News

Pacific Dance Studio brings dance curriculum to GUSD

Twenty years ago, Laura Fremont opened Pacific Studio for Dance (PSD). With its home base only two blocks from the school, the studio has been like a second home for students aspiring to be dancers.

“PSD has a really loving and family-orientated atmosphere,” Isabel Hodgson (’13) said. “I learned a lot about the art as well as the sport of dance during the eight years I spent there.”

From this small studio a new non-profit organization is being born that will offer free dance workshops on campus.

“This is a deeper form of dance education,” Fremont said. “It’s for students wanting serious dance training or understanding of dance, discipline, and technique.”

She is currently in the process of consulting with school and district officials to figure out how best the workshops would suit each school. Fremont says that “ultimately” it is up to the school and how they choose to “incorporate the organization on their campus.”

The workshops assimilate three “synergistic programs.” The first, “heart & sole,” would offer an opportunity for dancers to work as youth mentors.

The “step-up” workshops would strive to bring experienced dancers such as Joelle Martinec and Sole Vita Dance Company to school.

The last program is a “side-by-side” showcase which would allow students from the first two workshops to choreograph and perform along with industry professionals.

Fremont, whose resume ranges from choreographing for independent film projects to performing for different stage productions such as Disney’s “The Muppets,” is currently consulting with different schools across the district to incorporate her workshops into their curriculum.

“Dance is a challenge that stirs your creativity,” Fremont said. “It is a personal and community expression like none other.”

Deyell starts student-athlete tutoring program

By: Samantha Mariano

A new student athlete tutoring program will be available for all sport involved students who need an academic boost. Called Smarter Starters, sophomore Jacob Deyell recruited about 10 juniors to assist him with the program. They hope to begin tutoring after AP tests are finished.

Deyell noticed how a few students who took part in a sports curricular were deemed ineligible to play due to their low grade point average (GPA). Therefore, he approached Principal Jennifer Earl with the idea to have “high academic achieving students” tutor these athletes in order to improve their grades.

Deyell plans to have the tutors teach the subjects they are best at and divide the tutees into groups of three each. This “trial run” is to determine how well this idea works and to provide next year’s students with a good quality program.

Although the current tutors were chosen by Deyell, applications will eventually be handed out for students who desire to take a tutoring position. To be eligible, a student must have a minimum 3.5 GPA, preferably ranging from being a sophomore to a senior. It is yet to be decided whether or not second semester freshmen will be eligible.

Tutor Veritas Kim (’13) claims that fellow athletes “spend a large chunk of their time practicing,” and therefore have less time to focus on academics. Now that most of their seasons are over, Kim will assist in “managing the time they have left” and aim in raising their grades.

Athletes who wish to be tutored may seek Deyell, or ask Assistant Principal Mark Rubio or Coach Andrew Policky for more details.

According to Deyell, “playing is what [athletes] love to do.” Therefore, he hopes that the “barrier,” or ineligibility to play due to grades, could be “broken down.”

Band invited to play in Iowa

By: Christine Babayan

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Herbert Hoover Library and Museum, the bands of all five schools named after Herbert Hoover are being invited to West Branch, Iowa to play at the event on Aug. 4.
The band will fly to Iowa on Aug. 2 spend the next day practicing songs for the parade, and then fly back home on Monday, Aug.6 .
Although room and board are being paid for by the library, each student still must raise $350 money for other expenses.
Marching band member Samantha Yen (’14) is extremely excited to be “representing Hoover in such a positive way.” Yen feels the trip will help the band members gain both professional and personal skills because “after all it takes a lot of responsibility to travel half way across the country.”
Every summer the marching band has two weeks of “band camp” in which they march from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. practicing songs for the coming season. This year band camp is being elongated by a week to prepare for the event and practice songs such as the national anthem, the school march “The New Colonial March” other signature songs like “We are Family”, “Don’t Fear The Reaper”, “Forget You”, and “Iron Man”.
Incoming freshman band members will also be given the chance to participate in the trip and marching band director Martin Rhees hopes that the “opportunity to get away from home and experience a new culture” will give the band members a lot of time to “get familiar with the new faces.”
He also thinks that the performance will be of a challenge considering that usually their first performance of the year is small and the audience is normally just parents.
“This will really light a fire under us and force us to perform at our best earlier than usual,” Rhees said.

The 31st President Hoover was also the first U.S. President to have a high school named after him. The library and museum strives to teach visitors about President Hoover’s life and has many historical sites such as the birthplace cottage ofHoover himself.

For any student interested in joining the marching band next year, mandatory band camp will be held from July 23-Aug 10

Choir plays Carnegie

By: Jeannie Mai

Thirty choir students will fly to New York on May 25 to perform at Carnegie Hall, one of the most prominent concert halls in the world. The group will be performing the 45-minute Mozart’s “Requiem.” Each student had to pay for his own trip, which covers lodging, meals, and leisure activities.

Six chaperones, including choir teacher Beth Richey, will accompany the students on the trip.

The choir was invited to sing at Carnegie Hall after sending in a recording of choir’s 2010 spring concert to Mid-America Productions, a company that specifically books Carnegie Hall. She submitted the CD in 2010 because she wanted her students to have the opportunity “[to sing] in such an incredible and historic venue,” but due to the extensive amount of time it takes to review such submissions, she did not receive the acceptance letter until May 2011.

Choir was already invited to sing at Lincoln Center in New York; however, Richey decided to pass on the opportunity so that they “would have enough time to fundraise” for Carnegie Hall.

Though the students will have time to explore the city, they have a strict rehearsal schedule to further prepare for their big performance, in which they will practice at least four hours daily.

Richey chose Mozart’s “Requiem” because it was part of the choir concert the previous year and a majority of the students knew the piece. “Requiem” is significant because it was the last piece Mozart wrote before he died. The song is accompanied by myriad emotions, the two biggest being “fear” and “peace.”
“The music is very intense and passionate,” Richey said. “I personally have never sung a work that is so beautiful and real; it is timeless.”
Sarah Hill (’13) is excited for “the experience of a lifetime” and looks forward to singing Mozart’s “extremely beautiful and unique piece.”
“Mozart’s ‘Requiem’ is the longest piece of music I have ever sung, but that also made it the most gratifying to learn,” Hill said.

On the first night, the students will have the opportunity to see a Broadway show. On May 28, the students will perform at 8 p.m. at Carnegie Hall. The students’ last day in the big city will be spent sight-seeing.

Richey looks forward to “seeing students’ faces as they sing on stage with a professional orchestra and seven other choirs.” She is also eager to see how they work with guest conductor John Rutter.

The choir students that were serious about going to New York assisted with the many fundraisers Richey organized, including but not limited to, Pinkberry and Yogurtland fundraisers, a fundraiser at Casa de Ramos, and a comedy show in which a hypnotist performed. To date, choir has raised over $50,000 through fundraising and donations.

Singer Ally Specter (’13) is “both ecstatic and terrified to perform.”

Though she is nervous, Specter jokes that the performance is “a lot of standing and a great calf workout.”
“The fact that Hoover High School in Glendale is performing at Carnegie Hall is a little hard to swallow,” Specter said.

Prop 209

By: Samantha Mariano

If Proposition 29 is passed on the June ballot, an additional $1 will be taxed on each pack of cigarettes. The proposition would bring the state approximately $735 million a year and will benefit research for cancer and other tobacco related illnesses.

Monthly Briefs: April

By: Samantha Mariano

Senior Bryant Santamaria’s creation of a ceramic mask has been chosen to be a part of the Emerging Artists: High School Exhibition Show at the American Museum of Ceramic Arts in Pomona. The exhibition is free for visitors from April 14 to June 30. Ceramics teacher Gina Brownstein submitted the mask to the juried show in which judges decide which pieces they would like to display.

According to Santamaria, “the mask contains the collision of two faces, a broken skull that shows the inside brain, an exaggerated tongue, a tear in the face’s skin used to show pain, a hand coming through the top [covering] one side of the face, and a snake moving through all the open scars.” Amongst the rest of the artworks, Brownstein believes the mask contains the “most emotional content.”

The Team Ball Up High School Street Ball Fundraiser Game will take place in the main gym on May 11 at 5 p.m. Pre-sale tickets will be on sale for $5 at the student store and $7 at the door, and all proceeds will benefit the school’s basketball team.
The celebrity basketball team consists of “the best street ballers” such as Professor (Grayson Boucher), Bone Collector (Larry Williams), and Sik Wit It (Robin Kennedy). Radio station KIIS FM will be bringing well-known “surprise” artists to perform at half-time.

According to a report by the Civil Rights Project, Glendale schools have higher rates for the suspension of blacks and Latinos compared to Asian and white students, the latter including the Armenian population. Records show that in the 2009-2010, 13.9 percent of African American, 9.6 percent of Latino, 5.4 percent of white, and 3.9 percent of Asian students were given an out-of-school suspension.

The 26,225 GUSD students consist of 56 percent white, 22 percent Latino, 20 percent Asian, and 1 percent African American.

Terrence Roberts of Little Rock Nine speaks at assembly

By: Agnessa Kasumyan

At the age of 15, Terrence Roberts volunteered to enroll in Arkansas’ Little Rock Central High School in order to promote the desegregation of schools in 1957, despite facing repeated threats and having to be escorted to school with the National Guard. Looking forward to but “terrified” of the “golden opportunity,” Roberts was part of an original group of 150 volunteers willing to enter an all-white school. However, the numbers “dwindled” to a group of only nine black students, latter dubbed “Little Rock 9.”

At the age of 70, Roberts spoke at Monday’s Human Rights Assembly. After his short but liberating speech, many students walked up to shake his hand, thanking him for giving them a new perspective on bullying and bringing social factors to consider that they never had before.

Roberts said that, despite being harassed, it was the “fear itself” that kept him going. One day, he was hit on the head with what he believes was a combination lock, to the point that he fainted but remembered thinking, “If I fall, I’ll never be able to get back up.”

Despite the struggles that he and the other members of Little Rock 9 faced, they persevered because, had they not, Roberts feels they would have been “dismissing the sacrifice” of thousands of “past patrons” who fought for justice and equality.

“Life under those oppressive conditions would have been tantamount to living death,” he said.

For Roberts, seeing schools desegregated now is “neat,” but doesn’t tell him that “our problems are gone.”

He brought up the point that, with the United States having accepted the discrimination and racism of blacks for “335 years,” it became “habitual” and “second nature” for Americans to discriminate. Roberts feels that passing laws to promote acceptance and equality is only the first step because the minds of the people have to catch up with the law.

He believes that we can “erase the lines of separation,” acknowledging that though it probably won’t happen in his lifetime, he hopes it will for his grandkids, aged six and nine.

“I live for that reality,” Roberts said.

Monthly Briefs: March

By: Samantha Mariano

On March 31, the annual “Block pARTy” will be held on Glenwood Road. School organizations such as the Visual and Performing Arts Club, LaVoz Latina, Random Acts of Kindness, marching band, choir, and much more will be setting up food and activity booths during the event. There will be various choices of foods such as Pinkberry, Jamba Juice, Korean barbeque, tacos, kettle corn and so forth. Unlike last year, the Keppel Elementary School will no longer be holding the Silent Auction. Instead, the Toll Middle School parking lot will be filled with carnival games such as cake walk, a dunk tank, balloon darts, and a video arcade.

The annual talent show will be open for students to attend on April 5 in the school auditorium. ASB members will be selling tickets for $3 with ASB membership while prices will be $5 without membership at the door. Hosting the event will be seniors Wenona Carlos, Tatum Santos, Michael Yapujian, and Mary Arakelyan. It is expected that there will be around 30 performances consisting of dancing, singing, instrumentals, and a fashion show run by RJ Salazar (’12).

Despite that the nation managed to increase the overall high school graduation rate, it was reported that 1 in 4 students still drop out. President Barack Obama suggested the idea of keeping students in school until they graduate or become 18. Along with nine other states, California has had a decline in graduation rates.

Random Acts of Kindness collect comfort items for shelter pets

By: Christine Babayan

The moment Eileen Smulson set sight on the five-month-old terrier-poodle mix with beige fur and timid eyes, she felt absolutely nothing.

Smulson had never been an animal lover, so when her husband Brad proposed adopting the rescued puppy Ginger from the Porter Ranch PetCo, she was apprehensive at best.

Neither knew that the 11-pound ball of fluff would be the inspiration for a state-wide project.

The non-profit organization called Operation Blankets of Love (OBL) now distributes blankets, towels and other comfort items to over 2,000 homeless pets each month.

This month the school’s Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) started a semester-long collaboration with OBL to collect donated items from Toll and Hoover for homeless animals.

RAK was informed of the organization by 12th Grade counselor Rena Sharch, who heard about the project from a friend of hers who was collecting items.

“As soon as I found out about OBL I immediately knew RAK was the perfect club for the drive,” Sharch said.

Presidents An Uong (’12) and Lucine Oganesian (’12) decided to set up boxes in the office for items and circulated collection jars throughout classrooms.

The club will be collecting items such as blankets or comforters, bath sized towels, pet beds, toys, crates, and dog igloos and pet treats.

After being inactive for four years, RAK was restarted in 2008 by co-presidents Uong, Oganesian and vice president Fiona Babakhanians (’12).

“There are a lot of homeless animals that don’t even have the simplest of comforts,” Oganesian said. “Our primary goal is to collect as much as possible throughout the semester to change that in any way that we can.”

The whole idea for OBL started in January 2008. While visiting West Valley Animal Shelter, Smulson took notice of the relatively poor condition of some of the dogs that were showcased in the shelter. She sent an email to the general manager expressing her concern that the smaller dogs were cold.

The head of the shelter Jan Selder responded to her worries immediately and even set up a private tour around the shelter for her to take.

During the tour, Smulson was informed of the shelter’s low budget and lack of necessities such as blankets or towels.

“When an animal has a blanket it feels relaxed, safe, secure and happier,” Smulson said. “This increases their chance of being adopted and saves many lives.”

She couldn’t bear the thought of the animals sleeping on wet, cold cement floors and started a mission to collect at least 50-100 blankets for the shelter.

Smulson used her past 18 years of experience as a professional fundraiser to jumpstart the project.

She started advertising for donations of “old or used blankets, towels, or comforters.” Within a month, she collected 400 items for the shelter.

OBL now has over 60 various drop-off locations in Southern California that they donate items to, and they also work with over 100 animal rescue groups. This is a huge improvement from the three drop-off locations they had when first starting out.

“Animals give you unconditional love without judgment,” Smulson said. “It’s our goal to make it mandatory for shelters to have comfort items for all their pets as they anxiously await adoption.”

Latin club and AP European classes prepare for spring break trip to Europe

By: Cristine Babayan

Latin and AP European History teacher Donald Ashman will be taking 12 students and three chaperones on a trip to London, Paris, and Rome during spring break. Unlike previous French and Spanish Club trips, this trip will focus on how Latin influenced these three cultures.

CSU plans to freeze enrollment to brace for budget cuts

By: Samantha Mariano

The California State Universities (CSU) system announced plans to decrease enrollment to brace $750 million worth of state funding cuts during the 2011-2012 fiscal year if state voters do not vote for Governor Jerry Brown’s proposed tax incentive in November.

Even if the incentive passes, an expected $200 million will be cut from the system. CSU will freeze spring enrollment while some campuses may wait-list all students in the following fall semester, depending on funding.

This fall, CSU campuses will not make early admissions and will notify applicants that their acceptance relies on the tax incentive. If the proposal does not pass, the fall 2013 semester will result in turning away about 20,000-25,000 applicants.

Cal States Channel Islands, Chico, East Bay, Fullerton, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Bernardino and Sonoma will still enroll several hundreds of community college transfers during the spring 2013 semester.

CSU Los Angeles junior Gabby Monzon believes this decision violates constitutional rights and the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause, “taking away the equal opportunity of those who cannot afford expensive private colleges.”

However, Michele Siqueiros, the executive director of the nonprofit Campaign for College Opportunity, states “while many of us would argue that there should be a fundamental right to higher education,” the state has always taken into consideration the amount of “access” all students have to education.

Siqueiros encourages parents and students to demand the governor and Legislature to “stop changing the rules in the middle of the game for students and keep the promise of access to all eligible students.”

According to Board of Education Vice President Christine Walters, “this is just another example of how our schools in California are grossly under-funded.”
Walters urges high school seniors and college students to get involved with state and local politics since they are old enough to vote and therefore “influence the public policy.”

District considers removing librarians from libraries

By: Christine Babayan

District officials are devising a plan to reform the libraries of Crescenta Valley, Clark Magnet, Glendale, and Hoover high schools. The plan, which will not be finalized until May, would extend the library from 7am to 4pm to be even more available for students.

According to Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources David Samuelson, the upgraded would incorporate more technology for student use.

“Every time I go to the library the computers are always occupied, it would be useful to have some new equipment to work with,” Lynette Ayvazyan (’13) said.

If the proposal is put to progress, the libraries would then in turn be supervised by a support staff member instead of a credited librarian. Without having to pay the librarians, the district would save roughly $50,000.

On March 12, a letter of notification was delivered to the schools’ librarians informing them of a possible “reassignment.”

“We’re in changing times,” Samuelson said. “A majority of the books in the library are not being checked out, we’d rather create a quiet place where students can use technology to their advantage.”

The letters notified the librarians that the “great uncertainty” with the State’s general funding is threatening their positions as librarians and as a result, the district may reposition to different district campuses starting July 1.

Glendale Teachers Association President Tammy Carlson and Librarian Lisa Parish spoke out against the proposal at a Board of Education meeting on March 20.

“Working in the library helps kids gain research, critical thinking, and citing skills,” Parrish said. “Isn’t that what they must attain to be lifelong learners?”

Zooming through Super Tuesday

By: Edward Nadurata

Super Tuesday, the biggest primary event of the 2012 presidential election, is set to take place on March 6, when 10 states hold their primaries or caucuses.

To those of you who don’t know the process of primary elections, here is a simple overview.

Contenders vie for their party’s nomination for president. Our country has two main political parties, the Republicans and the Democrats. As a sitting president, Barack Obama is the presumed Democratic nominee, so the only real drama during the primaries is who will become the Republican candidate.

For a contender to win, one must get the majority of delegates’ support during his party’s convention. In order to gain delegates, a candidate must win the primary election or caucus of the state. Each win leads to a number of delegates pledged to vote for the candidate’s name during the party’s convention.
The importance of Super Tuesday is that there are 10 states that will be holding their primaries/caucuses on the same day. There are 437 delegates ready to vote for the Republican winner of their state’s election when they all meet in Tampa Bay, Florida from Aug. 27-30 for their national convention.

In recent weeks, Rick Santorum has rocked the Republican primary scene by winning Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri on Feb. 7. He is seen as a threat to the party’s leading presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, who has more delegates. Currently, Romney has 123 delegates, Santorum has 72, Newt Gingrich has 32, Ron Paul has 19. A total of 1,144 delegates is needed to clinch the nomination.

With Romney being from Massachusetts and its former governor, he is expected to win that state’s 41 delegates. Only Paul and Romney appear on the Virginia primary ballots (49 delegates).

Paul, who has never won a single primary or caucus, has now set his sights on Washington for its primary on March. 3.
California, the state with most delegates, will be holding its primary on June 5 with 172 delegates on the line.

Scholastic Bowl team prepares for an annual academic competition

Photo Source: Lonelyplanet.com

PRACTICE: (from left to right) Lucine Oganesian, Stephen Ghazikhanian, Edward Nadurata, Meagen Yuen, and Matthew Benitez of the Scholastic Bowl team practice with buzzers to answer questions. the team will compete against other GUSD high schools in the annual competition on March 19 in the Glendale High auditorium.

By: Christine Babayan

What is the largest church in the Christian world? What character in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is the same type of being as Ariel in “The Tempest”? Goldfish are domesticated versions of what freshwater Asian fish?

These are the type of academically challenging questions that students from Clark Magnet, Crescenta Valley (CV), Glendale, and Hoover High schools will be quizzed on at the 22nd Scholastic Bowl, held at the Glendale High School Auditorium on March 19 at 7 p.m.

The Scholastic Bowl is an annual competition, hosted by NBC weatherman Fritz Coleman, in which students from the district’s four high schools compete to answer academically challenging questions.

Before the actual event, there is an essay challenge on March 5 in which every member of the team will write an essay on a currently relevant topic.

The points received on each essay will then be averaged out and every team will be awarded a score to jumpstart the quiz portion of the event.

This year’s team consists of seniors Stephen Ghazikhanian, Edward Nadurata, Lucine Oganesian, junior Matthew Benitez, and freshman Meagen Yuen.

The team usually practices once or twice a week for an hour; however, as the competition date nears they start practicing more often.
English teacher and coach Brian Crosby is positive that the team has strengths in all five of the categories: language arts, fine arts, math, science, and history.

In December, tryouts were held in which Crosby asked questions from previous years and students that answered the most questions correctly were chosen for the team.

Crosby feels the team’s diversity in both age and academic knowledge gives them an advantage.

Yuen is currently the only freshman on the team and although she can “hold her own,” she admits that at times there are math or science questions that stump her.

“I try not to think about the fact that I’m the youngest on the team,” Yuen said. “I just focus on the question given and dig deep into my knowledge.”
She believes the team has a “decent chance” of winning and looks forward to possibly rejoining the team next year.

A mock competition will be held on March 15 at the Americana at Brand in which a combined group of four students and four teachers from each participating high school will compete in a buzzer round to answer 25 practice questions.

“[The Scholastic Bowl's] no different than a football or basketball game, except the kids get to compete with their brains,” coordinator Dennis van Bremen said.

Each member of the first place team will receive $500 and the second place team will win $125. Both the third place team and the fourth place team will receive $75.

The money for the grants comes from an array of sponsors including Knapp, Petersen and Clarke, Delta Kappa Gamma and the Glendale Educational Foundation.

Schools holds carnival to improve CST scores

By: Christine Babayan

In hopes of motivating students to do well on the upcoming California Standards Test (CST), a carnival will be held on March 9 from 3-6 p.m. in the main quad before the annual Stars Shooting for Hope Celebrity Basketball Game.

Although there is no entrance fee to the event, students who scored proficient or better on last year’s CST will receive free tickets to use on the games.

According to Principal Jennifer Earl, the carnival is part of the school’s efforts to build on the “we need to grow a quarter” concept, a plan to raise the Academic Performance Index (API) by 25 points.

The API is a state-wide measurement of the academic performance of a school. It is based on the school’s scores from the CST and the California High School Exit Exams. The scale of the measurement ranges from 200-1000, 800 being the preferred target. Last year, the school fell short with an API of 776, and was consequently labeled a Program Improvement school.

During the event, clubs will fundraise by holding activity booths and selling food.

American Cancer Society Youth (ACSY) will be managing a “jail booth” where students will be able to lock up their friends in a cage. ACSY officer Evelyna Vartanians (’12) expects it “will create some good laughs and attract a lot of attention.”

Meanwhile, Random Acts of Kindness will be administering cut-out photo booths, where participants can pose in front of various backdrops for pictures, and the journalism class will be operating a Dance Dance Revolution arcade game.

Assistant Principal Caroline Sweeney, who is planning the event, said the carnival is “a very traditional and old-fashioned idea,” and hopes to make it an annual tradition.

After the carnival, the 4th annual Stars Shooting for Hope Celebrity Basketball Game, a game of teachers versus celebrities, will be held in the main gym from 7-9 p.m. The entrance fee is $5, and all the proceeds go to the Desi Geestman Foundation, which helps provide support for families suffering through pediatric cancer.

“With the huge buzz going around about the carnival, we’re hoping it’ll help give us an awesome turnout for the game, too,” ASB adviser Edgar Melik-Stepanyan said.

Winter Sports Assembly Photos

ASB and ACSY give presents to Shriners Children’s Hospital

Photo Credit: Daphne Ong

SHRINERS: (from left to right) Seniors Laura Carasimu, Mary Arakelyan, Edward Nadurata play with a patient at Shriners Children’s Hospital. ASB and ACSY delivered donated presents to the patients on Jan. 12.

By: Agnessa Kasumyan

In the spirit of community work—and not just the holidays—Associated Student Body (ASB) and American Cancer Society Youth (ACSY) members delivered dozens of toys to Shriners Hospital in Los Angeles on Jan.12.

Though ASB and ACSY had collaborated for the Toys for Tots event two years ago and collected donations in previous years, it was the first time ACSY members actually hand-delivered the toys.

ACSY president Edward Nadurata felt that being personally involved would be a more “touching” and “humbling” experience.

Nadurata began contacting hospitals in early December. He first sought out Children’s Hospital in Hollywood; however, he and ASB President Mary Arakelyan decided to work with Shriners because it was the only facility that would allow them to interact with patients rather just dropping off the gifts and leaving.

It took members about a month to gather enough donations. Though they weren’t short, Arakelyan recalls more involvement and donations from students during previous years.

ASB Director of Athletics Laura Carasimu (’12) was actually hesitant about directly delivering the toys since she wasn’t sure what their reaction would be.

“I was a little nervous, but when the kids saw us come in with a cart full of toys, their faces lit up,” she said. “Knowing that we made them happy was the best feeling in the world—nothing can match it.”

Sandra Christian, the adoptive parent of a nine-year old patient, felt that ASB’s and ACSY’s involvement was very “good” for the community. Her son, who suffers from Arthrogryposis, a rare congenital disorder that doesn’t allow him to bend his hands or knees, had been in and out of the hospital throughout December.

After picking a collection of Power Rangers because the “green one” is his “favorite,” he bonded with senior ACSY officers Daphne Ong, Arjina Boodaghian, and Evelyna Vartanians.

Vartanians felt that getting to interact with the patients personally, especially Christian’s son, made the experience more personal.

“[It] reminded me again of how lucky I am to have my health,” she said. “It also gave me a chance to learn about new diseases I had never heard of.”

Christian and her husband James did not know much about their son’s condition. They sought treatment at Children’s Hospital in Orange County, but the doctors there were not familiar with the condition. It was not until they were at a local restaurant when a Shriners’ employee noticed them and informed them of their services.

Shriners is a nonprofit organization that provides free orthopedic, cleft-lip and severe burn treatment and prosthetic surgery for families who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford them.

At the hospital, James and Sandra were able to provide their son with the treatment and medicine they needed. They were actually preparing to check out of the hospital and head back home to 14 of their other adoptive kids as the toys were being delivered.

After hand-delivering the gifts, ASB and ACSY students were taken to a game room at the hospital that was equipped with a wide screen television, a pool table, and games age-appropriate for patients who range from their early adolescent years to their late teens. They played pool with one of the older patients and helped out a young girl with her new Play-Doh set.

According to Jamira Lindo, a recreational therapist at the hospital who runs the toy drive event every year, most of the children come from low-income families or from foreign countries so “it brightens up their day” and they are “very appreciative” of the gifts.

“As students, we feel obligated to put time into organizing these kinds of events,” Arakelyan said. “It’s just the right thing to do.”

District prepares for Brown’s possible $4.8 billion cut from public schools

By: Samantha Mariano

Governor Jerry Brown may cut $4.8 billion from public schools if citizens do not vote for his tax proposal in November, equating to cutting three weeks from the school year.

Additionally, Brown is proposing to increase the minimum grade point averages (GPA) to apply for Cal Grants. For Cal Grant A, a merit-based grant, the required GPA would increase from 3.0 to 3.25. Cal Grant B, which is financial aid for low income students, would increase the minimum GPA from 2.4 to 2.75.

Brown’s proposed temporary tax hikes throughout 2012-2017 is an effort to decrease California’s budget deficit. Sales taxes will increase by half a cent and residents earning an income of $250,000 or more will be required to pay higher taxes.

Principal Fiscal and Policy Analyst Edgar Cabral believes schools should prepare by making cuts before November of the next school year. Waiting to make cuts after the election will put schools in “very bad financial shape.” By not making cuts now, schools “may have to make bigger reductions in 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 to make up for their higher spending in 2012-2013” if Brown’s measure fails to pass.

Whether or not the proposal passes, Principal Jennifer Earl is positive that GUSD will “be good for a year” when it comes to the district’s finances, as they have been preparing for such situations during previous years.

During a recent board meeting, GUSD Board of Education President Joylene Wagner stated that the district is planning for a $370 per student cut in state funding, in addition to other cuts in the governor’s budget.

According to Wagner, our district has a “great deal of experience with planning, preparing for, and making cuts.” Money reserves, or savings, will “help us weather the storm of state cuts.”

GUSD Board of Education Vice President Christine Walters states that the district is prepared to face “cuts in the short term.” According to her, the district had previously made cuts in anticipation of lower funding. In the face of making cuts, the district tries to take away from administration or non-teaching staff to avoid impacting students and classrooms.

However, if the reduced funding continues to be longer than expected, such as more than a year or two, Walters predicts an increase in class size, furlough days, and even the elimination of certain programs.

Azatian wins $20000 scholarship

Photo Credit: An Uong

Work: Senior Yervand Azatian pours SLM photo-developing liquid in AP Photography, one of the AP classes he juggles with multiple extracurriculars. Such extracurriculars were part of Azatian’s winning resume in applying for the Horatio Alger Scholarship.

By: Christine Babayan

Among 54,000 student applicants from across the nation, senior Yervand Azatian was one of the 104 who won a $20,000 scholarship from the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans.

The Horatio Alger Scholarship program is open to all low-income high school seniors with a strong commitment to education, and who “demonstrate integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity.” He received a letter on Jan.5 informing him that he was one of the winners.

Azatian discovered the program while searching for scholarship opportunities online. In order to be eligible, Azatian had to submit three essays: one describing hardships he endured during his life, another explaining career and college goals, and the third relating to any member of the Horatio Alger Association whom he admires.

Yervand chose to write about astronaut Buzz Aldrin because Azatian and Aldrin both grew up in a very small town and share a love of nature and exploration.

“I can relate to his childhood, we were both very shy and reserved yet constantly curious about everything,” Azatian said.

With his three essays, which contained less than a thousand words altogether, he was able to convey both his difficult past and his optimistic outlook on his future.

In his first essay, he explained in detail the pain he endured after losing his father when Azatian was eight years old.

“Everything I believed in, thought of, and indulged in with the effervescent imagination of a child simply vanished away,” Azatian stated in his essay.

He had to quickly grow up in an effort to help support both his mother and sister. In his freshman year, he started helping his mother with her office work and since then has taken on an array of jobs, including tutoring students in calculus, helping people search for jobs at the Verdugo Job Center, cleaning up Southern California brush fires with the Glendale Youth Alliance, and currently working 25 hours a week at TJ Maxx reorganizing products in different departments and answering customer service questions.

Aside from his impressive resume and busy schedule, Azatian still manages to maintain a 4.4 grade point average, excel as a fourth year tennis player, and captain the National Science and Ocean Science bowl, as well as participate in various Visual and Performing Arts gallery shows.

This year, he represented the Armenian Relief Society at a City Hall meeting expressing the dangers of hookah usage and its harm to the city.

Azatian considers himself an opportunist who, if assigned an essay, would “give it everything [he has] and bleed it all out on the paper.”

Counselor Rena Scharch believes Yervand’s organization skills and early bird mentality were traits that helped him win the scholarship.

Azatian is currently awaiting replies from the 15 universities he applied to including the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard, and Princeton.

“Just being eligible to apply to these places is enough for me,” Azatian said. “But I would really love to study on the east coast, especially at Columbia.”

Some majors he is interested in are engineering, art history, bio physics, and neuroscience.

Azatian’s freshmen English teacher and longtime supporter Kathy Angers admires Azatian’s ability to “transcend adversity.”

Apart from the money grant, Azatian and the other winners will be given an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. for a five-day conference and award ceremony where he will get to meet the rest of the national scholars as well as members and friends of the Association. He will also have access to a 24-hour support and referral hotline that will assist him with any personal or school problems.

When looking back on his life and all the hardships, Azatian feels “blessed to be in the right direction and on a bright path towards the future.”

“Yervand has an incredible motivation to succeed in life,” friend Amelie Galstyan (’12) said, “I know he will change the world some day.”

Nearly 70% of State Fails Physical Fitness Test

By: Samantha Mariano

According to the California Department of Education (CDE), only 31 percent of students in the state passed the Physical Fitness Test (PFT) during the 2010-11 school year.

The PFT, taken by fifth, seventh, and ninth graders every year, tests students’ health in six different areas: aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength, trunk extension strength, upper body strength, and flexibility. In order to pass, the students, even those in athletic teams, must accomplish at least five out of the six areas. According to CDE, the exam’s purpose is to “help students in starting life-long habits of regular physical activity.”

Last year, 249 out of the 480 students who took the PFT passed.

Physical education (PE) teacher Jennifer Capehart believes the result is partly due to the fact that last year, the CDE added lung capacity, percent body fat, and body mass index (BMI) into the test’s standards, rather than the previous standards based on age and gender.

Although the new formula has a more accurate calculation of a student’s capabilities, Capehart feels it slightly “raised the bar.”

For example, two years ago, if a 14-year-old boy ran a mile at 8 minutes 30 seconds, then he would have passed the aerobic capacity test. Now, however, he would be considered 30 seconds over the time limit.

Since PFT now uses BMI, students must keep their weight in check. Using a student’s weight and height, the BMI determines if a student has the proper measure of body fat for his height, age, and gender.

Obesity has contributed to the low passing rate for the PFT. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 17 percent of Americans between the ages of 2 and 19 in America, or 12.75 million, are obese.

CDC states that “childhood obesity can have a harmful effect on the body.” Risks include high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which increase chances for cardiovascular diseases, breathing problems such as asthma, joint problems, and musculoskeletal discomfort.

Obesity results from an “energy imbalance” in which one does not have enough physical activity to balance out the calorie intake. Students who do not engage in physical activities increase their chances of obesity.

Athletic Director John Van Patten believes that the low passing rate of the PFT is due to students who prefer not to try.

“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink,” Van Patten said.

In order to encourage students, PE teacher Andrew Policky explains to his students that practicing daily exercise, a healthy diet, and good nutrition is a “life long process” that they should “carry over” to their everyday lives.

To prepare students for the exam, PE teachers break down their activities to focus on all categories of the PFT. Running helps improve body composition, stretching improves flexibility, and the fitness center increases upper body strength.

“If people gave an effort, they can raise the percentage [of students passing],” Serafina Clarizio (’15) said. “It’s just that they’re lazy and want to go against the system.”

During her freshman year, Uenah Yun (’13) passed the PFT on her first try.

“Personally, I think the fitness test was really easy because the teachers prepared me,” Yun said. “It’s surprising that only 31 percent passed because we’ve been preparing since middle school and it’s a basic thing we need everyday.”

Late, Tardy Students wake up to School’s Morning Calls

Photo Credit: An Uong

By: Samantha Mariano

If students are marked late or tardy to their first period class for five times or more in one month, they will receive automated wake-up calls at 6:30 a.m. from Principal Jennifer Earl. This process will continue throughout the rest of the school year.

To be marked as “late” means that a student is 1-29 minutes late to class. To be marked as “tardy” is to be late 30 minutes or more. About eight percent of the student population continues to be late or tardy to first period.

As these habitually late students pick up their phones in the morning, they start their day off with Earl’s message:
“Good morning! This is Dr. Earl with your 6:30 a.m. wake-up call! You’ve had more than five tardies to first period last month and we want you at Hoover on time. So we hope this call reminds you that responsible and self-directed members of the Hoover Ohana show up on time! On Tornadoes and see you in an hour!”

Earl believes that this pre-intervention will be a good way to teach students to be “timely and efficient” as these are essential qualities for future careers.

Every two weeks, Earl will consider taking students off the call list if they have shown “drastic” improvements upon their attendance. She will call them personally and tell them they are off the hook, yet give them a warning.

“Know that I’m watching!” Earl said.

Phone calls work the same way as the Sunday call system. The school machine will send Earl’s message to all the listed students. Last month, some parents chose to give the school their children’s cell phone numbers so that the calls will go directly to the students every morning.

On a white board in Earl’s office, they have what is called the “attendance corner.” It charts the total late and tardy marks in a week, month, and overall. It also shows the teachers who have the most late and tardy students.

A wooden sign next to the attendance corner says, “Opportunity Is Often Found in Dilemma.” Assistant Principal Tanya Stoddard believes this applies to the issue because as they “play with [the] data,” they discover where the flaws are and try to come up with ways to improve.

Stoddard has done research and discovered that the phone call strategy is being used by schools throughout the nation, most of whom reported improvement. Hoover is the only one in the district testing it.

If the pre-interventions, such as the wake-up calls, are of no use, students are first sent to the School Attendance Review Team which involves their parents and the site administrators. Here, they review a student’s records and affirm that parents are aware of the rules regarding school attendance.

The following attempt will be the Pre-School Attendance Review Board which involves parents, site administrators and district administrators. This meeting is “more formal.” Contracts are signed by parents and students agreeing that parents can no longer excuse their child. The student must have a doctor’s note or have permission to leave from the school nurse.

Afterwards, if there is still no effect, students are sent to the School Attendance Review Board. According to California Education Code Section 48200, this involves “representatives from the child’s school, school district officials, law enforcement, including the district attorney, the departments of Probation, Mental Health, District Attorney’s office, health services, community agencies and parents.” This meeting is “more intense” as it focuses on the parent and more contracts are signed. Families who receive assistance such as loans or health care may lose that privilege.

If all interventions continue to not show progress, the student will go through a court system. A judge may assign parenting classes or send parents to jail. As for a student, they may be put into foster care or be sent to a juvenile school. However, according to Stoddard, only a half percent of students (less than three students) have made it this far.

“There are 180 days of school,” Stoddard said. “Multiply that by the two minutes and that’s a lot of missed instruction.”

She herself knows a particular student who has trouble making it on time to her zero period. Therefore, Stoddard sends her a text message every morning to help her get up. She figured that since it worked so well with this student, then phone calls to other students may be effective.

CJ Calica (’12) receives the wake-up calls every morning. Like most students, Calica has a schedule packed with homework, extra curricular activities, and house chores that causes him to stay up late at night.

“I don’t get the right amount of sleep, and since I have school early the next day, sometimes I wake up late. But now the phone calls actually help me to get up,” Calica said.

Cisalee Luce (’14) not only receives a phone call from Earl, but Nicki Minaj as well. She requested celebrity wake-up calls on getschooled.com/wakeup. The link can also be found on the school website.

“When you get to hear a celebrity’s voice it gets you hyped up,” Luce said. “Then you hear the principal greet you, it’s really cool.”

Luce’s father, David Luce, is concerned that since most students have their cell phones on vibrate, they may just ignore the call.

“But for those who are light sleepers, they will get up on time,” David said. “I do respect Earl’s efforts.”

VAPA applies for art academy grant

By: An Uong

Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) will apply for a California Partnership Academy Grant, which would provide financial aid to establish the Media Arts Academy (MAA). VAPA will submit an application to the California Department of Education (CDE) by early March, and the results will be announced by mid-March. The Sophomore class of the 2012-2013 school year would be the first group of students to be offered enrollment in the program.
The MAA, similar to the Police and Fire Academy, states that ideally, it would be a formal “school within a school” rather than an extracurricular program like VAPA.

In selecting the winning schools, CDE evaluates the participating school’s already existing funds, graduation, and attendance rates. An application essay, which will be written by a hired professional grant writer, is an important determining factor in the process. Once selected, the school would be given an initial funding of $15,000, which the Academy Committee of teachers would use to hire an “industry liaison” who would find internships and business sponsorships for the academy. Afterwards, the grant may be renewed annually for four years and up to $80,000 for field trips, off-campus art classes, or necessary equipment.

Selected schools are also expected to create a curriculum made up of at least three classes applicable for UC credit.

The academy would be dedicated to helping its students create their art portfolios, write their college essays, and prepare for theatre or music school auditions, as well as to allow for more student involvement with artists from the community.

Art teacher Mary Pomonis expects “fruitful” results. VAPA educators have approached local businesses for support as well. Last year, VAPA set up a drawing contest with Lexus of Glendale to promote student activity, something the grant distributors look for.

Hazel Handan (’13) believes that creating an art academy would “open a lot of doors” for art students like herself by offering valuable critiques from outside mentors and internships with contemporary artists.

The school’s musicians and actors would benefit from the Art Academy as well. The Stepping Stone Players already receive a dense flow of VAPA students, but the funding from the grant would aid in establishing more connections with other theatre troupes.
Drama teacher Dave Huber predicts that an art academy will attract those who are serious about acting, and set them on a productive path from the start of their high school education.

Brown vetoes 165

By: Samantha Mariano

Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed Assembly Bill (AB) 165 last week which would have mandated that all schools in the state write an annual audit to prove that students are not charged fees for clubs, classes, or equipment.

“[AB 165] goes too far,” Brown said in his letter to the California State Assembly explaining his veto

The bill was a result of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against certain schools who unconstitutionally charged students with fees.

With the AB 165 vetoed, not much has changed except for the elimination of the audits.

GUSD Board of Education President Joylene Wagner is relieved to proceed with the district guidelines without worrying about “another process to respond to.”

Deputy Superintendent John Garcia does not predict a change in the district’s course. The district will continue to monitor the schools as the ACLU expects all districts to abide to the Constitution.

According to Assistant Principal Hagop Eulmessekian, the school will continue providing funds for the expenses of programs. The school focuses on making programs affordable instead of canceling them or excluding a student due to low budgets. Since organizations are costly, parents are asked, but not required, to contribute a small fraction for uniforms, field trips, and competitions.

“However, if students have financial issues, we can always help,” Eulmessekian said.

Students may receive e-readers next semester

By: Samantha Mariano

Next semester, 100 students from four English classes may be the first in the school to use e-readers, portable, touch screen electronic devices used to read books.

Depending on how the students treat the gadgets and how their academic performance changes, Principal Jennifer Earl will decide whether or not to incorporate e-readers into more classrooms.

According to Assistant Principal Tanya Stoddard, the school is considering different technology and literacy grants for funding. The $10,000 for the purchase of the e-readers may possibly come from the 1-2-1 Technology Grant, money provided by the federal government for students who would like to see technological advancements in their schools.

Earl is in the process of talking to e-book companies, Nook and Kindle, for the potential purchase at a discounted price.

The e-readers will be handled like textbooks, each with its own barcode for students to pick up from the textbook room to check out. With the new technology, the school can go online and buy novels onto the e-readers that correspond to the students’ grade level standards. As for assignments, teachers can email them to the students who will be able to keep their e-readers at home.

Freshman Nicole Colindres believes that the e-readers will have a good impact.

“Since it’s easier to carry around, [students] will take it home more to study,” said Colindres.

However, Anna Park (’15) believes that entrusting the students with new technology is “risky, especially for freshmen,” most of whom “lack a sense of responsibility.”

English teacher Homa Javidan believes that with the gadgets, her class would be eager and motivated to work. However, at the same time, she does not want to entirely eliminate the use of books because students should not “completely forget the feel of flipping through the pages” of a paperback or hardcover.

Beeliners stung by 50 cent fare increase

By: Steven Lee

The Glendale Beeline bus service increased their fares from 25 to 75 cents earlier this month, with future price increases to come. Prices will rise to $1.00 on July 1, 2012 and finally to $1.25 on July 1, 2013.

Richard Kim (’13), who uses the Beeline to go back and forth between school and home, said the fare raise will create “a dent in [his wallet].”

However, high school students, who comprise nearly 30 percent of Beeline riders, can purchase 31-day bus passes for $22 instead of the regular price of $27. The reduced price of the 31-day bus passes for students resulted from the constant urging from students who depend on the beeline as their primary source of transportation. These bus passes may be purchased at the student store or from the transit office with a student ID card.

According to Director of Public Works Stephen Zurn who spoke at a city council meeting, increased bus fare rates will save the city $613,000 a year.

The fare increase was proposed in the past, but due to the slowing economy and the large gap between the $11 million operating cost of the Beeline and its current $8 million income, the city council decided that raising the fare was the only way to help offset the city transportation fund, which relied on property tax revenues that were set aside for transit operations.

With the increase in income and the lowered operating cost, there was a $2.9 million change in the operating cost and operating income gap, according to city transit manager Katie Engel.

“Unless we institute these fare increases, the Beeline system as we know it and all the benefits it gives to the community will vanish,” city council member Ara Najarian said.

“I know times are tough and people are suffering and I’m not at all deaf to that,” Mayor Laura Friedman said. “But it would be crueler to cut service than to do nothing.”

French club prepares for exchange students

By: Ashley Mclurre

Forty students from Bellegarde, France are coming to live with the families of 35 students and teachers as a part of an exchange program from Oct. 27 to Nov. 10.

The French students, who attend Lycee Saint-Exupery High School, have been communicating with students here through letters and postcards since 2009.

This exchange is the first of its kind in the school, and the French students will have a unique chance to shadow their host in all of their daily classes and activities. The French Club has already hosted several fundraisers to help fund the field trips they hope to take with their pen pals. Their most successful fundraiser, with over 50 attendants and $1,100 in revenue, was the French candlelit dinner held in the quad on Sept. 28. French Club students served authentic French dishes catered by West Coast Cuisine, psychology teacher Kate Duggan, and English teacher RaeEtta Emmett, while the jazz band performed.

So far, the French Club has already accumulated around $1,700 and have several fundraisers planned, including a foam hand sale for football games and BGD, a glow stick sale and several other snack sales during school hours.

The exchange came to life when alumnus Eve Freedman (’11) suggested that French teacher Emily Rogers contact the English teacher, Liz Dupraz, from her old school in Bellegarde. Soon after the two teachers initially communicated, the three-year written exchange began. Some students became so close that they began adding each other on Facebook as well as sending emails and extra letters outside of the regular class shipment. Many of the French pen pals have said they are “super excité” to come to America, as this will be the first time for many of them.

Mihran Hovhanessyan (’13), who had originally started writing to his pen pal to practice his French, ended up “look[ing] so forward to meeting people from the other side of the world” that his family offered to host some French students in his home.

Each family that is hosting is required to drive the pen pal to and from school, and make sure they have breakfast and dinner. The French Club is working on providing lunches as well as getting free admission to events while they are on campus.

Last year, both teachers decided to offer an opportunity for their students to meet in Paris over spring break. After seeing how well their students interacted, both teachers decided to begin work on the full exchange that is to occur later this month. Students plan on taking the pen pals on several field trips to places like Universal Studios, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the beach. They also plan to host a Halloween party to welcome the pen pals to America.

Many of the students hosting are extremely enthusiastic and they hope to learn a lot from the experience. Rogers, who is managing the programs, hopes that the French students will leave knowing how diverse America really is.

Duggan, who will host two French boys, said she is nervous about the language barrier, but “can’t wait to meet them and participate.”

The French Club plans to send the Hoover students to see their pen pals in Bellegarde next year. Rogers stated that she hopes the whole program will “destroy stereotypes” and allow two cultures to learn from each other on a large scale.

Choir to perform in May at Carnegie

By: Maria Ivan

The school choral program is trying to raise $80,000 in order to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York from May 25-29.

Last spring, the American Choral Director’s Association (ACDA), a non-profit organization that strives to promote musical excellence, and their affiliates from Mid America Productions in New York, informed the choir of the opportunity to perform on the prestigious stage alongside other school choirs across the nation.

Choir teacher Beth Richey decided to apply, and sent a video of the choir’s past performances. After a two-week wait, Richey got the call of acceptance from renowned musical composer John Rutter.

The $80,000 will cover all airfare, performance, food, and housing costs for the 40 students and four chaperones attending. Students are currently working on raising the money before the April deadline through various events and fundraisers.

Each student has an overall expense of $2,000, but they are not required to raise a specific amount for themselves. Richey said some students are able to donate more than others, but does not want anyone to be left out due to the lack of funding.

The choir is currently selling tickets to “The Funniest Night of the Year,” a comedy show that will be held Oct. 27 in the campus auditorium. They are also planning on selling holiday items next month.

Businesses have also sponsored events to help the choir raise money for the trip. Last month, Pinkberry and Yogurtland offered to give 20 percent of customer’s spending to the choir, as long as the customer showed the choir’s flyer at the cash register. The next business-sponsored fundraiser will take place at Barnes & Noble on Dec. 6, and will work the same way as it had for Pinkberry and Yogurtland.

The choir is practicing and learning vocal techniques for the upcoming performance. Rutter will conduct as they perform Mozart’s “Requiem.” Richey chose the “Requiem” because it is a “timeless” piece of music.

Patricia Dilanchian (’13) said she is “honored” to perform with “big name people” like Rutter and other talented musicians.

In addition to Carnegie Hall, the choir has a strict rehearsal schedule set up with John Rutter. They also plan on doing an exchange concert with another school, seeing a Broadway show and many other tourist attractions.

Anyone may further help the choir by donating money, by hiring the choir to perform at personal events, or by sending in items to Richey’s choir room for the Dec. 20 silent auction. The auction will take place during intermission at the choirs’ holiday concert, and the items will be distributed at the end of the concert.

Hoover and Daily collaborate to paint mural

Photo Credit: Allen Au

By: Megan Knight

Pending lawsuit may mean no lockers starting next year

Photo Credit: Cain Buckler

By: Megan Knight

Public colleges lay in the hands of Brown’s proposal

By: Agnessa Kasumyan

Glendalians vote yes on Measure S

By: Megan Knight

Glendale DMV reopens its doors

Photo Credit: Allen Au

By: Alex Mikhailpoor

Students caught forging third quarter progress report cards

By: Megan Knight

Gloria Hong is in the 6.9%

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Gloria Hong

By: Se Yeon Kim

Scholastic team places 2nd in Bowl

By: Alex Mikhailpoor

District explores offering online classes

By: Alex Mikhailpoor

Teachers vote to bring back banking day schedule

Eight candidates vie for Glendale Board of Education seats

By: Agnessa Kasumyan

Have you seen us?

By: Agnessa Kasumyan

Brady wins regional Poetry Out Loud contest

Photo Credit: Allen Au

Watch her performance online at tv.tornado-times.com.

By: Meagan Knight

Teachers receive clickers

By: Agnessa Kasumyan

College Board announces new changes to AP exams

By: Dion Aghajani

District proposes earlier start to school

By: Megan Knight

Major League Baseball donates $40,000 for field of dreams

Photo Credit: Allen Au

Photo Credit: Allen Au

By: Dion Aghajani

Major League Baseball (MLB) has awarded $39,800 to the school’s baseball program. Baseball coach Joe Cotti applied for the grant in August last year through the Baseball Tomorrow fund, a joint initiative of the MLB and the MLB Players Association that promotes the growth of youth participation in the sport.

The MLB visited the campus in November to examine the field and the equipment. Last week Cotti received a call from MLB confirming that it will donate the $39,800 if the team can raise the same amount of money, bringing the total to approximately $80,000. So far the team has accumulated $31,800 and has one month to raise the remaining $8,000.

With fundraisers including outfield advertisement signs, Christmas tree sales, alumni game, and summer camp that the team holds for children 7-13 years old, Cotti is confident about meeting the deadline.

The money will be spent on fixing the batting cage, purchasing new equipment, and improving the field.

“It’s one thing to raise money, but having the MLB visit was encouraging to the players,” Cotti said.

In addition to financially helping the baseball program, the grant has raised team morale.

“At first, I thought MLB didn’t think much of our school, but when I found out about [the grant], it is a huge weight off my shoulder,” first baseman Shara Aivazi (’11) said.

Parents claim discrimination in the possible action against police

By: Agnessa Kasumyan

Parents and family members of a group of Latino students are currently investigating whether or not to take legal action against the Glendale Police Department (GPD), the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), and possibly the school district for what they believe to be racial discrimination against Latino students.

On Sept. 24, as many as 40 Latino students were taken into two separate rooms during lunch for what the GPD and Principal Jennifer Earl call a “demonstration,” where a false situation is created in order to show the students the potential harms and consequences of gang-affiliated activities.

Family members are still looking for an apology by the school, the district, and the police for the “psychological damage” that they feel has occurred to the students since the incident, according to an anonymous source.

Earl and Probation Officer Gilda Davis, who was assigned to the school, decided to hold a demonstration after Earl was provided with “evidence” that a few of the students involved were in the process of being recruited into a gang. She felt that steps needed to be taken to stop the process and show the students that there is a different path they can take in life.

According to Earl, there had been more marijuana arrests at the school in the duration of a month than all of last year. At a meeting that took place on Nov. 23 in the district conference room to address the issue, Superintendent Richard Sheehan noted gangs do not beat up prospects to recruit them into a gang anymore, but have them sell marijuana, which is what prompted the demonstration with the students.

During the meeting, Sheehan, Earl, and Board of Education member Gregory Krikorian all stressed that the intent of the district was to prevent students from being involved with gangs.

The Glendale Education/Social Justice Advocates Steering Committee (GESJA), a group of community members who are against aggressive military recruiting at public schools, are also against the demonstration that was performed by the LAPD and GPD.

“During the district meeting, I asked what could have been done differently during this so-called demonstration at the school,” GESJA member Sharon Weisman said. “[Sheehan] responded that next time there would be better communication, students would not be turned over to the police, and pictures would not be taken.”

According to Earl, students were supposed to be warned by the police officers that the demonstration was not real. The students who were taken in by the police usually spend their lunch break on the first and second floors, where former gang members of Westside Locos and their rival gang, Toonerville, used to hang out.

Knowing that these two areas have a history of gang violence, Earl felt it was her “responsibility” as an educator to warn the students of the dangers that come along with being gang-affiliated.

“Even if someone is not in gangs but knows others who are and spends time in a place that has a history of gang-related tendencies, then that person is still at risk,” Earl said.

The students involved, however, claim they felt like they were being treated like criminals because the policemen had asked to see tattoos, took their photos in the fashion of a mug-shot, and confiscated some cell phones, despite the students denying knowing anyone recruited into gangs.

Neither the students nor their parents were warned that the meeting was only a demonstration. Some parents actually thought that their sons and daughters had done something wrong for them to be taken in. They believe that the district andpolice departments are only calling it a demonstration as a cover-up for their “wrong actions.”

The main concern for the students and their parents is that the pictures still exist and may be put into the police system, harming the students’ reputations and futures. One reason for the potential lawsuit is to make sure that the photos have been destroyed.

Although many of the students told police officers that they were not gang members, they were told that their pictures could be put in the system if they did not change their affiliations and where they spend their time at lunch. Earl, however, had Captain Rock of the GPD promise that the pictures would not be put in the system, and that they were just trying to give the students a wake-up call.

She believes that the demonstration actually helped better relations between her and some of the students who can now turn to her during times of need. Although a few of the students agree that they do not have a problem, they felt distressed over the incident.

“We were very surprised that this happened,” Giovanni Pablo (’12) said. “We are really doing well in school this year, keeping our grades up and always going to our classes, so it really felt like a slap across the face when we were taken in and accused of being part of something that we have nothing to do with.”

Sophomore Karen Lopez especially felt shaken by the incident because she tries to stay away from gangs and does well in school to create a different lifestyle for herself.

Before parents and family members decide to go forward with a lawsuit, Sheehan is reportedly meeting with the Chief of Police at LAPD and GPD to make sure that the photos taken of the students have been erased and will not be put into the police system.

“We have our hang-out spot just like everybody else in the school,” Jessica Castaneda (’12) said. “If people saw us together, they would realize that we are normal teens, not gang-affiliated troublemakers.”

Elliott Yamin at Herbert Hoover High School!

American Idol 2006 finalist Elliott Yamin visited jazz band on Nov. 19. He performed a piece from his album “Fight For Love”. Watch video below.

Video Credit: Shane Vera, Dahn Kim