7th-Graders Tackle SATs

The SAT scores are high, and the kids aren't even out of mid-school yet.

Five seventh-graders from Holy Child Catholic School in Tijeras qualified to take the SATs, and four of the final scores were high enough to garner state recognition.

"I'm very proud they even qualified to take this test. It's an honor for them … We knew that they could at least hold their own there, because of the curriculum that we have," said Holy Child Principal Jim Grogan.

Grogan said that taking the test was a "rite of passage for kids that are gearing up to be very competitive in high school."

The end result is the scores, but the real story is the road the seventh-graders took to get there.

Holy Child is a "classical school," Grogan explained, where "mature and curious" students learn to express themselves intelligently. Grogan said parents are also a big influence.

And, of course, there are the students themselves.

Beverly Spindle, a teacher at Holy Child, had only great things to say about them.

"They're good writers … (They're) a really neat group of kids. Very well read, well spoken," Spindle said. "We have great kids and great families."

Erin Grogan, who scored a 550 in writing and a 540 in reading, said she was "pretty nervous," but she wanted to take the test to see what it was like. Her favorite subjects are science and lunch.

Jacob Figge scored a 510 in writing, which makes sense as he writes "action packed" fiction books in his spare time.

Henry J. Harrison scored a 570 in reading and might want to major in computer science in college, or maybe even join the Marines.

Harrison had some good advice for anyone getting ready to take a big test.

"Don't cram before the test. Study for half an hour a day, in little increments. Start early, before the test … get extra practice in, so you understand how it's formatted," Harrison said.