Alex Carr's The Jaguars' Spot column for Wed., Nov. 18, 2009

McCowan’s favorite team: the A’s

In a recent conversation, Principal McCowan told me about some new methods the school is implementing to improve students’ grades. For example, as a real believer in technology, he encourages teachers and students to make full use of the online resources. Many VCHS teachers also tell me they welcome online teaching sites because they make it easier for kids to learn at their own pace.

“The number of F’s in our core classes, such as math and English,” said McCowan, “are way down from last year and A’s are up. And that is great.” He said he looks forward to seeing the upcoming progress reports for this grading period. When he sees that a significant number of kids have improved their grades, McCowan tries to figure out exactly what their teachers are doing right so he can share that information with other teachers.

Get yo bling ... er ... yo!

Make sure to pick up your class rings before the end of the week. These rings are real beauties, coming in all shapes, colors, and sizes. Some even have bits of diamond on them! (Those are probably for kids who plan to major in glass cutting in college.) I talked to vice-principal Dennis Zabinsky and he said he can’t wait until they arrive. “I think these rings are awesome! They are a great way to show school spirit and kids really love them.”

If you want one, expect to pony up around $300. Ouch. Unfortunately, the school offers no financial aid for kids who are unable to afford one, like they do for the yearbook. That’s too bad, because every kid should be able to have a great memory of their time at VCHS. Maybe they could offer a less-expensive model ... ?

Tell me about it!:

Over the next few days, I want you fellow Jags to tell me about your video game habits. What’s the best way to effectively manage time between shooting for good grades and shooting zombies? Are you hitting the books as much as you’re hitting the baseball? In next week’s column, since we won’t have school, I will be passing on some great tips from kids who have managed to find that balance. You parents might want to check it out, too. I’ll tell you this much in advance: There’s good news and there’s bad news.

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).