It is that time of year again. Juniors who are soon-to be seniors are filling out their very last schedule of their high school careers. It can be overwhelming to decide, with the barrage of new opportunities facing incoming students to the last year of high school. One of the biggest decisions that incoming seniors will need to make is whether to take advantage of late arrival and early dismissal. Each schedule choice has its own benefits and tradeoffs, depending on what the student wishes to shape their school year around.
Liz Gerhardt , a senior who has late arrival, shared some of the benefits of the schedule choice: ” You get to sleep in an extra hour and you have time to get your work done if you get to school early. It’s also nice because you have time to eat a full breakfast.” It is true that with late arrival, seniors are able to take their time in getting ready for the school day. Reanne Harper, a senior who also has late arrival, remarked that “I feel more refreshed in the morning and can focus on my classes more with late arrival.” Late arrival on its own has the benefit of transforming the stressful weekday mornings into relaxing, carefree ordeals. Not only do students steal another hour of sleep, they also have time to grab a filling breakfast and avoid the morning rush hour traffic. However, with the change in Neuqua’s parking policy, it also means that late-arrival students typically are left with the farthest parking spots in the morning.
While late arrivals have the luxury of arriving bright-eyed in the morning, students with early dismissal also enjoy a shortened day, free to leave the campus after eighth period. Jessica Standish shared what she thought was the best part of early dismissal: “You don’t have to weave through traffic jams at the end of the day. Instead you can just peel out of your spot and then you basically have the rest of the day to yourself.” Seniors with early dismissal can enjoy an escape from the stresses of school a class period or two early and head home for a late lunch or a much-needed nap.
As for the decision between late arrival and early dismissal, it should be based on what the student wishes to do with the free time each option warrants. Whether it be for want of an extra hour of sleep or free time at the end of the day, the decision should be a personal one. If all else fails and the decision proves to be difficult, there is always Senior Foods.
By Alli Mooney, opinions editor
