(February 23, 2007) — It seemed like a shocker to most sophomore students when they found that two of their teachers would be leaving Clark in the same week. History teacher Cynthia Nash and physical education teacher Judy Thomsen both left at the end of the first semester. Nash will be leaving Clark permanently, while Thomsen is away on a temporary leave and will be back next quarter. Nash left her Humanities class at the end of the semester, citing personal reasons. Arbella Azizian, who has been working as a long term substitute, now fills her position working alongside English teacher Stephanie Sajjadieh. “I’m excited to work with her for the new semester,” said Sajjadieh, explaining that her teaching style is very compatible with that of her new colleague. Azizian had been a substitute teacher for Nash in the past and knew many of the students, so it was a smooth transition for her. “It was easy for me to get the job because the administration already knew me,” she said. She had been a substitute for Nash when she left for Nigeria in November for two weeks. “I feel sad that Ms. Nash left us, and I wanted her to finish the whole year with us,” said Ani Shabazi. “But as long as she’s happy with what she does, that’s all that matters.” Thomsen, however, left school for six to eight weeks to undergo cancer treatment, which she told her classes about in order to eliminate any rumors. She was anxious to be back before she even left, and, according to her substitute, Sue Flocco, is in good health. Flocco and Thomsen have assigned a physical boot camp for their students. Thomsen is scheduled to be back in the beginning of April.