Is there anything better than being a second semester senior? The answer to that question was once a resounding “no,” but a new contender has recently appeared−skipping senior year altogether.
In the state of Utah, legislators recently proposed a law that gives students the option of attending their senior year of high school. Before teachers and parents sigh in annoyance at yet another ploy to grant seniors more time to slack off, there are definite benefits to the cancellation of senior year for parents and students alike.
Although it seems foreign to CHS students, not all high school students want to pursue a higher education or a college degree; some simply want to take on service-based jobs that do not require degrees. For these students, attending senior year is nothing but a year of going through the motions to receive a high school diploma. The cancellation of senior year would grant these students the opportunity to pursue their careers earlier instead of wasting another year.
Making senior year optional would simplify the ever stressful process that most parents face in putting their children through college.
As we all know, college is one of the most costly experiences in life, and people often have trouble footing the bill. With the elimination of senior year, students with families who cannot afford to pay for college would have time to get a job in order to assist their parents in paying for their education. And even if one has enough money to pay for college, the year off could be spent working to save up spending cash instead of constantly having to beg parents for pocket money while away at college.
The proposed law is academically advantageous for more ambitious students as well. Instead of wasting an entire school year taking the usually pointless and ridiculously easy classes that are part of most seniors’ schedules, students can take courses related to their desired majors at local community colleges. This way, they can begin their freshman year of college with legitimate college credits that attest to their dedication to their future majors.
Although seniors do not want to admit this, most of them are going to miss their family and friends while away at college. The cancellation of senior year would give seniors and their loved ones enough time to say goodbye properly. With a whole year off, there would be ample time for a final family vacation and other bonding experiences to ease the exciting, but terrifying prospect of finally living away from one’s parents.
Although CHS is located in a prestigious community, most students can easily see the effects of the recession on a daily basis. Shortages on text books and the explosion of class sizes have made the economic status entirely obvious. Making senior year optional, however, could ease that economic strain.
Making senior year optional would clearly lower the amount of students that attend high school. With fewer students to provide for, CHS and other high schools could appropriate more money towards hiring teachers to lower class sizes, buying more materials for students and other necessities.
Of course, losing senior year does have a substantial drawback. Without it, there is no year specifically designated for absurdly reckless behavior, slacking off academically, skipping class whenever the urge strikes and enjoying two pressure free semesters of ruling over underclassmen with an iron fist.
For those seniors who are more concerned with having a fun senior year, think of it this way: with those seven grueling hours of school out of the way for an entire school year between high school and college, there would be nothing left to do but to rightfully devote all hours of the day to the irresponsible behavior and mischief that captures the spirit of senior year. It’s our last year as blameless underage minors, let’s do it right.
