Alex Carr's The Jaguars' Spot column for Wed., Sept. 02, 2009

So far so good!

Great news, Jags! The first week of school is over and I heard only a couple of freshman accidentally walked into the bathroom of the opposite gender! I have a feeling this year will be a lot of fun. The first day pep rally was pretty cool. Everyone seems to have a lot of energy for the new year. Principal Ron McCowan kick-started the event by swinging by a rope into the middle of the gym looking very much like Tarzan -- right down to the outfit. The kids went wild.

This year we have some new additions to the teaching staff and admin including Norma Carillo who comes to us from her counseling position at the Middle School. She will replace Jon Peterson as assistant principal now that he has become the Middle School’s principal. When McCowan introduced Carillo at the pep rally, she received many cheers because kids knew her from the Middle School, and she received a few boos … because KIDS KNEW HER FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL! Guys, she’s tough but fair. I plan on interviewing her this week to get the scoop.

Another addition to the staff is Wes Bertram, our new auto shop teacher. He told me he moved to Valley Center from Escondido seven years ago so his kids could attend our fantastic school system. Bertram will be teaching three beginning auto classes and one advanced ROP class. I asked him how the budget crisis is affecting his classes and he replied, “It’s hard getting money to replace some of less essential tools but, other than that, the cuts have not affected this class -- at least not yet.” Kids I talk to say they really like Bertram and expect this to be a really great year.

ROP 101:

Did you notice in the above item the term “ROP class”? Actually I just learned about ROP myself this week. It stands for Regional Occupation Program, and is a great way for students to learn about potential career paths without making a huge commitment. VCHS offers ROP classes such as Video Production, Auto, and Floriculture. Personally, I think it would be really cool to offer classes for even more vocations like nursing, plumbing, and construction. Who knows? Maybe those will be next.

Tell me about it!:

For you new Jags and anyone else interested in the high school, Principal McCowan told me about a page on the school website called The Paw Print that is a great place to find all sorts of important info. The section called Student Bulletin has some very important information. For example, did you know that your detentions from last year are still patiently waiting for you? Ouch! Serve your detentions in room 800, Jag miscreants, if you want to go to Homecoming, which is rapidly approaching. According to The Paw Print, “You need to take care of your detentions. Start the new year with a clean record!” So check it out regularly. Just go to http://vchs.vcpusd.net and click on the Paw Print link.

Do you have a great item for this column? Tell me about it! Catch me on campus or shoot an e-mail to alex@carrfamily.com.