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CAHSEE
Story by: Kerenza Robinson
Dread. That’s the feeling that most students have right before taking a test. And that’s how most students felt before taking the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). Generally, if you ask a CAHSEE veteran, they will tell you that it isn’t as bad as it sounds. But, plenty of students still get nervous.
Michael Delacey, a freshman, recalls being nervous before the Pre-CAHSEE. He says that the Pre-CAHSEE was, “pretty much how I thought it would be.” He claims to feel confident and prepared for next year when he’ll have to take the actual CAHSEE. Delacey states, “I’ve heard that it’s easy so I think that it’ll be simpler.” In retrospect, Delacey says that the one thing he would have done differently is to spend less time thinking about what to write for his essay and more time writing it. Unfortunately, he only managed to get halfway through his essay, but this valuable experience will prepare him for next year when he will need to pass the exam as a sophomore.
The sophomores are the ones that had to take the CAHSEE this year. Ashlee Burke, one such sophomore, was well-prepared for her test. She says, “Our teacher gave us a lot of stuff to prepare for it so I felt like I understood what I needed to do.” Although she was confident, she still felt a little nervous before the exam. Burke says that overall, “it was actually much easier than I expected.”
Spencer Walton was another sophomore that had to take the CAHSEE. He said, “I was slightly nervous, but not that much because I was never really worried about the CAHSEE.” He felt confident about his exam, and claims that he wouldn’t have changed anything. During the writing portion, he had to write a rough draft in addition to a final draft according the advice of Mr. Keith. However, he didn’t have very many changes to make, so he essentially had to write the same essay twice. Walton says that the test was exactly what he expected - “long and painful.”
Even though testing may not be on the top of every student’s (or any student’s for that matter) list of things to do, the exam must go on. And although it may not have been fun, most of these students are now able to graduate high school by their senior year.
Seniors Prepare for their Future
Story by: Ashton Henry
Seniors, it’s here. That pretty envelope of destiny. Your next chapter in life.
Your college acceptance letter.
You’ve worked all four years and finally it all has paid off. However, this process of getting into college is a lot of work.
The hardest part about applying to college is the waiting game. You constantly check your application status or check your mailbox everyday. Your heart races every time you login or open up your mailbox. “Please let this be the day.” The waiting game is the period of time (whether it be one month or six months) that you check and wait for your college to accept you. May the letter be coming to you.
If you’re going to community college, it’s a whole different story.
Copper Mountain College has recently started their fall semester application process for seniors.
First, upcoming students must apply for the new student application. This year for the first time, the new student application will be available online. This means you can apply for college in your PJs in a short amount of time, which sounds good to me. Next on your checklist: FASFA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This program allows students to receive federal aid. The FASFA program deadline for the fall semester was on March 1st. All students applying to CMC are required to take the Accuplacer Student Placement Test. This test was made to determine where you are academically and to choose which classes you need. The practice test was on March 19th, and the actual test will be held on March 24th. After you take the Accuplacer, you may attend the orientation and tours that are at CMC, which will be held on March 31st. The final destination for your community college experience is to register for your classes. CMC registration is April 30th at the CMC library, where you will get your basic needs for college such as your books, parking permit, and student ID.
Whether you’re in the arena for “The Waiting Game” or taking the Accuplacer, preparing for college is a roller coaster.
Sports and Leisure
Story by: Madeline Quinn
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Spring Sports Wildcats prepare for a smashing season!
With Track already bringing home trophies, Tennis beating teams that they’ve never beaten before, Swim already being a close-knit “family,” Golf already having to wins for league and both Softball and Baseball already showing drastic improvements, our Wildcats athletes are already showing pride before league is even halfway finished!
Softball kicked off the pre-season with a rocky start but is already showing promise for a good season. This year’s team is a bit unusual since it consists of quite a few underclassmen, meaning a lot of progress - not only in softball skills but in teamwork as well - has been underway. Pretty much all of our softball girls agree that the coaches are doing a great job this year due to their commitment to the team and how inspiring they can be. The coaches definitely play a key role in keeping spirits up and making sure the girls work together. Their hard work paid off when the girls won for the first time this season during the Palms Springs Tournament against J.W. North with a close score of nine to eight. Junior Breanna Panzarella believes the team will have a tough but good season. “I’m really excited for season to start,” she states. “I think we’re ready to put up a fight.”
Baseball has yet to start the season but have already played five games, winning three of them and providing a good prediction of how the season will go for the team. Maybe their good fortune so far in the pre-season has to do with their new field. When asked about the new field, Chase McBride says “Honestly, its a lot better. The fence is new but we are getting used to it.” According to a few players, the team this year is doing pretty good, save for a few problems with focusing on the field during practices, but they believe the coaches are doing a good job at being helpful and getting everyone in tune for upcoming games.
The next sport doesn’t necessarily need to have everyone in tune, but they seem to do a pretty good job at being a close team anyways. Senior Jacob Bell states how the team is very close-knit: “We have our differences but we are a pretty happy wim family.” In fact, both Bell and sophomore Tabitha Zuniga believe that for this mainly individualized sport, the team’s strongest event is the only one that requires teamwork: the relays. For Zuniga, the relays are her favorite part of swim. “I like them because its not just you alone doing the race but a part of the team as well. It’s pretty fun.” And they seem to be paying off as well: two of the relays already have CIF qualifying times.
Tennis has some exciting news for the pre-season that all the tennis players are extremely happy about. For Seniors Jarod Burks and Marcus Simon, their highlight of the pre-season so far is beating Coachella Valley for the first time ever. One of the goals for the tennis team this year is to win the season again. They are already showing promise in accomplishing this goal. Burks believes the team is “definitely improving” and ready for league to start. “We definitely mess around a bit during practice but on game days we certainly work hard for the wins,” he says. Tennis is working hard to show that Wildcat Pride, and in the words of Simon: “Tennis is life, and life is good.”
Some of our spring sports have already started their league season. Both track and golf have participated in league events and have done well. Golf has brought home a league record of two and zero and an overall record of three and two so far, and track has a good start.
Golf has been doing well so far. The players are all making progress with the helpful tips and advice coming from their three coaches. James Pierce enjoys the sport and his teammates because “its fun hanging out with them and the coaches are very good.” The team is definitely aiming for a strong season. Track is doing well too. With an overall score of three to zero for the girls and two to one for the boys, the team is off to a good start. Andrew Wilson says “I think we have a good shot this year.”
Overall, each sport is showing big improvement, foreshadowing a strong spring season in league.
April 3, 2015
March 6th, 2015
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