PRO: Extra days of school for seniors make a huge difference
With confusion about seniors staying in school later this year than compared to previous years, some found it hard to get behind the change. However, there is a reason for this change, and there are more benefits that many students don’t consider.
For the last week of their school year, Patriots Week was celebrated, featuring fun games and activities. This makes all of the extra days more fun, rather than just ending the school year by doing nothing. It is more memorable this way, and seniors were able to connect for the last few days together as a Patriot community.
What are seniors going to remember? A last day where classes are still going on as usual or five days full of games and fun activities to celebrate being here for four years? Along with that, the seniors have prom, graduation, and Baccalaureate Mass later in May. Staying later in May just adds to the celebration, and seniors should not want to rush saying goodbye to their classmates.
Knowing this, it would not make sense for seniors to have a whole week off and then have to come back to John Carroll after already starting their summers. Yes, they would technically get out earlier, but it would only be a free week before coming back anyway.
It would almost just be like an unnecessary break, and the seniors would still be chained down to the later school events. Staying in classes for the extended time will flow more easily into all of the big senior graduation events and make a lot more sense.
Last year when seniors ended early, many had already completed their Senior Project presentations, and they had to miss valuable time in school with friends, classmates, and teachers. This year, the class gets to bond together for one last time and use the days that were meaningless to not rush the end of the school year and to have some fun.
Some may say that staying the few extra days is longer is useless because all of the seniors’ work is turned in.
However, some classes have assignments and tests on the extra week of school. Some term papers are due the next week, finals for different classes, and projects. Giving teachers that extra week of school gives them more time to close their lessons and puts less pressure on them to abruptly close a lesson.
Underclassmen will also have more time to spend time with their senior friends.
There seems to be no argument, that having this extra time is a good thing.
– Gabby Albright
CON: Keeping seniors in school a week longer is not practical overall
Seniors deserve an earlier release in order to finish the year strongly.
The end of the school year is an exciting time for all members of the JC community — students and faculty alike. However, this is an especially important time for seniors as they prepare to say goodbye to high school forever.
Although the end of the school year is believed to be stress-free, this is not the case for the graduating class. Considering the senior term paper, AP exams, prom, the end of spring sports, baccalaureate, graduation, and preparing for college, the final weeks of the school year prove to be just as stressful as the months that have come before.
As John Carroll begins the process of welcoming their newest group of alumni, they should continue to finalize classes for all seniors by the second week of May. While this acknowledges the hard work the seniors have demonstrated all year long, the decision to let seniors go earlier is the practical one as well.
By the time the second week of May rolls along, seniors are completing their AP exams, have submitted their senior term papers, and have finished their spring sports seasons. This means that the seniors are exhausted, and senioritis is at an all-time high. They are just ready to say their farewells and accept their diplomas.
Giving seniors time at the end to not have to worry about academics prior to graduation allows them to truly enjoy their last moments as high schoolers with the friends and teachers that made the experience so special.
By keeping the seniors longer than this, faculty who teach multiple grade levels are kept from focusing their attention on the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, whose final assignments are typically due later.
Having seniors end classes early relative to the rest of the school also allows for the remaining students to adjust to their new grade levels.
The juniors will have more time to experience being the oldest members of the student body, introducing them to their lives as JC seniors.
Similarly, sophomores and freshmen follow in the juniors’ footsteps, navigating what next year will look like without the current senior class.
Most importantly, releasing the senior class early displays a sign of respect from the administration to the graduating students. It is easy for seniors to adopt a carefree mindset when the last month of school arrives. If the administration incentivizes finishing the year strongly by marking the final day of classes earlier rather than later, seniors will be encouraged to give it their all until their very last day.
– Els Krimsky