Switch Lite Review

By Milan Vuletic and Harrison Reisner

The Nintendo Switch Lite is a cheaper alternative version of the Nintendo Switch system. The original Switch’s gimmick was the ability to take it anywhere you want in portable mode and to be able to use it on the big screen in docked mode.  However, the Switch Lite is only available to play in handheld mode. It also doesn’t work with certain games that require the Joy-cons. However, most games don’t require them, and therefore can run on both the Switch and the Switch Lite. Is it still worth it? Let’s find out!

Compared to the standard Switch, the Switch Lite lives up to its name with a 5.5 inch screen compared to the 6.2 inch screen on the standard Switch. The Switch Lite is also about 30% lighter compared to the standard Switch, making it even easier to carry around. However, to reach the $200 price point, certain compromises had to be made, such as the removal of the kickstand which allowed for easier multiplayer play. The Switch Lite also lacked the Joy-cons, which allowed for playing with other people on the fly. However, the Switch Lite provides an alternative. Up to eight people, each with Switch Lites, can get close together and connect via wireless connection in games that support multiplayer. The Switch Lite also got rid of the directional buttons with a proper d-pad with made the controls even more smooth.

On the contrary though, the Switch Lite has about 30 minutes more battery life than the standard Switch. The Switch Lite gets about 3-7 hours of battery life compared to the 2.5-6.5 hours on the standard Switch. The Switch’s battery life is mostly determined by which game it is currently running, as some games require more processing power. When I got to try out the feel of the Switch Lite, it felt extremely comfortable to hold, especially on the back. However, the Switch Lite might feel a little small in someone with big hands.

In conclusion, the Switch Lite is a “lighter” version of the Switch. I think it is still too expensive for all the features that were removed. The removed features add up to about $160. So, if you were to purchase the removed items, you would pay more than the standard Switch. But if you’re on a budget, the Switch Lite might be for you. The Switch Lite is great for kids and people that travel a lot who don’t really have time to play at home. I think the next step for Nintendo would be a Switch Pro that would have more features and be more expensive than the standard Switch.

Tech Review: MSI GF63 Thin vs ASUS ROG Zephyrus GX701

By Kwanghyun (Joseph) Kim and Mitchell Glass

There are all kinds of laptops. Some are made for work and some are made for gaming. When looking for a gaming laptop, it should be portable, powerful, and affordable. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus GX701 and the MSI GF63 Thin are examples of computers made for gaming. As their name suggests, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus GX701 is provided by ASUS and the MSI GF63 Thin is provided by MSI. ASUS is a multinational computer and phone hardware and electronics company headquartered in Taiwan. MSI is a Taiwanese multinational information technology corporation also headquartered in Taiwan. Two of the best laptops provided by ASUS and MSI are the GX701 and GF63 Thin. When looking for a gaming laptop, most gamers look for a good graphics card, CPU and monitor. Battery life is also something that is important, but it is less looked at. The GX701 and GF63 Thin are two laptops that have all of these features. They also have slim builds, increasing mobility. These laptops are powerful enough to handle most games, but which of these laptops are better? 

The MSI GF63 Thin has a size of 14.13 inches by 9.99 inches by 0.85 inches with a total of  4.10 pounds. The screen resolution is 1920 x 1080. The ASUS Rog Zephyrus GX701 has a size of  15.7 by 10.7 inches by 0.74 inches with a total weight of 5.73 pounds. It has a 17.3 inch screen and its screen resolution is 1920 x 1080. The GX701 has a slightly bigger frame than the GF63. Because of the GF63’s size, it would be more portable and easier to carry than the GX701.

The GF63 has a battery life of approximately 7 hours. Depending on the situation, the GX701 can operate for approximately 2 to 3 hours. If you happen to overwork your computer, for example by playing an intense game, you will obviously have less battery.

The storage of an electronic device is the amount of physical data it can store on the hard drive or solid state drive. An SSD, also known as a solid state drive, is a storage device that uses integrated circuit assemblies to store data, while a hard drive writes data to a physical magnetic disk. SSDs are generally faster than hard drives. The GF63 has 256 GB SSD in storage and the GX701 has 512 GB SSD in storage. The memory of a device is the amount of temporary information the computer can access quickly with ease. The GF63 has 8 GB of DDR4 2666MHz SDRAM. and the GX701 has 16/32 GB of  DDR4 2666MHz SDRAM.

The job of the core processor is to read and execute central processing unit instructions. The GX701 has an Intel i7-9750, which is a 9th-Gen 6-core CPU. Similarly to the GX701, the GF63 is also equipped with an Intel Core i7-9750H. The GF63 uses the Nvidia GeForceGTX 1650.  The Zephyrus is available with a Nvidia GeForceGTX 2080/2070/2060 GPU with real-time ray tracing that can boost up to 1230 MHz.

The network card of a computer is a component that connects the computer to a network. The GX701 has an Intel 802.11ac (2X2) Gigabit Wi-Fi network card but does not have an ethernet port.  GF63 has a 2×2 Intel 9560 802.11ac Wireless and also does not have an ethernet port. The MSI GF63 can cost up to $800, making a fairly cheap gaming computer. The GX701 costs around $3,500, which is a lot more than the MSI GF63 but worth it.

The Zephyrus also has this useful system for cooling called the Active Aerodynamic System. What is does is it basically opens up the bottom of the laptop and lets 32% more air cool the laptop. This translates to a 20% drop in temperature compared with conventional cooling. The GF63 Thin can enhance audio detail by 30% with a built-in Audio Power Amplifier. The computer also has software included, such as the MSI App Player. This was made with the cooperative efforts of MSI and Bluestacks. 

The two computers have their strengths and weaknesses. The MSI computer has a longer battery life and is smaller in size, making it more portable. It also costs a lot less. The computer developed by ASUS is slightly bigger than the GF63 Thin, but it has more storage, memory, and computing power. If you are looking for a good gaming computer and don’t care about the price, the GX701 is good. If you have a low budget, the MSI GF63 Thin is for you. Overall, the computer from ASUS, the ROG Zephyrus GX701, is the better computer.

Congratulations To Our New ASB Officers

From left to right: Elliot Lopez, Ellen Kozlov, Gillian Nail, Jaden Penhaskashi, Scott Oberholtzer

Congratulations to our new 2019-2020 ASB officers!

Jaden Penhaskashi – President

Elliot Lopez – Vice President

Scott Oberholtzer – Secretary

Ellen Kozlov – Treasurer

Historian – Gillian Nail

Class Representatives:

6th Grade: Kieron Lyons and Harrison Reisner
7th Grade: Suren Grigorian and Daniel Svediani
8th Grade: Joseph Kim and Lily Louis
9th Grade: Lucas Wein and Alexander Ashrafi
10th Grade: Melissa Mouchamel and Vincent Lee

Statement from Jaden Penhaskashi:

As the new Science Academy President, many students reasonably expect a lot from me, due to the high bar our previous President, Lorelei Santa Maria, set. Although I would like to make many improvements to our already wonderful school, as the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” My first order of business will be to continue all the amazing events put into place by our previous ASB, with some additions made in order to increase both school spirit and student involvement.

I will also prioritize finding a way to get more student feedback and increase the communication between ASB members and the general student body. Last year, there was an active tutoring program where older students helped many students who needed academic support. This year, however, that program has begun to slowly fade due to conflicting schedules of high school students. I plan on working with the school administration towards a solution. Finally, as a Science Academy high schooler, I know that many people in 9th and 10th grade feel that the school is treating both high school and middle school students as being the same. I would like to discuss with the ASB different ways to give high schoolers more privileges than they have at the moment.

I look forward to working with both ASB members and my fellow students towards improving our school, one step at a time! If you currently have any concerns or ideas on how to improve our school, please email me at jpenhaska0001@mymail.lausd.net. I would love to hear your feedback!

Halloween Costume Gallery

Last Thursday, our campus was overrun with angels, devils, aliens, pirates, dinosaurs, cheerleaders, witches, and goblins!

Hope everyone had a frighteningly good time! The winners of our Costume Contest will be featured in the Yearbook – be sure to order yours soon. Thank you for everyone who participated!

Click on the photos below to view the full-sized gallery:

North Hollywood Park and Library

By: John Lee and Payton Suh

In the North Hollywood community near the school, there are many fun places to explore, like the North Hollywood Park. The address of the North Hollywood Park and Recreation Center is 11430 Chandler Boulevard, North Hollywood, CA 91601, which is 1.8 miles from the Science Academy. There are many features in this park that makes it a fun place to visit with your family and friends.

One of the features in the North Hollywood Recreation Center is it has an outdoor fitness section. This area has equipment pieces for push-ups and sit-ups, as well as bikes, ellipticals, twisters, etc. Because of all the equipment they have, you have a lower chance of getting bored. In addition, there is a large track where you can jog and run.

This park is usually not crowded, so you can have plenty of open room to play or exercise.  You also can have picnics there and enjoy the sounds of the birds chirping, while eating a sandwich. Right next to the picnic area, you can see dogs roaming around. That’s because right next to it, there’s a dog park. This park has improved a lot since the past. There are also many areas to play soccer and many other sports that involve running, with lots of trees that provide shade even when it’s hot outside.

There is also a library next to the North Hollywood Recreation Center called the North Hollywood Amelia Earhart Regional Library. The address of this library is 5211 Tujunga Ave, North Hollywood, CA 91601. It is a one-story red brick building. Its sloped roof is made up of red tiles and 2 chimneys on the end. The roof is supported by a row of concrete columns and capitals leaning on a concrete wall. When you enter, there is a small lobby with decorative iron gates with Mexican-styled windows framed with antique green glass. In addition, they even have a fireplace. 

The history of this library dates back to the early 1900s when books were borrowed and returned in a corner of the Lankershim post office. When the city’s name “Lankershim” changed to “North Hollywood” in 1927, the name of this Lankershim Branch changed into Sidney Lanier Branch.  In 1956, architect John Landon renovated it, so that it almost tripled the library’s size. The branch changed its name to the North Hollywood Amelia M. Earhart Regional Branch in 1980. Amelia Mary Earhart was an American aviation pioneer and author, the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Even though she lived in Los Angeles less than 2 years before her death, this park honors her with her own statue and the library’s name. The statue is in front of the North Hollywood Amelia Earhart Regional Library, and down the street from another Earhart memorial at Valhalla Cemetery. The statue’s base is circled by 10 propellers halfway into the ground to honor her plane ́s actual resting place in the West Pacific.

The North Hollywood Amelia Earhart Regional Branch Library was designated an historic monument by Los Angeles in 1986. This historic building closed for repairs after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and the library temporarily moved to MCA/Universal. The renovated building re-opened on April 17th, 1995. Within several years, because of the growth of the population in the area, the library had become crowded again. Architects and engineers expanded and restored the building, expanding the library facility to 15,150 square feet. 

In conclusion, this park is very unique and interesting and has a great impact on the community of North Hollywood. Perhaps you can visit sometime after school or with your family and friends on the weekend.

Sources: 

https://www.laparks.org/reccenter/north-hollywood

https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/things-to-do/north-hollywood-recreation-center

https://abc7.com/society/first-self-cleaning-restrooms-in-la-unveiled-/5487281/

http://laplhistoricsites.org/noho.php

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/21545

This is a picture of the North Hollywood Recreation Center Building. It hosts the indoor basketball court, where people can play basketball in or join the Basketball Clinic (Youth)/League (5 – 15).

The History of All Hallows Eve

        By Allen Choi, Jayden Nguyen and Alma Streett

    Halloween is a holiday that is celebrated on October 31. The earliest recorded Halloween-like holiday was when the Celtics were celebrating an ancient festival they called Samhain in about A.D. 20. It was believed that on Samhain, the dead returned to the Earth as spirits. The Celts believed that these spirits caused trouble to them. To prevent misfortune, the Celts would dress up in costumes to ward off ghosts. They would burn crops as offerings. This holiday was soon followed by All Saints Day.

    In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III wanted to honor the saints. The event was called All Saints Day and took place on November 1st. All Saints Day incorporated some of Samhain’s traditions. The day before this holiday was called All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. Over the many years, Halloween became a holiday of activities like trick-or-treating, wearing costumes, festive gatherings, and eating sweet treats. All Saints’ Day was soon renamed Allhallowmas (hallowed means holy) and the night before it All Hallow’s Eve and, eventually, Halloween.

    When the Romans claimed Celtic territory in 49 A.D, they also incorporated All Saints Day into their year as Feralia, a holiday to honor Pomona, goddess of the harvest. It was celebrated in late October, around the time Halloween is today. In 1000 A.D, November 2 was declared All Souls’ Day. All Souls’ Day was celebrated in similar ways to Samhain. All Souls’ Day was a day were poor citizens asked for food, and they were given soul cakes to pray for the families’ dead relatives. Churches approved of this practice and knew it as “going a-souling.”

    This tradition was taken up by children who would be given food and money.  This was the first trick-or-treat tradition. When Halloween came to America, it was the most popular in Maryland and the other southern colonies. The first American Halloween celebrations were public events to celebrate the harvest. Neighborhoods shared stories, told fortunes, danced, and sang. In the 19th century, new Irish immigrants came to America. These immigrants helped popularize the holiday. Americans began to dress up in costumes and go from house to house asking for food or money. This eventually became trick-or-treating. This tradition was known as trick-or-treating because it was believed that if you didn’t give children their treats, they would play a trick on you. This sparked the Halloween tradition of pranks. 

    So whether you’re having a Halloween party at home or trick-or-treating, each Halloween tradition was based off the spirits whose presence the Celts felt so keenly.

Meet the New Teachers: Ms. Curtis

By Angie Choi and Olivia Kim

This year we have two wonderful new teachers. We would like to introduce our new P.E. teacher/ yoga instructor, Ms. Curtis, and we’ve been quite curious about her. So we did an ‘Ask me Anything’ – with her. Lately, we’ve been wondering when she wanted to become a P.E teacher. “I wanted to become a P.E. teacher when I was in college. But I decided to study about being a physical therapist instead. Later on, I gave up on physical therapy and eventually went on to teach yoga, be a personal trainer, and work in corporate wellness. After about ten years in those industries, I finally decided to become a P.E. teacher.

Another question we had was why she likes being a P.E teacher. Not every adult can handle 40 kids running amok, so we’re very grateful for what Ms. Curtis does. Anyway, here’s what she said: “I really enjoy seeing students learning a new skill or gain new knowledge about fitness that they did not have prior to my class. I like to see when students make progress in achieving the fitness goals they set for themselves.”

Ms. Curtis enjoyed many sports as a kid, and still does (hence why she’s a P.E teacher.) 

Ever since Ms. Curtis was little, she liked fitness and sports. She had lots of interest in basketball, volleyball, track, swimming, and tae-kwon-do.

Something else we were curious about was where she grew up, and if that place influenced her to become active in any way.

Ms. Curtis grew up in the Valley before moving to Northridge when she was nine. She said that she had good role models of her own P.E teachers in middle and high school who influenced her athletically. Additionally, she grew up in an active family and community.

Which schools did you consider being a P.E teacher for? Was Science Academy your first choice?

She first student-taught at Kennedy High School before going on to teach at New Los Angeles Charter and Madison Middle School before coming to the Science Academy. Additionally, Ms. Curtis was a yoga teacher for 10 years and also worked in corporate wellness before becoming a P.E teacher. 

We know there must be hard things about being a P.E teacher – Here’s what they are. “The hardest part about being a P.E. teacher is having to deal with environmental issues, such as the weather or sharing space with other P.E. classes. The other hard part is having a higher number of students in each class than other subjects.” 

We originally assumed that Ms. Curtis had found out about the Science Academy through a friend or family member, but the answer was actually quite simple –  “I found out about the Science Academy through the LAUSD job search engine.”

What high school and college did you go to?

I went to Cleveland High School in Reseda where I played basketball, volleyball, and took part in the track team. I went to CSUN (Go, Matadors!) for college, where I was a heptathlete on the track team for 4 years.

Was being a P.E. teacher your dream job?

“Yes, being a P.E. teacher is my dream job. I get to be outside and share my passion for movement. I am living the dream because I get to inspire students to lead healthy and active lives.”

Sport Section: Baseball Fever

By Ethan Kang and Harrison Reisner 

The Dodgers clinch their seventh consecutive NL West title by defeating the Orioles 7-3 with the help of two home runs by Corey Seager and Gavin Lux’s first career home run. Walker Buehler gets the win by striking out eleven Baltimore players and has gone through seven innings once again. Caleb Ferguson has gotten the save, and lately, ever since he was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City, he is terrific. The bullpen has not been doing great in the first half of the season ever since they got more bullpen relievers like Joe Kelly, who was usually with the Boston Red Sox, but in the second half, they have all been amazing.  

Walker Buehler has been terrific during this second half of the season, though he had given up at least four earned runs in his last two of three starts at home against the Colorado Rockies and at the road against the Miami Marlins. In both of those rough starts, he only went five innings though he averagely goes six or more innings.

 Corey Seager has been getting hot lately. He has three home runs in his last two games. Two out of three of those home runs have been three-run home runs. In September, Seager has been dominant, he has been getting a lot more RBIs and home runs lately. He had gotten two injuries in the first half of the season, and one of the injuries was pretty hard for him since he was hot during that span. He had a hamstring injury in the Freeway Series against the Angels while going to 3rd base for a triple. After he came back a few months later, it took him a while to get back to where he was. 

Since the NL West title is out of the way, the Dodgers are hoping to end the season with the best record in baseball. But, there are teams that are getting closer and closer to the best record in baseball like the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, and the Minnesota Twins. The postseason is real risky since there are lots of good players, relievers, and starting pitchers.

There are also a lot of other things that the Dodgers are hoping to get first place on which is the leader in home runs in MLB. Though the Dodgers are in the top five in MLB in home runs, the other that is right above the Dodgers are the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, Houston Astros, and the Boston Red Sox. Cody Bellinger is hoping for being #1 in home runs, but other players are right above him like Pete Alonso of the New York Mets and Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Hyun-Jin Ryu, a possible CY Young winner, was terrific in the first half of the season. He developed a lot of different pitches like the two-seam fastball, sinker, and changeup. His changeup as been his best pitch and the most chased pitch. The second half of the season is a whole different story. He at least gave up at least three runs in every start he made in the second half. He has only given up more than three earned runs once in the first half. This might be one of Hyun Jin Ryu’s best offensive seasons in his six-year career. He had his first career home run on September 22nd against the Rockies. The most embarrassing part of giving up a home run to a pitcher is the pitch count. Antonio Senzatela has given up a home run to Ryu on a 0-2 pitch. 

The Dodgers have had a great season and are projected to go to the World series. They have also already in the regular season have played the Yankees who won the 3 game players weekend series two out of three. The outcome of that series may have not gone the Dodgers way but they still have a great chance at beating the Yankees in the World series. They have seven straight division titles and this year they clinched early because of the magic number. But they still had to work hard after that because they were still fighting for home-field advantage in the World Series. 

The postseason is really soon, and everyone is going to watch this. For the two NLDS, it will be the St. Louis Cardinals against the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals against the Milwaukee Brewers. For the ALDS, it will be the Minnesota Twins against the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays against the Oakland A’s. The outcome is unknown hopefully the Dodgers will perform and make it to the NLCS. They have won Game 1 of the NLDS against the Washington Nationals with the help of the offense and great pitching for pitching a shutout giving up only two hits. The Nationals rely on their offense to perform because their pitching is not that great. Also, their bullpen does not have great stats so the Nationals rely on their starters to pitch as many innings as possible. This was clearly shown on the first game of the series when the Dodgers scored most of their runs off the bullpen. We want to wish the best of luck to the Dodgers that they will make it very far this postseason. Fingers crossed that they make it all the way to the World Series.

The Dodgers, for the first time since 2016, is not going to advance to the World Series. In Game 5 of the NLDS against the Nations, Buehler did give up a run, but Clayton Kershaw came in the games and strikes out Matt Adams in a first and second jam, but he gives up back to back home runs in the 8th inning against Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto that tied the game at 3. In the 9th inning, Joe Kelly came on to pitch in the 9th inning and retired the side. In the 10th inning, he has given up a grand slam to Howie Kendrick to get the Nationals to a 7-3 lead to win the NLDS. The Nationals sweep the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals. Now, they play the Houston Astros in the World Series.

Technology Central: Makerspace

By Jose Salamanca and Gideon Said

This year, the Makerspace lab has been utilized more than ever! Here, kids are allowed to work on any projects they want. In this room, there is a wide selection of materials from flight simulators to VR. You can 3-D print anything you need for whatever project you are pursuing. In this lab at the Science Academy, students are working on very unique and interesting projects.  Many of them are direct solutions to modern world problems and other problems of all varieties. One project is a hexapod robot. A hexapod is a six-legged robot. The great thing about it is that you can code whatever movement styles you want! It can walk in a wave or shuffles and many other motions. Also, buying a ready-made hexapod would cost up to $2,000, while building it costs $200!

Another project is a VR Driving Simulator which stimulates the effects of drunk driving. It contains features that can change your reaction speed based on your blood toxicity. Also, it blurs the screen to make your vision worse based on the amount of alcohol coursing through you virtually.

Another project is a prosthetic arm that will be controlled with electrical impulses originating from your brain. This will allow the controlling of prosthetic limbs in injured people.

Regenerating concrete is another project trying to be completed. It could prevent against earthquakes and acid rain. The concrete would automatically regenerate itself from any cracks and/or fractures.

Another VR project is a surgery simulator that will be programmed with many different surgeries for medical students to practice on. This will contain many different operations widely used throughout the world on people. You will be able to practice and learn the correct methods when performing surgeries in real-life. 

Another group will be designing an entire, interactive VR model of the school. You will be able to explore classrooms and hallways. All of these projects utilize the many capabilities of the Makerspace room. More details of these projects will be provided throughout the year as they develop and are built here in the Makerspace room.

Marshmallow Challenge

Recently in Makerspace, there was a challenge where we had to create the tallest tower we could, using only one meter of string, twenty spaghetti sticks, and one meter of tape. This challenge tests your social capabilities and engineering skills under the pressure of time and limited, low-quality materials. On top of that, it has to hold a marshmallow on top so you have to hope that your marshmallow will not collapse AND be held higher than several other groups. Additionally, the tower has to be free-standing and can not be held for support. A short 18 minutes is all that is provided to the three/four-person group. The marshmallow challenge is mainly based on your skills in working together and breaking things down into simpler parts. This challenge requires clear communication and the ability to quickly start building instead of wasting precious time planning a design. Studies have shown how different types of people have different skill levels in doing this. Surprisingly, kindergartners have one of the highest scores because of how they put the marshmallow up first. Then they slowly add on, but the marshmallow is always on top. Many grades participated in this challenge. Our top record here in the Science Academy was an eighth-grade group at 27 inches tall!

Graph (top) Photo of Marshmallow Towers (bottom)