While the rest of the school was taking standardized tests like the pre-ACT and PSAT, the seniors were taking a career assessment. The ASVAB, which stands for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test, also measured whether or not seniors were intellectually prepared to enter the military.

According to principal John Williams, instituting the ASVAB here was the idea of assistant principal Ronda Eshleman, who hopes to keep it in place. The assessment also meant that seniors could no longer take a day off to shadow a professional or visit a college, which hampered senior Sunny Huang’s plans, who had to take an excused absence in order to see campuses.

“We needed something for the seniors to do,” Williams said. While the assessment is currently planned for next year also, he said there may be changes.

As for senior Meera Chander, who is thinking about joining the Air Force ROTC in college, ASVAB was a good measure of both her intelligence and engineering skills. According to her, it might be an indication or hint to students to improve in a certain subject in order to reach their career goals.

Chander said, “I’m glad I took it, because it confirmed that engineering’s for me.” By Michelle Hu <[email protected]>