(December 20, 2011) Junior Lilia Iskandaryan got her new pet pal in the second grade on Christmas day. Iskandaryan always wanted a pet, but the chances of getting one were low since she lived in an apartment. Her dad felt bad about that, so he got a hamster for Iskandaryan’s Christmas present. “He put the cage at the end of my bed once I was asleep and when I woke up it was staring at me. I fell in love with it the first second,” Iskandaryan said. “It was so cute.” Junior Soseh Melkonian hadn’t asked for anything specific, but she got what ended up making her seventh Christmas the most memorable one. Melkonian received a green scooter and thought it was the best toy ever. “I fell off a lot. When I was riding it I thought if I went faster it would make me more steady, but I was wrong,” Melkonian said. Sophomore Aram Asatryan really hadn’t expected to get such a huge gift to support what he enjoys doing. Asatryan’s grandfather, also named Aram Asatryan, was an Armenian singer, so Asatryan’s musical background was a factor in him receiving a grand piano. “I went to piano for a year, and I wanted it. I was twelve, and I still play,” he said. For Asatryan, playing piano during his free time is a method of relaxation.