo. Also working in its favor is the variety of environment that managed to be worked into it. Being taken from lost islands to deserts, the underworld, and back to Greece is a good source of vicarious pleasure.

Overall, this was an okay movie. The plot and story was weak, but the parts one would come to watch it for (fighting and special effects) were strong in

its defense. I would give it a 6.5 out of 10. Not the greatest thing I have seen, but it left a better taste in my mouth than that hot dog from the snack counter.

WILLIAM SAN NICOLASCOPY EDItOR

Surviving a Dull Period...WILLIAM SAN NICOLASCOPY EDItOR

WRAtHOFtHEtItANS.WARNERbROS.COM

the gods must find a way to defeat the titans in this epic clash.

10 APRIL 2012

FEATURES

evance within each SLC. Three years ago the WASC rep-resentatives criticized the lack of curriculum development for the Advisory class. In addition, they suggested that the Small Learning Communities increase the work in terms of being able to enhance the personalization of educational experience for the students. The school presented itself with many new improvements and showed that it had made “significant progress” since 2009. The comments made related to previous follow-ups that had been recommended noted that the school had increased parent and community communica-tion and involvement, and that students had more confidence in their administration and ac-tually felt supported by their teachers and staff. In an excerpt from the 2012 preliminary report, it was men-

tioned that the staff and admin-istration have embraced the concept of Small Learning Com-munities and are enthusiastic about the additional implemen-tation of Project-Based Learn-ing. In spite of this, WASC recom-mended the administration and staff “explore options to their bell schedule” which would al-low increased collaboration time for staff and more focus time for intervention with stu-dents in risk of failing or falling behind in their testing.They also suggested that a more involved meeting session take place in order to achieve a greater development within the classrooms. The members of the Visiting team don’t make the final deci-sion regarding the number of years of accreditation, said Mo-rales. “I was told that their rec-ommendations was going to be for a full three years.”

WASC Continued

1. Don’t plagiarize unless you want to be guilt-tripped, lectured, called for a parent conference, or have your chances of getting into college decreased.2. Dedicate two-three hours of studying for AP; if you can’t handle this idea then DON’T take it.3. Participate! Visualize yourself in a college class be-cause that is what you should do if you want to stand out.4. Drink liquids so that you don’t pass out.5. Are you a procrastinator? If yes, then be prepared to have loads of homework every night! If not, then keep it up!6. Talk to the teacher frequently because it will be simi-lar to visiting a college professor.7. READ! Don’t expect the answer to come to you from heaven.8. Be organized or you will never be able to find your notes before the exam.9. Use a study guide, flashcards, or the app on your phone to study whenever you have time.10. Set a day aside to study with your friends once a week.

AP TIPS

-Woaria Rashid

FEATURESAPRIL 2012 11

After all of the hard work and learning I have endured as part of the AP experience, I can hon-estly say that its influence on my life has been a positive one. The impact AP has had on me came not so much from tests and GPA buffers, but from the classes themselves. That is because to succeed in any given AP class from Com-puter Science to European His-tory, one is required to stand up to a higher standard of study, work, and dedication. At first this benchmark of sweat and tears seems intimidating, but as the semester goes by and the student becomes inured to it. The other classes, honors or otherwise, appear much less challenging and the average work load seems smaller in comparison. This new point of view available only from some-thing akin to the AP experience becomes invaluable to anybody trying to balance work and play. With a higher threshold for work, more can be accom-plished without breaks or dis-tractions. A larger mental stamina for homework and studying is not

From left: German Velasquez, winner of the ninth grade level division, and Andrew Cortes, runner-up of the eleventh grade division, being recognized for their award winning entries for the LA times Education & Hitachi Global Warming Poster Contest on thursday, April 19th. both will have their pictures taken and put in the LA times in commemoration of their excep-tional work.

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the only thing I have had to gain from an AP class. Because AP classes are the highest in diffi-culty level in the school, there is a much faster and more rig-orous pace for lessons and in class projects. Students who are advanced in the subject they took their AP in benefit greatly from this, for it gives them the opportunity to push themselves harder in subjects that would otherwise offer no challenge at all. AP also gives participants a glimpse of the things to come in a higher education. When plan-ning for college, this advantage clears the fog in regards to how college classes may operate and to what standards would they hold a student to. Needless to say, it prevents one from get-ting too arrogant and it forces college-bound students to more carefully consider how they want to balance their majors with their other required sub-jects. For these reasons and sev-eral more, AP is something that every college bound student should aspire to no matter the SLC. Honestly, it requires a lot of work, but to get the really good things in life takes just a little more effort.

WILLIAM SAN NICOLASCHRONICLE REPORtER

New Requirement for AP Applicants

Students wishing to take an AP class next school year had to take a placement test before signing up for the class. The purpose of these exams was “to better prepare students for the rigor and commitment

of an AP class,” said Heather Brown, College Counselor. The decision to have students take entry exams was not to limit entrance into the AP pro-gram, said Brown, “the purpose was to make sure that students were absolutely prepared.” The faculty decided to have students take an entry exam

to make sure that students had enough motivation to attend the after school session and go through an appeal process if they did not meet the stan-dards. According to Brown, students who did not perform satisfac-tory on their entry exams and still wished to take the class

were required to go through an appeal process in which the student’s parent would have to talk to the counselor to make sure that they knew what their child was signing up for. Future AP students were also advised to attend after school meeting to inform them about the curriculum for each AP class

that they wished to take. “It is not about us saying yes or no,” said Brown “It’s about making sure that students are absolutely prepared.”

MARIA ALCOSERMANAGING EDItOR

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

As I sat there with a blank face looking at this test that I absolutely had no clue on and thought to myself “Why am I being tested on something that I haven’t learned a bit of?” I thought the whole idea of taking a placement test was foolish and useless. I was furi-ous at the idea but then after awhile I began to realize that taking this test was for our own good. Our counselors were tired of seeing many students

fail an AP course because it was too hard to handle. I know that if I enroll myself for a class that is too advanced for it and me will ruin my GPA. On top of that I wouldn’t be able to drop the class since I signed a contract stating that regardless of my situation I can not drop an AP class. Now that we all have to take a test to see if we will be eligible to enroll ourselves for any AP classes really pleases me be-cause I would rather know be-forehand that I am not advanced enough to take the class instead

of realizing it when it when it’s too late. Also I really dislike it when someone that clearly does not belong in the class and is in there and not doing anything, becomes a bother and distur-bance to the class and me. Tak-ing this test will make it easier for teachers because people up to their standards will make the classes flow a little easily and no one stays behind. It might be a bummer to see that you aren’t eligible, but it’s better to know that before your GPA is ruined. Taking this test is the best thing done here at HHS.

VANESSA GARCIASPORtS EDItOR

When I first signed up for AP European History at the end of my freshman year, I was expect-ing a couple of “all-nighters” several times a week. It didn’t ease my anxiety when Mr. Burciaga started talking about how rigorous the curric-ulum was. To miss one day was the equivalent of missing an en-tire week he said. Unfortunately, many of us were not prepared to take a col-lege level course. I still expected to be guided step by step and it

was a complete shock when we were left to learn the material on my own. To be honest, I received the lowest score possible on the AP test and I now understand that it was fair. I mean, who can honestly ex-pect to receive a five by chatting away with friends and listening to a lectures now and then? Now that I think about it, I do not know what was my reason-ing for choosing AP European History. I don’t even like history. That is why I always put the books away and never studied. To be successful in an AP class,

you must invest hours of work. Most importantly, do not expect to learn the material by perus-ing the Barron’s workbook over spring break (although I hear it has been done.) AP courses should not be taken lightly. To waste an entire year goofing off in an AP class is to waste time that could have been better spent. Trust me; I learned the hard way.

MARIA ALCOSERMANAGING EDItOR

12 APRIL 2012

Rally up foR the spRing season

CLASS OF 2012 attends their last pep rally

Juniors are excited to see drill team perform

CLASS OF 2014 are waiting for the rally to begin

Second pep rally for the Class of 2015

batter up for Hollywood’s baseball team

Drill team leaves the crowd breathless

Cheerleaders showing off their final move

PHOtO CREDIt:DAMIEN SMItH