Del Valle High School - Cardinal Yearbook (Del Valle, TX)

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Seniors Danny Br ant and Anita Randolph try to solve a problem on the test. Phom b MaRgic PIlis Layout by Raquel Calderon 133

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iilr( Tests prepare students 1. FLAMINGO ING ROPE JUMP- (A) PICKLE : GUMBY (B) SNEEZING : BURP- ING (C) PANTYHOSE : WRINKLES (D) EASTER BUNNY : GREEN EGGS AND HAM Questions such as this one were presented to seniors and juniors when they took the PSAT and SAT. The purpose of the PSAT was to train juniors for the SAT which is taken by many students for col- lege entrance. It also gave them a chance to become eligible for a National Merit Scholarship. It ' s good experience to take the PSAT. It prepares us for the SAT, but I wish we did not have to take the PSAT or the SAT, junior When is the fun going to start? senior Jennifer Plant thinks as she participates in a class discus- sion. Photo by Maggie Ellis Hazel Davidson said. Despite the fact it meant calling it an early Friday night and being alert and awake at 8 a.m. on Sat- urday, most test takers consider the SAT a wise test to take. However, the juniors taking the PSAT were not as lucky. Test takers took the test during regular school hours with bells ringing, classes changing, and concentration broken. The changing of the bells interrupts my train of thought, ril be thinking about how to solve a math problem when all of a sud- den I ' ll hear the bell ring and thousands of people going through the halls, junior Danielle Cockrell said. Something new this year, was a SAT prep course, offered to anyone interested in raising their previous scores or just get- ting a few pointers for their first time taking the test. The SAT reviews helped a lot. I could un- derstand the questions asked and how to get the answer. The short cuts they showed us really helped a lot. I think it helped me make a better score on the test than I would have made, senior Brenda Farrel said. The preparation course was started by senior counselor Vivienne Lepine and was taught in the eve- nings by Terry McDonald. Students enrolled in the course did not receive any credit. They also paid for the course. Senior Kim Rhodes studies during the practice SAT. Photo by Maggie Ellis Paying close attention to the speaker, seniors Donnie Lyon and Brenda Farrel and junior Denise Schriber learn to improve their SAT scores. Photo by Maggie Ellis V 132 X College Academics

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The general rules of life Excuses, excuses, ex- cuses. Everyone used them. Without excuses everyone would have got- ten into some serious trou- ble at one time or another. Face it, excuses are a way of life. Regardless of whether excuses were used for not coming to school, or not doing your homework, ex- cuses were common. I only used excuses to get out of things like not doing my homework, and the only time I didn ' t do my homework was when I forgot to do it, freshman Bobby Maxa said. The favorite excuse for everyone was I left it at home . Surprisingly enough though, teachers often fell for it. Other ex- cuses were I forgot my book , My little sister ate it or even worse The dog ate it . If a student uses the last one, they either have a wolf as a pet dog or they ' re dog has serious eat- ing disorder. Usually teachers didn ' t believe this one, so it was best not to use it. Homework was some- thing I tried to finish at school, but if I didn ' t and I didn ' t finish it at home, then I used an excuse like I lost it or something, sophomore Mickey John- son said. Even more creative ex- cuses were used when stu- dents were trying to get back into school. Face it every now and then, stu- dents fake the inevitable stomach ache to stay home and watch afternoon soap operas. Sometimes it ' s hard to make it to school just be- cause you don ' t want to go. Usually, I don ' t do that but if I did I ' d get my mom to write me a note, fresh- man Jason English said. As the years go by, peo- ple will start to think up even more creative ex- cuses. Times change as well as students and their secrets. Laughing on the phone, nurse Barbara Daniel convinces a stu- dent that she really isn ' t sick enoDgh to go home. Many stu- dents made excuses to visit the nurse ' s ofTice to get out of a test they forgot to study for. 134 V Excuses Academics