Graduating in red or white
Posted on March 6, 2020 by Kayla Kwak in Announcements, Op-Ed
Kayla Kwak
Copy Editor
It is Hollywood High tradition to graduate in either a red cap and gown or a white cap and gown.
To be able to graduate in white a student must meets the requirements that make them eligible. The 2020 requirements are to have a cumulative grade point average of 3.300 as of Feb 21, 2020, met or have exceeded on SBAC/CAA English or Math during junior year, no more than 5 total days absent through May 22, 2020, and no Ds or Fails on final grades of fall semester or 15 week spring semester during senior year.
PAM Senior Delilah Peraza said,”The white cap and gown represents over-achievement and that’s why so many people want to wear white.” Peraza will be wearing red and said,”I think the chords are more important than the color of the cap and gown we wear.”
The strict deadline for the 2020 white cap and gown applications is Monday Mar 9, 2020.
Making it to 1600
Posted on March 5, 2020 by Guadalupe Dominguez in Op-Ed
Guadalupe Dominguez
Chronicle Reporter
Recently the class of 2021 took the SAT and for many it was their first time. The room was filled with nervous teens who knew they would probably have to take the test once again. Every junior dreads the day they have to take the SAT. The test that for most decides their future school. Ideally each student wants to receive a 1600 on their exam.
Standardized testing doesn’t show the true ability of a student. It shows how much a student can remember in the weeks before. The SAT as we know it doesn’t even test us on what we have been learning, it focuses on the previous semester of math. While the english portion is basically a race, whoever finishes the reading section and answers the quickest wins.
Behind the 1600 are hours of studying both math and English. Cramming the formulas, key words, etc just means the student never really learned anything. They spend their entire junior year cramming instead of actually learning the material they will be tested on. The topics they are being tested on are usually topics from a semester before meaning we have all forgotten it and have to put our current learning on hold to be able to remember what occurred last semester.
From AP classes to extracurriculars it is likely for a student to take the SAT multiple times and end up disappointed thinking they are not capable of applying and making it through college. The SAT shouldn’t be pushed onto students who are already knee deep in work.
Grant us accessibility for disability
Posted on February 27, 2020 by Melisa Lovos in Op-Ed
Melisa Lovos
Chronicle Reporter
Every now and then, students get physical injuries that affect their daily routine. As so, I recently had an accident in which I injured my left ankle-for which the doctors chose to put a cast covering the area.
I returned to school the next day with my cast, my crutches and my doctor’s note authorizing the school to allow me to use the elevator. I walked into the attendance office expecting them to give me the key and go about my day with elevator access to get to my classes. However, this was not the case, as I was told I had to get my parent’s signature before being granted an elevator key. Throughout the day, I struggled a lot to get to my classes, from the SAS building to the TCA building, and back. I was late to most of my classes, and although I was excused, it was still a hassle.
The next day that I returned with my parent’s signature, I was granted the key. It made me happy that I wouldn’t have to struggle as much to get to my classes, but I found that the key didn’t work in the TCA elevator.
I believe that this is a violation to the ADA Compliance and our student rights as we should have accessibility for people with disabilities- such as elevators and ramps.
If you are seen struggling or request access to an elevator key, such access should be granted immediately in order to be able to go on with your school day. Especially if it is a noticeable injury, such as a cast and crutches.
It is understandable that keys are necessary in order to keep a secure and healthy school environment, but clearly needs should be met.
Key Club spreads ALS awareness
Posted on November 5, 2019 by Henry Christian Alquiza in Op-Ed
Henry Alquiza
Chronicle Reporter
Our Key Club went to the LA County Walk to Defeat ALS. ALS is known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is a disease that affects one nerve cells within the brain and in the spinal cord. Which in then affects throughout the body, where they have two to five year life span. The event was held at exposition park by USC the event had many teams and participants. The teams represented people who they lost to ALS.
When volunteering as a route cheerleader I was sadden by the amount of people there were. To spread aware news and volunteering in the event all they can say was thank you, although all I did was guide them to the correct direction. With this I say we all should as little we can to make a difference in the world one step at a time.
High school lesson : you reap what you sow
Posted on June 2, 2019 by ethan murga in Op-Ed
Ethan Murga
News Editor
The four years went by quick … not really. High school came with friends from elementary, middle school, kids that moved from other schools and upper-class men who were already here.
So “it went by quickly”, that’s an overstatement. It was like running a mile: fast, then slow, then almost there and then the last lap took forever. But the beginning of the last lap, trying to figure out where you’ll run next, that’s when you reflect on yourself and who you are. Did you learn anything during the previous three laps, how to pace yourself, maybe. Or even savor the moments of high school.
Everyone comes up with new ideas, beliefs and actions after the four years that contribute to the timeline that determines who you will be, over who you’re supposed to be.
“You reap what you sow” comes out a little negative because nobody ever wants to face consequences, and that is what it’s all about.
So my point here is: address every problem because you’ll always face it sooner or later, in other words, “you reap what you sow”.
This is the advice portion, and this is where I’ll share the insight I do have. Something I have learned early on is that if you think about it everyone will have some regret or some dark days, but where it matters most is if you let the regret and dark days conquer you or you take something new out of them.
So senior year hits right and now I’m the News Editor for Journalism, I represent the “student voice” in ASB / Leadership and also I’m the Bulletin Editor for Key Club. Oh and on top of that I have a job. Okay so on paper for college this looks outstanding right, well, I got into five colleges. So, what did I take from all these activities that would eat up my time?
Well, the newspapers had some (an understatement) of mistakes on the news portion, I hardly ever spoke up in Leadership “to represent” the students, the whole year I went to like four Key Club events and stopped posting on social media a little more than half way into the school year, but I did do my submissions and then there’s my job. I worked a lot of hours and got a handful of experience in being yelled at by people who were bothered by something else beyond me and paid a bill or two at home with the money I made.
What have I taken from these obstacles and their outcomes? The newspaper has made me pay attention to every detail especially in life and read over everything thousands of times; ASB that you cannot control others and many things in life nor speak for them; Key Club that failure is good and important and my job has taught me millions of things, but mostly how much a dollar is worth. My closest friends have taught me to prioritize them because they’ve redeemed themselves as my backbone and family. All of these situations where I found myself in a difficult place have each taught me a different lesson that I can apply into my next situation.
So it’s like yeah, you may ask “why’d I sign yourself up for all that and then not even follow through?” well, it’s tough. Do you really want to resign, of course not. So what did I do, I reaped what I sowed. I faced the consequences and that’s how I learned to live and that’s okay. The lesson most predominating from what I took from my four years altogether is to learn from the obstacles you go through and apply what you learned to the next chapter of your life.
Missing France but glad to have moved here
Posted on May 29, 2019 by Alex Glebov in Op-Ed
Alex Glebov
Chronicle Reporter
It is pretty crazy to me that I have been living in America for two years already. I moved here from France when I was 17. It feels that it wasn’t even long ago that I was back in France going to my high school there, but now it’s been two whole years since I moved, and I’m now a senior who is right about to graduate. It’s really a weird feeling that it’s the end of high school for me and that I’m moving on to college soon. I’m honestly really excited for college and can’t wait to see what will happen there.
I do have to say that I miss France; the sea there was really beautiful and I do miss my friends, but I’m glad that I moved here. I met a lot of new wonderful people and just had a blast being here. Moving to a new country was a really nice change of pace for me, and I’m really happy that I ended up coming here.
A message to all Sheiks
Posted on May 29, 2019 by Mayeli Acuna in Op-Ed
Mayeli Acuna
Chronicle Reporter
With graduation just around the corner, all I’ve been thinking about is whether I am college ready. To be quite honest, I believe I am and starting all over is pretty exciting. High school took a massive toll on me and I’m sure in various of my peers. It is pretty hard to explain my feelings towards high school, but I can say it was a learning experience.
High school taught me much more than precalculus or how to find the literary devices in a piece of literature. It taught me that people who were once in your high school life will part ways, that self-care is a grand necessity and most importantly being content with who you are as a individual. I never thought that high school would be the place where I lost myself completely. The constant work thrown and the pressure of expecting so much from myself as not only a student, but as a human being. I am not gonna lie and say high school was as amazing as they partake in a film. It is not all dances and football games. It is a cycle of social life, school work and so much more, but growing as an individual plays a massive role in this cycle.
As the school year comes to end, it makes me reflect on my high school experiences. I lost contact with people, I met new people, I branched out, I formed cherishing bonds with my fellow peers and teachers, I lost myself mentally, but I have blossomed into an individual who is ready to see the outside world beyond Hollywood High.
I don’t mean to frighten those who remain in high school, but rather leave them with a message of hope. Everything will be okay, no matter how hard it gets and you are forming into someone amazing. High school is simply the road to the real world, we are thrown obstacles in this small community and our duty is to keep pushing through them. Once completing these courses, the blooming begins. Here is a message from a senior of the class of 2019, life goes beyond high school and all you can do is push.
Like any other year
Posted on May 21, 2019 by Rafael Hernandez in Op-Ed
Rafael Hernandez
Chronicle Reporter
A good two weeks before graduation day and so far senior year has felt like any other year. I made new friends and tried new things. The senior project was not so hard but time consuming. Applying to colleges in November was fun and exciting, applying for FAFSA was a little stressing, and finding out whether I got accepted into the colleges I applied to was very scary.
Senior Breakfast at Dave & Buster’s was fun but the food did not satisfy my expectations. The bagel was hard as a rock and the eggs tasted disgusting. The bacon was dripping in grease. Yuck. The fun part about it were the games.
The one thing that was very disappointing about senior year was the lack of senior activities. I’d say that the only one was Senior Breakfast. Disneyland didn’t feel at all worth the price.
That is why senior year felt like any other year.
Class of 2019 take a trip to Disneyland
Posted on May 13, 2019 by Kimberly Figueroa in Op-Ed
Chronicle Reporter
Kimberly Figueroa
On Friday May 10, seniors at Hollywood High celebrated gradnite at Disneyland and California Adventure. The night was filled with festivities to honor the class of 2019. Seniors arrived at the park at 7pm and began to explore what Disneyland and California Adventure had to offer. California Adventure closed to the public at 12pm in order to begin to celebrate the seniors. There was a dance party, light and water show, and fireworks.
Senior Monica Sanchez shared her thoughts regarding gradnite. She said “It was not worth the money and was very unorganized.”
The ticket was $165 and included the park hopper. Many seniors had a different opinion on gradnite and they were all mostly negative. To begin with, the bus driver got lost and did not know where to drop the second bus group of seniors. Because of this, our students lost an hour of being at the park. To end the night, one of the buses broke down, so the first group of seniors had to leave on a school bus.
Overall, gradnite was a good way to spend time with friends, but it could’ve been better.
High school journalists refine their skills at convention
Posted on April 29, 2019 by Sidney Gonzalez in Op-Ed
Sidney Gonzalez
Chronicle Reporter
The National High School Journalism Convention was recently held to further the skills of young journalists and yearbook contributors.
It was held April 25-29 at the Hilton of Anaheim, California. It consisted of workshops along with speakers where students and their advisers alike could attend and take notes. Some topics included the representation of the LGBTQ+ community, photojournalism, jump-starting creativity, leadership, and how to write good first drafts. Schools came from around the country, some from here in California and even Hawaii. There was around 3,500 attendants for the event.
Overall, for me the experience was overall a good one because of all the interesting options. One particular workshop that stood out was one centered around getting better interviews. As a reporter, interviews are so important because they further occurrences. They had us all practice different handshakes and also gave tips to improve questions. The 30-10-3 process is very useful in this. In this, prepare 30 questions, plan on asking only 10, and shoot for three solid questions.
There was also a lot of emphasis on the telling the stories of individuals. Focusing in on the community and the lives of community members allows newspapers and readers to connect on a more personal level and readers to be interested.
To anyone who is interested in writing and passionate in getting the truth out, I recommend joining Journalism next year. It can help you improve your writing while giving a voice to your passions in our school community.
