Friday, March 20, 2009 By Anahid Yahjian - Anahid Yahjian Advertising Severe and sudden sindstrom ravages Clark, students (January 27, 2006) -- Monday morning was marked by a blackout, false fire alarm and the fall of one of our own: the tree in front of chemistry teacher Loussik Khassakian’s classroom at the top of the amphitheater. A result of 60-mile per hour winds that whipped through all of Glendale, the tree fell over when one of its main roots was snapped, according to teacher Randall Tiffany. He added that the tree was probably there since the ‘70s, and a decision has not yet been made as to whether it will be replaced. “I, for one, was terrified,” senior Ted Aristakessian said. “And when I saw that tree that had fallen, I almost cried. I loved that tree.” The winds continued to pick up throughout the day, reaching their peak during third period, when a power outage left most of the Foothills in the dark for about two hours. The staff made a quick response to the outage, with Tiffany and Thomsen assisting Principal Doug Dall in securing the school. This included locking the gym and shelter bathrooms because of their lack of light, as well as making sure all students remained in class. “It was fun from the standpoint that it wasn’t a major emergency,” Thomsen said. The administration and teachers then set out to utilize the emergency supplies, composed of water and 7UP Plus stored in the large container near the locker rooms, and two generators. Purchased when the school opened, the generators are gas powered and are switched on similar to a lawn mower, according to Tiffany. Assistant principal Joan Shoff said that “all schools have to have emergency supplies” such as these. The generators themselves were mainly used to power lights in the hallways and kitchen, where the already-prepared food needed to be heated for the students. “You know, that was actually pure luck…when the power went out, the generators that Mr. Dall brought were the only things that helped us keep it warm." Cafeteria manager Rosa Rodriquez said. Shoff and Physical Education teacher Judy Thomsen also confirmed that the fire alarms were set off by smoke rising from the grill at the Panther Pit. One of the cooks didn’t realize that the fans had shut off along with the rest of the appliances. And what about the debris? The custodial staff, led by Head Custodian Ramona Rodriguez, cleaned up the entire school over the course of two days using brooms, rakes and dustpans. “You can’t do it with a machine,” Rodriguez said. The accumulated trash filled all four dumpsters in the back of the school, with more left over. Rodriguez, however, is optimistic. “Now the next [wind storm] won’t be as bad, because the trees are already shaken down,” she said.

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