5 ways to stay productive at home

Posted on May 11, 2020 by frida larios in Entertainment, Features

Frida Larios
Opinion Editor

During quarantine, it’s easy to feel like you haven’t been doing much. Like a lot of people, I’ve been binge watching a lot of shows and staying in my room all day. After awhile, this can feel like a drag so here are some ways to start being productive.

Cooking- cooking can be scary for some people but if you want to kill time and learn something new, searching up a recipe to follow is the way to go. The possibilities are endless.

Go for a daily walk around your neighborhood- Going on walks can get your body moving without getting you extremely tired. The days are starting to get longer and the weather is getting nicer so it’s a perfect way to take advantage of it. Don’t forget your face mask.

Catch up on school work- This is pretty self explanatory. It’s really easy to fall behind during these times and catching up will lift a weight off your shoulders.

Start a new hobby- We have more time right now than we may ever have again. Its the perfect time to start something you’ve been thinking about doing for awhile. My new hobbies are cooking and planting.

Clean your room and home- Spring cleaning may be one of the best ways to stay productive and organized. It can be annoying to clean so much but you will thank yourself for it later on.

The need for leniency

Posted on April 26, 2020 by frida larios in Op-Ed

Frida Larios

Opinion editor

Quarantine and online learning has been going on for awhile now. Due to the virus many of us are at home with our families trying to stay safe and adjusting to online school. Online school is different for every student, but in my experience with it, I’ve noticed that some teachers are assigning more work now than they were while at school. It’s frustrating to me because right now I am more concerned about my family and I’s health than I am school work.

I understand that school must go on, but having three different assignments at a time for one class isn’t ideal. At school, some classes were more slowly paced than they are now online. I currently have more assignments for one of my electives than I do for an AP class, it doesn’t make sense to me. Everyone’s priority should be their health right now and not unnecessary amounts of schoolwork. Not to mention, seniors trying to complete the steps to enroll into college. In just one week, I attended four zoom orientations that lasted over two hours each.

The district made the decision to not give out any failing grades for this semester, a D being the lowest which can help out many students struggling during this time. Most teachers are also being very lenient with their students, but others are just assigning way too much work. We are all adapting to this new way of learning but they should understand that school isn’t everyone’s top priority during this time.

How to make Quarantine Coffee

Posted on April 10, 2020 by frida larios in Features

Frida Larios
Opinion Editor

Quarantine could get pretty boring. People are coming up with ways to stay busy and entertained by doing things such as themed dinners and making a special kind of coffee. A lot of these trends are seen on TikTok which is what I personally saw this trend on.

Dalgona coffee, which is also known as “Tiktok coffee” is easy to make, and is a great alternative to Starbucks if you don’t feel like waiting in long drive thru lines. All you need is three ingredients; Instant coffee, sugar, and boiling water. These are typical household items many people have.

To make this coffee, you need to mix equal parts of each ingredient into a bowl (I used two table spoons of each) and whisk it until it becomes a thick, creamy texture. Whisking the coffee could take awhile, but it’s so worth it. Once you’re done whisking and have the desired texture, you can then pour it on top of a glass of your favorite milk (I used oat milk) and enjoy!

Coping with COVID-19

Posted on March 26, 2020 by frida larios in Features

Frida Larios

Opinion editor

Let’s face it, we are living in a really horrifying time right now. Every time we turn on our television or even check our phone notifications, some news appears about the coronavirus. Everything is changing rapidly, only two weeks ago we were still able to go out and go to school.

With everything going on right now, it may be hard foe people to keep up and anxiety in others is spiking. It could be challenging to perform your usual therapeutic routines such as hiking right now, but here are some safe alternatives to help you cope with coronavirus anxiety.

The guided meditation app called Headspace is offering free meditations, sleep guides, and movement exercises to help people through stress and anxiety at this time.

Limit your intake of news. Its common to refresh the news every hour or so, but this could have a negative impact on your mental health.

Maintain a regular routine for sanity. This could mean having your meals at consistent times every day, having a regular sleep schedule, daily or weekly cleaning. This could help you give a sense of control in your life.

Life as a grocery store worker during a pandemic

Posted on March 15, 2020 by frida larios in Op-Ed

Frida Larios

Opinion Editor

As I hope everyone knows, we are in the middle of a pandemic. Today, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that all businesses such as nightclubs, bars, and movie theaters will be closing. Businesses that will stay open are grocery stores, pharmacies, and food banks.

I have been working at a grocery store for one year and I love it. My store in particular gets very busy every day because of our location in the middle of Hollywood, but I have never seen anything like this. All of our sections are empty, we had to close down our meat and egg sections since we had nothing. Lines curve around the store and giving out samples has now turned into sanitizing carts and baskets instead. I am personally very afraid of going into work at this time because I live with my grandparents who are especially vulnerable to this virus, but for now I will have to hope for the best and work less hours.

Math teacher uses her musical skills for a good cause

Posted on May 15, 2019 by frida larios in Features, News

Frida Larios

Chronicle Reporter

In an email recently sent to staff, PAM algebra 2 and pre-calculus teacher Alissa Abad explained a project she started to help raise money for the class of 2020 while practicing her violin skills.

The goal was to practice violin for 600 minutes.

“The reward for completing this challenge is
obviously for me to improve my musical skills, but there is also an opportunity for people to pledge money towards fulfilling the 600 minute goal, in which I will give 100% of the pledge money to a charity. Last year I raised some money to go towards the graduating class funds at my previous school. This year, I would like to give that to our very own Class of 2020.”

Abad asked for a donation of 1 cent or more a minute so if she reached 600 minutes, she would have at least $6 to donate to the junior class, but by the time she reached her 600 minute goal, she reached more than she initially thought.

“In total, a check of $146.05 will be written for next year’s graduating class.” Abad wrote in a follow up email.

“I am grateful for Miss Abad for doing that for us because that was her personal time.”

Says PAM junior, Jasmin Kim.

“I am thankful for the other teachers as well for participating because they didn’t have to do that.”

Start preparing for AP exams

Posted on April 23, 2019 by frida larios in Announcements, News

Frida Larios

Chronicle Reporter

This year’s AP (Advanced Placement) exams are approaching quickly with the first one being on May 7.

Many students taking AP courses are also taking the exam so here are a few tips to pass that exam.
1) Start from scratch
Go through all of your notes starting from the beginning of the 2018-2019 year. Going through your notes can help refresh your memory on older material.

2) Invest in an AP prep book
There are AP prep books for every AP course available. These books have tips and tricks to pass your specific exam as well as previous test questions.

3) Complete practice essays
Your AP exam will most likely have an essay question, luckily, there are many practice essays and essay prompts from previous years available online.

Start applying for Hollywood High scholarship(s)

Posted on March 25, 2019 by frida larios in Uncategorized

As the seniors begin to receive their acceptance letters, they also have to begin thinking of how to pay for college. Hollywood High is here to help out by handing out scholarships to a handful of seniors.

Achieve The Honorable Scholarship Night will be held on June 5th at 6pm. Ms Pinedo posted a link to a brag sheet that seniors can fill out and list any awards, activities, etc to help themselves stand out.

There will be 13 scholarships, some being handed out to multiple students. There are scholarships for dedicated marching band students, creative students, students who are pursuing a career in engineering, and more. You can go to the college center to get a scholarship application and apply for any scholarship you think fit you. The deadline to apply is April 25th.

Cool off this spring with some boba tea

Posted on March 12, 2019 by frida larios in Features, Op-Ed

Frida Larios
Chronicle Reporter

With our clocks changed for daylight savings, it’s a sign that spring is approaching.

One of my favorite things to do during a sunny day is sip on a refreshing drink, but sometimes lemonade and Arizona teas get old so here are some great boba places to try near by.

1. It’s Boba Time
This boba shop is probably the most well known in Los Angeles because there are many locations including one down the street from our school. If you’re looking for just a quick drink of boba this is the place to go.
6660 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

2. Pearl’s Finest Teas
This fairly new boba shop is very well known for their creative drinks such as their Horchata Milk Tea, and Orange Yuzu which has an instagram-worthy look to it. It’s located right in the heart of Fairfax and is perfect for people looking for something different.
523 N Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90048

3. Mini Monster
Located in Citywalk, just take the red line from Hollywood and Highland to Universal City for this very unique and adorable boba shop. You can choose if you want your beverage in a regular plastic cup, or a giant glass light bulb which you can refill for half the price of whichever drink you want. You also get the option to put a flower crown on your drink or cotton candy.
1000 Universal Hollywood Dr Suite 143, Universal City, CA 91608

How to prepare for SAT day

Posted on February 26, 2019 by frida larios in Uncategorized

Frida Larios

Chronicle reporter

As most Hollywood High juniors know, we are getting the chance to take the SAT with essay for free next Wednesday.

The thought of the SAT scares many people because they do not know how to prepare themselves so here’s a few tips to help prepare yourself.

1) Practice on Khan Academy every night.
Khan Academy offers a free SAT prep program which can help you track what you need to improve on, and will give you questions similar to the actual SAT.

2) Read the SAT prep book
SAT and ACT prep books are available in front of the college center for free. They have questions from years before so you can see what types of questions and problems you will see on the test.

3) Get tutoring for subjects you know you struggle with
If your teachers offer after school tutoring, go and ask for help. If they don’t, LACER offers after school tutoring every day in the library.

4) Brush up on your grammar and vocabulary
This will be very important since we are being offered the essay section as well and will help you in the long run. Along with Khan Academy, another academic website that can help you with this is Shmoop.