Alex Carr's The Jaguars' Spot column for Wed., Oct. 14, 2009

A test that can change your life!

So everyone knows about the SAT, right? The Scholastic Aptitude Test is a test taken by pretty much every senior. Colleges depend heavily at your score. But there’s another test out there many kids don’t realize can be just as important called the PSAT. The P stands for “practice” -- as in practice for the big one ... the SAT.

It’s worth the effort to study for the PSAT, Jags. In some cases, if you do well enough, you can receive scholarships (the National Merit Scholarship) and some amazing college offers (free Xbox 360, Playstation 3 AND Wii in your own private dorm room with four years of pizza (sorry, limit three toppings!) delivered personally by the girls’ volleyball team).

Almost all juniors will take the PSAT, but did you know you can take it as early as your sophomore year? Think of it as the P-PSAT ... practice to practice for the SAT! Lucky for all of us, VCHS administers the PSAT every year. Freshmen, make a big note on your calendars and a big promise to yourself to sign up for the PSAT next time it comes around (usually in late Sept./early Oct.). Even if you don’t think you’re prepared, take the PSAT anyway to get comfortable with the SAT’s format.

Homecoming wrap-up:

This past weekend was of course, Homecoming. This year’s event was a lot of fun and had a great turnout. On Friday, our football team won against Westview 21-16. The seniors won the Homecoming parade with their float based on the theme of American dances throughout the decades. Stanton Upson and Megan Glennie were named homecoming king and queen. As I promised last time, Diane and Eduardo Penaloza (they’re cousins) were freshman prince and princess. And let’s again congratulate sophomore prince and princess Erica Kiesow and Jacob Beason and junior prince and princess Laura Wilkinson and Lance Armstrong.

Homecoming dance was fun, too. It was held in the gym with great music, palm trees, colored lights and ... the “dirty dancing” early warning system!

To explain, to address a teenage phenomenon called dirty dancing, administration enforces what they call the wristband rule. Kids are given a wristband at the start of the dance and, if they’re caught doing the dirty, they get their band cut off and the have to call their parents. If twelve kids get their bands cut off then the lights are tuned on ... and, I would assume, the fire hoses come out! Fortunately that never happened and the lights stayed off for the entire evening. Just keep that in mind for future dances, Jags.

Kate Gordon, VCHS Junior, said she really enjoyed the dance. “It was so great to see everyone all dressed up! We all had a great time dancing, even though the music wasn’t the best. The decorations were amazing!”

VCHS Senior Francisco Moncada said he loved the night and even had a good time dancing. “It was fun, no doubt. The dance was great, cool people, jammin’ music, and the decorations were pretty awesome, I have to say.”

Tell me about it!:

Staying on the subject of tests and such, my sister, Sammi Carr, told me about something really cool that happened to her at her new college. Because she did well on her AP and SAT tests she was able to COMPLETELY SKIP taking two college math classes and one English class. On top of that, her high AP test scores allowed her to get full college credit for two classes. Other kids at her orientation were freaking out about how much extra work they were going to have to do at the exact worst possible time.

And Jag alumni Katie Washburn was able to enter UCLA Davis as a sophomore largely because of AP classes she did well in.

So think of it this way, Jags, spend a few extra hours studying for ALL those tests (not just math) NOW, and you might spare yourself MONTHS of misery when you get to college. What a great gift to give yourself ... instead of a trap.

Got a great item for this column? Tell me about it! Catch me on campus or go to my web page and shoot me an e-mail (www.carrfamily.com/alex).