(November 2, 2007) — As the bell rings for enrichment to begin, students take their seats at the first meeting of the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA). The meeting begins with students discussing which pronouns they think apply to themselves: he, she, and ze (a third pronoun used for those who prefer not to be regarded as either male or female). This ice-breaking activity is well received, and makes everyone feel welcome. This meeting, held on Oct. 24, was an introduction to the club with information on its purpose and what future activities the club will take part in. Diana McGrath is the GSA’s advisor until she takes maternity leaving in January, at which point teachers Maral Guarino and Stephanie Sajjadieh will host the weekly meetings. Due to conflicting club schedules, a number of students were unable to attend. “During our first meeting we were expecting a lot more people,” club vice-president Nellie Barsegyan said. “But they had other meetings to attend. We chose to have the meeting on Wednesday, but we didn’t realize how many clubs were meeting that day.” Although the turnout was less than expected, counselor Karen Carlson was at the meeting to show her support and witness Clark history in the making. The GSA seeks to promote friendly interaction between gay and straight students through speeches, activities and discussions of various topics. The overall goal is for students to be tolerant of each other’s personal choices and to promote unity among straight and gay students. “We hope to make Clark a more tolerant campus,” said senior Gustavo Endara, president and founder of the GSA. “There’s a lot of room for improvement with tolerance issues on campus.” While Clark has never had a GSA, other Glendale Unified schools have had them for some time and are actively advocating tolerance. “It’s about time we got one,” junior Erin Mooney said. “CV has had one for a few years.” While the majority of students seem to disapprove of the formation of the club, there are a growing number of people who are willing to be tolerant, even if they don’t join the club. “Our goal is to spread acceptance, not to get everyone to join,” Endara said.