(June 16, 2006) Dear Seniors, I had the good fortune to have a handful of you as freshmen. I remember Romella K. earnestly taking in all I said, Galyver A. completing every assignment with amazing detail, Magdalina A. contributing so much to the class discussion, Kaila T. already demonstrating her flair for fashion, Amanda N. speaking with her oh-so-quiet voice, and Armine A. maturely reflecting on any literature we read. While I had to leave midyear to have my third child, Alex, I often wondered how you were doing. I knew Mrs. Dickie was doing a great job with you, but I missed you all the same. Half of you seniors I taught in Humanities with Mr. Davis. You are wrong if you think Mr. Davis and I didn’t know that the year was challenging for many of you. So often we were impressed with the way you rose to the occasion. Many of you seemed to thrive on the challenge, and some of you — okay, mostly Michael (Mkrtich) Ohanyan — have come back to thank us for that challenge. Along with all that work, you also created some amazing projects of which you should be proud. You created meaningful, historical records with your oral histories (which are still on the clarkhumanities.org web site, by the way); you wrote beautiful, educational stories which you shared with elementary students, you met Still Life with Rice author Helie Lee and got to hear her adventures trying to free her uncle from repressive North Korea; and you corresponded with and sent assistance to our Peace Corps volunteer in The Gambia. We hope some of these experiences have stayed with you. Mr. Davis and I wish you much happiness as you set out on your adult lives. It was our privilege to teach you. Life moves so quickly; you really should treasure every moment of it. Note I said “treasure” and not “squander.” It’s important that you know the difference. Before you know it, you’ll perhaps being sharing words of wisdom with some young person you care about. As for any wisdom I have to offer, I’ll use the words of Willie Nelson: “So to each of you, I say, ‘Create!’ It doesn’t matter what: a line of poetry, a phrase of a song, or a perfect pot roast. Cook a perfect pot roast and you will never dine alone.” Enjoy your lives and enrich the lives of those around you. Shakespeare once wrote, “How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.” Be that “little candle” and shine in a world that does at times feel quite weary. — Jennifer Davis Dear Class of 2006, In each of my sixteen years as an English teacher, I have learned valuable lessons from my students. Unfortunately (or fortunately), space limitations prevent me from sharing all of these lessons with you, so I have chosen my top ten from the Class of 2006, listed here in no particular order: Kevin Lee: Brilliance, self-confidence, and humility can happily co-exist in one human being. Nadia El-Fakih: More than I could ever possibly express. . Chris Scandar: It is possible to sleep through an entire year of American Lit/Comp.and still grow into a wonderful human being Iren Tadevosyan: A person can be highly competitive without compromising herself or losing compassion for others. Greg Arutyunyan, Annie Boghossian, and Vahram Grigoryan,among others: It is possible to be late to class for 185 consecutive school days. Mkyrtch Ohanyan: Never apologize for expressing genuine emotion; Chantal Terzian: Young women in the 21 st century can still fall in love with Mr. Darcy. Lauren Ward: It is possible to conform to a rigid dress standard without sacrificing individual expression. Ellen Stifter, Viken Janoian, Romella Keshishyan,Serouzh Sarkissian: Patience, diligence, and success are possible, even in a class of twenty-eight boisterous boys and eight quiet girls. Armine Agazaryan and Edita Babakhanyan: Intelligence + time management=outstanding work And, finally, a personal thank you to the “Bevy of Bozos,” a.k.a. Ben Cornell, Salman Farooq, Shawn Nabizadeh, and Geoff Williams, who kept me laughing during one of the most difficult years of my life. Good luck and best wishes to you all, wherever life takes you. Love, Stephanie Sajjadieh Dear Class of 2006 Even though this is a first for you, I experience graduation every year. It is a happy and sad time as I look at all of you and see only a glimpse of that silly sophomore who was once in my PE class. All the smiles you have brought to me over the years include: my home-girls: Maria, Yesenia, Miriam, Melissa and Danica, thanks for crossing that gender wall. By your example and encouragement we now have a girls division in every Intramural Tournament! To Rosie for the exceptional help you have been to me as an APTA and for the kind words (you too Tina and Jane). Anthony and others, you know USC definitely rocks and the Lakers, well….Andreh, don’t waste all that talent you have, wherever you go to college, walk-on and contribute to a team. Anderson, I’ve enjoyed all of our deep conversations, Kyung & Ara—stay true to your faith. And to all the Intramural studs: especially Aren, Michael, Edison, Arsham, Edgar, Andre, Peter, John, Artur, Armen, Ale & Zorik who will take your place? There will be a new Senior Class next year, but I will always remember the memories all of you have created with me. Finally…..BY DANICA!!! I’ll miss you all, Miss Thomsen Dear Senior Class: I am so proud to have been a small part of your life journey. You have shown tremendous courage, work ethic and endurance to arrive at this juncture. Along the way, you have given me some great memories this year. Some of my highlights were: Melissa Turcios in the fashion show, Jiha Yoo’s massive amount of high school credits, Kevin Lee’s brilliance, Nayri Vartatanean’s yellow shorts, Lauren Ward’s duct tape prom dress, the entire Geoff Williams Experience, Richie Reza in rock star mode, Danica Valencia, equally comfortable in English or on the P.E. field, a winning combination, Michael Worley checking and rechecking his De Vore calculus grade, Iren Tatevosyan, a true scholar athlete, Celine Mackerdichian getting sworn in as a board member for Glendale Unified, Amanda Nanakorn singing the old Clark Junior High anthem, Stella Sahakyan’s determination, Joseph Servantez, the waiter with class, Kayla Todd in her Hoover pep squad outfit, Ellen Stifter’s endless but cheerful hole punching in the office, Sevada Markosyan, Clark’s own realtor, and Mkrtich Ohanyan, the most humble National Merit Scholar. There are too many memories for me to mention them all. Each of you has touched my life and made me so grateful and happy today. Best wishes, Ms. Carlson The essayist and critic, Logan Pearsall Smith, once said, “Don’t laugh at youth for his affectations; he’s only trying on one face after another till he finds his own.” …Happy journeys and in your search remember there is no better time in your lives than the now. Recognize it. Embrace it. I’ll miss you, Mrs. Guarino