Hoover students maneuver through ceremony

Amber Willard

NORTHWEST GLENDALE -- Seniors arriving at Hoover High School before

graduation Tuesday came in various states of readiness.

“I’m a little shocked that I’m graduating,” said Emin Andreasian, his

purple robe draped over his shoulder before the ceremony on the school’s

athletic field.

Other students were ready to go, like Ileana Lopez and Lina Davitian

-- white caps were snug on their heads and robes zipped up.

Davitian, like many of her 500-plus classmates, was a little nervous

about stepping into a new phase of her life.

“The real world is scary,” she said.

But some couldn’t contain their excitement.

“We’re breaking loose, that’s our motto,” Argisht Avetyan said.

Nearby, girls primped against their reflections in classroom windows

but hurried to get in line for the procession through the school to the

field, where their families and friends waited.

“Whatever our future holds, we all share this moment together,” senior

Pooya Ghobadpour told the crowd from the podium in his commencement

speech. Ghobadpour was the president of the school’s Associated Student

Body.

While he spoke, some students waved to their families from their seats

in white folding chairs.

“Education is a gift no one can take away from you,” Co-principal

Pamela Good reminded them, shortly before class advisors Deb Cohen and

Donna Luce brought laughter to the students by reading them a “Top 10”

list of reasons why they will not miss high school.

Among the reasons were no one will confiscate their pagers and

cellular phones or try to make them follow a dress code.

“And no more will you hear, ‘Gooooood Morning Hoover ... Thank you for

getting to class on time,’ ” the teachers read.