Hoover High School

GLENDALE — Seven students from three Glendale Unified high schools were among the roughly 8,400 National Merit Scholarship award winners this year. The scholarships range from $500 to $10,000 annually through the National Merit Scholarship, as well as corporate and college sponsors. All scholarships carry the prestige of the National Merit competition, but are distinguished by the source of funding, organizers said. Julia Park, a Hoover High graduate, won a corporate scholarship from Northrop Grumman, while Crescenta Valley High alums Michelle Bae, Yoon Lee, Angela Oh, Sara Whang and Andrew Park, Jr. won college and National Merit funded scholarships.

Hoover High School PTSA Honorary Service awards were presented on Founders Day to Narah Moon, Mahtab Haghpanah, Jennifer Capehart, Mariam Youssef, Arpine Ovsepyan, Bill LeClear, Narneh Khemichian, Lilly Mkrtchyan, Linda Hom, Kari Vargas, Dorene Bennett, Lee Briggs and Susan Yee. Congratulations, awardees! Hoover musical theater presents, ?The Sound of Music? at 7 p.m. Friday through March 8 plus a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee in the auditorium. The public is invited as Hoover hosts the Rappin Mathematician, Alex Kajitani, 2009 California Teacher of the Year, at 7 p.m. March 9. Hoover will host a Glendale Unified School District informational meeting on the status of the state budget affecting educational funding, at 7 p.m. Thursday in the auditorium.

GLENDALE — He’s retiring in June after almost 40 years working in Glendale Unified School District, but don’t call Hoover High School Principal Kevin Welsh a lame duck. “I am only as lame of a duck as I wish to be,” he said. “There’s a tremendous amount of work to do.” The principal, known for green mustaches on St. Patrick’s Day and towering sombreros on Cinco de Mayo, is as enthusiastic as ever. Some students still call him “Poppa Welsh.

Mexican Independence Day is considered to be one of the largest celebrations of its kind in the world. Every Sept. 16, hundreds of thousands of people gather in the capital city’s zocalo — or city center — to hear the president proclaim independence, or Grito de Dolores — the Cry of Dolores. The event commemorates the battle cry of Miguel Hidalgo on Sept. 16, 1810, the day Mexico declared its independence from Spain. Hoover High School junior Claudia Gonzalez, president of the school’s La Voz Latina Club, gave a five-minute presentation to her classmates Friday on the holiday’s significance.

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.

“Most importantly, our thoughts and prayers always go out to the families of the fallen because we know that the sacrifice is unbelievably difficult as well as personal when they lose a family member.” — U.S. Marine Corps Col. James McGinley of the death of Lance Cpl. Pedro A. Barbozaflores, 27, of Glendale.    “It’s always there. It’s not affected by the conservation ordinance or Metropolitan restrictions. By using this water it replaces much more expensive water from Metropolitan.

Hoover High School Principal Kevin Welsh knew the class of 2009 was unique when he saw the students dancing at their prom. “It’s the anti-freaking class,” he told an audience at the school’s football field for the seniors’ graduation ceremony Friday, explaining that the students had “danced appropriately” during their final high school dance. “I’ve never had a class like that,” he said, drawing laughs from the audience.