Feature

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 [...]

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Dad defends cheating child

Cheating rule number one: if you’re going to do it, don’t get caught. Rule number two: when you do, don’t deny it and make yourself look worse, or make a big deal about your punishment. Accept the consequences of your actions, and move on. Okay, so not the best advice someone can give, but nowadays, [...]

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UCSD is kicking and screaming

In a country that was built on revolution, being rebellious and anti-authoritarian makes a person somewhat of a hero. But when law enforcement officials abuse their power, it gives people all the more reason to lose their trust in individuals who are supposed to be enforcing the law. On April 20, 23-year-old UC San Diego [...]

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Every tree has its rotten apple

By: Agnessa Kasumyan I’m a sucker for sad but ultimately motivational stories. Give me a documentary about cruel child labor, orphans having to face this harsh world alone, or genocides taking place on the very same planet we’re on, and I’ll probably be bawling my eyes as shamelessly as somebody watching “Titanic” for the first [...]

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Overcoming homelessness

By: Alejandra Rosas   Link to video   “My parents always raised me to not feel ashamed about my situation. They taught me to grow up without resentment because it never seemed like there was anything wrong with living in and out of relative’s houses or motels. It all seemed pretty normal to me, yet [...]

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Avengers hits theaters hard

By: Danny Hovanessian With over $1 billion in box office receipts worldwide, “The Avengers” sets out to amaze audiences with the aggregation of now-popular superheroes—Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson), Captain America (Chris Evans), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), and Thor (Chris Hemsworth), along with numerous “lesser” superheroes, such as Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner)—all [...]

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Santigold fails to strike gold

By: Sophie Mirzaian You probably know Santigold (or Santogold, as she was formerly known) for her 2008 single “L.E.S. Artistes,” a hit in both the U.S. and the U.K. With her new album, “Master of My Make-Believe,” which was released on May 2, we see Santigold departing from her pop style and shifting into something [...]

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Peep Show stirs laughter

By: Sophie Mirzaian You constantly hear Anglophiles going on and on about the superior quality of British music to American music, British films, television shows—everything except British food. There are these new “Culture is Great Britain” advertisements. If you go to London as an obvious American, you will most likely be mocked and treated rudely. [...]

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Kayla sings her heart out

By: Jeannie Mai Taking three deep breaths, she stepped in front of the small group of girls. She had sung in front of large audiences before, but it wasn’t the numbers that made her nervous. It was this audience in particular. This performance was not just another performance. This one had meaning. This one had [...]

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When the clock strikes ’12

By: Jeannie Mai It’s the night every girl has been dreaming of since freshman year. It’s the night guys get to dress to impress their dates. It’s the night everyone will remember: prom. Senior prom is this Saturday from 7-12 a.m. at the Mountain Gate Country Club in Brentwood. Tickets cost $85 with ASB and [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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Finding something to believe in

By: Edward Nadurata As numerous teams battle it out in the middle of the NBA playoffs, players insult each other. Think of this scenario: you’re in the heat of the game, dribbling and aiming for the hoop and there is a 6’7” man in front of you. It’s either you’re going to hit him and [...]

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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 [...]

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Sanidad spikes and states

By: Samantha Mariano Any day after school, take a walk around campus and observe the number of sports teams hard at work. Each minute they spend practicing is a moment well-invested. Each minute is a step closer to reaching, and even surpassing, their potential. After a year on hiatus, the boys’ volleyball team made its [...]

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Athlete of the Month: Paul Ingram

By: Christine Babayan The most dreaded part of a physical education class for most students is running. So why would some kids choose to take classes and spend hours of their day doing just that? For track and field runner Paul Ingram (’12) it is the accomplishment he feels after a good run that motivates [...]

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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.

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Schools should close on April 24

We know the story. Turkey committed genocide, Armenians have been furious and grieving for almost a century, and every year, on April 24, they gather to protest. The cold-blooded murder and crimes committed against over one million people should never be forgotten, no matter what century we are in. The second most closely studied genocide [...]

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Feeling the burn

By: Agnessa Kasumyan Most people have heroes that they look up to: Batman, Jason Bourne, Harry Potter, Chuck Norris, Dora the Explorer. Unfortunately, in the harsh trenches of reality, most people don’t harbor magical man tights, steroid-pumped arms, or an all-knowing map to help them play the hero.

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LA Times faces moral conflict

Let’s be realistic. This is a cold, harsh and disgusting world. Seeing violent photos and videos of people being bombed and shot to death is nothing new. In fact, it’s become so normal, that no matter how bad the photos are, they never seem bad enough to hold our attention for long. Starving children with [...]

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Freeing up White Collar crimes

By: Daphne Ong In a world full of liars and crooks, people still believe in second chances. And who better to give a second chance to than a thief who was captured after three years of running from the FBI but escaped from a maximum security federal prison months before the end of his sentence? [...]

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Steering clear of the woods

By: Danny Hovhanesian Since 2010, B-movie horror films have been plopped in front of our faces, seemingly more frequent in release than the amount of cheap scares they implement in their movies. Failing to be anything original, they play it safe, and audiences eat up the mediocrity. “Cabin in the Woods” seemed like the light [...]

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“Wasteland” is paradise

By: Sophie Mirzaian After a few years and a couple of side projects, I’m glad to have Matthew Ward, better known as M. Ward, back to doing what he does best: very intimate solo work. The “him” in She & Him released his newest album, “A Wasteland Companion,” on April 10. Although this is M. [...]

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Punching out the competition

By: Alejandra Rosas The adrenaline rushes, the rapid heart beats, the sweat drips from his forehead, and a focused mind on where to throw the next punch embody Aram Oganesyan (’15) when he wears his 10 oz. blue Everlast boxing gloves in the boxing ring. Oganesyan began boxing at the age of seven and has [...]

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Choosing the “right” side

By: Edward Nadurata Each leap year comes with one more day in February and the ever so anticipated Summer Olympic games. This summer, the whole world will congregate in London to compete for coveted medals and honors in every sport you can think of. A sense of global competition that does not involve war is [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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Ask Albery: Time management

By: Alejandra Rosas How many times have our projects and assignments been postponed to a later  date, like after a long break, and we’ve still left it for the last minute? I bet almost all of us have at least once. Often, teachers give us the opportunity to take our time with assignments; however, we [...]

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A Complete History of My Sexual Failures (2008)

By: Sophie Mirzaian We’ve all seen documentaries, maybe about serious topics like drugs, war, or Africa, but none like Chris Waitt’s “A Complete History of My Sexual Failures.” The title mostly explains the purpose for the film. Waitt, an independent British filmmaker, has had trouble with women (to say the least), and he’s hoping to [...]

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Ask Albery: Tagging Along

There is nothing more annoying than having someone tag along into every conversation or plan you have with your friends. I know that I absolutely hate it when people invite themselves into my plans, and most likely many of you do, too, but the issue here is this: how do you politely let them know [...]

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Fable II falls short of expectations

By: Danny Hovanessian Promises are rarely kept. Fable, released on the original Xbox back in 2004, was critically well-received, but experienced an insurmountable amount of backlash from those that came into the fray expecting an exceptional experience. Many features spoken of were never implemented, leaving buyers disappointed with their purchase. The same situation has occurred [...]

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Blinded by nostalgia in New Super Mario Bros. Wii

By: Danny Hovanessian Nostalgia blinds us all. Since 1985, Mario has been the face of video games. If you ask any random person on the street about a video game character they know, they’ll most likely blurt out “Mario.” This aberrant, pudgy Italian plumber has taken part in dozens of video games, most of which [...]

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Syrian first lady’s lavish spending unfair to country

By: Ani Hakobyan First ladies do it all. They travel with their husbands to foreign countries, host dinners, help out charities, take care of the kids, and buy Louboutins and Venetian glassware from Harrod’s. Asma al-Assad, the British-born wife of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, has recently come under fire for her lavish spending while the [...]

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A smashing review for “Smash”

By: Josh Briggs Over the last two years, it seems that musicals and show choir have taken over the country with full force due to the overwhelming popularity of Fox’s hit show “Glee.” NBC jumped on this new opportunity for a musical TV show and created “Smash.” The show centers around the making of a [...]

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Tennis thunders through season

By: Paul Hong Tennis may not seem as such a rigorous sport in relation to football or baseball, but in truth, it is the same amount of work and dedication that a player must exert. With one of the best group of players ever to have been formed within a six-year period, the boys’ tennis [...]

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Tornado Fashion Guru: Annie Lee

Photo Credit: An Uong By: Ashley McClure She’s classy, involved and, above all, fashionable. Annie Lee (’12) inspires us with her edgy yet comfortable style. Lee, who says she loves vintage clothing and dark tones, finds inspiration for her clothing style from Elle magazine and celebrities like the Olsen twins and Rachel Bilson. Lee’s passion [...]

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Athlete of the Month: Briana Manzanero

By: Christine Babayan “Let the bodies hit the floor! Let the bodies hit the floor! Let the bodies hit the floor!” This is the repetitive chorus of the song “Bodies” by metal band Drowning Pool that softball player Briana Manzanero (’12) uses to mentally prepare herself before every game. “I listen to the song and [...]

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“Hunger Games” is starving in direction

By: Sophie Mirzaian Whether you’ve read the books or seen the advertisements for the new film, you know “The Hunger Games.” The movie, which was released last Friday, made $65.3 million on its opening day alone, ranking as the fifth most profitable Friday opening of all time and the first for a non-sequel, according to [...]

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What’s Hot on campus?

By: Ashley McClure and Maryam Soorma Mocassins Not only are these shoes cute but they are comfy as well. Try them with jeans or a cute skirt. Cuff Earrings This is a cute way to dress up your ear without the hastle of getting another piercing. Knit Tops This shirt is the halfway point between [...]

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Film franchises fail to please

By: An Uong It’s Saturday. After a week of hard work at school, it’s time to visit the expensive albeit local theater. There, we scan for the posters that pique our interest, or the titles that have received positive reactions. I can assure you that at least one of them is the fifteenth or so [...]

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Shaelan O’Connor shines on stage

By: Jeannie Mai At the age of 16, most of us have just gotten our driving permits and taken our first honors classes. Sophomore Shaelan O’Connor, however, is already a professional actress. Born and raised in Los Angeles, O’Connor has been working in theatre since she was 10 years old. According to mother Suzanne O’ [...]

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Rising through adversity

By: Edward Nadurata Unbeknownst to many, the volleyball team ceased to exist last year due to the lack of players and the rather flailing season they had for the past few years. With the persistence of a few players last year, the former team became a club as they were determined to keep boys’ volleyball [...]

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Spring Break 2012: Putting a Spring in your break

By: Ashley McClure The school bell rings on April 6 and you rush out of school only to find you have no plans for a whole week. For some, this may be a relief, but for those of you looking for a good time, even on a tight budget, here are a few suggestions. The [...]

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Political comedy educates

By: An Uong When walking through the exhibition hall that is mass media, on the right, there are scandalous photos of various celebrities on the downhill ride to the loss of their dignity. To the left, there appears to be piles of adorable, fuzzy animals ready to be gawked at for hours. A bit further [...]

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Playing the college game

By: Michael Yapujian

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Standing ground for Trayvon

If a woman kills a man as she is about to be raped, one can say it’s justified murder. If someone kills a burglar that has a gun pointed to a child’s head, one can say that it’s also justified. But what about a 17-year-old who is shot to death by the neighborhood watch captain, [...]

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Checking out the librarians

Libraries are as old and ancient as many civilizations, the world’s first dating back to 2600 BC. Similarly, librarians can be traced all the way back to ancient Sumer, where they were specifically trained to keep records and were referred to as “Masters of the Books” or “Keepers of the Tablets.” Every library has a [...]

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Take it easy on Mr. S

There are always those special people who can brighten your day up with a smile or their courteous hellos and goodbyes, leaving you to wonder why there couldn’t be more people like them in the world. At our school, that one person can always be seen rushing about the halls for no apparent reason, always [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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.

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Blowing things into proportion

By: Maryam Soorma It’s Christmas Eve, you’re hyped up on sugar, anxiously waiting to rip open your presents and wondering if Santa got you what you wanted. You’re excited, but just a tad bit anxious, hoping you’ll like the surprise. For girls, shopping brings about the same type of anticipation. We’re always eager and excited [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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Wittgenstein (1993)

By: Sophie Mirzaian There are many movies about great lives, but not quite as many about great intellectual lives. Ludwig Wittgenstein lived both with a passion and an intensity so great that with every stroke of logical genius he came close to madness; and so close to suicide with every realization about the true worth [...]

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Ask Albery: Letting go

I know that many of us have experienced being in a relationship, while at the same time, many of us haven’t. I have been in a high school relationship myself, and let’s just say it wasn’t a good one. Of course we are constantly told that we are teenagers and should enjoy being single, but [...]

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“Ocarina of Time” is a timeless classic

Photo Source: Thunderbolt Games By: Danny Hovanessian Hailed as a “masterpiece” and a “classic” for over a decade, “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” floored gamers as a revolutionary title that would change gaming forever. It was also arguably the title that put the Zelda series on the market, as it lured in an [...]

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Putin elected president

By: Ani Hakobyan There are two types of leaders: those who do everything behind the scenes and hold the real power like Vladimir Putin, and those who are merely puppets, going along with what the hand tells them to do, like Dmitry Medvedev. Mr. Putin is the former. On March 4, 2012, Putin, the current [...]

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Ask Albery: Avoiding friends

So, for the past few days, two friends of mine have been trying to contact me to make plans. It’s been a very long time since I’ve spent quality time with them and so I understand that they probably miss me and want to go out for a bite to eat or catch a movie. [...]

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Great Expectations (1998)

Photo Source: Art Linson Productions, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation By: Natalie Hovanesian A young man will do anything for the one he loves, but what if the one he loves is raised to distrust all men? Does he give up? Or does he fight to get her back and to show her that she [...]

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Brilliance in Jak and Daxter’s simplicity

Photo Source: Naughty Dog By: Danny Hovanessian There is a lot of beauty in simplicity. Often, in any form of media, producers and directors try to make things as complicated as possible to make something seem “innovative” and “deep.” Naughty Dog, the creators of “Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy,” thankfully didn’t follow suit. The [...]

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Cooking for Dummies: Chicken Pasta

By: Jeannie Mai & Paul Hong What you need: a box of pasta, a jar of marinara sauce, chicken breast (optional), two pots, one pan, salt, garlic seasoning (optional). With an overwhelming amount of homework, hours of after school practices and rehearsals, most of us don’t have time to cook our own meals. If it [...]

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Ask Albery: Lying to your parents

We tend to have disputes with the people around us, but if you ask me, I’d say that solving issues with family is hardest. When it comes to disobeying your parents—which then leads to disappointing them and losing their trust—getting the relationship back to normal is not an easy one. One day, I had a [...]

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Final Fantasy XIII continues to captivate

source: SQUARE ENIX By: Danny Hovanessian Games usually don’t make it to the second or third installment. Final Fantasy (FF), on the other hand, has managed to produce 13 main installments and a countless number of spin-offs and remakes. As with every popular franchise, there’s something about the series that makes its players tick. Whether [...]

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The fight for the Falklands

Photo Source: Lonelyplanet.com By: Ani Hakobyan The Falkland Islands, known as the Islas Malvinas to the Argentinean government, is an archipelago that has been under controversy since the Argentineans invaded the island in 1982, prompting the two-month long Falklands War with the British, who have been ruling the islands since 1833. Now, the Argentinean Republic [...]

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Complaining out of context

By: Edward Nadurata Having a younger brother has its benefits. I get to visit and bother him when I want to. I also get to hear freshmen talk about their plans for high school as I walk down the freshman quad. Not that I eavesdrop or anything…they speak loudly. An interesting thing to note about [...]

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Stephen runs LA

By: Paul Hong An inspiring program known as Students Run Los Angeles (SRLA), challenges students to experience the benefits of goal setting, character development, and improved health through running. People might think that running is a waste of time, but Stephen Ghazikhanian (’12), who has been in this program for four years, has been dedicating [...]

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Why isn’t everybody acing the CAHSEE?

By: Josh Briggs It’s the “most important test” you will take in high school—the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). Every spring, thousands of sophomores across the state are required to take the CAHSEE, which is comprised of two sections: English-Language Arts and Mathematics. To some, the test is a breeze and somewhat of a [...]

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War on Journalists

By: Agnessa Kasumyan If you ever see a journalist, I urge you to turn and walk the other way. Walk slowly at first, just to confuse them, and then make a break for it—run far, far away and don’t you dare look back. These people are scum—they will get your number and harass you over [...]

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Love defines marriage

Love is said to have no boundaries. It does not discriminate with age, race, or even social status, but what about gender? In the battle of legalizing gay marriage, or worded in a more fitting way, the equalization of marriage, a United States Court of Appeals in San Francisco found that Prop. 8 violated the [...]

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CV Suicide Opens Eyes

Life is short and beautiful, not in the rainbows, sunshine and unicorns “kumbaya” kind of way, but with a sense of chiaroscuro, a brilliant fusion of light and dark. Unfortunately, some of us lean more toward that darker side where it’s difficult to see clearly. On Feb. 10, 15-year old Drew Ferraro from Crescenta Valley [...]

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Haibert produces his own album

Photo Source: Grindin’ Records By: Alejandra Rosas Many students enjoy mixing tunes in their spare time. However, not many find themselves presented with the opportunity to be part of a record label, become a record producer, and have their own music released on their own Extended Play (EP). Junior Haibert Barfian, however, has had this [...]

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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. [...]

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Getting High & Crashing Down

By: Agnessa Kasumyan Sometimes life can feel like a pile of manure, a real wasteland where you have been placed and forced to clean up the mess. However, every time you try, it just gets messier and messier until you’re as filthy as the mess you were trying to clean. Other times, you wonder how [...]

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Earning his wings

Photo Credit: Maryam Soorma By: Ashley McClure Most of us can only dream to see the world from a bird’s eye view. For Adiss Benlian (’13), this is his reality. Every week, Benlian soars high in the sky in his Cessna 172, chasing his dream of becoming a licensed commercial pilot. Benlian began working on [...]

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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 [...]

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Living up to a legacy of magic (Beauty and the Beast Preview)

Photo Credit: An Uong By: Jeannie Mai Everyone is familiar with Disney’s “tale as old as time,” but for the first time in the school’s history, the drama department brings the classic childhood favorite to life. “Beauty and the Beast” follows the adventures of Belle, a young woman who longs to escape from her mundane [...]

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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 [...]

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Winter Sports Assembly Photos

Kizoa slideshow: Winter Sports Rally – Slideshow

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Answers to Beauty and the Beast questions

1. B 2. A 3. C 4. B 5. A

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Answers to CAHSEE Questions

1. 4 2. 8 or 80%

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Answers to Scholastic Bowl Questions

1. St. Petersburg 2. Puck 3. Carp

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Album Review: Beautiful Things

Photo Credit: Photo Finish Records By: Sophie Mirzaian Imagine a man with blue eyes and an awkward, almost feminine voice. When that man begins to sing the music that he wrote himself, his voice suddenly becomes even higher, and on your first listen (or on my first listen, anyway) you swear you just heard a [...]

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Glad they came into our lives

By: Natalie Hovanesian When one usually thinks of a boy band, the word “talent” does not usually follow your train of thought. The Wanted is here to prove many of us wrong. My first encounter with the British musical group took place on my trip to England in the summer of 2010. Its first single, [...]

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Adaptation

By: Sophie Mirzaian The title of “The Orchid Thief” is fairly self-explanatory. The title of “Adaptation?” Not so much. If you know Charlie Kaufman, the man behind the script and also the man who wrote himself into his own film, you know his movies are thought-provoking and mind-bending. “Adaptation” does nothing less than revolutionize the [...]

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French accept Armenian Genocide

Imagine somebody you loved was brutally killed after being tortured for hours, days, maybe even weeks and months. You know this for a fact, but police refused to do anything about it because it required too much work to deal with all the investigation that would take place, or because the killer was a very [...]

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The websites strike back

There’s nothing more endearing than seeing our fellow peers, who were once indifferent towards politics, suddenly jump at the opportunity to swat down the two pesky flies otherwise known as the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA). These two proposed laws would have directly affected the youth of our generation [...]

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Community College or University, Choosing a Path to the Future

Community College By: Jeannie Mai Freshman year: get to know what high school is all about, get the feel of it. Sophomore year: start taking honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes, look into the PSAT and so forth. Junior year: start freaking out about colleges and taking all the SAT classes available, along with stacking [...]

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“Skyward Sword” soars above expectations

Photo Source: Nintendo By: Danny Hovanessian After 25 years of throwing bombs, breaking pots, slinging arrows, pulling out the Master Sword, and saving princess Zelda, “Skyward Sword” arrives to change the formula in the Zelda games while still using some traditional elements to create a wonderful mix of the old and new. Yes, you are [...]

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Abraar wrestles wrangler

Photo Credit: An Uong By: Victor Garcia Imagine moving from a little town of around 9,000 people in Colorado to a comparatively bustling metropolis of 200,000 and then becoming the team captain of a team that has never before existed on campus. In 2010, Abraar Khan (’12) moved to Glendale from Delta, Colorado and became [...]

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Jackson goes from security to securing students’ futures

Photo Credit: Alejandra Rosas By: Alejandra Rosas We’ve all noticed a six-foot tall, tough, and well-built security guard patrolling the campus and monitoring student behavior as a typical security guard would. However, not everyone has noticed that the former security guard supervisor Delvon Jackson is now a teacher for the Public Safety Academy (PSA), a [...]

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Garzona teaches Keppel students to dance

Photo Credit: An Uong By: Alejandra Rosas Many students join a sport they are passionate about. However, not all make good use of that interest—taking it to another level where one helps others achieve and express their love for that same sport. Meet Desiree Garzona (’13). Garzona decided to join the dance team her freshman [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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Penalizing Penn State

By: Jeannie Mai Jerry Sandusky: former defense coordinator of the Pennsylvania State University football team for 31 seasons. Jerry Sandusky: 67-year-old man charged with more than 50 counts of sexual abuse for molesting eight boys over a span of 15 years. According to npr.org, Jim Calhoun, one of Penn State’s former janitors, “witnessed Sandusky engaging [...]

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Trajano trains for the army

Photo Credit: Alejandra Rosas By: Jeannie Mai As we grow older, the question that tends to come up the most is what we want to be when we grow up. Most children dream of becoming a firefighter or an astronaut. At age 13, junior Leo Trajano dreamt of joining the army. When Trajano was in [...]

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Alumni remain loyal tornadoes

Here are some faculty members who attended Hoover as students. By: Alejandra Rosas After four years of stressful studies, extracurricular activities, and all the wonderful things high school has to offer, many students are ecstatic to graduate and never look back. However, some of the teachers on campus were once Hoover students themselves, and have [...]

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Forging a new beginning

By: Sophie Mirzaian “Realistic” people have this idea that nothing will ever truly work out. Usually, they also make sure nothing ever does. Feeling disconnected, pressured, and alone transforms people into things they wish they weren’t. They strive to be in control of something, and if that one thing is their own unhappiness, then so [...]

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NBA’s Stern double dribbles

By: Edward Nadurata The NBA lockout ended, dear old basketball was back, and all the drama was gone…until the on again off again Chris Paul deal came along. Supposedly, New Orleans Hornets player Paul was to be traded to the Lakers in a complicated move of players involving the Hornets, Rockets and the Lakers. Lakers [...]

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Zalin recovers while helping the team

By: Paul Hong An injury is bound to happen when one pushes himself to participate in many sports. One such athlete is soccer player Allison Zalin (’13). Zalin’s injury was inflicted upon her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), one of the main four knee ligaments, which is crucial for an athlete and needs immediate attention including [...]

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Kristina’s not “horsing around”

Photo Credit: An Uong By: Victor Garcia After Kristina Hambley (’13) finishes her sixth period AP U.S. History class, she heads out to her parent’s waiting car to drive out to Hayley Farms in Lake View Terrace where her horse Bremen Star is kept and where she’ll spend the next three hours caring for and [...]

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Shooting down gun control

By: Cristine Kenady The Columbine and Virginia Tech massacres, the D.C. Sniper shootings, and the Amish elementary school attack. Although different in size and magnitude, all have one thing in common: the completely legal purchases of firearms. One of the biggest flaws of the regulation of firearm possession in the United States is a lack [...]

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Curriculum integrates LGBT

During the past decade, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community has fought for its rights with a caliber of success that only a few years ago may have seemed preposterous and impossible. Its cries for fairness and equality have been so loud in recent years that it seems the law has finally decided [...]

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Censorship

By: Jeannie Mai There’s nothing quite like going home after a long day at school and blogging about it on Tumblr. What’s that, U.S. Government? CENSORED. Oh, maybe I’ll just post a status on Face—CENSORED. Okay, I’ll tweet—CENSORED. The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of [...]

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Downey’s Holmes is more Iron Man than Sleuth

Photo Credit: warnerbros.com By: Sophie Mirzaian “First, crack eggs. Now, scramble.” Robert Downey Jr. making breakfast? Not quite. Sherlock Holmes fighting a Cossack assassin? Oh yes. The newest Holmes film—if you can even call it that—“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” was released last Friday. It features Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his sidekick, [...]

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Bieber raises fever once again

Photo Credit: Island Records By: Natalie Hovanesian I know what you’re thinking; great, another Justin Bieber album. But his most recent Christmas album, “Under the Mistletoe,” is sure to get everyone into the holiday spirit. Released on Nov. 1, it has a different style from his previous albums due to his maturing personality and music. [...]

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Kate and Kristine Paguinto Take on Hollywood

Photo Credit: An Uong By: Jeannie Mai They walk the same, they talk the same, they even look the same—they must be the same, right? Wrong. It’s easy to see why strangers would mix up identical twins Katherine (Kate) and Kristine Paguinto (’13) so frequently, but, to be quite honest, they could not be any [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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Balancing school and sport

By: Paul Hong The amount of dedication and time needed to perform well in a single sport is tremendous. However, imagine what it takes to perform in two sports? Juniors Rachel Rosas, Samantha Flores, Arely Aguirre, and senior Christine Huynh participate in both volleyball and pep team. A regular day for these girls can best [...]

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“Spoon River Anthology” creeps onto stage

By: Natalie Hovanesian The members of a small town discuss what they would have liked to do differently in their past. The only thing is that they’re dead. The upcoming Advanced Drama Class play, “Spoon River Anthology,” involves a mysterious, dramatic, and exhilarating plot that is very distinct. It will premiere in the auditorium on [...]

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Dixie steals your Hart

By: Daphne Ong What’s more entertaining than watching a fish out of water trying to fit in? A New York surgeon who moves to Alabama to inherit a private practice. The medical drama “Hart of Dixie” premiered last month on the CW, centering around Dr. Zoe Hart (Rachel Bilson), who has desired to become a [...]

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Athlete of the Month: Elizabeth Dardov

By: Ani Kirakosyan Determination, leadership, and passion are all characteristics of a great athlete—all qualities Elizabeth Dardov (’12) possesses. Since her freshman year, Dardov has worked her way through many struggles and pain to becoming the captain of the girls’ varsity volleyball team. “I feel she is being rewarded for her hard work,” parent Gina [...]

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One journal captures many hearts

By: Alejandra Rosas “I’m not comfortable with myself. I secretly don’t like what I’ve become. I feel like I don’t have anyone to talk to. I feel like I can’t trust people anymore because I’ve been betrayed so many times.” This dejected passage was written anonymously, in what students around campus are calling “the wandering [...]

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Beirut sheds a new light

By: Sophie Mirzaian I suppose everyone changes, some for the worse, some for the better. There are certain changes that one can only describe as becoming “different.” In the case of Beirut’s new album, “The Rip Tide,” there was a change towards introspection, which doesn’t imply either progress or worsening, although it is very different [...]

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ARGUMENT: E-Readers are a good thing

Pro By: Daphne Ong Imagine carrying 3,500 books everywhere you go. No, you don’t have to drag these heavy blocks of paper around on a wagon like Matilda. All you need is an electronic reader, or e-reader, and the possibilities are endless. An e-reader is any portable device like a smart phone, iPad, or Kindle [...]

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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 [...]

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Hookah Hems Havoc

By: Agnessa Kasumyan Hookah is, no doubt, a seductive form of smoking. I’m pretty sure that part of its appeal is its lingering fruit-infused tobacco smoke that takes us back to ancient harems where men kicked back on luxurious, Arabic sofas, smoking hookah while watching beautiful women dance in revealing chiffons. During the time that [...]

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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 [...]

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In Cold Censorship

Censorship. In America, we have been bred to cringe at the sight, sound, or even thought of this word. And when one of the most influential books of all time was “pending approval” from the Glendale Unified School District’s (GUSD) for its reading list, none of us could help but cringe more than we ever [...]

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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 [...]

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Remembering Apple’s Steve Jobs

The hallways are full of kids with ear plugs on, disconnected from the world, aimlessly walking with their iPods on blast. In the center of all this is one man: the late Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computers. He made and thought about all these technological advances that we adore, and has changed life as [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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Glee gets glee-ish

By: Michael Yapujian “Glee” and I: we sort of have a love-hate relationship. The first season: incredible, no words to describe. The second season: really? Is this the same show? The third season: Yea! Oh no, wait! WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE. When the third season started out, I was loving it: the writers were [...]

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Bitetti goes to the mat for wrestling

By: Alex Mikhailpoor In an attempt to bring out the most physically gifted athletes, social science teacher Mark Bitetti is looking to assemble a full-fledged wrestling team for next year. Starting the program from scratch is “going to take a lot of time and dedication from the school and its students.” Bitetti is looking forward [...]

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Policky appointed as new football coach

By: Alex Mikhailpoor Football defensive coordinator Andrew Policky has been appointed as the new head coach replacing Chris Long. Policky takes over from Long who over these past three years leaves behind a football team with its biggest size in recent years: 50 players on varsity and 30 on junior varsity. Long seemed to be turning [...]

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Frances sprints down the track

By: Alex Mikhailpoor Running against time is not just a cliché saying, but a lifestyle for track and cross country captain Frances Ramas (’11). Clocking in a milestone of a thousand miles over the course of four years, Ramas has set herself as the standard of a pivotal leader. Ramas positioned herself to be the number [...]

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Defending Vinny

By: Michael Yapujian Clad with comedy, “My Cousin Vinny” is a must-see for any avid movie watcher and even the most cynical film critic. The movie starts off with two friends (one of them Ralph Macchio, well-known for his role in the first incarnation of “The Karate Kid”), who, while on a pitstop in Alabama, [...]

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Gaga not born this way

By: Michael Yapujian “Rah, rah, ah, ah, ah. Roma, roma, ma. Gaga, ooh la la. Want your bad romance.” Totally meaningful stuff, right? This is what I think of Lady Gaga and most other artists today who seem to think that rhyming the words “Mars” and “cars” make them lyrical geniuses. I sit baffled at [...]

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Enter into “Portal II”

By: Daniel Massey The cake is a lie. This seemingly irreverent phrase has found its way into the hearts of gamers everywhere, thanks to the charming title that is “Portal.” Originally intended as a tech demo, its publisher, Valve, decided to throw it into the now best-selling game bundle, The Orange Box, which also includes [...]

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Hoover Stock Performs 6/4

By: Edwin Flores Never would you imagine them rocking-out to modern pop songs from mainstream artists like Cee Lo Green. As summer is just around the corner, the Jazz Band is preparing to heat things up with its annual end-of-the-year jazz concert, Hooverstock 2011, which will be completely student-run this year. The concert will be held [...]

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Looking through the lens

Photo Credit: Allen Au By: Maryam Soorma Around the halls, all students complain about their teachers—how they never learn anything from them and how classes are pointless. An Uong (’12),however, was lucky enough to find her passion by observing her seventh grade life science teacher, Curtis Shih. After viewing Shih’s artistic photos of his surroundings, [...]

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Students opt for graduating early and getting a jumpstart on their college careers.

By: Greg Kalfayan Students who leave high school at 16 are usually considered dropouts. Many are. But there is another category: 16-year old high school graduates. These kids are on the fast track to receiving college degrees and professional success. Most students spend four years in high school and then get jobs or head off [...]

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Retarding ignorance

By: Michael Yapujian The English language is a funny thing. Two words spelled completely differently can be synonymous—a homonym. Words that are spelled exactly the same can have opposite meanings—a homophone. And possibly the most interesting part of the English language is its versatility throughout different generations. When I walk through the hallways, I’m not eavesdropping, [...]

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When the going gets tough, the pills start popping

By: Cody Senteno Sad? Prozac. Bored? Adderall. Depressed? Abilify. Today the smallest of problems are labeled as serious disorders and are prescribed powerful medications. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. may be the most medicated country in the world with almost half of Americans on at least one prescribed medication. With [...]

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Keep lockers open

By: Megan Knight The school is leaning towards a decision of not having lockers for next year, a decision that will anger many, if not all, students. This is due to a recent court ruling prohibiting public schools from charging students for anything as it technically does not constitute a free public education. The locker [...]

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Public colleges lay in the hands of Brown’s proposal

By: Agnessa Kasumyan With the economic downturn, community colleges across California have suffered due to funding cuts. Glendale Community College (GCC) has already taken difficult measures to continue providing an adequate education for its student population, including cutting the winter session. The lack of funding has also resulted in many difficulties for students. Traditionally, students [...]

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Hoover and Daily collaborate to paint mural

Photo Credit: Allen Au By: Megan Knight Earlier this year, Principal Jennifer Earl, art teacher Mary Anna Pomonis, Daily High art teacher Emily Goff, and professional muralist Roger Dolin discussed various ideas on a collaborative project with Daily High School to create a work of art to beautify the school. Together, they agreed to create [...]

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Pending lawsuit may mean no lockers starting next year

Photo Credit: Cain Buckler By: Megan Knight Remember those dorky rolling backpacks in elementary school? This upcoming school year, it may be a good idea to invest in a new one. Depending on a decision from the district lawyers as well as pending passage of Assembly Bill 165, the administration will determine by the end [...]

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AP classes—where the elite do not meet

By: Anonymous We have all seen those students in class. The ones who are completely clueless and still trying to grasp extremely difficult concepts like was Julius Caesar Greek or Roman? Or how do you really use a verb in a sentence? These are the students that take the advanced out of Advanced Placement (AP) [...]

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Taking a ghostly adventure

By: Edward Nadurata Spirits and monsters have enthralled human minds since the dawn of time, stimulating the senses as one sees a shadow, or the fast movement of a silhouette in the corner of the eye. “Ghost Adventures,” a Travel Channel show, is available both on DVD and Instant View, and is a good alternative [...]

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No more trials for J.B.

Photo Credit: Allen Au By: Edwin Flores J.B.—his initials are known around the world. No, they do not stand for Justin Bieber (sorry to those obsessed 14-year-old Beliebers who thought this article was about him). Instead, they stand for the new upcoming advanced drama class production “J.B.,” written by Archibald MacLeish, premiering on May 13 [...]

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Spanish Club visits Europe over Spring Break

By: Meagan Knight .paris We arrived in the morning at 11 a.m. at the Charles De Gaulle airport where we converted our dollars to euros and spent two hours waiting for our bus to take us to the Mercure Hotel, the best of the three hotels we stayed at during our trip. At 3:30 p.m., [...]

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Losing control over Lent

Illustration Credit: Troy Jonic By: Michael yapujian “I’m giving up fast food.” “I’m giving up soda.” “I’m becoming a vegan.” On one particular Wednesday at school, you hear these peculiar proclamations from your friends sitting next to you. Eavesdropping further, you realize that your Christian and Catholic friends seem to be discussing what they have [...]

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The Japanese don’t fall through the cracks

There is a sense of unity and calmness that has allowed the Japanese people to handle the crisis with pride and poise that we can all learn from. The situation is terrible, but their conduct remains impeccable. A level nine earthquake, one tsunami, 73 aftershocks, radiation leaks, and over 10,000 casualties later, Japan’s morale remains [...]

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Glendalians vote yes on Measure S

By: Megan Knight Measure S, the $270 million bond for the GUSD schools, passed on April 5 with a 69 percent of the vote, well above the required 55 percent needed to pass. The money will provide safe and modern school facilities, and technological upgrades in several classrooms. The Glendale Teachers’ Association (GTA) spent $40,000 [...]

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Glendale DMV reopens its doors

Photo Credit: Allen Au By: Alex Mikhailpoor Previously closed since August due to renovations and the state budget crisis, the Glendale Department of Motor Vehicles branch on Glenoaks Blvd. reopened yesterday. The City Council pressured state officials since December to reopen the branch due to complaints about the massive traffic the closure caused to other nearby [...]

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Students caught forging third quarter progress report cards

By: Megan Knight Earlier this month, students from Clark Magnet and Hoover managed to get their hands on the stock cards that the district uses for report cards in order to forge report cards. Because of this, the schools had to reprint the third quarter progress reports onto different blue cards instead of the original [...]

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FLAGS PLACES AT NATIONALS

By: Alex Mikhailpoor As emotions ran high, flags flew strong as the school’s pep flags made a final and lasting impression at Nationals late March in Anaheim. Tears were flowing when the team fin­­­ished and was rewarded with its trophies. The team earned second place for one flag routine, third place for two flag routine, and [...]

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You just got served

By: Asher Landau Spring: the time of year when school athletics halts to a standstill. With fan favorites such as basketball and football long gone, much of the enthusiasm with sports has retired. Not this year, though. The boys’ varsity tennis team is shaping up to be one of strongest, well-put together teams the school has [...]

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We we we so annoyed

By: Daniel Massey Whether you love him or hate him, you’ve definitely seen a lot of him. That charming smile. That gender-blurring haircut. That two-toned hoodie you saw and considered buying. Yes, I am of course talking about the cultural phenomenon that is Justin Bieber. Rising from YouTube obscurity to international pop star, Bieber has [...]

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“Your Highness” reaches new lows

By: Daniel Massey The mood has struck, you need a movie; and fast. You’re looking for something classy, artistic, meaningful, and something your whole family can enjoy. I think I’ve just stumbled upon a film that’s the exact opposite of what I just described. I have a lot of mixed feelings about “Your Highness.” A [...]

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Gloria Hong is in the 6.9%

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Gloria Hong By: Se Yeon Kim “Rise and shine, honey,” your father says. Although your neighbors are still asleep, you stumble out of bed and flick the switch on, squinting at the sudden flood of light. The digital clock blinks in red: 12:00 a.m., midnight. Right on time, you think, and [...]

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Scholastic team places 2nd in Bowl

By: Alex Mikhailpoor Anxiety filled the atmosphere in the Glendale High School auditorium on March 14 as Hoover was looking to redeem itself at the 21st Annual Scholastic Bowl after a fourth place finish in last year’s competition. The team consisting of seniors Erica Bogasian, Greg Kalfayan, Asher Landau, Andrew Le, and Melissa Pangalinan arrived [...]

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Teachers vote to bring back banking day schedule

Banking Day will return next school year after 80% of the faculty voted for it on Monday. Instead of Wednesdays, the Banking Day will be on Fridays with Period One starting at 8:50 a.m. Last year, Banking Day was eliminated falling three votes short of the mandated 75% approval threshold. Banking Days allow teachers to [...]

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District explores offering online classes

By: Alex Mikhailpoor You are sitting in front of your computer with homemade lasagna watching the newest episode of “The Office” while taking your AP Government chapter 13 test. Sounds good? This could soon become a reality as Glendale Unified School District (GUSD) officials explore options to develop online courses that can alternate or supplement [...]

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ATHLETE OF THE MONTH­­­ ~ March 2011

By: Greg Kalfayan Oleg Simonyan (’13) is one of the three singles players on the boys’ varsity tennis team. He showcased his competitive determination at BGD last week taking two out of three singles victories (6-2, 6-4). Simonyan moved to the U.S. a mere two years ago from Armenia, but initially started playing tennis 10 [...]

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Shooting isn’t always fatal

By: Maryam Soorma Although many teens today look to video games for ­­­­­an adrenaline rush, Jonathan Lee (’11) turns to paintballing. Lee was first introduced to this sport when friend David Park (’11), decided to go paintballing for his birthday. He recalls his first experience as being “great.” “I never thought it would be so [...]

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Bringing swagga’ to the campus

By: Alex Mikhailpoor From the influences of cheer and dance, the girls’ hip-hop team, the fourth member of the pep team family, looks to make a name for itself in its first competitive season. The team consists of 10 dedicated and athletically motivated girls most with backgrounds from cheer and dance which enables them to [...]

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Volleyball partially reinstated

By: Asher Landau After an extended hiatus and an uncertain future, the boys’ volleyball team has returned as it prepares for the arduous season ahead—well, not quite. Although the school has a “boys’ volleyball class,” there is no official “boys’ volleyball team.” And while it holds regular practices, it is unable to compete in league [...]

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Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

By: Edward Nadurata The 1967 film “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” which features Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, was a controversial film during its time because interracial relationships were frowned upon. A few months before the movie was premiered, 17 states still deemed interracial marriage illegal. Matt Drayton (Tracy) is an editor of [...]

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One dimension too many

By: Daniel Massey Remember when going to see a movie in 3D was a rare and special occasion? Yeah, me neither. It seems like every other film released in the past year has been in 3D, and for what? For some unexplainable reason, modern moviegoers seem to love having their films interrupted by unidentified objects [...]

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Red loses her fire

By: Michael Yapujian After sitting down to watch “Red Riding Hood,” I soon realized I would have been more content by just viewing the trailer, and not having to sit through one hour and forty minutes worth of a talking CGI werewolf, an elephant-shaped torture device, and dimly lit cottages. “Red Riding Hood,” which opened [...]

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Josey Lee raises her voice

By: Edwin Flores Snap, snap. The smell of sweet caramel macchiato wafts in the dim room. Bright spotlight on stage. Words and rhymes recited. Dark. Bottled up emotions released. Boom. Snap, snap. If this were a clichéd­ movie staged in a coffee shop, the scene above would be considered fitting. We think of the stereotypical [...]

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Too tired to think of a headline

By: Greg Kalfayan It is 1:30 a.m. As you ask yourself why you stayed up so late, you contemplate skipping first period. You climb into bed to savor a few precious hours of sleep before you get up for school. We have all been there. Sleep deprivation is becoming a bigger and bigger problem among students. [...]

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Uselessness weaves its way into education

By: Michael Yapujian You know the routine: Get up, go to school, and shuffle from one A.P. class to the other, trying to keep your eyes open. Oh, and don’t forget about all of the after school activities you’re involved in—the only reason why you actually go to school. Year after year, we are pressured [...]

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Take the sub out of substitute

By: Cody Senteno You walk into class expecting to find your teacher, but instead you find a substitute. Normally your reaction to this is “YES, FINALLY A SUB. NO WORK TODAY!” But is this really how we should respond? Students do not show substitutes the same respect as their teachers, and subsequently lose an entire [...]

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Planned Parenthood gets put out

Planned Parenthood. To some people, those words conjure images of abortion. To others, approximately three million American men and women (according to the organization’s statistics), Planned Parenthood represents cancer screenings, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, sexual education, contraception and family planning. And if the Pence Bill, which was recently approved by the House of Representatives, [...]

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“Sheening” up the news with sheer madness

America is on a drug and it’s called “Charlie Sheen.” Sheen’s life is a train wreck: horrific, yet you still can’t turn away. And boy has the public and the media had a problem turning away from Sheen’s antics. Despite important issues like unrest in the Middle East and the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear scare in Japan, the [...]

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Eight candidates vie for Glendale Board of Education seats

By: Agnessa Kasumyan In just a few weeks, on April 5, the city will be voting for candidates to fill the two available seats on the Board of Education. There are eight candidates running in the election: incumbents Mary Boger and Nayiri Nahabedian, and Daniel Cabrera, Ami Fox, Jennifer Freemon, Ingrid Gunnell, Todd Hunt, and [...]

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TOMS- Supporting soles with every step

By: Edwin Flores No shoes, no service. A simple phrase that states that it is common courtesy to wear shoes when in public places. But what about children in developing countries who barely manage to feed themselves? Shoes are definitely not their first priority. In 2006, Blake Mycoskie founded Toms shoes to help combat injustices [...]

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Hakop splashes over to Glendale

Photo Credit: Allen Au By: Alex Mikhailpoor After finishing third in the league and qualifying for the CIF preliminaries, the team shrank at a tremendous rate. Many players left due to “personal reasons” and would not disclose further information. Going from player to player, the responses did not change, but once the name “Hakop Kaplanyan” [...]

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A glance into the woods

By: Edwin Flores The cow says moo, Cinderella misplacesher shoe, and Rapunzel loses her hair while the Baker and his wife are bare. No, this is not an average fairy tale. In fact, it is the opposite of a fairy tale, it is an anti-fairy tale. There could not be any other tale that accommodates [...]

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Where did the M go?

By: Michael Yapujian As I log onto tvguide.com to check tonight’s listings for the Music Television network (MTV), here is what I come across: “The Buried Life,” “16 & Pregnant,” and “Jersey Shore.” Only reality shows…for the next six hours. MTV, which began based on music, now has become a landfill with brazen reality shows [...]

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It’s expensive to look this cheap

By: Michael Yapujian Plastic: artificial or insincere; synthetic; phony. Why anyone would want to fit that description is beyond my understanding. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that in 2009, 210,000 plastic surgeries were performed on teenagers. That’s 210,000 liposuctions, Botox injections, breast implants, rhinoplasties, and many more treatments that, if listed, would take [...]

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Confessions of an iPhone

Illustration Credit: Eunice Choy By: Edward Nadurata Forgive me iPhone for I have sinned; my last confession was 700 Facebook notifications ago…Yes, you heard that right, iPhone, not father. The Catholic Church recently approved of a confession app for the ever so sophisticated and apparently “holy” iPhone. The app is a way to track your [...]

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People for the not-so Ethical Treatment of Animals

Illustration Credit: Troy Jonic By: Michael Yapujian I am an animal rights activist. I am an ardent believer that animals have feelings and emotions, and need us to be their voices. I used to be a huge supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) even though it goes a little overboard sometimes. [...]

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“Clubitis” hits campus

Our school has 37 official clubs. How many of them are actually active, i.e., hold regular meetings, plan frequent activities, nobody knows for sure. The way things are going, we will be lucky to say we have 15 active clubs at the end of the year. We, at the Tornado Times, account that to a [...]

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Proposed schedule shows promise

This month, the GlendaleTeachers Association and the GUSD Board of Education are going through the process of approving a new school calendar which has school beginning on Aug. 12 and ending on May 27 for the 2013-14 year. If approved, underclassmen would reap benefits. First, fall semester would finish in December before winter break.There would [...]

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Have you seen us?

By: Agnessa Kasumyan The new semester began with the departure of three teachers. Algebra 2 Honors teacher Galina Diankova and auto shop teacher Yervant Ghazarian officially resigned from their posts. Math teacher Stephen Wong took a leave of absence for an undetermined amount of time. Claude Phan has taken over Diankova’s classes. According to Principal [...]

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Teachers receive clickers

By: Agnessa Kasumyan The Student Response System or “Clickers” is a new program that is being used in schools nationwide to promote participation and activity in classrooms. With the new technology, teachers can easily check for understanding by quizzing students. Each student is given a remote or “clicker,” resembling a TV remote, to answer any [...]

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Brady wins regional Poetry Out Loud contest

Photo Credit: Allen Au Watch her performance online at tv.tornado-times.com. By: Meagan Knight Sophia Brady (’11) will participate in the Poetry Out Loud state finals on March 20-21 in Sacramento after earning first place in the regional contest on Feb. 2, in which hundreds of students in Los Angeles county competed. The winner will move [...]

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College Board announces new changes to AP exams

By: Dion Aghajani The College Board, the nonprofit organization that conducts many nationwide standardized tests including the SAT and AP tests, has made reforms this school year. Last August, the organization announced that starting May 2011, it would no longer deduct points for incorrect answers in the multiple choice section of AP tests. Before the [...]

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District proposes earlier start to school

By: Megan Knight The Glendale Unified School District Board of Education is scheduled to vote on a new school calendar on Tuesday. If approved, school will begin on Aug. 12 and end on May 27 for the 2013-14 school year. For the 2012- 13 school year, school will begin on Aug. 20 and end on [...]

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When Bullying Takes Its Toll

By: Cindy Quinonez Most high school movies have bullying scenes that seem clichéd. But they are not. Bullying in recent years has taken on a new form. Aside from physical and verbal abuse, cyberbullying has made its mark on students through social networks and other technological means. Experts agree that with the widespread use of [...]

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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 [...]

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Everything is coming up roses

Photo Credit: Cain Buckler By: Edwin Flores Glasses touch together. Clink. The roar of laughter is heard everywhere—the countdown begins: three, two, one—Bang! Anticipation hits the room and the New Year ball hits the floor as excitement spills everywhere on New Year’s day. The next two hours of the night are spent celebrating gaily until [...]

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New coaches prepare for upcoming season- Donal Kennedy

Photo Credit: Cain Buckler By: Edward Nadurata “The team is doing fantastic work, has good ethics and has worked hard,” Kennedy said. “All we have to do now is apply what we learn onto the field.” Donal Kennedy, the new girls’ soccer coach, grew up in Ireland and played soccer on a semi-professional team called [...]

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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 [...]

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Do you know the Alma Mater?

We asked our if they knew our Alma Mater.  The results varied, but the comedy stood true. Video Credit: Shane Vera, Cain Buckler, Dahn Kim

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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

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Dumbing down the beat

Music is as subjective as any other type of art. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, just as one man’s Lil Wayne album is another man’s recyclable. Although not everyone will agree on what good music is, certain aspects of music can always be defined, like the amount of effort put into the writing [...]

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Mind Your manners, please

I have this theory: manners really do not mean that much to people anymore. Well, actually, maybe it is not that they do not mean much, but rather that we just do not make it a necessity to have manners. To test my theory, I decided to try holding the door for everyone in a few [...]

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