Before ACT, Breakfast Pizza for East Juniors

Before East High juniors took the ACT exam today,

For the tenth year Des Moines Public Schools is providing the ACT college entrance exam – free of charge – to all high school juniors, another perk offered by the state’s largest district. And today’s the day!

At East High School this morning, they served up a hearty pre-test feast of food for thought. Breakfast pizzas courtesy of the East Euclid Hy-Vee and the Capitol Park, Capitol East and Martin Luther King neighborhood associations highlighted the academic pregame meal and servers included school board member and East alum Connie Boesen who was channeling her high school cheerleader days by passing out high fives and smiles in addition to hot food. Boesen will receive the Louise Noun Visionary Woman award on Saturday from the Young Women’s Resource Center but she was not resting on that laurel.

“This is the second year that we’ve provided this test day breakfast at East,” said Community in Schools Coordinator Jill Padgett. “In addition to this, the juniors have been prepping for the ACT in some of their core classes and we held a junior class meeting last week to explain some of the test mechanics. This is a big deal. Many of these students will be the first in their families to take an entrance exam and go on to college.”

Juniors are the only ones in school today at DMPS high schools. Tomorrow they’ll get the day off. Then it’s back to work on high school graduation and college acceptance for the Scarlets and their counterparts all over town.