(June 17, 2003) To Clark Magnet High School’s Class of 2003, Let me begin by truly thanking my fellow classmates for granting me the opportunity to serve as your Class President for the last two years. I will never be able to express all my gratitude for this remarkable and rewarding experience. I am writing this letter with mixed emotions. Graduation is only days away and this will be an event filled with both anticipation and sadness­­­––celebrating our graduation, but knowing that we will miss our friends and wondering what is ahead of us. The real journey of our life is about to begin. When we leave Clark, our paths will lead us to a world full of opportunities and career choices. Using our technical, manual or personal skills, going to college or developing our creative and artistic talents are all possibilities. As children, we dreamt of becoming doctors, teachers, policemen or astronauts. As we go into adulthood, our dreams will begin to turn into realities. It’s up to each of us to find our talent or special gift and strive to keep our dreams alive. As we all prepare to leave this place, I challenge you to get out and change the world or better someone else’s world. I know I’m going to! Giving of ourselves is a rewarding, lifelong course toward keeping in pace with the earth. But before you run and take on the world of tomorrow, make sure you take a moment and let this time and place you a part of, sink in. It only happens once. The future is now, and we are in it! Take the opportunity and push the limits; go further. The world we are about to enter may be different for all of us, but at the same time we will all be experiencing the beginning of life. Our memories here will always be lingering through the halls of CMHS. To my friends, the graduating class of 2003, what we are leaving behind we won’t realize until we are gone. It’s so hard to say good-bye…so good-luck and thank you! Sincerely your Senior Class President, MeMe Tran For the Class of 2003: It has been a great privilege to have worked with you. The school year seems incredibly long as we step through it, but we find ourselves suddenly at the end of it, wondering where it went. Before it’s too late, I want to pause for just a moment to reflect on a few of the things about your class that I will always keep with me. Ara M’s profound humility. My daily visits with Ani, Loreta, Savana (Sovana?), and Lili. Chris K’s punctuality. Harout’s calming influence on the classroom. My role model, Jae Kim. Sharky’s explanation of the infield fly rule. Regina V’s anglophilia (it means she likes things having to do with England). Akop P’s letting his work do the talking. Ruben S’ really relevant questions. Herma making me thankful that God didn’t give me a daughter. Dee-Row not settling for a zee-Row. Having two Daniel Kims (or is it Daniels Kim?) in the same class. Having all those Dereghishians (4, 5??). The number of my seniors who committed themselves to being on time for first block (of course you needed to show up on time so you wouldn’t be late getting off campus at 9:31). It’s been an interesting year. What comes next is a scary and wonderful adventure. We will miss you. – Mr. Blattner Seniors, Our best wishes go out to the Class of 2003. You are truly a remarkable group of high achievers and hard workers. You have distinguished yourself through your academic record and by the products you have produced. We are impressed by the colleges that you have chosen to attend and by the career paths you have chosen to follow. It is our sincere hope that you leave Clark Magnet High School a better, more talented and more capable person that if you had chosen not to attend here. Your achievements and accomplishments from this time forward will serve as a testament to that goal. Congratulations, best wishes, and with all things in you life…measure twice and cut once. Doug Dall To the class of 2003, It’s hard to know just how much people have affected each other’s lives until long after their time together ends. I’ve known some of you for six years––from Wilson Junior High, Sophomore World History, Psychology, and TA-ing for me. It will be interesting to discover who was affected more from our time together, you or me. I think it may be me. I’m so glad I’m a teacher because I get to see who will be influencing the world in the future. It’s with confidence in you abilities that I anticipate your new beginnings. Thank you for enriching my life––you will always be welcome in it. Congratulations, Love, Mrs. Nash Dear Class of 2003, I’ve taught for a long time now and of all the classes I’ve ever had the privilege of working with, yours is right up there in the top few. Individually and collectively you just shine with brilliance and warmth. You are people of integrity, of commitment, of real care caring for one another and others beyond your group. You’ve set the standard for classes coming up behind you at Clark, and in doing so, you’ve enable the underclassmen to see that the stars are reachable. You’re awesome to be around. I feel very fortunate to have worked with you––I’m a better person because of interacting with you and yes, from learning from you. May your high school years you’ve spent together grow into lifelong friendships. You deserve fine things to come your way. You’ve grown up so beautifully from the freshmen you were in Tech Lit class way back when. I wish you the best of all possibilities. Sincere best wishes from your Tech Lit and Art teacher, Mrs. Craemer Farewell Class of 2003, What can I write that will impress upon my hardworking class of 2003, so when you look back fifteen years from now, you’ll say, “I’ll never forget what Mrs. Melville wrote in our farewell letter.” It has been a week and I have come up with nothing so profound. Einstein did, however, state something that I try and keep resent in all my actions and decision-making. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” Take control of you lives. If you don’t like the results you see today, remember you are the architects of your own destinies. Whatever you decide to do from this day forward, make it unforgettable. Take responsibility now for making your life the experience you want to live, and I leave you on your journey with a quote from Loise Hay, “the thoughts we think and the words we speak, create our experiences.” Now, go create the best one you can! Mrs. Melville To the graduating class, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” Yeats’ words ring true when reflecting on the past four years. From the spark on an idea at our first meeting, your enthusiasm and dedication ignited and burst into a wildfire. It seems like just the other day that we were planning your first fundraisers and checking out locations for Senior Prom. Who can forget the car washes, dances, and chocolate sales? Catalina was a blast and Prom was fabulous! It has been an honor to be your advisor for the last four years. Farewell to the class of 2003! I am so proud of all your accomplishments and look forward to hearing about your future successes. -Mrs. Provost Senior Class-2003 It’s such a happy/sad time of the year, you will all graduate, but you will also leave. I’ll miss all of you, especially those of you who took part in the intramurals and made it exciting and fun to watch. Thanks for setting a standard of competitiveness along with good sportsmanship for the underclassmen to follow. Thanks to those of you who didn’t give up on me after your sophomore year in P.E. and hung around as my T.A. or in Sport Tech or just to stop by to say “hi.” Clark is a special place because of the things you did here. We experienced a lot together since your freshman year: Every 15 Minutes, earthquakes, fires, Columbine, the Iraqi War 9with its infamous walk out). Just remember Clark isn’t like the real world, it’s crowded out there and Ramona or Ray isn’t there to clean up after year. You can’t leave your backpack somewhere for a few hours and expect it to be t here when you come back. But know this one thing is for sure; I’ll be anxious for you to come back and share with me your successes and your setbacks or just to let me know you’re okay. Make sure you stop by In-N-Out first, a single cheese animal (OT) style. I’ll be in my office waiting! God Bless all of You! Miss Thomsen To the Class of 2003: When your class arrived at Clark, you joined the close knit group of students who had been here since the school opened in 1998. You quickly made a name for yourself and endeared yourselves to all of the staff. It has been a pleasure knowing all of you for these four years, and I am confident that you will bring your intelligence, wit, and creativity to great use in your future education and careers. –Mrs. Newcomer To the Class of 2003: We have something in common. We both began our Clark Magnet experience in the fall of 1999. I have watched with pride the transformation you have made from freshmen to graduating seniors. You are now young men and women entering the most exciting phase of your lives. I hope that all of you achieve the success that hard work will bring. Remember to “get out of Glendale” and experience new and exciting places and things. It was a privilege to know and work with you all, and I look forward to seeing you soon. Come back and visit at CMHS. The very best to you, D G Henderson To the class of 2003, It has been a joy having the opportunity to work with each of you the last three years at Clark. I have had the pleasure of getting to know each of you and sharing your success as you worked toward your graduation goals. Each of you have special talents and abilities that have enriched Clark. In the future I know that each of you will share your unique talents and gifts to make our world a better place. I wish you the best of luck and success always. Your counselor, Ms. Linda Doll Dear Class of 2003, It has been a special time for me watching you grow through the years. You have indeed, been on “The Edge of a Dream” since you Junior Prom. I won’t forget being down on my knees with MeMe gluing glitter on your theme banner. It is my wish that all you dreams are fulfilled. Ellen Armitstead Dear Seniors, As you venture out into the world…remember… “When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take the step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe one of two things will happen…there will be something solid for us to stand on, or we will be taught how to fly.” Spread your wings! Love, Mrs. Guarino A Senior Graduation Letter On the special occasion of your high school graduation I wish to comment on the attention your parents deserve, your teachers deserve, and that you deserve. While you sit dreaming of your future they will be sharing in your excitement, and reminiscing about your past, fondly recalling the day you were born and the times they rocked you to sleep. They will remember reading to you and your first spoken words, when you first crawled and when you first walked and when you first fell down, and that they comforted you. They will be wondering where the time went, because it seemed like last week you were entering the first grade and now you are graduating. Be very appreciative of them on this day and give them the love they deserve. Every teacher you ever had, from kindergarten, grade school, middle school and Clark Magnet High School, has contributed to your high school graduation. You have been challenged by all of them in order to reach this moment. Art, English, History, P.E., Science, indeed every subject taught by a teacher has improved your skills in the hope that you are now prepared for the real world. It has been an honor to be one of your teachers. I enjoyed the privilege of having many of you as a student, and it is my sincere hope that you leave this institution complete with the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in life. You most of all, the senior about to graduate, deserve the highest recognition, for you have accomplished a milestone in your life. Are you ready for the challenge of life? Will you pick yourself up when life knocks you down? It will happen. Life is full of obstacles. Do you have the patience, the courage and the endurance to overcome them? Your parents believe you do. Your teachers believe you do. Your community and even your country expect you to. We need you to help each other and to work with one another. The world is full of pessimists, it needs more young optimists. Don’t run away from responsibility, embrace it. A new century awaits you, full of wonder and purpose and we believe you are ready for it. Congratulations! We are all proud of you. Best Wishes, Mr. Doom