Kerr Cub

Guide
Foreword
Please note that this guide was created by a fellow student of Kerr. Below is his
foreword to each of you guys. Please keep in mind that this guide should only be used
to give you an idea of how Kerr functions. You will not know how Kerr works for you until
you experience it yourself. Please read knowing that not everything in this guide will
completely match up with your own experience. There have been several changes
made to this guide to enable it to help students more completely.

“So, hey there guys, thanks for taking the time to look through this guide I've
been making. Below are just some things you might want to keep in mind while
reading.

Nothing in this guide should be taken as completely authoritative. Everything is

subjective to any bias I may have, although I sincerely do try to be as objective
as I possibly can about it all.

In addition, I can't guarantee the accuracy of any of this information. I'm trying to
be as objective as possible, but you'll probably find that some of the estimates
given in here about some of the classes will be off from your actual experience.
The information on the PAKs could become outdated at any moment, and may
have changed since I took them.

Still, I am hoping this will be something that you'll be able to refer to in order to
help you jump start your year, and to plan your schedule to get the best
advantage possible.

So let's get this little shindig on!”

~Jay Meza
PAKs & Centers
Most of you may have already received a glimpse of Kerr when you had summer school
here this year. For the rest of you, let’s begin with discussing the famous Kerr PAKs. Instead of
giving you an assignment each day, each class gives you the list of assignments you have in big
chunks called “PAK” (Personal Activity Kit). These PAKs are due a certain period of time after
they're first assigned, ranging from 2 days or in some places up to 3 weeks. There is usually a test
on the day the PAK is due as well.

Each subject only gets one room, instead of multiple rooms with a teacher a pop in a
standard school. This is why there is a Speech center, Math center, Science center, Social Studies
center, etc. That means that all the Algebra 1, Algebra II, Pre-Cal, and Calculus students work in the
same area.

Because of the nature of the PAKs, and because there are few seminars, most teachers are
fairly lenient towards what you use the time in class for as long as you are productive. It is possible
to work on an art assignment in Math, a World Geography map inside of Biology, or a chemistry
equation inside of World History without much more then a glance. Even in the most lenient centers
though, it is only possible to work on a different subject if you do not have anything to be working on
for the class you are presently in. However, there are some teachers that would prefer that you
focus only on their work/assignments in their center. Laptops are generally allowed in class as long
as they are being used for class work. Each center and teacher has a different policy for these
things, so it's best to ask in advance what it is.

In some centers, if you're done with your PAK early you are able to go and get the next PAK
immediately afterwards. The system thus allows people to get ahead in classes to the point where
the entire course can be finished in half the time, or one can stray behind and just turn everything in
on time. Usually, if someone finishes their PAK early, teachers will allow them to go to other centers
as long as they don't distract other people or skip school or do drugs or something ridiculous like
that.

But we all know YOU wouldn't go and do that right? Right? Right?

The environment at Kerr encourages open thoughts and working at your own suitable pace. Most
people are friendly and are willing to help, and competition only exists in the highest echelons of the
school.

Because of how small the school is, it should be unsurprising that most people know who most
people are. This will not always be true, but generally even teachers are going to be able to
remember almost every student's name. As a result, any information about someone tends to
spread pretty fast, and so it's very important to exercise great caution when revealing any personal
information.
Map of Kerr
Kerr is the smallest of all the Alief schools, and so the floor plan is pretty easy to remember. If you
haven't figured it out yet, here is the map provided by Kerr Student Council.
Kerr’s Daily Schedule
You will get on a bus (duh) and get to school like anywhere else. You will probably arrive some
time before school begins, depending on how fast your bus driver is and where you live. During
the time you have before advisory starts, you can sit in an open center (centers usually open at 7
A.M.) or the library and do your homework. You can also go to the cafeteria for breakfast.

A bell will go off at 7:15 to signal that you should head to advisory. Then advisory will begin at
7:20. After arriving, you will be in there for quite a while so make yourself comfortable! You will be
in your assigned advisory all four years unless you can find some reason with the teachers to
change it, so get used to it. Advisory is where you get important notices and papers to be signed.
It is also where the TV will broadcast Kerr’s morning newscast.

When advisory ends, first period begins. At the end of the period, the next begins, and then the
next, and then the next for a total of four periods per day. Lunch is broken up into three sections:
A, B, and C. The one you get is entirely dependent on which class you have 3rd period.

Every day, students are allowed to stay after school until 4:30 to work on assignments and stay
for organizations, except on Wednesdays. Late buses will be there to pick them up and then take
them over to Taylor, where they will then depart to their respective middle and elementary schools
to drop people off. You cannot use late buses without a late bus pass so if you stay after school
and intend on getting home with a late bus, be sure to ask your organization to give you a bus
pass. For more information on late buses (like what your bus number should be) ask the
teachers.

The time schedule of the average day is as follows:

Regular Schedule
Wednesday Schedule***
7:10 ….......... 1st Warning Bell
7:15 ….......... 2nd Warning Bell 7:15 …............Warning Bell
7:20 – 7:45 … Advisory 7:20 – 7:40 … Advisory
7:50 – 9:15 … 1st Period 7:45 – 8:55 … 1st Period
9:20 – 10:45 .. 2nd Period 9:00 – 10:10 .. 2nd Period
10:50 – 12:50 3rd Period 10:15 – 12:05 3rd Period
12:55 – 2:20 .. 4th Period 12:10 – 1:20 .. 4th Period

10:50 – 11:29 . A Lunch 10:15 – 10:50 . A Lunch

11:30 – 12:09 . B Lunch 10:52 – 11:27 . B Lunch
12:11 – 12:50.. C Lunch 11:30 – 12:05 . C Lunch

*** Wednesday is a shorter day and so has a shorter schedule

Classes, Terms, & Semesters

In most classes, different things count for different percentages of your class grade. Tests are
worth 50%, extra assignments around 35%, and the PAKs only 15%. This is usually how it is, but
some classes vary (including World Geography and Spanish) so consult your respective teachers
to find these so you can plan accordingly.
Most schools have 7 or 8 classes a day, each about half the time of the ones at Kerr. You
probably had one of those during Middle School. There is only one semester and four terms.

At Kerr, there is instead two semesters split into four terms. Each semester has two terms. Each
term is 9 weeks so each semester is 18 weeks.

Here’s a visual with a possible example of a class schedule for a typical freshmen

Semester 1 (18 weeks) Semester 2 (18 weeks)

Term 1 (9 Weeks) Term 2 (9 Weeks) Term 3 (9 Weeks) Term 4 (9 Weeks)
Pre-AP Geometry Pre-AP Geometry Pre-AP Alegbra II Pre-AP Algebra II
Pre-AP World Geo Pre-AP World Geo Pre-AP English I Pre-AP English I
Art 1 Art 1 Pre-AP Biology I Pre-AP Biology I
Keyboarding PE I Pre-AP Spanish II Pre-AP Spanish II

Notice how at Kerr, this student is able to double up in her math classes and get ahead. This is
perfectly possible as long as the student is willing to put in extra effort. If you want to get ahead in
high school and maybe graduate early, talk to your counselor about “doubling up” on subjects.
Notice how this student is also taking Keyboarding one term and PE I one term. It’s because
these classes are “term classes”. All her other classes take an entire semester. Usually, subject
classes take two terms or more.

When you first start taking classes, IT WILL FEEL LIKE THE CLASSES ARE LONG. I have not
met anyone who did not feel this way. However, it’s okay because around the 2nd week, you will
grow accustomed to it and the days will pass by much more quickly. Heck, by your sophomore
year, you might even feel the classes aren't long enough due to your work. “I have 3 hours to
finish” will someday seem short.

This next note is actually pretty important: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND going to the front office and
asking about how to receive grades online. I never applied for the process myself, but basically it
is what it sounds like: instead of having to wait for your report cards or having to always check
with the teacher, you will get the grade of your assignment as soon as the teacher puts it into the
system through your email. In addition, you can view your previous TAKS scores, your behavior
records, and so much more.

This is extremely useful because then you know which classes you need to focus on, and which
types of grades (major, minor, other) you should be focusing on to raise your average. And this
way, if you see grades in the system that are contradictory to what you thought you had received
on that assignment, you can clear up any misconceptions with your teachers.

The Classes
Before we begin discussing the different classes we have here at Kerr, there is one important rule

for every single one of us. DO NOT CHEAT.

Cheating has severe consequences. If one teacher catches you teaching, trust me, the
whole school will know about it. It is a small school, after all. After that, every teacher will
lose trust in you. Not to mention many privileges granted to students over time will be
taken away from you before you even get the chance to ask for them because of your one
instance of cheating.

There are a lot of different classes you're going to be taking this year, and so you're going to want
to be prepared for each one. The way each center and class will handle PAKs varies, and so
you're going to want to understand as much as you can beforehand. Here are some of the
prominent ones that you will want to know about, and will most likely have to deal with as
freshmen.

Most of these factors are self-explanatory. Everything is an estimate and should not be taken
as authoritative. “PAK distance” refers to the time usually given to complete each PAK before
the next one is given.

Please keep in mind that I am basing most of these classes off of my own experiences so again,
please know your experience may be very different from my own.

World Geography
Social Studies Center
PAK Length: Medium
PAK Distance: 1.5 Weeks
Teachers: Mrs. Evans, Mr. Levine, and Mr. Gendron
Pre-AP Version: Extra work is included in the Pre-AP version, but it is not significantly harder

World Geography is one of the more intensive courses in Kerr, filled with lots of coloring and
drawing. It has the most number of presentations out of any class to date, including the
Geomorphology Project, Highway to Africa, and Religions of Asia, each done for a major grade.
People generally tend to say that your stuff may be misplaced. To be quite frank, the loss of stuff
IS NOT FREQUENT (in fact it’s quite rare, but it happens); however, you should TALK TO YOUR
TEACHER IMMEDIATELY AND NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT IT. If you communicate well with your
teacher, you can make proper negotiations to salvage the grade. Teachers are more lenient about
how you use your class time in this center.

Algebra/Algebra II/Geometry
Math Center
PAK Length: Long
PAK Distance: 1.5 Weeks
Teachers: Mrs. Koshkin, Mrs. Woods, Mrs. Flores, Mrs. Sanchez, and Mrs. Mac
Pre-AP Version: Not significantly harder (a few extra problems)

Your experience inside of math will be completely dependent on how good you are at it and how
difficult the subject you're learning about is. Imaginary numbers are harder then improper
fractions after all. The PAKs are probably the longest of all subjects, filled with workbook pages
and textbook assignments. The Pre-AP version only adds on a couple more worksheets and a
few more problems, so you may want to consider taking it. Tests are usually taken in the testing
center, although the center is put on silence on Friday's as a study hall to allow for in-class
testing. On Fridays, everyone has assigned seats that the teachers will tell you about. Teachers
only like to see you working on math, and you will get berated if you try to work on something
else.

Biology
Science Center
PAK Length: Medium
PAK Distance: 1 week
Teachers: Dr. Chen, Mrs. Caro, Mrs. Valdez
Pre-AP Version: Not significantly harder (a few extra problems and one extra lab)

Biology is one of the easier classes, as long as you don't procrastinate with turning in PAKs and
can learn the material quickly. The PAKs are mostly workbook assignments with a couple of
textbook questions. The Pre-AP version only tacks on a couple of extra problems and gives you
fewer points per question on the test. Speaking of the tests, they are usually made up of 5 short-
answer responses and 40 questions. It is possible to get over 100 points on them. Teachers are
fairly lenient to what you do with the time as long as your work is finished.
English I
English Center
PAK Length: Medium
PAK Distance: 3 weeks
Teachers: Mrs. Volkova, Mrs. Nys
Pre-AP Version: Significantly harder

English is unique in that its work schedule follows that more akin to a traditional school.
Assignments are due regularly, and the PAKs are more of informative guides then assignment
givers. Still, even though it doesn't assign a lot, the ones it does give are long. English is also
unique in that the Pre-AP PAKs are not just minor variations of the regular ones, but entirely
different assignments and books, making it a different experience. This is of course subjective:
the general trend is that while regular PAKs are longer then Pre-AP ones, they are also much
simpler. The English Center has no tolerance for people doing other work in-class other than
English assignments.

Physical Education
Physical Education Center
PAK Length: Short
PAK Distance: 1 week
Teachers: Coach Diaz and Coach Bailey

PE at Kerr is unique. Not because of the equipment or teacher, but because you actually work
out. I know, try to contain your shock (WE ALSO HAVE SKINNY COACHES, UNLIKE THE
OTHER SCHOOLS). Don't try to lie on the cardio sheets – they check the heart-rate watches
when inputting grades. PAKs are mostly role memorization and blatant book-copying, so they're
nothing special. Later PE classes have no PAKs, or at least shorter ones. If there is one piece of
advice I have to give for PE, it is to try your hardest. If you do, you will get significantly stronger
since you will work out. You have to leave all your books in the locker rooms, so you can't work on
anything inside of PE. Make sure to change out into gym clothes every day or your PE grade will
suffer. If you do not keep up with your Cardio workouts or if the coaches see you not doing
anything for too long, too often, they will deduct points from your PE grade. This means that
though PE is easy, don’t take it too lightly or you might fail the class. There have been people who
have failed PE before do you really want to be on that list?

Communication Applications
Speech Center
PAK Length: Medium
PAK Distance: 1.5 weeks
Teachers: Mr. Davis

Communication Applications have daily work such as examining a quote. After you examine the
quote, you have to free-write about the context, its meanings, how it relates to your life and more.
Mr. Davis is generally very flexible with grading this class. An opportunity to dress up for this class
is during the PAK that teaches you about interviews. Generally, this class is fairly easy.

Web Mastering
Computer Lab
No PAKs.
Teachers: Mr. Bolting

Web Mastering will teach you how to design your own website and towards the end create your
own animation. You’ll learn how to make moving cars, bouncing balls, moving people and much
more. There is no actual PAK for this class; however, you’ll be following a textbook that guides
you throughout the course. At the end of each chapter in the textbook, you’ll be tested on it with
multiple choice questions and true/false questions. This class will give you your necessary
technology credit. The tests are fairly easy as long as you have been following the textbook.

Keyboarding
Business Center
Pak Length: Easy
PAK Distance: 1 week
Teachers: Ms. Curry

This class will help teach you how to type properly, and for those of you who already know how, it
will improve the speed of your typing. Towards the end, it’ll teach you how to type proper business
letters and flyers. This is a helpful class for beginner typists with PAK work going along with the
typing program. Tests are only easy when one studies the rules and information from the class
well. This class will only give you your partial technology credit though. Try not to lose any PAKs
you get for classes like this in the Business Center because in order to get the next PAK, you
have to turn in your previous one.

Spanish I/Spanish II
Foreign Language Center
PAK Length: Long
PAK Distance: 2 weeks
Teachers: Mrs. Zapata, Mrs. Mannes, Ms. Caetta,

Spanish is a lot like math in that it is a lot of work. It is unlike math in that most of the work is
much easier in comparison. It has a huge amount of textbook assignments and workbook pages
in each PAK, with a fairly difficult test at the time you have to turn it in. Even if you have a hard
time with the PAKs, don't fret too much: each PAK comes with 3 major-grade assignments, two of
which are called 'conversation activities' and are relatively easy to do. They are usually referred
as “CA”. Spanish teachers are extremely lenient about what you work on in class, as long as
you're not too far behind or using up their computers during busy hours.

French
Business Center
PAK Length: Medium
PAK Distance: 1-3 weeks
Teachers: Mr. Schowalter
French is a fun and easy language to learn. The class will be a breeze for you if you just do your
textbook work. We have to give oral exams every once in a while, but you won’t fail the class if
you can't pronounce a word. The teacher gives one seminar for each PAK, and if you listen, the
seminars will help you. It is really easy to get ahead in French, so if you want to finish early, it is
highly possible. There isn't necessarily a lot of work, but understanding the language is crucial.
You cannot do work from other classes unless you and the teacher have come to the
understanding that you have finished your French work. The only way to fail this class is by not
working at all.

Orchestra/Band/Choir
Band Hall
No PAKs.
Teachers: Mr. Rodriquez and

There are no PAKs within any of the music classes. You will still need to take some kind of class
for a fine-arts credit though, and these are worthy of consideration. The teachers are passionate
about their music and will push you to play better each day. Determination and perseverance will
get you far in this class.
Theater I
Black Box
PAK Length: Medium
PAK Distance: 1-2 weeks
Teachers: Mrs. Ryan

Expect to begin each class with a famous theater game building up your energy and spirit for the
rest of the class period. Mrs. Ryan will make your experience of theater enjoyable with her
supportive and creative ways of teaching. She’ll show you how to project your voice, how to bring
a character to life, how to perfect the art of performing, and much more. The PAKs are generally
easy enough as long as you follow along in class.

Useful Skills
Accessing Printers
You may notice that accessing the printers of the school is kind of an annoying ordeal if it's not
already set and you have to get someone else to do it. There is a very quick way to set them up
however.
1. Open up the start menu and click on “run”
2. Type in
\\khs-mdf0-as01 (Those are zeroes)
This will open up the directory of printers where every printer in the
school can be found.
3. Double click on the printer you want, and then a new dialog box will open up.
The printer you want will usually be labeled with the center name. If not, ask a teacher which
printer you should select. And that's it! The printer is now permanently set up and can now be
selected from the list when you try and print a document. You can close out the dialog box, as it
only shows you the printer status and print jobs.

Students are to print only papers regarding the specific subjects taught in a particular center. For
instance do not print an English essay in the science or history center.

You'll also hear the term “Student Commons” thrown around quite a lot. This is just a main
directory that teachers are able to put files for all students to access. If you open up “My
Computer”, it's at the spot where the C drive and flash drive are both displayed. It looks kind of
like a metal disc with tubes come out, and says “Student Common” on it.

How to Avoid Procrastination

“To put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done” is the definition good 'ol
Merriam Webster gives to us. By the time you leave Kerr, you will have heard this term being
thrown around more times than a fairybull at a ninja's slumber party invaded by pirates while
dinosaurs in F-40's attack with missile attack sharks.

Which is to say, a lot.

It is best if you learn how to get rid of the habit NOW. Either that, or get used to occasionally
staying up at 4:00 AM working on an assignment due in 4 hours. Procrastination leads to all-
nighters, and all-nighters screw up your sleeping schedule as soon as you do it one time. You
can't fix it until you get a chance to sleep in, but if you're procrastinating chances are you have
too much work to do to be able to do that. This means, do not pull an all-nighter even once,
otherwise you risk the chance of ruining your sleeping habits and becoming a night-based
vampire for the rest of the year.

In addition, it's also very dangerous, especially if you're working on team projects. You could
really piss off your teammates if you don't curb the habit ASAP.

Here are some tips to help you get started on your work.

• Set goals for yourself. Tell yourself "Okay, I'm going to get this amount of work done by
x time". The smaller the goals and the more reasonable the time limits, the better. This is
much simpler then saying "Okay, I'm going to have this entire PAK full of complicated
assignments and tedious work done in three days", because you give yourself the illusion
of having more time then you do.

• Limit down your distractions. If the internet provides too many things to do, find an
internet/site blocker so you can focus on working. Is it a game? Try working on another
computer or temporarily uninstalling it even. If that's too much, hide the game into some
deep dark part of your computer where you have to jump through several hoops and files
just to reach it. Get someone else to moderate your behavior and make sure you're not
playing it instead.

• Always throw in a little bit of interesting stuff with any kind of 'dull' thing you are
about to do. Enjoy drawing? Well save it for last and get the tedious writing out of the
way first so you can enjoy your time at the end. Prefer the writing instead? Do the
drawing chores first and then get your chance to write up some wickedly effective prose
as a treat for your dedication. Remember: you're going to be more inclined to work if you
have something to look forward to at the end of each task, or during a task itself!

• Push yourself to at least begin something. This I think is easily the most effective way
at fighting the disease. Even if a task looks hard or boring, give yourself the leisure of
working just FIVE MINUTES on it before calling it quits out of boredom. Sometimes, the
hardest part is getting started: if you can get those 5 minutes in on time, you'll find
yourself having done 30 minutes of work and still not feeling ready to call it a day.

• Think of how cool finishing early will be. You won't have to work, can watch other
people, get to talk, and all without the stress. Keep this in mind, think of it all the time as
you work and use it to motivate you forward.

• Don't work at busy times of the day! There will likely be several distractions which will
inhibit your work. Multitasking will only slow down your progress to a crawl.

• Give yourself small little breaks after lots of work. If you've been just busy for 45
minutes, give yourself a 10 minute break. Remember to not procrastinate getting back to
work though!

• Motivation! In order to prevent yourself from procrastinating, I suggest you find a way to
motivate yourself to work. For example, if you are a competitive person, find a friend who
is willing to compete with you on assignments, PAKS, or heck, maybe an entire class and
see who can finish the fastest and retain the highest grade. This is one of those big ones:
especially if you can put some kind of really big tangible reward at the end for the winner!
I highly recommend it, because competition is able to push people's dedication to their
limit.
 • Power off all the technology! Be honest with yourself: how much do you REALLY need
to use the computer when you're working? Chances are, not as much as you think.
Unplug it, and throw your phone under a pillow for good measure. If you do need to use
the computer and can't risk unplugging it, then work in a different room, and only go to it
when you have to search something important up, and get back to work afterwards! This
is where willpower comes in!

• Create a linear calendar. This one might seem a bit weird, but it's the power of OCD
compulsions. Find a spare calendar that nobody will mind you marking. Get a bright-
colored pack of sticky notes, or even a really nice highlighter works. Cut up the calendar
and form it into a straight line, and put it somewhere where you will see it. Cut off the
weekends. Every time you complete ALL the work you have (not just part of it), color/stick
that day of the calendar. Continue this process every day. For those who care about
linear organization, this will serve as a great incentive to keep working: if you don't finish
it all, the calendar will have a 'break' in it which will look real nasty.

Hopefully, this will help you to be able to not become victim to the countless hordes of nocturnal
students who crawl through Facebook each night complaining about their homework! That would
be really sad indeed!

Clubs and Organizations

There are a lot of organizations and clubs within the school, and you're able to join many at the
same time, so don't feel as if you're confined to only a specific one!

The major ones are most definitely band, orchestra, choir, Class clubs, FBLA, Speech and
Debate, Student Council, National Honor Society, and Theater. There are still quite a lot of other
ones too though, including some funs one. I am sorry to say that there is simply not enough room
inside of this thing to give an analysis of each one, nor have I been in enough of them to even tell
you how they are! Still, here is a good list of most of them.

Anime Club Knitting Club

Band Muslim Student Association
Book Club National Art Honor Society
Choir National Honor Society
Christian Fellowship Newspaper/Yearbook
Class of 2011/12/13/14 Orchestra
Cultural Club Piano Club
Engineering Club Speech and Debate
FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) Student Council
French Club Students for Humanity
Gamers Club Table Tennis Club
Guitar Club Thinkers Club
Kerr Dance Society Writing Club

So pick and choose! You've got quite a variety of things to try. Don't be afraid to try out new
things! You never know what stuff you might actually enjoy doing!

In order to know when these clubs are meeting and when their RUSH meetings are, please watch
for the morning announcements each morning during advisory. In addition, if you keep an eye on
the TV throughout the day, you’ll be able to see some slides that give you the information you
need.
For anyone who’s wondering what a RUSH meeting is, this just means the introductory meeting
that clubs host to give more information about their club, what they do, and to convince you to
join.
 Breathe.

We truly hope that this guide has helped you feel more at ease with Kerr. You’re in high
school now, so the training wheels are off. Don’t be afraid, nothing is hard when you put
your mind to it. Trust us that before long, you won’t even need this guide anymore. You’ll
be out building stronger friendships with everyone, creating masterpieces, discovering
your individuality, and having the time of your life.

It’s okay to make mistakes, in fact, make tons of them. Just never, ever forget to learn
from them. We hope that as you go through your changes in high school, you don’t
forget to stay yourself.

This is as far as this guide can take you. If you have more questions, look up. See that
senior, junior, or sophomore over there? Don’t be afraid to ask, they don’t bite.

Ask a sophomore about their freshmen year.

Ask a junior about SATs and ACTs.

Ask a senior about college and AP exams.

Ask, ask, ask.

Good luck to each and every one of you.

Sincerely,

Kerr High School Student Council & National Honor Society