(June 14, 2002) — “What symbolism, if any, did you find in Of Mice and Men ?” the teacher shouted over the drilling. The boisterous construction provided intermission sessions for the daily lectures at Clark. In a way, however, it was one of the perks of being in a new school because one hour and 30 minutes of class simply doesn’t pass by too fast. As Clark was under construction, so were its students. The classmates engaged in many relationships; some were brief but others lasted. Whether it was rainy or sunny, the friends we discovered over the years stood by each other. In October 2001, Emin Menachekanian had a car accident and he remembers his friends cheering him up that day. “It showed me how much my friends care about me and how valuable I truly am to them,” he said. “Although the accident was bitter, the aftermath was very cleansing.” Construction was not always perfect and there was always something to fix. Similarly, many friendships and relationships flowered, bloomed and died. Anna Kim commented that one of the biggest problems with friendships is distance, because “if you don’t keep in touch often, you tend to drift apart from your once-closest friends.” Others, Violet Yebeyan, say that many friendships were contaminated because a lack of trust, but that “it’s always easy to find friends. But once you have found your true friends, they are the people you can turn to in your time of need,” Yebeyan said. Social relationships are an important element in life, but unfortunately homework and tests hold the same importance. While students were building up their study skills and receiving decent grades, many others faced the evils of procrastination. “I overcame the extra workload Clark presented and saw that I have so much to offer the world. But I saw that one of my bad habits was leaving things until the last minute,” said Lawrence DeLeon. Even with all the construction noise, endless search of sincere friendships and sleepless nights from tests, many students from the graduating class say that Clark was worth it. “I am proud to be one of the students who was fortunate enough to be with Clark since the very beginning,” commented DeLeon. Some students would not find Clark as agreeable. “The school is a magnificent facility, but the staff is what made it a school. Unfortunately, this school has become a penitentiary. We were prisoners for four years, treated as if we were numb-minded. I sat like a roach for four years,” commented Sero Kassabian. Today, the construction is complete, and soon we will say our goodbyes. Another beginning is waiting for us in September and once again we’ll have to find our niche.