. Due to high energy costs such as this, Goodknight has been leading the effort to reduce energy consumption.

One of the attempts Clark is taking in order to conserve energy is the posting of the signs on classroom doors that read “It only takes 0:01- shut off your lights, computers, and A/C.” These signs are promoting energy conservation, which aims to save the district thousands of dollars on power bills over the year.

Over the summer at Clark, the air conditioning, the lights in the hallways, the freezers and the refrigerators were turned off for the purpose of conserving energy. Since September, new changes include cafeteria lights being turned off while not in use and hallway lights being off at school during the evening. A district-wide modification that has taken place is the standardized temperature setting on the air conditionings district wide.

The top five percent of the 1.4 million students who take the PSATs each year are known as Commended Students. Although they did not qualify for National Merit Scholarship awards, they are among the 34,000 students being recognized for their outstanding achievement on the PSATs taken in 2005.


Senior Marcus Murray scored in the top five percent in an award recognizing the top 130,000 Black Americans for their outstanding achievement on the PSATs. Doing well on the PSATs introduces many opportunities to students. According to Assistant Principal Joan Shoff, students should take the PSATs as juniors. She said that not only does it better prepare the students for the SATs, but it gives them a better impression of how they would score.

On Oct. 18, California Secretary

of Education Alan Bersin visited Clark during enrichment to honor the school for its Blue Ribbon Award. Students walked into the amphitheatre to see Bersin and his colleagues standing by to congratulate the school on its outstanding achievements.

Bersin referred to Clark as a “school of the future.” “The assembly was an event that inspired me to appreciate being a student at Clark,” said sophomore Arby Abraamyan.

In thanks for his visit, Principal Doug Dall gave Bersin two extra-large Clark panther sweatshirts, one for himself and one for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. During the assembly, government teacher Nick Doom was awarded with the “Educator of the Year Award” by Paul Dutton, President of the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Doom, a teacher of 19 years, said he was very surprised when he won the award.