(June 11, 2010) — Dear Class of 2010: I was reflecting on what a life you, the graduating class of 2010, have lived. Just pause a minute to recall how much has changed in your short life. This class was born in 1992. While that may not seem that long ago in numerical terms, it may as well be the Dark Ages in contemporary terms. Consider: In 1992 there was no internet. In 1992 there were no ipods, no iphones and no ipads. In 1992 there was no email. In 1992 there were no laptops. In 1992 www and .com were just letters on paper. In 1992 “google” meant absolutely nothing. In 1992 Microsoft released Windows 3.1, named Janus, creating Word Perfect. In 1992 “Amazon” was a forest in South America. In 1992 “Blackberry” was a fruit. In 1992 there were no flatscreens and no digital television. In 1992 there was no Daily Show with Jon Stewart. In 1992 there was no American Idol and no Simon Cowell. In 1992 there was no Fox News. In 1992 the United States Army was sent into Somalia to stop widespread starvation. In 1992 the popular television shows were Rosanne, Cheers, Full House, and Murphy Brown. In 1992 Bill Clinton was elected President and Al Gore was elected Vice President. In 1992 George W. Bush was the owner of a baseball team in Texas. In 1992 Sarah Palin was a sportscaster on a local radio station in Anchorage, Alaska. In 1992 Barack Obama was a second year law student at Harvard. In 1992 no one ever heard of Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Timberlake, Reese Witherspoon, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston or Leonardo Di Caprio. Wow. How life has changed. You, the graduating class of 2010, are entering a new decade in this still young century. You literally hold the world in the palm of your hand. Your world is more visual, moves faster and changes daily. What will your future look like? I don’t know. I can no more predict what that world will look like eighteen years from now in 2028, than anyone in 1992 could have predicted the world of 2010. However, I do know that you will still need to be hardworking, honest and believe in the American dream. I wish each of you the very best. I wish I could name each of you and share a kind word. But, there is not enough room. To those of you I was lucky enough to have as students, in either United States History or American Government, I urge you to stay informed and vote. To those of you who I was privileged to have as students for both classes, I encourage you to be leaders. Don’t be afraid to take risks. Stand up for what is right. And above all enjoy life, and savor the moment, it changes too fast. Best of Luck, Mr. Doom I am so glad I knew you when you were in 9-11 grade years, your academic years. This year you honed your social sides. I never knew a senior class who had their prom at a classic train station. You guys are clever and unique. There are certain things about you as a class and as individuals I will always remember. One of those moments is after the talent show when Danny, you helped Mr. Dall rock that old Beatles song. Pegah, I won’t forget how you grew from a student who hated taking tests to a strong woman. Lana’s poise, Jackie N’s strength, Joan the fun we had at UC Riverside, Yeva and Meenely all those days at Lincoln Elementary, proud of you guys for that. Angelina, I will miss your sunshine, but I think they need you in Portland. Ani S., when you leave, I lose my personal therapist. Shaler, won’t forget how we almost got arrested when you flew your gold medal project in the parking lot of the County Office of Education. Hripsime, your lucky gray heels. Narineh, your huge contribution to building our Key Club. Stacey you are one of the most responsible seniors I ever met. awesome. Ramponi, you gave me gray hairs; I should have known you’d cross the finish line. Keith, what a stud!. I always want to kick you out of handicapped parking because your athleticism makes me forget. Ter Oganseyans you guys are the bomb, Kevin you almost wore me down and got me to change your teachers, Sasoon, you make me proud. Felicia I will pronounce your name perfectly when you walk across that stage. Jae Eun, so glad you stayed for the whole party. Aloyan, your talent! I have missed so many people, but I will never forget all of you. Congratulations. Ms. Carlson To my last year’s Jr. AP English students: You are awesome! As you go off to your colleges or travels or jobs or other endeavors, I hope you will keep in touch with me. I will never forget our final – with Eleanor Roosevelt (Lana) and Greenies (Emily) and Hester Prynne and Daisy and Holden Caulfield and Thoreau all in the same room talking. That was so cool! You made an impression on me and I’m sure you will continue to do so on other unsuspecting teachers, colleagues, co-workers or employees, friends, neighbors, family, and constituents! To my Relay for Life team members: You are amazing! You raised awareness and money, and had a whole lot of fun doing it. Thank you for caring about the people who have been affected by Cancer – many of whom are among us. You may not realize it, but you made a difference in peoples’ lives. Your values and your ability to work for a worthy cause speak volumes about you. Francesca, it will be hard to replace you. Thank you for being Captain for two years and for all your hard work. And it couldn’t have all happened without Jackie, Narineh, Angelina and all of our “Relay Veterans.” To my Music and Chorus kids: Sometimes it was cacophony, sometimes it was a symphony, but always it was fun and exciting to have such talented people jamming, rocking and rolling, and trying new things. Music is the universal language, for sure! To the class of 2010: I know you can make the world a better place. Thank you for sharing your talents, your lives, your ideas and thoughts with us these four years. Carol Pettegrew Dear Class of 2010, Congratulations on completing a milestone: high school graduation. Milestones are placed along roadsides as points of reference. They ensure that the traveler is headed in the correct direction and mark distance traveled. Accomplishments can be considered milestones of sorts. However, without goals, accomplishments cannot be made. As you navigate through life, always remember to set goals, as they serve as markers for our lives. Without a destination, there is only aimless wandering and success by happenstance. On this journey, you will be faced with challenges. Some of these challenges will seem Herculean, however, do not allow obstacles to deter you from your goal. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Every wall is a door.” As you set and accomplish goals, you will find that they do indeed serve as milestones for life. You will refer to your accomplishments, look back at how far you have come and assess where you are headed. Your graduating class was my very first teaching experience. I will never forget teaching humanities when Mrs. McGrath was on maternity leave. I will never forget you all for the love and terror you have caused in my heart. These are some of the things I will take to the nursing home when they find me twitching and giving “warnings”: • Aloyan’s amazing films and giggles (can’t stay mad at him for too long) • Eleny’s maturity and grace • Sevada Babakhani’s philosophy • Andrew Hall’s excellent public speaking • Harout Akhrazyan’s drawing of Mr. Hyde and the fact that he ran 10 hours straight!!!! • Argisht and his commentary • Ando’s photos from his swimming class with the guppies • Val’s beauty expertise • Stepan’s sculpture and “woo” from 10th grade • Osanna in her cadet uniform I will miss you all very much. Congratulations on graduation. Now go set some goals! Ms. Gharibian Dear Davis Humanities Seniors: Did it seem to go by fast? I can so easily remember many of you sitting in our triple-sized classroom each day during that 2007-2008 school year. Looking back, I am so glad Mr. Davis and I decided to pursue our National Board Certification with your class. We tried out many new things with you that we still use today, whether it is e-mailing parents with periodic updates or using a personalized writing handbook to give students essay-writing feedback. Here are some things I’ll remember: • Alex Abraamian always smiling and pushing dress code (BTW, I’ve enjoyed watching your hair this year.) • Suren Agadzhanov correcting me in class when for some strange reason I began pronouncing his name as Sure-N (as in I am sure it annoyed him) • Anna Asatryan impressing me with her hard work and effort (and her beautiful smile) • Nelli Barsegian sleeping in class, yet always managing to write beautifully • Celia Burstein stumping me with her challenging grammar questions after class • Arlene Haghverdian, who enjoyed our class so much she came back as a senior to be a fabulous T.A. for us • Arkady Hovssepian who totally impressed our then five-year-old son with his martial arts moves (you were always so willing to help with anything we needed in class) • Stella Khashakyan coming in and teaching me to knit after she gave me knitting stuff (I made a scarf, Stella!) • Lara Kumjian working on essay revisions, striving for perfection • Joseph Roach, the epitome of the scholar athlete • Fahad Nathani’s, Artur Sarafian’s, and Michael Tezyan’s excellent in-class essays • Lana Mousessian’s maturity and kindness to all her tablemates, no matter where we sat her • Ovsanna Uzunyan’s willingness to push herself by reading honors-assigned books when she didn’t have to • Aram Ter Oganesyan giving me that “special” memory of him getting sick in my class • Sasoon Yousefian showing tremendous growth in his maturity and work habits throughout the year (it’s been a pleasure to continue to see you in the halls!) I have other memories that I can’t include here (for lack of space). I appreciated all of you and your willingness to pursue earnestly all the things we threw at you. You were the last group to get the “I survived the Davises” special pen. You were (and are) a special group. Best wishes as you make your way in the world! Sincerely, Mrs. Davis Dear Class of 2010, You are a class with grace and style, resilience, and wonder. Thank you for four wonderful years of hard work, friendship, and fun. I am marveled by how far you have come and am so proud of you all. Thank you for making my last year in the classroom one of the most rewarding. Remember to do your best (because your best is all you’ve got to give). Remember who loves you and to make your parents proud. Good luck on your journey into adulthood. You will always have a special place in my heart. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go! Mrs. Provost One of the wisest instructors I have known gave me some invaluable advice when I first became a high school counselor. I would like to share this with you: CARPE DIEM. Be grateful for each day and appreciate all the kind and wonderful people you will meet after high school. You are each a talented and unique individual. Find your passion in life and pursue it. It has been my passion to know you and to help you choose your future. I have enjoyed knowing you, and I wish each of you the best in all your future endeavors. I hope I will have the opportunity to see you after you graduate from Clark. The best of luck and good fortune and thank you for enriching my life. Linda Doll Counselor Dear Seniors who had Chemistry with me last year (Per 1 and 3, 2008-09) and this; Thank you for the challenges you have set for me as your Chemistry teacher. I appreciate your patience with me as I tried out new ideas on you and I hope the flexibility you practiced in my class will come in handy in your future endeavors. I hope for joyous successes for all and look forward to hearing your news. All best wishes, Mrs. Day-Blattner Graduating Seniors, One way to tell when you are presented with an opportunity is to feel the discomfort it brings. Embrace it and grow. As we end our brief time at Clark Magnet High School I wish you well as you move into another phase of your lives. If you have taken advantage of everything this school offers, you leave here with confidence instilled by mastery of common standards and experience built upon collaboration and your use of technology. You’ve just completed a project that allowed you to demonstrate your skills, knowledge and persuasion while exploring an idea that might give you direction as you move on. This is a special place. I will miss it. And I will miss being here with you. May you reap what you sow. Best Regards, Mr. DeVore The Class of 2010 closes out the decade as the largest and arguably the most talented group of students we have ever produced at Clark Magnet High School. You have established yourselves as scholars and serious students who are interested in challenging yourselves and not taking the easy course. I am very proud to have been your principal and hope that what you have learned over the past four years here, you will apply throughout your lives in inspired and creative ways. You will probably not realize it immediately, but eventually you will recognize what an absolutely outstanding education you were offered here, delivered by the most outstanding staff. Good luck to you now and forever and don’t forget to always “measure twice.” Doug Dall Congratulations class of 2010! You made it! You experienced breath taking ups, the most devastating of lows, and yet you are still here. If no one has told you yet, please allow me the honor of saying how proud I am of all of you. High school is no easy feat, as I’m sure you are well aware. Your perseverance is awe inspiring, and I feel blessed to have called you my students for the time we had together. I wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors and look forward to what each of you will bring to this world. I know you will make it a beautiful world. Thank you. Again Congratulations! Ms. Devereux (aka Ms. D) We remember so many things about our first humanities class in 2007: All the laughs, late nights grading papers & projects, you complaining about George Bush and us just nodding our heads… We remember some of you like it was yesterday. We remember flipping through the papers looking for the best writers-Diana, Azar, Yeva, Narineh K. and Tatevik. We remember, Nona, your passionate participation and the conviction in your voice, We remember, Danny, who was wandering here and there, never sitting down, maybe rehearsing the lines to your songs, We remember, George, always about 5 minutes late for class, We remember, Michael and his videos, “Caesar’s Eleven”, his special black pen and notebook, We remember precious Preny, charismatic Colette, radiant Raquel, and the gracious Gaby… We remember the train. All aboard Felicia, Christa, Charmaine, Cathy, Mae, and Alicyn, We remember beautiful friendships: Eleny, Jacquie, and Arpi, We remember the Baar twins, their heads always in a book. We remember, Yeva, always the top of the class, We remember the good lookin’ crew: Ando, Leo, Shayer, a mixture of good looks and brains-a fine combination. We remember loud Sevada M., a great basketball player. Thanks for always volunteering to read. Remember, I (Mrs. McGrath) see greatness in you. We remember Nareh H., whose passion and free spirit we so admired. I hope you make it to Berkeley where you belong… We remember kind Andrew Hall, a wonderfully, passionate speaker. We remember “Gino” and “Gina,” the Lianas, the Sevadas, and the Narinehs of your class. We remember the great speakers, writers, poets, and thinkers. We remember all of you and see pieces of you in all of our humanities classes, as you are the first. We made it through the throes of George Bush and the birth of hope with Obama. We made it through the birth of my (Mrs. McGrath’s) second son, little Gavin. He is now two. In English class we traveled from Roman times (Julius Caesar), to an island outside England (Lord of the Flies), to South Africa (Kaffir Boy), to Maycomb, Alabama (To Kill A Mockingbird), and finally to Poland in Auschwitz, a concentration camp (Night). In World History class we traveled from Greece to Rome, to the explosive French & Russian Revolutions, to the battlefields of World War I, World War II & the Cold War. We flew all around the world with our Final History project. We hope you have enjoyed the journey as much as we have. All the best to the class of 2010! With Love, Loretta Ngo and Diana McGrath