How to Study for the SAT/ACT
Posted on January 19, 2018 by Stephanie Elliott Starks in Features
Katie Adaya
Chronicle Reporter
- If you don’t know how to prepare for the SAT or ACT, Santa Monica College is offering free SAT/ACT prep to help strengthen your score. It will be held at the Santa Monica Library on Saturday, January 20th from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. To reserve a spot or for more information contact by calling (310)575-1847 or emailing info@magentaed.com.
- Khan Academy also offers free help for the SAT. By connecting it with CollegeBoard, they get access to your previous scores, whether it’s your past SAT or PSAT scores. When getting access to your information, you will receive help in areas you need to improve on. Also, you can personalize it by working it around your schedule. You can begin practicing at https://www.khanacademy.org/sat
- You can also take free online lectures for the SAT at http://academicearth.org/sat/ . This website offers six courses in which you can choose from to gain help from. The courses include courses such as helping you improve your essay, critical thinking, and the math portion as well.
- Self-studying is another option you can choose from. Looking at online videos or purchasing books to help you focus on your goal is a great way to go. This way to go will benefit you because you’ll be able to work around your schedule and be able to focus on what needs most improvement.
Give back this Christmas
Posted on December 8, 2017 by Stephanie Elliott Starks in Announcements, Entertainment, Features
Nick Macadaan
Chronicle Reporter
While the holidays are usually full of parties, fun, and gifts, it is also a time to give to others. Here are three things to do over the holiday break to get on Santa’s nice list:
1. Donate gifts to Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots is run by the U.S. marine corps and every year they collect new unwrapped gifts to hand out to needy kids. There are many drop off locations throughout the city. If you do not have an extra gift, you can also make a donation online at toysfortots.org.
2. Volunteer at food on foot
Food on Foot is an organization in Hollywood that serves the homeless. For a donation of 25 dollars, people can go serve food to a group of homeless people who have cleaned up Hollywood under the supervision of the organization leaders. After the service, they tell their personal stories about their background and progress towards finding work and housing.
3. Visit LA Works Website
You can visit www.laworks.com and view their list of community service that you can volunteer for. There is a variety of ways to help out listed on the website.
Keep active during Winter Break with these amusement parks
Posted on December 7, 2017 by Stephanie Elliott Starks in Entertainment, Features
Jack Cortez
Chronicle Reporter
Looking for something to do over winter break? Here are three places you can go to kill your boredom and get festive over break:
CHILL at Queen Mary, with a 38,000-square foot Ice Adventure Park featuring a two story 140 foot long ice tubing slide, Amsterdam bumper cars, zip line, ice shuffleboard, Ice Skating, Ice Track, and much more
CHILL is open daily at the Queen Mary from Dec. 13-Jan. 7
4:30pm 11:00pm
$20-children
$30-adults
Universal has all kinds of fun family wintery/Christmas activities to do, See Martha May Whovier and the Who Dolls, Grinchmas, Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, regular snowfall at the CityWalk mall and more
Open Hours
9AM–7PM
Gate Prices
Adult – $110.00
Child – (3-12) $104.00
It’s the most magical time of the year this holiday at the Disneyland Resort with lots of activities to do with the whole family; World of Color- Season Lights, Santa’s Holiday Visit at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, Sounds and Flavors of Delight, and much more
Open Hours
8AM–12AM
Prices vary on purchased Tickets
Get ready at UCLA AP Readiness
Posted on December 1, 2017 by Stephanie Elliott Starks in Announcements, News
Katie Adaya
Chronicle Reporter
Tomorrow is the last day of this semester for STEM AP Readiness at UCLA’s campus. This workshop is very beneficial for students taking an AP course in those subjects. It gives students a grasp of what is going to appear on the AP test next school semester on May.
This workshop is intended for students to strengthen their knowledge in areas they needed to improve on or just to give students an overall view of what is crucial when taking the AP test. These “workshops [are] providing students with the skills necessary to be successful in college level classes and hands-on AP activities” according to UCLA AP Readiness Program.
There are two sessions a day, the first one beginning from 9:15-10: 55 a.m. and the second session from 11:15-1:00 p.m with a 20 minute break in between. You are able to choose two classes a day in which you feel you need most improvement on.
Make sure to attend tomorrow to help you prepare for the AP test next semester. Also, visit their website to look for future dates for either STEM or HUMANITIES. Don’t miss out on these great opportunities. https://centerx.gseis.ucla.edu/ap-readiness/
Get jolly and festive this winter season
Posted on November 30, 2017 by Stephanie Elliott Starks in Entertainment, Features
Stephanie Starks
Chronicle Reporter
For most, Christmas starts when Halloween ends. The decorations go up, all the themed commercials start playing and “All I Want For Christmas” by Mariah Carey starts hiking up in views on YouTube. Now, as December is approaching quickly, for those who aren’t in the Christmas mood, watching Christmas movies is the perfect way to boost your spirit. Here are 6 classic Christmas movies to get you feeling holly and jolly:
A Christmas Carol (2009) 
Join an adventure with Ebenezer Scrooge, the Ghost of Christmas Past and Present as they explore the joys of Christmas and the happiness and purity of it all. Realising the meaning of Christmas, the two entities help Scrooge change his miserable ways and become a lover of all and an advocate of Christmas
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) 
A hermit with a strong disdain for Christmas intends to make everyone feel his pain by stealing their presents and ruining Christmas. The story of the Grinch shows the power of love and friendship as Cindy Lou Who increases the Grinch’s heart by two sizes.
Frosty the Snowman (1969) 
A snowman comes to life with a thrown away top hat and help the children of the neighborhood spread the Christmas spirit. Soon, the owner of the top hat tries to get it back and the children try to get Frosty away from the owner and the warm weather before he melts.
The Polar Express (2004) 
A boy who has trouble believing in Santa and getting in the Christmas spirit goes and adventure to the North Pole and is put through a series of situations to hopefully get him to believe.
Home Alone (1990) 
Eight-year-old Kevin gets left home alone when his family accidentally forgets him when they go on vacation. Waking up alone, Kevin finds himself defending his house alone against two grown men who planned to rob their house while they were on vacation.
Elf (2003) 
Finding it hard to fit in, Buddy the Elf enters Santa’s Workshop as an adult. Travelling to New York, Buddy spends his time looking for his real dad.
Get strange with Stranger Things Season 2
Posted on October 27, 2017 by Stephanie Elliott Starks in Entertainment
Katie Adaya
Chronicle Reporter
Stranger Things
Last year, a Netflix Original “Stranger Things” premiered July 15, 2016 with eight episodes. It quickly became popular among Netflix users. In the 1st season, three friends embark on a journey to find their missing friend and restore order to the city. Along the way, they meet with a mysterious girl with telekinesis whose name is Eleven. The season ended with more questions than it began with, leaving fans anxious for the second season.
This year season two premiers today Oct. 27, 2017 with nine episodes. In this season, many people hope to have their questions answered. Will Eleven meet up with the boys again? Will Will go back to the Upside Down? To be determined….
Are grades worth my sleep?
Posted on October 22, 2017 by Stephanie Elliott Starks in Op-Ed
Stephanie Starks
Chronicle Reporter
In regards of high school as a high school-er:
High school is a place where children finally cross that bridge from a child to a young adult. New stress and new things to worry about, marked by the transition of care-free attitudes to a sudden worry for strict societal norms, are placed upon plate after plate as we finally get a taste of this new thing that adults label “life”.
High school is where us young adults finally gain the experience and the knowledge on the basic world and the common sense to live smartly, but not enough to where we can say we have “lived” yet. Underestimating the difficulty and the insistent stress placed upon our very underdeveloped brains, adults tend to compare our failures to their successes, i.e. their ability to buy a house with only an undergraduate education back when 25 cents used to be a lot of money.
That is where this misunderstanding is branched off to a bunch of other misunderstandings that are backed up only by, you guessed it, more misunderstandings. The last thing high school is going to do is prepare me for the “real world”. I guess if, in the real world of course, someone is going to blindfold me and shove me into a dark room and force me to fix a car without the manual and any other knowledge except an engineering course I took three years prior, then by all means, yes, continue giving 16 year old kids 2-day long college level calculus tests without any notes, but until then, the only thing high school is preparing me for is how to think straight and have basic motor skills when I’m running on 3 hours of sleep.
I am a junior. Throughout my 3 years of high school I have learned how to do three things; multitask, to remain cognizant, and to pretend. Without these three basic things, I’m sure that any other teenager afraid of the future would agree, no one would survive. Once you become ‘aware’ and hit a certain peak of stress and lethargy, a sense of existentialism comes and you start to think.
I’ve started to think.
The education system is based on memorization, not what we really know. I mean, essentially, all things are based off memorization, the ABCs, how to count etc. But there is a difference between implanting a concept in your mind and memorizing something just for when it is necessary. A girl could learn the quadratic formula by heart for a test, but if you were to ask her a week later, there is a big chance she would not know. This realization hit me when numerous times someone would ask me for help simply for the things that were on the quiz so they could pass, and not so they could understand the entire concept as a whole.
To reach a conclusion, Grades, at this point in time, are more important than learning. If you don’t have the grades you don’t graduate, you don’t get into a good college, and you don’t get blind folded and thrown in a room to engineer a car by memory. I have found myself worrying about my GPA more often than worrying about if I actually understand the material that is being shoved into my head ( a question I refuse to answer on record) and once you start to think about it, it is actually somewhat sad and an impediment to the advancement of our nations rep with education.
Rather than worry about whether we are learning or not, we’re worried about percentages and grade point averages and whether or not this B would make us go down or go up and it should not, really, be something we should stress over.
Show support at the 2017 LA AIDS walk
Posted on October 13, 2017 by Stephanie Elliott Starks in News
Nick Macadaan
Chronicle Reporter
Every year in Los Angeles, members of the community gather for an AIDS Walk. This year, the event will be held on Sunday, Oct. the 15th in Downtown L.A. The event will start at 9:45 a.m. at the steps of City Hall and end after a ten kilometer walk leading back to the same place. The organization has raised over 1.1 million dollars already, and its expected to earn much more within the next coming days.
There will also be many celebrity guests participating in the event. Drew Carey, Frenchie Davis and David Arquette are just a handful of those attending, alongside elected officials such as Mayor Eric Garcetti and Congresswoman Maxine Waters.
To support the cause, you can either donate on the website (la.aidswalk.net), participate in the walk, volunteer at the event or become a corporate sponsor. It’s also a great way to exercise, all while helping an important cause at the same time, and it is encouraged that people take part and provide support.
Make the most out of Spooptober with scary amusement parks
Posted on October 6, 2017 by Stephanie Elliott Starks in Features
Katie Adaya
Chronicle Reporter
Looking for a way to spend a fun, memorable night out with your friends? Start off this month at these thrilling theme parks. Prices vary from each theme park and each bring a different feeling of excitement.
HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS
At Universal Studios’ Horror Nights, there is so much to see. The mazes include “Titans of Terror”, “Saw: The Games of Jigsaw”, “Insidious: Beyond the Further”, and many more. Not only are there mazes but also new Jabawockeez show, The Walking Dead Attraction and the terror tram. You can save up to $26 (prices depend on date).
FRIGHT FEST
Six Flag’s Fright Fest includes haunted attractions, entertainment, and scare zones. Some mazes include “Dead End” and “Red’s Revenge”. Their “Club 6-Feet Under” will have you jamming with your friends and their “High-Sierra Hypnotist” will have you amazed. Prices depend on which ticket is purchased but vary from $17 to about $399.99.
KNOTT’S SCARY FARM
This is the largest park that engages with Halloween activity in SoCal. It has about 9 mazes, 4 scare zones and 3 shows. Their tickets are as low as $42 but raise up depending on which ticket is purchased.
Come workout with the volleyball girls
Posted on May 31, 2017 by Stephanie Elliott Starks in Uncategorized
Stephanie Starks
Chronicle Reporter
Looking to try out for volleyball next school year or just want to get that summer body? Come condition with the volleyball girls after school at 3:30.
Their work-outs consist of a series of squats, jumping, planks and running, and other drills that are significant for volleyball. Since tryouts are so soon and there is barely anytime when school starts to work out, conditioning now will be beneficial and can give you an upper hand, instead of getting tired so quickly during try-outs.
Conditioning usually ends no later than 5:00 and if you stay long enough, Coach Beverly Kilpatrick will begin to teach the girls the fundamentals of volleyball, like bumping. You don’t have to have past experience to practice after school, which is cool too because it is a good learning experience.
There will also be some practices in late July for people who want to get better before tryouts and for freshmen looking to try-out. Practicing during the summer will not give you a guaranteed spot in the team.
For more information, talk to Coach Beverly Kilpatrick in the gym after school at 3:30
