Once again, the 7th and 8th period early release is exclusively available to the class of 2025.
“Right now, we have about 200 to 250 students that do have senior [early release] seventh and eighth period,” Assistant Principal Sara Moseley said. “If it works for their schedule, it would be tied into their sixth period lunch.”
The early release option is particularly appealing to students who have after-school responsibilities, such as part-time jobs or family commitments.
“Getting out of school earlier is always better, the day is much shorter,” senior Laila Aikens said. “I also have a job and it starts at five, so I wanted to be able to get home and relax and do my homework and then be able to leave [for work].”
With seniors having their own form of transportation, senior early release provides much more flexibility to the school day.
“I’d say it’s like it’s a really big convenience because well the school is shorter, which is always great and then less classes, less homework,” Aikens said. “Overall, it’s been really good for me.”
The decision to bring back 7th period early release was made by the district office, recognizing the different needs of students post COVID-19.
“A lot of kids are in co-op, and they have a lot of different options to go out and work, or they have other things that they need to get done,” Moseley said.
Looking towards the future, the school hopes to continue offering this option to their seniors. With a student body of 3,200, the early release helps reduce the number of students on campus in the afternoons.
“It frees up some of the time in the afternoon for other teachers with duties so that we don’t have to have so much supervision for sixth, seventh and eighth period,” Moseley said.
As senior early release becomes more and more popular, the school administration is optimistic about its benefits, for both the students’ academic and personal lives.
“Academics are very important, but so is your outside life,” Moseley said.