![Walking through the tunnel created by the cheerleaders and Celebrities, senior Frances Tran smiles as the soccer team is sent off during DEN for their playoff game against Rouse tonight. Tran said the wins against Smithson Valley and Alamo Heights gave the team a morale boost to take on the Raiders tonight. “I know we were not 100% confident in those games,” Tran said. “But, Rouse is a big opponent for sure. We’re definitely going into tonight with a lot of morale [because of the previous wins].”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/frances-tran.jpg)
![Holding a bucket of materials in one hand and a roll of tape in another, anatomy and biology teacher Tyler Terry prepares for a lab. Terry said his proudest moments are when his students are happy to see him. “When I take my wife to a football game or something and a bunch of students want to say hi to me or they like to smile and wave and it just makes me feel good that the students are really kind and supportive of me,” Terry said. “[I’m also] proud when I see students perform really well in their extracurriculars because I can see how hard they’re working in my classes, [so] when I see that they’re also working so hard in other things. Like they’re winning band competitions or they’re getting awards for their theater productions, or I see them put on their choir shows, that’s like, wow, you guys are incredible.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rags-6.png)
![Catching a ball, junior Alivia Robinson plays at the Cedar Park vs Glenn game. Having played since she was 5 years old, she is dedicated to softball and has committed to UTPB for softball. “When I got my offer it took me a very long time to decide where,” Robinson said. “Softball has always been my dream for college, and UTPB is my fit. When [I committed] I knew I was going to be loved and supported.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Lilly-Adams-3.13aliviaedit-901.jpg)
![Holding her dog, Nova, senior Ariana Balakrishnan poses for her senior pictures while Nova wears a bandana with her college decision. Balakrishnan applied to 18 colleges in total, but she decided on Columbia in the end. “Right before I clicked the button to open Columbia’s letter, I literally looked at the camera and go ‘This is just gonna really suck because I wanted it so bad,’ and I clicked it and all of a sudden you hear trumpets,” Balakrishnan said. “There’s a video that plays when you open it and I actually didn’t watch the video, I just watched the screen go black, because every day of December before ED [Early Decision] I would go on YouTube and watch the acceptance video to manifest it, so immediately when the screen went black, I started screaming and jumping up and down. And my parents in the video are like ‘What are you doing, where’s the letter,’ and I was just screaming ‘I got in, I got in.” I just started crying, and it just felt like everything in the world came together.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ariana-2-300x217.jpg)
PSAT. Just the name of this unavoidable test can send shivers down the spines of freshman, sophomores and juniors alike. This test, one of the many standardized tests that the state has thrown our way, is a preparatory test for the much longer SAT, which can determine college acceptance. This test is most crucial for juniors because they can qualify for scholarships based on their scores.
Though the PSAT scores are not often looked at by colleges, it is great practice for the SAT and features the same style of questions that are on the SAT.
Everyone can agree that taking tests are a pain. Possibly the worst part is the morning of the test. You wake up with a dark cloud looming over you, following you as you drag yourself out of bed. You know the inevitable test is awaiting you at school, but you have no urgency to get there. It is because of this repetitive ‘morning slump’ that I have decided to write some tips of my own to prepare you for the test.
1. Get a good night’s sleep.
We all love to sleep, right? So retire a little early from your Netflix marathon or algebra homework and catch some Z’s. You may not think so, but it will most definitely affect your alertness when taking the test.
2. Have a good breakfast.
Make your own drool-inducing food masterpiece or drive through Whataburger, it doesn’t matter. Eat what will hold you over until the end of the test and enable your ability to focus for a lengthy period of time.
3. Calm down.
Chances are, your teachers have been prepping you for this test for a while now, and you shouldn’t be worried about the outcome. Slow down and prepare to focus on one question at a time.
4. Talk with some friends.
To ease the pitiful feelings of doom, have a chat with some friends. They are probably just as nervous to be taking the test as you are. Have a chat and joke around a little. It will put you in a good mood and get your mind off the test.
5. Have a positive attitude.
The most important thing to remember while preparing to take the test is to be positive. Yes, sitting in one place and staring at a booklet full of grueling questions is not the most fun thing in the world, but it must be done. Have all your test-taking strategies in the back of your mind and answer the questions to the best of your ability.
