West Springfield High School Newspaper

The Oracle

West Springfield High School Newspaper

The Oracle

West Springfield High School Newspaper

The Oracle

Should senior year be optional nationwide? Diploma awarded upon completion of 11th grade

Senioritis- a communicable disease consisting of little to no desire to care about school; referring to seniors; in some cases others can catch this earlier and easily; high risk of the following symptoms: lack of interest, laziness, fatigue, heavy appetite, irritability and stress.

Having “senioritis” since freshman year makes me not so keen on the fact that students are going to school for a year that is not needed or wanted.

Senior year is supposed to be fun and hypothetically the best year in high school- the year everyone can’t stop talking about. But let’s keep one thing straight, teachers crack down on these fourth-year-returners because they know none of us want to be there, making the fun go away.
Seniors are expected to not only be aware of, but know the school rules by heart. We are held at the highest standards in this school and you better not get too excited and have too much fun, because the school has control of contacting your future college and letting them know about the “too much fun” you really had. 

Kids who are going to mess around senior year, not care, skip class, and come late are probably the students who aren’t going to any prestigious college or maybe they are taking a gap year. Honestly, senior year is viewed as the “joke year” and do schools really want to be responsible for having a whole grade of “jokes”? Senior year is known for its blissful activities yet these could be a major distraction for those students who want to continue being students for the next four years.

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Keep in mind that those few seniors who are actually serious about their work are taking five or more AP classes, which are essentially college credit, so would it not make sense to let those seniors go to college early and get the real head start they have already attempted to get?

Please disregard the fun times and traditions that keep a senior year alive because those “traditions,” like a picnic, a car wash, an all night party, can be done anywhere else at anytime.

I don’t know which is better, a year where schedules are filled with meaningless electives and easy classes to fluff up a resume and pass the time without too much stress, or a year where kids are stressed with Advanced Placement classes and college apps while being distracted from the other kids who aren’t as serious about school? You decide and ponder the fact, but perhaps a senior year is just not for everyone.

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