Three years of hard work and dedication at West Springfield and we get out three minutes early on Fridays as a privilege. Not five minutes, but three. A minute for each year we have spent here. 

To be fair, it is a bit juvenile to be arguing over two little minutes. However, if being released slightly early on Fridays is our only reward for being dedicated students of WS, then what else can we ask for? Seniors would benefit from leaving five minutes early not just so they can mess around in the hallways and dilly-dally to their cars. The senior lot is incredibly backed up every day after school; it takes most students ten to fifteen minutes just to leave the school. If we were released just two minutes earlier than we are now then simply leaving the school might not be such an intense, stressful event like it is now. Work schedules and after-school commitments are greatly affected by the back-up, and since seniors are supposed to be assimilating into the real world, the hold-up in the lot greatly affects our ability to be punctual for after school activities. 

The argument for five minutes over three is only the big deal that it is, simply because it is the only outlet for seniors to advocate for privilege. There are plenty of ways our administration can help seniors enjoy their final year in high school. For example, if seniors were allowed to have senior lunches on Fridays in one of the various courtyards in this school, or possibly a space in the school to hold a senior lounge where students could relieve their stress before and/or after-school, or even having reestablished senior rail, then seniors would not have to waste everyone’s time arguing over the two little minutes. 

Admittingly, it would not be fair to write an argument advocating for more senior privileges without acknowledging the fact that the WS administration has been very willing to support the seniors and the various Class of 2020 events that have been held this year. Senior sunrise was an incredible success, the student section is relatively free to have as much spirit as they can accumulate, and admin has been open to any other suggestions that SGA and seniors have come up with so far. 

Thus said, senior year is a crazy time. We have spent almost four long years at this school, and I would want to start feeling like all my hard work and dedication amounted to something besides getting into college. The last few months of high school should feel like rainbows and butterflies, but without more senior privileges what is there for us to look forward to?