Hoover High School

Judy Seckler HOOVER HIGH -- The Hoover High School drama department will present a holiday cabaret "Winter Holiday Cafe" from 3:15 to 4 p.m. Thursday in the Hoover Little Theatre Room 104. The performance is free to the public. The variety format includes students performing songs, comedy, skits, poetry and dance. About 15 students from the advanced drama class will be joined by seven teachers from the faculty band playing various instruments and singing.

Claudia Peschiutta HOOVER HIGH SCHOOL -- The school's chamber musicians are coming together to show off their talents at a concert on Sunday. The concert will feature performances by the Brass, Clarinet and Flute choirs and other ensembles. Many of the groups will play music set to be released later this year on a compact disc of Hoover High Christmas music. The event begins at 2 p.m. in the foyer of the auditorium at Hoover, at 651 Glenwood Road.

Mariam Firunts, a 10th-grader at Hoover High School, is the first California student to win a nationwide essay contest hosted by the American Psychiatric Assn. Mariam won first place nationwide for her "When Not To Keep A Secret" essay and will be honored May 7 in San Francisco. Prior to winning the national-level essay contest, she also won the competition for the same essay. She was introduced Thursday in Sacramento on the floor of the Senate and Assembly, and presented later in the day with a $1,000 savings bond by members of the association.

Marine Corps Reserve Pvt. Edwin A. Gamez, son of Petronila and Juan Gamez of Glendale, recently completed basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego. He is a 1999 graduate of John Burroughs High School. Marine Corps PFC. Jae H. Cho of La Crescenta recently completed basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego. He is a 1998 graduate of Crescenta Valley High School. Navy Hospitalman Recruit Joseph P. Lopez, son of Debbie Costanza of Glendale, recently graduated from the Basic Hospital Corps School at Naval Hospital Corps School, Great Lakes, Ill. He is a 2000 graduate of Hoover High School.

There has been a long standing tradition at Hoover High School that most people are unaware of. Dating to the 1940s, the members of the stage crew have all signed their names on a wall in an area of a storage room known as Siberia. This wasn't something that everyone could do. It was a special area where only those seniors who had worked hard during their time at Hoover were allowed to add their name to those of their predecessors. It was considered an honor for those whose work went unnoticed.

More than 200 children and adults auditioned this week for parts in The Stepping Stone Players' production of "Annie." Actors of all ages came to the auditorium at Hoover High School from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday to read lines from the musical, sing a prepared piece of music and learn a 20-minute dance routine with a choreographer. Members of the local theater group evaluated the auditions and will select actors to fill about 40 roles, said Lee Briggs, a member of the theater company's board of directors.

Amber Willard HOOVER HIGH SCHOOL -- Raul Aguirre wore his son's blue baseball jersey and hat to watch friends play a benefit game on what would have been the boy's 18th birthday . "I'm grateful not be left alone today," Aguirre said through a translator. Aguirre, whose son was also named Raul, attended the game Saturday with his wife and daughters. The noon game, organized by Gil Portilla and other friends, pitted the younger Aguirre's Senior League baseball teammates and seniors from the school's varsity team against underclassmen.

Judy Seckler HOOVER HIGH SCHOOL -- Two weeks after the death of Hoover High School student Raul Aguirre, another student from the school was killed in a car accident on the Ventura (101) Freeway in Thousand Oaks when he was thrown from the sport utility vehicle in which he was a passenger. The SUV carrying three Hoover High school students was traveling north on the Ventura Freeway approaching the Moorpark exit at 2:30 a.m. Sunday. According to a California Highway Patrol report, the driver allowed the vehicle to drift to the right -- possibly due to fatigue.

Basketball clinics set to take place The Full Force Basketball Club, piloted by Mike Gayle and Ib Belou, will conduct clinics that will begin Sunday at Hoover High School, 651 Glenwood Road, Glendale. The clinics, which will last six weeks, are geared for ages 5 and up. For more information, visit www.fullforcebasketball.com. Roller skating team set to perform The In-Sync roller skating team will perform with other teams from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Dominic’s Moonlight Rollerway, 5110 San Fernando Road, Glendale.

I am calling about the Top 103 Most Influential People list. I wanted to say it was in extremely poor taste, to rank Hoover High School co-principals Kevin Welsh and Pam Good as No. 7, and defense attorney Mark Geragos, who is representing one of the alleged killers of Hoover student Raul Aguirre, at No. 8. Putting Geragos' face next to Welsh and Good was obviously done for journalistic sensationalism. I think under the circumstances the paper could have done better.