Word For Word

Gacia Atachian, ACLU Writing Award Winner

2010-05-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

Ninth grader Gacia Atachian is the winner of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) San Fernando Valley Writing Contest. Gacia’s essay, “A New Generation of Bullying” won second place and $200. Congratulations, Gacia!

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow...

2010-04-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

Goodbye, Seniors

"The Original Fifteen"

“Dream Big”

If there were ever a time to dare,
To make a difference
To embark on something worth doing
It is now.
Not for any grand cause, necessarily—
But for something that tugs at your hear
Something that is worth your aspiration
Something that is your dream.
You owe it to yourself
To make your days count.
Have fun. Dig deep. Stretch.

Dream big.

Know, though,
That things worth doing
Seldom come easy,
There will be times when you want to
Turn around
Pack it up and call it quits
Those times tell you
That you are pushing yourself
And that you are not afraid to learn by trying.

Persist.

Because with an idea,
Determination and the right tools,
You can do great things.
Let your instincts, your intellect
And let your heart guide you.

Trust.

Believe in the incredible power
Of the human mind
Of doing something that makes a difference
Of working hard
Of laughing and hoping
Of lasting friends
Of all the things that will cross your path
Next year
The start of something new
Brings the hope of something great.
Anything is possible
There is only one you
And you will pass this way but once.

Do it right.

-Author Unknown

Romeo and Juliet

2010-04-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

“O Romeo…”

9th Graders read Romeo and Juliet Act I, scene iv as “Maskers” and perform the balcony scene of Act II, scene ii in Armenian.

“O, that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!”

Students Become Teachers, Teachers Become Students

2010-03-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

A glimpse of the future is what we sometimes see when no one knows we’re looking. The serious, focused expression and concern of students gathered to teach each other a difficult concept somehow makes us listen, stand back and observe with pride. We move aside and allow them to work things out at their own pace, in their own dialogue. When they speak this language, we know our work is meaningful.

This is the joy of teaching.

Dagger of the Mind

2010-03-11T20:24:00.000-08:00

“Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight, or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation…”
Macbeth, William Shakespeare

Seniors perform Macbeth’s famous soliloquy

Remember

2010-02-15T23:02:00.000-08:00

Remember
By Christina Rossetti

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you planned:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.
______________
For Stone

Finding Forrester, Finding Ourselves

2010-02-07T20:47:00.000-08:00

“…While I waited until the winter of my life to see what I’ve seen this past year, there is no doubt I would have waited too long, had it not been for you.”
William Forrester, Finding Forrester

The streets Jamal Wallace walks in silence and the window William Forrester looks out of to watch the world are the streets and windows of our hopes and longing. Longing for our place in the world, and someone to help us move beyond the events in life that sometimes overwhelm and prevent us from living.

Through William and Jamal’s friendship, we learn the song of the Scarlet Tanager. William, an avid birdwatcher, reminds us by quoting a James Lowell poem to Jamal that “Thy duty, winged flame of spring, is but to love and fly and sing.” Indeed, the journey they both take together shows them that life, though painful and at times unfair, is full of possibilities or songs “of new seasons, new life.”

Zvart, Ani, Shaunt and Zohrab review the film

The movie Finding Forrester is an inspirational film about a 16 year old trying to find his way. Unable to truly fit in with his peers, Jamal Wallace secretly searches for a way to develop his gift for writing.

William Forrester, a writer who published only one novel, is a recluse who meets Jamal under very strange and unexpected circumstances. They connect with each other because of their shared passion for writing. Like Jamal, William has difficulty fitting into society. As Jamal and William write together, they begin to grow fond of the friendship that develops between them. This friendship is tested as William helps Jamal overcome the struggles he faces during his Junior year at an elite Manhattan prep school.

Finding Forrester helps audiences realize that in life there are going to be endless disappointments and challenges, but we have to pursue our dreams without fear. Teenagers and adults discover that passion, dreams and hope are necessary at any stage in life because they keep our souls alive.

Thought Police

2010-01-30T19:57:00.000-08:00

What if our creativity, emotions and thinking were taken away?

Loyal to Oceania’s government and acting as firm believers in “Big Brother” from George Orwell’s 1984, the 12th Grade worked in groups to censor pages from their history texts. They replaced the censored text with “Newspeak,” wrote slogans for “Hate Week,” connected themes to present day society, and looked around our classroom for items that were offensive to Party rules. A statement was written to accuse me with specific examples of “Thoughtcrime” and I was given an ultimatum to reprogram my way of teaching. Each group presented their assignment to the class—they truly illustrated an understanding of what freedom of the mind is and how dangerously close we have come to the loss of that freedom.

“WAR IS PEACE”
“FREEDOM IS SLAVERY”
“IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH”
George Orwell, 1984

It Sometimes Rains In California

2010-01-20T22:41:00.000-08:00

There is something comforting about our world inside the classroom when it rains. The sky darkens, trees sway and dance with the cold gales to which we are not accustomed.

Inside, we listen. We continue our work: discussing, writing, reading, pondering—knowing that we are safe inside while the cold, transparent rain pounds its hands on the windows, beckoning to be let in.

Footprints

2010-01-19T20:50:00.000-08:00

“Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls:
The little waves; with their soft, white hands,
Efface the footprints in the sands,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

What will our footprints say about us when we’re gone?

The 11th graders trace the outline of their feet and write themes, images and their favorite quotes inside their footprint from Longfellow’s poem, “The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls.”

A Christmas Memory

2009-12-26T17:34:00.000-08:00

We all have bittersweet childhood memories and lasting impressions of people who filled the empty spaces in our lives. They will be crystal clear and evoke the rawest emotions even when we are old and forgetful of the present.

The 9th Graders hold their literary device kites and illustrate Truman Capote’s meaningful words of loss and vivid childhood impressions.

“That is why, walking across a school campus on this particular December morning, I keep searching the sky. As if I expected to see, rather like hearts, a lost pair of kites hurrying toward heaven.”
Truman Capote, “A Christmas Memory”

Think Outside The Desk

2009-12-20T21:46:00.001-08:00

We seldom see the other side of students. Who are they when they aren’t sitting at their desks, walking the hallways or standing at their lockers? On a warm December afternoon, three days before Christmas Break, students gathered during lunch in the Quad area to enjoy the talents of their peers. This is what we don’t see in the classroom and what pleasantly surprises us—because each student has a talent, gift, passion or dream that is as much a part of them as their school life.

There is more to our students than meets the eye, and affirming this makes our classroom experience so much richer.

Carpe Diem

2009-12-16T22:10:00.001-08:00

“When you and I behind the veil are past, Oh but the long, long world shall last…”

Reading selections from Omar Khayyam’s The Rubaiyat inspired creative personal projects from the 10th Grade. Following the message of “Carpe Diem,” each student created a bag and chose their favorite Rubaiyat quotes and placed five meaningful items from their lives in these decorated bags and presented them to the class. Students shared personal reflections about religious icons, favorite music, sports trophies / symbols, books and photographs of pets, family and friends. Students also discussed what characterizes a person who leads an active versus a passive life and researched poems with the same theme. Thank you 10th Graders for sharing what inspires you!

Student Thoughts On Becoming An Individual

2009-10-12T22:22:00.000-07:00

"Some people think differently and aren't afraid to express their opinions and contribute to society. These are the people who come up with new ideas that we wouldn't think of in a million years, so standing out isn't necessarily a bad thing." Aram Mashigian, Grade 11

"To make a discovery we must go past the boundaries and come up with something no one has thought of yet. We must do this in order to find out more about ourselves." Edwin Manouchehri, Grade 11

"There is still a long way ahead of us. It is full of surprises and opportunities. I will be trying to make my own discoveries to improve myself in this world, trying to be remembered for my achievements. It can be accomplished by taking steps that no one else has thought of taking before. As Albert Szent-Gyorgi Nayrapolt said once, 'Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.' All it takes is our willingness to take the risk." Silva Malkhassian, Grade 11

"In order to never be forgotten in the minds of others, we must be different. I believe that those who don't try to think differently and purposely have close-minded ideas never get far in life. Imagine if everyone in the world thought the same way and never asked questions. There would be no creativity, imagination or art. Albert Einstein once said, 'Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex...it takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.'" Tamar Naccachian, Grade 12

Tenth Grade So Far...

2009-10-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

Project Cover by Delilah Shahbazian (Grade 10)

Project Cover by Tina Isagholian (Grade 10)

By Andre Arsinian (Grade 10)

The Tenth Grade students read A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly and completed projects describing characters, setting and themes of the novel. Through discussions we actually had fun learning about Mattie. Yes, fun! We also did research on the Adirondack Mountains which is the setting of the book. We then read segments from The Epic of Gilgamesh and learned about Sumerian history as well. With activities and a "Quiz Game," we learned a lot about interesting characters like Humbaba, Enkidu and Shumash. Now we are studying the Old and New Testament of the Bible from a historical and literary perspective to prepare us for the next literature selection.

The Seniors Say...

2009-10-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

On those fretful days of Mrs. Martin's "Marathon Tests," the Seniors walk into the classroom half awake, notes in hand, nervously asking questions. They know they will always find Alec Shiroyan's quote, "I am the test, the test is not me" written on the board. This gives them the confidence to write and write and write... and in the end, the Seniors OWN the test!

In The Classroom

2009-10-12T21:47:00.000-07:00

"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited." Plutarch

The Seniors Begin A New School Year

2009-09-20T22:20:00.000-07:00

By Koko Deranteriassian (Grade 12)

The year begins afresh with syllabi and groans. The Seniors are still in a euphoria from their summer vacation, but, of course, the typical first week in Mrs. Martin's English class wakes us up with the traditional personal essay. Soon enough, we're traveling through New York City with Oskar, the character in Jonathan Safran Foer's novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. We learn about the devastating impact 9/11 had on this young boy's life, and his journey to deal with the incredible loss he experienced. Our projects involved mapping out his "reconnaissance" missions throughout the city to find the clue to the last days of his father's life. We also analyzed several passages and used our own hands with meaningful quotes (a strong symbol in the book) to make covers for our writing.

Next, we're partying in Mead Halls with the drunken Geats, learning about Beowulf's heroic deeds and reading about Grendal and his vicious appetite for humans. We also learned about Anglo-Saxon warrior values and history.

We can only imagine what awaits us next with George Orwell's 1984!

2009-09-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

Project Artwork By Sharon Mazmanian (Grade 12)

Project Artwork Covers by Lena Sabuncu (Grade 12)

Forgotten Fire

2009-09-20T00:19:00.000-07:00

By Natasha Khachatoorian (Grade 9)

Since the beginning of 9th grade college prep English, we have read many exciting things. We began with Adam Bagsasarian's novel, Forgotten Fire and discussed Vahan's difficult journey and the life lessons he learned. We finished our discussion with a project mapping out the different places Vahan went to, until he reached Constantinople and his new life. We then read "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe and "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell. Talk about spine tinglers!

Project by Gacia Atachian (Grade 9)