Alex Carr's The Jaguars' Spot column for Wed., Jun. 16, 2010

Take a lap, Jags!

          A VICTORY LAP, that is! For a while now I’ve been saying, “Work hard, Jags. Only X, Y, or Z number of weeks left until summer! Then you can have all the fun you want!”

          Well that time is NOW. Today, Wednesday, is the last day of school. Textbooks are being returned, finals are over, and graduation is underway. (I hope you guys took that extra study time you needed to get the grade you wanted.)

          From Homecoming and all the football games way back in the fall, to Springfest, to Sadie’s, to Prom, we’ve had a great year, Jags. By all accounts one of the best VCHS has ever seen.

          We’ve accomplished so much this year as well. We introduced the After School Enrichment (ASE) program which many students took advantage. Participants were recently rewarded for all their hard work with a special ASE breakfast hosted by the school. Many students improved their CST scores and brought up their grades in school as well. Principal McCowan recently told me, “I am very content with the goals and accomplishments our school have met this year.” The graduating class earned nearly $2.5 million in total scholarships (I hope that wasn’t one kid!) and are now headed off to the “real world.” Last Friday’s Senior Assembly was very inspirational. Younger classmen learned just what it takes to receive one of those awards and that finishing school is a great accomplishment in its own rite.

Tell me about it!:

          I caught up with a few kids who told me what they enjoyed most about VCHS this year. “I had a fantastic year,” said freshmen Anthony Cozzi. “My favorite parts were when I was just hanging out with my buds and when I was doing sports. All you new kids coming in, join soccer!”

          Sophomore Hannah Sanders also loved the social side of VCHS. “I had a great time studying and just being with all my friends,” she said.

          Sophomore Garrett Fiehler agrees: “The good times during PE with all my pals were the best.”

          Lane Yarnell, a VCHS junior remembers: “Glee Club! That day when no one showed so we went into the quad and made grass-angels and sang Journey songs at the top of our lungs.”

          And sophomore Carl Casteel said , “I made some awesome friends this year that’ll be there for me all the way through high school!”

          Got a great item for this column? Tell me about it! Save up your great summer stories and send them to me at www.carrfamily.com/alex. Have a great summer, Jags!

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