Alex Carr's The Jaguars' Spot column for Wed., Sept. 09, 2009

Two down, only 40 to go!

Week two is history. Good job Jags! I think we got this school thing down pretty well. Everyone seems to be getting their work done while managing to have a good time too.

How are you liking High School?

As promised, I interviewed with the new assistant principal, Norma Carrillo. I sat down with her in the middle of the quad as we discussed her high school experience so far (and kids all around us wondered what kind of trouble I was in!). Carrillo told me she is thoroughly enjoying being high school assistant principal so far and loves the kids (that’s us!). I asked her what the main differences are between the Middle School and High School. “The main difference is that the kids are a lot more mature here at the High School,” she said. I wasn’t exactly sure what a vice principal does so ... I asked her! Carrillo says her number one job is discipline. She and Dennis Zabinski, the other assistant principal, handle kids who get referrals and Saturday schools. They also keep track of daily attendance.

I asked her how budget cuts would affect the school, “We’re all going through hardships,” she said, “and we just need to remain strong and stay focused.” My sister is going to CSU San Marcos, and she told me they have a furlough in place there where teachers have to take off nine unpaid days a year. Carrillo assured me that measures such as this are not being talked about. “The cut is bigger than expected,” she acknowledged, “but we just need to tighten our belts and get our head in the game.” I asked if there was anything in particular that she’d like me to tell you students and your parents. Carrillo urged us to enjoy our high school years because they go by really fast (which apparently is true; all the seniors I know tell me they just fly by!) and to dedicate ourselves to our education because it is our ticket to success.

Fox, NBC, CBS ... ROADRUNNER!:

Last week, I attended Congressman Darrell Issa’s town hall meeting held at Vista’s Rancho Buena Vista High School gym to do an extremely cool job for the Roadrunner -- videotape the event. When we arrived, there were already a couple thousand people lined up around the block, all eager to put in their two-cents on the healthcare debate. When I got in, I set up my camera right on the press platform with NBC on my left and Fox News on my right (which is about right politically speaking!). I even managed to get a better vantage point than CBS News. It was a really wild experience! I recorded and edited the event for the Roadrunner and have put 22-minutes of key excerpts online. Go to www.carrfamily.com/alex to see it.

Tell me about it!:

Principal McCowan told me about Club Rush which is coming up this Friday, (Sept. 11). So what is Club Rush? At lunchtime in the quad school clubs assemble with the purpose of enticing you to join. There are a lot of fantastic clubs on campus this year so have fun picking the one(s) that’s right for you.

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.