and writing skills have corroded. Those lazy summer months truly rot us mentally. If it is this difficult to relearn material after a mere three months, imagine how difficult it would be not only to have to adjust to an entirely new atmosphere and style of learning, but also to have to dig back to material or skills last utilized over a year ago in a desperate attempt to pass a mandatory Calculus or Writing 101 class. While this may seem manageable, statistics seem to disagree. In a world where “More than one quarter of the freshmen at four-year colleges and nearly half of those at two-year colleges do not even make it to their sophomore year,” it seems silly to idly pass through senior year at the expense of becoming yet another university dropout. Furthermore, collegeboard.com frighteningly reports that “as many as half of all college students do not have adequate academic preparation, and are required to take remedial courses.”

Seniors are not the only victims of our early dismissal program. Taxpayers also suffer immensely. Our parents spend much of their hard-earned cash supporting our school system. With millions of dollars in taxpayer money and approximately $46,000,000 worth of state aid being pumped into our local education system annually in order to craft local institutions where students can truly thrive, it is a shame that such a vast majority of seniors choose to abandon school early. Early dismissal is not only disrespectful to those who work hard to contribute monetarily to our education, but is simply economically wasteful as well.

Considering the financial contributions being poured into our schools, it becomes clear our seniors are simply not taking full advantage of the educational opportunities provided to them. Our senior students should be using their youthful energy

Leaving school early to work or get a head start on homework can seem like a great option for seniors. Yet, when about 475 of Lindy High School’s 603 seniors leave early, we are forced to question their motives. Are the majority of our early leavers managing their extra time wisely or are they simply using it to further their obsession with television? It is highly debatable. While spending an hour or so each day unconstructively at home appears harmless, it can prove to be injurious not only to students and taxpayers, but to our core values as functioning members of society as well.

Of the numerous pitfalls associated with early dismissal, the most prominent deals with college readiness. In an age where many of our students choose to continue on to some form of post-secondary education, it is vital we be prepared for such an academic challenge. In many instances, not taking a full course load senior year severely damages the impressiveness of a college application and leaves a student intellectually rusty by their freshman year on campus.

We all know how difficult the first quarter of school can be, forcing our brains to recall information it hasn’t been seen in months. The first few weeks of math appear impossible. Once memorized formulas are now lost. Social studies facts have miraculously vanished

and open minds to begin exploring various intellectual avenues rather than departing early. Seniors should be challenging themselves by fully pursuing the areas that interest them.

AP and college-level Adelphi or Dowling classes are numerous and provide our seniors with the option of exploring their interests while earning college credit— and saving money in the long run. Art, music, and theatre classes exist to cater to our creativity. Business, technology, and home economics electives are in place to provide the option of learning useful skills. With such a course catalog overflowing with options, it is evident that our seniors are simply not taking advantage of our school’s numerous options, but are instead suffering from an unfortunate case of acute senioritis.

Finally, early dismissal for seniors presents us with a startling philosophical and societal concern. What does such a vast majority of our seniors leaving early reveal about us as a society? What does it reveal about our attitude towards our school or school in general? As seniors, our bad habit of choosing to leave school early unfortunately reveals that we care little about our school, community, and intellectual well-being. We are a society that values getting things done quickly rather than spending some extra time and actually deriving something of value from them. Perhaps it is time we slowed down and spent some extra time enriching ourselves.

Spending a full day at school will not ruin your senior year. Rather, the abolishment of a useless early dismissal system will result in a school and senior class that is better prepared for future academic pursuits, manages taxpayer and state aid dollars more effectively, and places emphasis on values and ideals that are truly exceptional.