Costa Mesa High offers SAT prep to athletes

Booster clubs at Costa Mesa High School recently launched an SAT preparation course for some of its student athletes.

The school is offering five Princeton Review classes in an effort to build a college-bound environment, said organizer Katrina Foley, a Costa Mesa councilwoman. The Princeton Review offers preparation for standardized tests.

The participants are from Costa Mesa’s football, golf, track and field, softball and cheer teams. The classes, held on the high school campus, were specially scheduled around the students’ athletic commitments and will run through Sept. 19.

To fund the courses, boosters raised money this summer by providing OC Fair parking and also received a private donation from the law firm Jones & Mayer. Nearly all the students are attending the courses for free. They are taught by a Princeton Review instructor and are valued at $900.

On Aug. 29, the first day of the sessions, some of the students had athletic practice all morning before taking an SAT practice exam, Foley said.

“I know they were exhausted,” Foley said. “It just shows their level of commitment to have as many options available to them as possible for college.”

Enrollment is full for this session, though Costa Mesa High boosters hope to start a similar program in the spring.

“I believe that this is the start of something that we’ll offer to many more students every single year,” Foley said.

—Bradley Zint