Alex Carr's The Jaguars' Spot column for Wed., Apr. 28, 2010

Let’s wrap this up!

          Alright guys, we’re in the home stretch! We’ve got about seven weeks of school left and every single one of them is jammed full of events and other goings-on! Testing, for example.

          On the road to summer, there are two obstacles that stand between us and the sun, beach, sleepovers, and videogame heaven. That of course, is testing. California State Testing (CST) and the (by many) dreaded AP tests. With all the work our teachers have been doing to prepare us for these bad boys, hopefully we can blow right through them. Right?

          Pretty much every teacher on campus is assigning homework, review packets, practice essays -- anything they think will be on the upcoming tests to get their kids ready.

          Chemistry teacher Andrew Walford has been giving his classes special tests that go over everything they’ve done in the year, he calls Dog-Woofs, which stand for: DOn’t Get WalfOrd Fired! That’s because CST testing grades teachers’ progress as well the progress of their students. Walford hopes these tests will grant him job insurance for next year!

          And AP Euro teacher, Jeff Tuttle has been assigning his classes essays about the history of the European continent. From these practice prompts, his students tell me they see long nights ahead cuddled up with their textbooks!

          In our most recent meeting, Principal Ron McCowan told me how important the CST tests are. He urges every student to get a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast as well.

          “A little extra incentive sure doesn’t hurt,” said McCowan, “so I will be heading around to all the classes reminding students about gold cards.” Did you guys forget about those beauties? They’re worth their weight in ... uh, something shiny and heavy, I forget what it is!

          Here’s a catch-up: If you improve your previous year’s CST scores or get an advanced or proficient score you will get one of these gold cards which grants the bearer many perks such as discounts at students stores, early releases to lunch on certain days, ice cream on hotter days, and all sorts of other cool stuff.

          Ok Jags, you know the goal and you know you want the goal-d (ouch, that actually hurt to type it). CST and AP testing will happen May 4 through May 18. Take those review assignments your teachers assign seriously. They could really pay off next year.

Tell me about it!:

          With prom just around the corner, ASB President Kord Roberts has been telling VCHS students about some great deals on all kinds of prom-related stuff. This year’s prom will be held at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego. Prom tickets are now on sale. “If you guys bought an ASB card at the beginning of the year, they will get you $15 off your ticket price,” says Kord. Otherwise they are $55. If you want to buy a guest pass for a friend, those are $65 and are now available at the cashier’s window. “Make sure to visit the prom shop at school and try on some really nice previously-owned dresses and coats donated by lots of nice people,” Kord adds. “And if you like it, you can take the clothing item home for FREE!”

          This looks to be one of the best proms VCHS has seen -- just make sure you aren’t on the non-privileged list, or you won’t be able to be a part of it!

          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).

          Read all of San Diego Press Club award-winner Alex Carr's columns at www.carrfamily.com.