Early Grad Says Goodbye to DHS
NEIRAD enilno edition
Each year there are students who cannot wait patiently for the lagging school year to end in June. Instead of signing on for a lesser load as a second-semester senior, they relieve the burden of school altogether. These are students who get the appropriate credits to graduate one semester early in January. For the 2010-2011 school year, DHS says goodbye to just early graduate: Melissa Vitti, who is eager to move onto the next chapter in her life.
“I’m excited to be done with school it’s a huge relief that I don’t have work to do anymore and I get a break before going to college,” Melissa said.
Graduating early is not a decision to be taking lightly. While many seniors may think what could be better than getting rid of one full semester with no school, no work, and no pressure, others argue they miss out on the best part of the high school experience. Not to mention, the doubling up of classes and extra credits needed to be able to leave with a diploma in hand five months early.
"A very small percentage of students opt to graduate early from DHS, and if they do, it typically is because they wish to pursue specific and unique academic, athletic, work, or travel-related experiences,” guidance counselor Rudy Spannaus said. “In Melissa's case, she has chosen to pursue her firefighting training in greater depth prior to attending college in the fall of 2011. In order to graduate early, students really need to plan ahead and remain focused on their goals so they can complete all of their required courses, and earn the required amount of credits, prior to graduation,” Mrs. Spannaus added.
When asked what sparked Melissa’s urge to graduate early, she did not have a clear-cut answer. “I had a rough junior year with a lot of my teachers being pregnant and leaving and I got really stressed out with new teachers and the way they just changed my routine in my classes. So I kind of thought if I could graduate early I wouldn’t have to deal with all the stress.”
Melissa said her decision to graduate early was mostly made during the second semester of her junior year. Melissa said before she knew an early graduation was a possibility, she had already doubled up in math her sophomore year. Along with taking World Literature Seminar first rather than second semester, and doubling up on PE classes to make up for the third and fourth quarter classes she will be missing, Melissa says there is not much change in her schedule than that of an ordinary senior who puts in a full year.
One person she could claims she could not have completed this tedious process without Mrs. Spannaus. However, Melissa says Mrs. Spannaus needed some convincing it was the right choice.
“At first she didn’t really understand why I wanted to do it because I was quite the drama queen as she knows when things don’t go my way and I don’t have everything organized; stress just overwhelms me so I kind of was like get me out of here now. And then I thought about if for awhile and just realized it could be really beneficial to me and that I could do so much,” Melissa said.
Once her response to the “why” question satisfied Mrs. Spannaus, the decision went to Assistant Principal Ellen Dunn and the administration who granted approval in February of last year. Melissa says she thinks this is an opportunity for an extended senior internship, and she is grateful for the time off to relax before she attends college in the fall. Melissa said she is “almost positive” she will be off to the west coast to attend Arizona State University in Tempe.
Melissa was officially done after all of her midterms, but she will be back to walk with the rest of her class in June. With her time off Melissa will be working, hopefully at a clothing store because she hopes to own her own clothing store in the future. She will also be taking fire department classes three days a week for four hours for four months.
Melissa is looking forward to having the pressure of school work not weighing on her shoulders. “I feel like people tend to slack senior year and it is really easy if you do the work but I know that if I was in school just taking electives second semester I probably would not do as well as I know I could so keeping myself busy is also keeping me on my toes,” Melissa said.
Melissa says she will miss seeing her friends every day, and playing on the girls’ hockey and softball teams. She said it was really hard to tell her coaches she wasn’t going to be returning for the 2011 season. “I felt like I was letting a lot of people down but I had to think about what was best for me. But I do wish the best for both teams and I will definitely support them throughout their seasons.”
“I think it’s really cool that Melissa is graduating early instead of just being a senior slacker. The softball team is going to miss her this season and I hope she thinks of me stuck in school while she’s out making money,” junior Courtney Bell said, a friend and teammate of Melissa.
One of her favorite senior year teachers, Stephen Leete, said "Melissa was great to have in class—she was excited about finishing early and going to fire school, and she was always motivated because of that."
Although graduating early is an aspiration for some, many seniors are hesitant to miss out on their second semester. “I decided not to graduate early because my older siblings were constantly talking about how much fun second semester of senior was and I really wanted to experience it,” senior Sarah Dailey said. “I also knew that while I was out of school, all of my friends would still be here so I wouldn't have anything to really do. It's really cool that Melissa got to graduate early but I feel like you should just try and experience what you can while you can and you shouldn't rush everything.”
Early graduation is an important decision that has to be a good fit for the individual person. Regarding Melissa’s decision, Mrs. Spannaus said “Melissa and I have worked together since she was a freshman and I'm really proud of all the organization, effort and planning she has put into making this early graduation happen.” So with now one more student moving on from DHS into the next chapter of her life, I guess there is only one more thing to say: Congratulations, Melissa!
