The student news site of Los Altos High School in Los Altos, California

The Talon

The student news site of Los Altos High School in Los Altos, California

The Talon

The student news site of Los Altos High School in Los Altos, California

The Talon

Surely, You Jest?: School Recycles Old Tests to Make Paper-Mâché Forts

In response to escalating student demand to the whereabouts of their used Scantron Answer Sheets, Assistant Principal Cristy Dawson recently announced an upcoming competition between the classes involving the construction of paper-mâché forts composed of past tests.

“Over the next few weeks, the quad will be turned into an über competing ground,” Dawson said. “We’re going to use all the tests that students have taken in the past six weeks, and let the classes try to build the biggest, greatest fort they can. It’ll be fantastic!”

Dawson says the new competition is ASB’s way to “excite the student body” and “promote class unity.” It is also a “great way to recycle stuff we never wanted anyways.”

Teachers are excited that the tests have come to this use, and insist they had no plans of using the tests for anything else.

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“We all know that AP tests are in May, and eight months is simply not enough time to cover all the material when you keep looking back,” History teacher Ken Anthony said. “Why waste time going over something the students have already learned when I can tell them about the new car I bought?”

When freshmen first come to the school, many of them are accustomed to a slower pace and fully grasping a concept before moving on in a subject. Testing and such policies often surprise them, according to freshman Andrew Sleed.

“When I was at Almond and Egan it was like, ‘Take your time and we’ll go over what you don’t understand,’” Andrew said. “But now I’m in high school, so we go faster. It makes sense that certain things would get cut out. I was just a little surprised, you know? Test review used to mean a lot to me.”

The competition will award prizes for the biggest fort, the most creative fort and the senior class.

“I am really looking forward to this fun new activity,” Student Body President senior Allison Kamponde said. “[ASB] was trying to think of something to do with all those tests, and we really think we this will be fun! Okay, so maybe the wet t-shirt contest was a bad idea, and the Second Amendment Show and Tell wasn’t all that legal, but we can definitely make this one work. ”

In the mean time, Andrew has moved on.

“Who needs to learn from their mistakes anyway?” Andrew said. “I feel like such a baby. I know how to guess, and I know probability, what more do I need?”

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