As a freshman, there is nothing better than skipping second period and hanging out with friends, and getting pancakes. Clark’s annual tradition of Freshman Pancake Breakfast took place this year on Friday, September 16, 2022. 

Upon arriving at school, the first thing students might have noticed was the tables in the covered area being decorated with panther green and yellow tablecloths with bright yellow sunflowers being placed in the center, not to mention the unavoidable smell of sausages sizzling and pancakes being made in front of the cafeteria as Mrs. Kortoshian stood there flipping them with counselors, teachers & PTSA. It could mean only one thing: another year of Freshman Pancake Breakfast. 

Ms. Ohanian, the class advisor of 2026, & the freshman officers went above and beyond with the food and decorations to make sure students enjoy this event. Many new toppings for pancakes were introduced, including marshmallows, Fruity Pebbles cereal, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, strawberry jam, and other delicious toppings perfect for morning pancakes. At the entrance was a photobooth, decorated with a colorful balloon arch made of green and white balloons, with golden balloon numbers spelling out 26. There are also long red carpets to represent the Clark pride. Students got a chance to high five and take pictures with the Clark Panther, Andy, near the end of the event.

Freshman Pancake Breakfast has been a tradition at Clark meant to welcome ninth graders into their first year of high school. “The purpose of this is so that everyone knows each other so they can connect,” stated principle Mrs. Kortoshian. “This connectivity, along with helping each other, is the primary goal at Clark. That’s why we want to do this every year.” As this is Mrs. Kortoshian’s last year flipping pancakes, she is delighted to pass on this tradition with next year’s class of 2027. 

After the announcements were over, students got called to wait in the pancake line based on their polo color. Certain colors got to go first, while others had to wait to be called. “They discriminated against blues,” joked freshman Tierrnan Willstout as blue polos has been called last. “They didn’t even call blue, they just said ‘GO!’” exclaimed Zuhair Alam, agreeing with his friend. 

The line went all the way from the cafeteria making its way to the end of the covered area. While the line seemed long, it moved quickly. Students waited in line for less than five minutes before getting their pancakes. 

Some students opted out of standing in the line. Others chose to just hang out with their friends. Students still got to hang out with their friends and enjoy their forty-five minute long break from their classes. “I have allergies, so I brought my own homemade pancakes to school. Since I had my own stuff, they let me skip the line and pick up a few things, like the soy milk, utensils, and more. The line was so long, so I shared some of my pancakes with my friends, so they could at least eat something at the party,” said freshman Sebastian Francis-Oliver. 

“I liked the toppings and all the nice ladies who served it to us,” said freshman Emily Tsaturyan, who had gotten pancakes topped with marshmallows and syrup. “We are so lucky to have this opportunity as the other schools don’t do this.”

As the event was coming to an end, Mrs. Ohanian held out a raffle box with all the student’s ID numbers written on event tickets. Students crowded around and some got a chance to win flowers to keep. When the raffle was over, students had a few more minutes left to spend with their friends. “It was still really fun because we got to make a lot of jokes about it and it was overall a good time,” expressed Willstout. “It is cool to have a break like this every so often and I would say it made the day better than it would’ve normally been.” What a great start to freshman year!