Magnet pulls in the parents

Marauding robots and card-dealing teachers greeted parents at Clark Magnet High School this Saturday.

But the open house was all a bit more innocent than it sounds.

“We are a specialized school,” Vice-Principal Joan Shoff said. “Our school has to fit the student.”

The 8-year-old school offers students across the district the chance to hone their skills in science, math, and technology. The long-armed robot was controlled by the group of students who built it while the card game demonstrated the relationship between negative and positive numbers.

“This really gives parents a chance to see what we’re all about,” Shoff said.

Parents accompanied their students through the halls of the schools, some looking to see what their children have accomplished in the last few months, others examining the classrooms to see if Clark would match the interests of their upcoming ninth-graders.

“We only had six weeks to design and build it,” said 17-year-old Areg Hayrapetian of his robot, which stood about 5 feet tall.

When Areg first applied to Clark, he had no idea he would have the opportunity to build robots. Nonetheless, he had known all along what high school he was interested in.

“I knew,” he said. “They said it specialized in science and technology. That’s what I’m interested in.”

Prospective students checking out the school on Saturday felt the same.

“They have a lot of equipment here,” marveled 13-year-old Andranik Asdanyan. “I want to come here ? I like math and science better than English.”

Andranik’s father, Norayr, an electronic engineer, said his son has been preparing for the visit.

“He’s done his research,” Norayr Asdanyan said. “Our cousins went here and they wanted him to apply.”

Admission to the school is not guaranteed. Students submit applications showing they have had at least a 2.0 grade-point-average in seventh- and eighth-grades, and that they are prepared to study algebra.

If they meet the criterion, they are entered into a district-wide lottery.

Annually, about 600 students apply to be among the 300 students admitted, Shoff said.

Those who don’t get in are put on a waiting list.

“Sometimes people move away,” she said. “Students can get in that way.”

The program’s popularity is easily understood, said Glendale Unified School Board member Greg Krikorian.

“This instills even more opportunities to learn,” Krikorian said, gazing at a Power Point presentation a student was giving on how to calculate the speed and distance of a projectile.