After four long and difficult years of high school, the end is now in sight for the class of 2025. They have worked tirelessly to graduate and deserve every bit of special treatment they can get. This is why MCHS offers rewards to seniors who meet certain criteria, for example senior incentive, which this year has been provoked from these seniors.
Allowing qualifying seniors to leave 10 minutes early from their 8th period would be extremely beneficial to the school as a whole, because it would de-crowd the parking lot, and leave a smaller chance for accidents to occur.
As previously mentioned, MCHS currently offers seniors (with a 2.0 GPA or better) certain rewards, or, “incentives.” Some of these include being allowed to come in late to school if one has a first period study hall along with many other amenities offered specifically to seniors. For example, the ability to work in the library or cafeteria for aim.
But as of last school year there was another incentive which is currently not being offered: Early dismissal for upperclassmen. The policy was removed this year as students were reported to be “taking advantage” of said policy.
This allowed for juniors and seniors to leave 10 minutes early from their 8th period class. The removal of this policy is understandable, however, it is likely responsible for the overcrowded parking lot issue which seems to be affecting students more than ever this year.
When the bell hits 2:50, seniors and sophomores alike rush from their eighth hour in a race to leave the parking lot. Every student is trying to leave at the same time. This causes delays and aggravation as some students report wait times of 20 minutes – or longer.
But what is so different about this year? Why are students waiting obscene amounts of time even after running to their cars and leaving the second they are dismissed? The answer is somewhat simple: hundreds of students are trying to the same (very large) space all at the same time. And while it’s not possible to just add more lot exits, it is very possible to fix the time issue. If we allow for seniors to leave upper campus at 2:40 then we will see a dramatic decrease in traffic at dismissal time.
The class of 2025 has gone through four long, tiring years. “Senioritis” is a real and pressing issue among students.
Oxford dictionary defines it as, “a supposed affliction of students in their final year of high school or college, characterized by a decline in motivation or performance”. Students who are unmotivated might feel this way. This can result in a drop of grades and academic success. One way we can work through this is by continually motivating seniors.
While the offered incentives to keep seniors motivated are great, they are not enough. In order to see success among seniors we need to offer rewards that genuinely appeal to students achieving success. This is where early leave comes in.
By letting seniors leave even just a few minutes early, we could save them up to 45 minutes of their day. “I used to have to wait like 45 minutes last year before I got my new parking spot,” says MCHS junior Kyleigh Witt, “And that’s only the time I spent in the parking lot. It was literally insane.”
Allowing seniors to leave just the 10 minutes earlier we could cut down their time spent in the lot immensely. MCHS seniors are busy people with busy lives, and by cutting down the amount of time they are waiting in their cars to leave, we give them more time to put toward something of value like studying or preparing for sports or work.
Some staff have very real concerns about students possibly taking advantage of this plan. While one way to fix this is to simply get rid of the policy altogether, there are other ways to curb this like making small changes to the plan. For example, offer early leave only to seniors compared to previous years in which both juniors and seniors had the option. Also, raising the GPA requirement for early leave will keep students motivated, as well as keep students from abusing the policy. If these changes are made to the policy then MCHS will see dramatic change in senior motivation and traffic jams.
Clearly it is necessary to give seniors early leave for many reasons. Once this is done, traffic in the MCHS parking lot will reduce, and seniors will want to succeed thanks to their immediate reward. While there is no definite “yes, ” there is talk among the administration about implementing early leave next year.
Of course, if it is reinstated, there will be guidelines which students must meet. All in all though it appears staff is doing their hardest to work with and for students.