Alex Carr's The Jaguars' Spot column for Wed., Oct. 28, 2009
What’s better than eight hours of school? MORE school! – if you’re having trouble and getting better grades is important to you. I’m talking about after school tutoring. And if you know a friend who is doing better in math than you, then ask him or her for some help.
“School is the most important part of your high school career.” That’s a quote from Mr. Sports himself, head coach, Rob Gilster (and you thought I was sleeping at that rally, didn’t you Gilster?). Just tell your teacher and you’ll be OK.
Chemistry teacher Andrew Walford, really encourages his students to get tutoring. “I will give extra credit to kids who go to after school chemistry tutoring,” he said. “And my kids who have A’s and B’s, please go help out your classmates after school.”
Don’t think getting tutored or being a tutor will be lame, or that you’ll lose that super-cool image you’ve been working so hard on (instead of studying!). It can really be a lot of fun, just like you’re hanging out with your pals after school. I’ve been asked to tutor for Mr. Poole’s Spanish kids and I definitely look forward to it.
Lights, camera ... get a SHAVE!:
Alright seniors, its your time to shine! (but DO put a little more powder on that nose!). This Friday is the deadline for senior portraits -- the nice, big, full-color ones for the yearbook. These are the pictures that you will be showing your all kids and grandkids someday, so make sure you look your best. (You don’t want a bunch of little kids laughing at you, do you?) “Look at grampa’s funny hair!” “That’s called a mullet, little Alex, and those were the most popular haircut of the year 2009!”
Senior portraits are usually pretty formal. Every girl I know always looks incredible (Hey, I don’t have a death wish!) so I’ll just keep my comments to the guys: Lads, might want to consider wearing a suit or a nice sports coat and a tie. You might even want to consider getting a shave and a haircut for the occasion. I actually know one senior who vowed never to shave again after he got his portrait. It’s sort of a bet between him and his dad. His dad went five years without shaving after his portrait. So far, the kid has a pretty nice beard going on.
Tell me about it!:
VCHS junior, Ben Everett, told me about the upcoming California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) testing next week. CAHSEE is the test you have to pass if you want out of the high school. I mean, we all love the high school but, c’mon, does ANYone want to spend five years there?
Anyway, Ben took the exam last year and said that it is relatively straightforward. All they want is to see is that you remember the main stuff from high school. So don’t underestimate the test. Imagine not passing by just a few points. man, that would really bite.
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).