HTL

ATODAY

FEBRUARY 2014

#I S SU E

2

CONTENTS //14 TUTORING... 2

Need homework help?

HOROSCOPES... 6BRAIN FOOD... 7

TOP CHARTS... 8HER... 9A review of Jonze’s 2014 Film, “Her”

NEXT GEN NEWS... 10A look back and a step forward in the world of videogames

HOMECOMING OUTFITS... 12Advice on what to wear to Homecoming this year.

LIMELIGHT.. 3

Teachers discuss their most memorable Super Bowl moments & who they’re rooting for.

VALENTINE PACKAGE... 14Girls reveal what their idea of a perfect date is

SUPER SUNDAY... 5Check out Karin Dabach’s new part time hobby!

THE PERF DATE... 14Girls reveal what their idea of a perfect date is.

LOVE FOOD... 15ABOUT THE JOURNALISTS... 16

FEBRUARYFEB 6 LA Valley College Visit: hosted by Dr. Koven

FEB 79:00am @ Seminar Room

Applications for 2014-15 Freshmen Deadline3:00pm

FEB 7 Karaoke Night

FEB 10 Santa Monica College Visit

FEB 10 Valentine Gram Sales Begin12:00pm @ Great Room

FEB 13 Library Grand Opening!8:30am @ Alcove

FEB 17 President’s Day : NO SCHOOL

FEB 18 Pep Week!6:00pm @ Great Room

FEB 20 Parent Meeting: Hosted by Dr. Koven

FEB 25 Science Fair

FEB 26 Physical Fitness Testing for Freshmen

T O D A Y - 1

FEB 21 Junior/ Senior Football Game

SUPER SUNDAY... 5 6:30pm @ Great Room

8:45am @ Seminar Room

FEB 26 Homecoming Dance

7:00pm @ Great Room

4:00pm @ BCCHS Field

5:00pm

9:00am

6:00pm @ Great Room

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Doug FendlerScientific Director

Nooneh KradjianAcademic Director

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YOUR VOICESubmit your art or literary pieces to HTLA Today to have them featured in the next issue!

limelight

T O D A Y - 4

ON THE COVER

DRAWN BY TRISTAN BERNAL

Artist Karin Dabach was paid to customize this skateboard in according to the customer. She is will-ing to customize anyone’s skateboard and make it any way you would like it to look or say. Email her at karin.dabach@ht-la.org.

by Juan Villasenor

S P O R T S - 5

Turns out that the teachers do have a life outside of school. We were able to get some of the staff members to talk about their past experiences when watching the SuperBowl and give us their opinion on who they want to win this year. We asked them if they ever had some crazy experienc-es. Some staff members told us about their past experiences dur-ing the Superbowl. A lot of them went from having a normal day, to eating lots of food and getting food comas the next day. Our Principal, Ms. Rybin, admitted that she has “never watched a Super Bowl.” Mr. In-

grum didn’t even know the it was coming up, “SUPERBOWL?”. Not only is he not root-ing for anyone, he also probably didn’t have any idea that the Super Bowl wasn’t that far away! I guess you could say there are people who quite don’t seem interested in the Super Bowl as others would normally be. Well here are some of the responses we got...Nicole Dorfler: “Broncos! F the seahawks!! I have not really had a funny moment but my favorite thing about the superbowl is getting to eat lots of yummy food all day long!”Mr.George: “Seahawks. One memorable moment was when we all came together (me and my friends), and had pizza and watched the Superbowl. What made it memorable was that we were more excited to watch the commercials and halftime show then the actual game.”Ms.Irvine-Kish: “Broncos. I have long loved football and even collected football cards as a kid. One of my favorites was Super Bowl twenty in 1985. I had a huge crush on the Bears quarterback Jim Mc Mann and I was a huge Bears fan and my team won! I was at a big party with my friends and screamed so much I lost my voice the next day. I wore my Super Bowl XX tee shirt until it fell to pieces.”In the end, the Super Bowl isn’t for everyone. Some people like it and some people don’t. Its a time to spend with family and friends and its up to us to make those memo-ries.Seahawks are: Mr. George.

SUPER SUNDAY

Horoscopes Aries

(Mar 21-April 20)

You are what you are. Don’t try to be different.

Taurus(Apr. 21-May 21)

Go explore your heart.

Gemini (May 22-June21)

There is a good chance that you might find a love interest.

Cancer (June 22-July 22)

You will have good for-tune. BELIEVE.

Leo (July 23-Aug 22)

You’re a tiger. Hear your-self roar.

Virgo (Aug 23-Sept. 23)

You are beautiful, cannot be replaced.

Libra (Sept. 24-Oct. 23)

Be careful what you tell others. They may not be who you think they are.

Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov. 22)

Rewards shall reward your good deeds.

Sagitarrius (Nov 23-Dec 21)

Lookin’ good.

Capricorn (Dec 22- Jan 20)

Being one in a million isn’t that special.

Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19)

Trust yourself. Don’t lie.

Pisces (Feb 20-March 20)

Love is evil.

by Eric Ventor &Dennis Yadryshnikov

Photos by astrology.com.au

T O D A Y - 6

T O D A Y - 7

SKIN by Tristan Bernal

I said, she has something wrong with her too, huh?And he replied, everybody does, dear.

everybody does, dear.everybody does, dear.everybody does, dear.everybody does, dear.everybody does, dear.everybody does, dear.everybody does, dear.everybody does, dear.everybody does, dear.

WHATS YOUR POISON? By anon.

TOP CHARTS1. Dark Horseby Katy Perry

4. Pompeii by Bastille

2. Talk Dirtyby Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz

3. Say Somethingby A Great Big World

5. Drunk in Love by Beyonce

6. Team by Lorde

7. Timber by Pitbull

8. Let Her Go by Passenger

9. Counting Stars by OneRepublic

10. Royals by Lorde

According to Spotify

MACKLEMOREIN CONCERT@ BELASCO THEATRE, LAJANUARY 23

E N T E R T A I N M E N T - 8

Photo by multimediacapsule

by Albert Dubin

E N T E R T A I N M E N T - 9

Her

“Her” is a love story directed by Spike Jonze starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson. The film takes place in the “not so distant future” where an Artificially Intelligent Operating System exists that one can purchase and use for just about anything. Phoenix’s character, Theodore Twombly falls in love with Scarlett Johansson’s character, the OS named Samantha. The film contains interesting visuals and ideas all expressed through the intrigu-ing perspective of Samantha. The fact that almost none of these futuristic phenomena are explained or developed upon adds more intrigue to their strange design. However, others may feel as though their experience with the film leaves something to be desired. Person-ally, because Jonze adds no explanation as to how an OS can learn and evolve, and not cor-rupt the system in order to enslave mankind, shows to me that his intentions were to make a romance above a science fiction/A.I rebellion story. “Her” is written very well, giving close to all actors (as well as Scarlett Johansson) a realistic and underplayed performance. However, I will say that Amy Adams steals the show as… well… Amy, Theodore’s filmmaker friend, giving insight on relationships and the struggle to find love. “Her” suffers from very few things, one of which being the lack of a soundtrack. I do understand that for this film’s case, the soundtrack played more of a plot-related role, as opposed to setting the mood for a scene. For example, Samantha is able to compose music, and many of her composition play over many scenes in the film. These are minor gripes, and to be honest, Spike Jonze is able to cover up many problems with a genre of film by creating his own world inside of his film. However, in doing so he risks alienating certain audiences with his presentations of… very strange ideas. Regardless, “Her” is a lovely albeit strange film that is able to play by its own rules, and get away with it.

NEXT GEN NEWS

2013 NOVEMBER 201315th

SONY PLAYSTATION 4 RELEASED22nd

XBOX 1 RELEASED

JANUARY 20137th

SONY “PLAYSTATION NOW” CLOUD STREAMING ANNOUNCED10th

NINTENDO 3DS SALES REACH 40 MIL GLOBALLY26th

MICROSOFT PURCHASES THE GEARS OF WAR FRANCHISE30th

PLAYSTATION VITA SLIM ANNOUNCED

2014

by The Ace of Spades, David Spice, and Michael Sulahian

FEBRUARY 2014: FREE GAMESPLAYSTATION PLUS OFFERS PS3 PLAYERS:-METRO: LAST LIGHT-PAYDAY 2-REMEMBER ME

VITA USERS GET... STREET FIGHTER X TEKKENS AND MODNATION RACERS: ROAD TRIP, AND PS4 PLAYERS

GET OUTLASTXBOX 360 GOLD MEMBERS GET DEAD IS-

LAND: RIPTIDE

XBOX ONE SALES REACH 3 MILLIONPLAYSTATION 4 SALES REACH 4.2 MIL

FEBRUARY 2014 RELEASES7th

FABLE TRILOGY (XBOX 360)14th

FINAL FANTASY 13: LIGHTNING RETURNS (XBOX/PS3)21ST

DONKEY KONG COUNTRY: TROPICAL FREEZE (Wii U)28TH

CASTLEVANIA: LORDS OF SHADOW 2 AND THIEF (XBOX, PS3, PC)

A DRESS Girls Have you started your Homecoming shopping? If not, you better start now, because the date for Homecoming is sneaking up, very quickly. If you have no clue what to wear, you have come to the right place. Homecoming is a semi-formal dance. You can either dress it up or dress it down. For example, girls can either wear a normal dress or even just a skirt with a nice top. If you don’t like dresses or skirts, you can just wear pants with a cute top and dress it up with jewelry or heels. You can get a cute dress for a very decent price too! There are many stores that might have tons of options that perfectly fit both your personality and body type. For-ever 21, both popular and cheap! We’re all in luck, they have just started their “End of the Sesaon” Sale! You can find all kinds of merchandise up to forty percent off! I suggest you go before it ends! There is even a great amount of jewelry to choose to match your outfit. Another popular store that might have average priced dresses is “Foreign Exchange.” They have Spring dresses starting at fourteen dollars and party dresses starting at 19 dollars. Another great store to shop at, and my personal fa-vorite, is “Urban Outfitters” . They have loads to choose from and have jaw-dropping sales! Start shopping ladies!

OUTFITS FOUND AT TOBI & FOREVER21

Guysby Alisa Tokarev & Angela Dzhigneyan

L I F E - 1 3

& A DATE For a semi-formal Homecoming dance, guys always ask, “what should we wear?” Many guys will wear a dress shirt with black formal slacks. If you have a date, a choice could be to wear a white button up with a tie that matches your date’s dress. If you don’t but you still wan to dress to impress, then wear a solid colored button up, a black jacket, and black dress pants. Some guys can pull of the black jeans with button up look, but don’t make it too casual. At a popular store in the mall, “H&M”, you can find a slim-fit dress shirt for ONLY $14.95. And they have them in white, dark blue, blue, red, gray, and black. “JcPenney” has dress pants that have amazing prices! For example they have a new arrival, black dress pants... and it’s only $24.99. Remember guys, accessories are not only for girls. A simple tie, a watch or even a belt can make the whole look stand out. If you are looking for a tie with a good price, you have to check out “Urban Outfitters”; they have variations of ties that are as low as $19.99. See guys, you don’t have to go all out and rent an expen-sive tux. Oh and guys remember, if you are wearing a tie, make sure it isn’t too long or too short. A side rule, the tie should barely touch your belt line. You can get a full outfit for $60. Better soon than later, guys, get to it!

$15Button Up Shirt@ H & M

$25Dress Pants@ JCPENNEY

$20TIE@ URBANOUTFITTERS

L I F E - 1 4

THE PERF DATE by JaquelineCarmaz &Elizabeth Weiler

Our journalist, Elizabeth Weiler set out to find out what the boys and girls of High Tech LA think is the perfect Valentine’s date and gift.

Tal Boussi – Tal would love personalized, heartfelt cards that filled with inside jokes. She also loves watching movies, “but not in the movie theatre, just DVD’s in a fort. He needs to like building forts, that’s a big deal-breaker for me.”

Krista Padlan – Krista loves the water. A romantic walk along the beach or pier is her ideal date. She also added that a day spent at the aquarium would be lovely too.

Ana Asadollahpour – Ana enjoys camping in really secluded places. She joked, “I like really huge displays of affection. Drive a pink Harley into the class window and then start singing wrecking ball wearing Miley Cyrus’ outfit. Give me a sledge hammer or a huge teddy bear.”

Sierra Thomas– Sierra likes classic gifts like flowers, anything edible, or a teddy bear. Like Krista, Sierra enjoys romantic dates near the beach.

Waneh Abnoos– Waneh thought that an ideal present for her would be chocolate. To win her heart, simply buy her food and take her out to see her favorite band.

Kelsey Cahoon– Kelsey loves getting band tee shirts and being taken out to see cute little fish at the aquarium!

Josephine Gatus – Her favorite chocolate is ferrero rocher. As for a date she said, “A walk in the park and then a movie sounds nice. Something simple, basically. I don’t like anything complicated.”

Angela Dzhigneyan - To woo Angela, just buy her chocolate. In fact, just buy her any food because her perfect date consists of her and her date hanging out, pigging out, and watching movies.

Photo by theGuardian

LOVE FOOD by Nicole Tucker

CAKE COOKIESIf cookies and cake had a love child, this would be it. Combining the soft texture of a cake, in the form of a cookie, this treat is the perfect gift for any loved one. Ingredients:1 Egg1 Pack of Cake Mix (of choice)1 Cup of Whipped CreamPowdered SugarSteps:1. Heat oven to 3502. Pour cake mix, cream, and egg into into bowl.3. Mix thoroughly.4. Roll a small ball of the dough.5. Roll the ball in powdered sugar.6. Place on pan about 1-2” apart.7. Bake for 8-9 minutes.8. Take out and cool. Cover each cookie in a thin coating of powdered sugar.

CHOCO STRAWBERRIESA classic present for Valentine’s Day. Everyone loves the sweet and sour combination of creamy chocolate and fresh strawberries. A delightful treat that won’t leave you feeling guilty about calories.Ingredients:1 Pound of fresh Strawberries16 Ounces of Milk Chocolate Chips2 Tablespoons ShorteningToothpicksSteps:1. Melt the milk chocolate and shortening. 2. While melting, put a toothpick into each strawberry.3. Dip each strawberry into the chocolate mixture.4. Allow choclate to cool.5. Enjoy!

Photos by b4tea

about the authorANA ASADOLLAHPOURShe runs this entire thing. She also makes it pretty. She is awesome.

JIRAIR ASHOTYAN is assistant editor-in-chief. His hobbies include writing poetry, stories, and riddles, and playing video games. The Ace has been with the htlaTODAY since its establishment, leaving mystifying quandaries for readers to ponder.

SIERRA THOMASShe helps Ana run this thing. She helps Ana make it pretty. She is also very awesome.

COLIN BELLOTTI had humble beginnings, and even-tually made it to the big times with the htlaTODAY staff. Owner of 15 pulitzer prizes, “Colin” now resides in New York with his pet alligator: Orpheus. He has taken the time to commute to Los Angeles in order to grace the staff. with his outre magnificence. He can be seen critiquing under-ground youth performances of “Fiddler on the Roof.”

TRISTAN BERNAL is a junior, making comics for htlaTODAY. He spends a majority of his time crying or trying not to cry. Outside of making comics, he also creates music and makes videos in his spare time. Tristan hopes that his comics can at least get a chuckle or a smile off people.

TAL BOUSSI, head of public relations, is a stressed, confused, tumblr addict. She wears glasses and goes hard-core on Netflix, where she enjoys Dexter, Supernatural and Sherlock. She spends her leisure time picking up trash and helping the elderly cross the street. She is a great model for human beings.

BRIAN CALDERON is a sports Journalist and a Photographer in the school newspaper. He enjoys taking pictures and sharing his adventures with the world. Also he likes to dress differently than everyone he knows because he likes to show his own sense of style. Brian always tries to look his best when he leaves the house.

MAX CUDLITZ loves to play guitar, and make others happy. There’s nothing he loves more than a little adven-ture, even if that means getting into dangerous situations. He’s very business oriented, and while he enjoys making money, nothing beats the thrill of a big investment.

KARIN DABACH is a Junior at HTLA interested in the creative aspects of the human mind where imagination causes creations. She is passionate about different types of arts, ranging from street art to movie makeup. Becoming the Arts editor of htlaTODAY gives her the opportunity to take a part in creating more art and sharing her passion with others. She also likes cows and has gone skydiving.

DANIELA DE PAZ is a Public Relations officer. When she’s not busy doing schoolwork, you can find her watch-ing horror movies on Netflix with her two cats at the foot of her bed. Daniela enjoys taking pictures when she’s out with her friends or family: you might have seen her work in the Portraits Gallery near the Commons. She enjoys rainy weather and making friends with everyone.

SETH GARCIA is a media producer at High Tech LA. Besides journalism, he writes poetry about the love within himself and expresses it to his mother because he has no woman to read it to. He has worked on a small movie with his friend and is a creative person. He plans on being in the Journalism club throughout his high school career.

ARTHUR KALAYDJIAN is a fun character who seeks in showing other about the gaming word. After always writing about what the teach wanted, he grew tired and joined journalism in hope of writing about something he loves; games.

JAMES KRADJIAN believes in the power of fez-zes. James does the things that make the magazine look pretty; it should at least. He also enjoys watching Shrek: The Movie.

SAYED FARHAD MAWAZEB Farhad is a Sports editor. This is his first year on the team. He likes to skate and read the HTLA Newspaper. He joined the team because he likes to read other peoples writing and disscuss about them.

HASNAA RAUSDEEN is one of the Revise Sub-Edi-tors & Business Managers for htlaTODAY. She is proud to be on the htlaTODAY team to help create HTLA’s first newspa-per. She enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, and spending time with family. She is looking forward for a great year on the team.

DAVID SPICE is an entertainment writer for the htlaTODAY. David has been on the staff since its creation, delivering hard-hitting video game news and statistics to the world. His hobbies include playing video games.

MICHAEL SULAHIAN is an editor at htlaTODAY. His hobbies include playing tennis, playing video games, and watching Shrek: The Movie. Michael is a devout Brogre, spreading Shrek’s love (and onions) to readers since the formation of the htlaTODAY.

ELIZABETH WEILER Elizabeth Weiler, a member of Features, is an internet enthusiast. She spends her free time watching shows such as Breaking Bad and Parks and Recreation. She has a love of all human beings. She has a love of frozen yogurt and her dream job is to work at Pinkberry.

JUAN VILLASENOR is a Sports Journalist. He’s a Junior in high school and this is his first year on the team and he really enjoys it. He didn’t know what he wanted to do at first but so far it looks like its working for him. He likes being active himself too, participating in a program called SRLA.

HENRY WILLIAMS has nothing but love for cinema. He aspires to one day become a filmmaker and also review films for htlaTODAY. He’s currently the Entertainment Editor on staff.