For the Class of 2011: You have all been here (at least) four years now, and it is gratifying to see that (at least) a few of you have learned something. Here are (at least) a few of things I will miss about the Class of ‘11: Saro Meguerdijian’s rosiness in the face of an immense courseload. Sayonika for making sure that I don’t underreport any p-values. Daniel Jarasa for his interesting stories. Look for them soon in Reader’s Digest. Arpe E. for making sure that we understood that BC Calc was all about her. Mary A. for constantly riding me about those pirates. Mariam G’s sparkling attendance record. Dr. Drea for visiting even though she hasn’t been my student since 10th grade . Allen Sarksiyan’s willingness to tinker. Saro Maz for getting it all done. My period 3 seniors for putting up with my stories about my period 5 seniors. The joy (and frustration) I’ve experienced watching these people grow (and my own son who also graduates this year) into exceptional young adults. Make the most of the time you have. If you think your years at Clark were challenging (fun, too), wait’ll you see what comes next! We will miss you. Fred Blattner Dear Class of 2011: You are the most amazing class that has passed through Clark in a very long time. You make me love what I do for a living. You have distinguished yourselves. You have taken full advantage of the Clark opportunities and the academic world has recognized your many accomplishments with offers of admission and scholarships to so many fine academic institutions. Apart from your academic success, you have also been a force of good in your world. You have believed in each other, used teamwork, seen the connection between yourselves and the rest of the world in ways that are remarkable. I don’t know how you found the time in your busy day to study so hard and give so much to each other, your school and your community. Along with your collective accomplishments, I have also enjoyed you as individuals. Abu, you shaped your own destiny. Rita, you proved students can change. Joseph D., you possess huge talent. Rafik, you went the extra mile in English. Alexa, you reminded me of the life saving value of friendship. Tania, you showed us all that research can be cool. Jacob, your interview with Khrushchev rocked the house. Both Osunas, you are such good people. Laura W, how well your futuristic skills go with your old fashioned values. Galine, you have a great spirit. Saro Maz, you are truly a scholar and a gentleman. Ani S. (Juno),you always brought me laughter. Greg, thanks for the offer to help. Olivia, you are truly an original. Gohar, I am always noticing your courage. Sarik, your titanium strength covers a sweet marshmallow heart. Hovsep, stay healthy and athletic. Derek, you are the only student I ever told to STOP reading. Saro Meg, your prodigious intellect goes well with a caring heart. Talin, my procrastination savant. Ani M. your humility belies your huge accomplishments. Sayonika, be my doctor. Tatevik, best TA ever. All of you I forgot to mention, thank you all for an incredible four years. – Ms. Carlson Dear Class of 2011, I feel privileged to have been the teacher for about half of you. And now that you are all graduating, I offer you a few words of advice: Be altruistic. You can certainly choose otherwise and seek the most money, the highest degrees from the best universities, the fastest car, and the biggest house. Doing so ultimately won’t bring you lasting happiness and satisfaction. Some of you – those who have worked on the Relay for Life program, those who have done service projects through Scouting or through school – already know this to be true. I hope the rest of you will figure this out. Find value in all experiences. Few of us like to fail. But in failing we sometimes learn much more than when we succeed. I “flunked” out of law school (well, not actually flunked, but I was asked to leave). However, it was at the same time that I learned that I loved teaching young people. So my failure in succeeding in law school led me to a career I love. We also will not like every job we hold. For about four weeks I worked as a “locker room attendant” at a public swimming pool in Burbank. This meant I cleaned toilets, cleaned up foreign bodies from the swimming pool, and checked in patrons’ clothing items. Not very glamorous work. But it sure made me appreciate and value the work the locker room attendants did who followed in my footsteps once I became a lifeguard. So, try to look for the value in all that you do, all that you learn, all the people you meet. Your life will be all the more richer for doing so. All my best wishes for much success and happiness. – Mr. Davis To the Class of 2011, If I had you as a student this year in Psychology or Sociology, I thank you for all of the thought-provoking discussions, interesting ideas and insights, and revelations about human behavior shared during class. I have truly enjoyed spending 90 minutes every other day with you! I hope that the class experience has been one of value to you. It has been for me. I wish each of you a smooth and successful transition into this new chapter of your life. Life will inevitably throw the unexpected your way, but don’t worry. Ride the waves and remember the universal truth that all things change (both the good AND the bad!). Take time to discover who you are, and honor your truth by making choices you feel good about. And most importantly (at least according to me), be kind. With love, Ms. Jaynes I remember so many things about my humanities class of 2009: I remember some of you like it was yesterday. I remember flipping through the papers looking for the best essay writers-Collette, Jacob, Saro M., Ryan R., John A., and John B. I remember, Macklin, your dry sense of humor (which I loved) and your awesome voice. I still think you should be a voice-over talent. I remember, Aram, who started out each 6th period with a Chuck Norris joke, a clean one, of course. I remember, my favorite poets, Kyla and Ani. I still read your sample poems to my classes each year because, “You cannot force a poem.” I remember, Joseph Delgado, his kind spirit, creative vision, and the fact that he claims to make pancakes from scratch. Now that’s impressive. Good luck at USC film school. I hope my sons turn out to be like you. I remember, Shant Aghakhani, who shares my birthday. I love your smile… I remember, Derek, his nose in a book, half listening to me talk. I will miss our conversations. I remember my Mock Trial team, Sayonika, Andranik, Abu Saleh, Max, Eric, Hana, Mack, and Joseph. You were the best detectives, bailiffs, witnesses, and attorneys I have seen. Thank you for your hard work. We ate a lot of pizza on those late nights. I remember, Collette, who I hope still wants to be an English teacher; you will be amazing. I remember Jacob Minassian, who always gave me more than I wanted (no, two pages will suffice), and said in a class activity that “art allows you to feel history.” Thank you for remembering Kipling’s poem, “If.” I know you will be a man who will walk with kings and be able to relate to the common man. I remember, Saro Megerdichyan, who developed his poetic voice in my class, who completed one of the best speeches I have ever heard on the Separation of Church and State, and whose orange analogy will go down in history. That was the most interesting literary discussion I have had. “Now the peel symbolizes…” I remember, Abu-Saleh Imtiyaj, who will shine at UCLA. Your self-discipline is the most admiring trait you possess. I love you and your friends…you guys look like a United Nations Committee. I remember, most of all, Laura M. and Saro Mazmanian, I so enjoyed your enthusiasm in class. You guys kept me laughing and smiling. Thank you for getting my sense of humor. I remember the great speakers, writers, poets, and thinkers of your class. I remember all of you and see pieces of you in all of my humanities classes. When you first came to me my kids were babies. Now they are 3 and almost 5 years old. As they grew, you grew…I am amazed at how all of my babies have grown. I hope you have enjoyed the journey as much as I have. All the best to the class of 2011! With Love and Admiration, Diana McGrath Ms. Ngo sends all her best to you as well. She would be very proud of you… I am very happy of you… now that you are ready to launch into adulthood !! Remember what you learned about yourself during Senior projects! I’ve heard from our graduates that College level work is much like a “Senior Project”! You have been well prepared. Do your best now and in life. Touch as many lives as you can in a positive way – you can do it – I believe in all of you. And remember: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent” Eleanor Roosevelt. I will pray for your continued success…. Mrs. Bondy :0) Dear Clark Magnet Class of 2011, If you know you are creative and determined always to bring out the best from yourselves, and to give your top-notch best to others as well, keep reading. High level creative problem-solving is essential for the world you will soon be contributing to in one way or another. If you continue to build on the rigor and relevance of the work you did at Clark – and you set your goal to be sizing up and creatively solving unmet needs and unsolved problems in the future – you will be among those who will move our world forward in ways that benefit humanity and bring about better relationships among peoples. Yours is no easy challenge, but walk forward with the confidence that you can make a worthwhile contribution by continuing to use the positive ideals held high and practiced regularly in your years at Clark. Be creative thinkers, effective communicators, self-directed learners, informed and responsible citizens, and cooperative team-members. These are ideals that, when taken on as a way of life, will serve you, your family, and your community well, and make the world a better place. It has been more than a pleasure to come to know you. Best Wishes Always. Judith Craemer Hello Desperate Editors, “Don’t worry about the world ending in 2012. You should worry about getting a job! You should worry about earning a living. You should worry about saving money. You should worry providing for your family. You should worry about your neighbors and how you can help them. You should worry about your community and how you can make it a better place. You should worry about your world and how you can improve it. Nick Doom Clark Magnet High School Dear Class of 2011 I want to wish you bon voyage as you leave Clark and go on to your colleges and future careers. The Class of 2011 has many members whose hard work and intellectual curiosity are remarkable. It has been a pleasure working with you on your Senior Projects, and on your other research assignments during your four years at Clark. I hope that you will continue learning, seeking information, and staying current with the accelerated rate of change that will surely occur during your lives in the 21st Century. I also hope that you will find work that is gratifying and opportunities to be of service to our country and indeed the world. I also hope that you will find ways to lead an authentic life where your passions, interests, skills, and aptitudes can unite and you won’t find yourself settling for work that only has monetary rewards. You will be greatly missed here at Clark, and I hope you will stay in touch and let us know how you are doing in the years to come. Sincerely, Mrs. Newcomer Dear Senior Class: Remember when you were sophomores in my PE class? Seemed like forever until you would become seniors and graduate, but that is your reality now. The anticipation is exciting, maybe a little scary looking ahead to the future. Soon you will be away from the structure of Clark where even and odd days simply won’t matter anymore. Some of you just disappeared into juniors and now seniors, but others have made a lasting impact on my life as a teacher. I’ll miss you as TAs for my classes, competing in Intramurals, stopping by my class ‘on the way’ to the bathroom, and your friendly ‘hellos’ on campus. Thanks for the hugs and the smiles, and making my job so much fun that it rarely has seemed like I was at ‘work’. Congratulations, and God bless you all! Miss Thomsen p.s. Thanks for all the morning Starbucks, Liana! I think I owe you $100 Dear Class of 2011, As I was pondering what to write to you as you set off on your next journey in life, I found myself reflecting on my high school graduation and early college days. I went to a small high school – smaller than Clark – where everyone knew everyone. This intimate familiarity, where everyone knew my name and I theirs, annoyed me. When it came time to choose a college, I went with a big school, UCLA, where I was determined to be independent, to be anonymous, and to be lost in the crowd of that Westwood campus. I didn’t want anyone to know me or think that they knew me. I felt it was time for me to be in the big “real world,” and the real world was far away from the little, comforting high school I had attended – at least, that’s what I thought. I was naïve, to say the least. What makes this world wonderful and exciting is not the largeness of it, the anonymity one can find in it, but those smaller connections we make with one another. Once at UCLA, I felt lost in a sea of people. I missed the care and concern my high school teachers showed me as well as the sometimes wonderful, sometimes annoying familiarity I had with my peers. So, I guess my advice to you as you head out into that big world is to make it small for yourself. Develop connections with your teachers, fellow students and employers. Don’t keep to yourself. You have unique qualities to share with others. We spent a lot of time together in Humanities; I know what a great group you are. Whether through your democracy project presentation, your children’s book, or the oral history you created, you each demonstrated you have something special to offer the world. Create a small world for yourself, and remember to come back and visit the world of Clark. We’ll want to know how you’re doing out there! Best wishes always, Mrs. Davis To the graduating class of 2011: Congratulations!!! You made it!!!! Thank you for making my first year at Clark enjoyable and rewarding. I have enjoyed knowing you, working with you and I wish each of you the best in your future endeavors. It has been my passion to help you throughout the school year and hope you will stop by to share your success stories with me in many years to come. Good luck on your journey into adulthood. You will always have a special place in my heart. Very truly yours, Karine Turdjian Counselor Seniors- Thank you so much for making my first year at Clark absolutely amazing! Because I learned so much from you guys, I thought it would only be fair to give you some advice as you enter the next stage of your lives. 1. Be honest with yourself. Some of you have a little trouble making it to class by 8 a.m. (I would write down specific names, but you know who you are) I liked to use the “Double Digit Rule” when scheduling classes. Classes that start in the double digit hours of the morning were ok to sign up for, whereas classes that started in the single digit hours of the morning were not. 2. A lot of things seem like a good idea at the time. Most of them are not. 3. Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. Do not leave college with any regrets. You’ll…well…regret it. Congratulations to the class of 2011 and to all the soon-to-be Trojans out there, Fight On! Ms. Childs