This week, the senior class is set to graduate. However, they are not the only ones leaving Hayes on that day. This year, there are several juniors set to graduate alongside them.
While nothing new, students, if allowed, can choose to graduate early for a number of reasons.
“Students typically graduate early for a variety of reasons. It could be [that] they’re an athlete . . . [or] that they are working in one of our alternative programs . . . [or even that they] would like to just start college early,” counselor Jennifer Shonebarger said. “So we have students with just a variety of reasons why they would like to graduate early.”
Every student typically has their own unique reason to set themselves on the track to graduate at the same time as the class above them. But, with the early graduates, there are a few things that deviate from the typical process.
It usually begins with planning, through meeting with a counselor and mapping out graduation requirements, to make sure that the process can go through in the timing the student wants it to. Following that, there needs to be approval and agreement from both the student’s guardians and principal. Afterwards, the final step is to bump the student up to 12th grade in PowerSchool.
“School is not for everybody, and if they want to graduate . . . we want to know that they’re then moving on to something else,” Shonebarger said.
This hope is the reality for junior Hayden Natoli, who already has the next few years of his future in mind.
“I plan to…study criminal justice,” Natoli said. “I chose to graduate early because I wanted to go to college with my friend, and it feels overwhelming, but also a little bit exciting.”
Some students, however, do not immediately head into further education or the workforce, taking a small break to get on their feet.
“I’m going to take a gap year,” junior Ava Anthony said. “Hopefully, [with that time] I’ll be able to work and save up money for…the University of Texas at Austin, which has a program for linguistics that I really want to do.”
During her time at Hayes, Anthony has been a part of numerous extracurriculars, such as orchestra and choir. When it comes down to it, though, things do not always translate over perfectly in areas that are not just requirements, with some senior end-of-program events having complications with incorporating the early graduates.
“I’m not really able to do a lot of the things that I wanted to do . . . [like how] I’m not allowed to do Senior Music Awards, apparently,” Anthony said. “I’m having conflicting teacher involvement with that [because] my orchestra teacher doesn’t want me to do it, but my choir teacher sent me all of the links to do it, so I’m confused.”
Approximately ten juniors have been bumped up to the senior class and are prepared to graduate alongside them on Friday. Each has their own story in and outside of Hayes, and are getting an early start on their future.
“I think our ultimate goal is to make sure that . . . upon graduation . . . [they know] what their next step is going to be,” Shonebarger said. “Graduating early can be [a fitting choice] for the right student.”
