Seniors privileges give seniors a new-found sense of independence and responsibility as the oldest students at BSM. Some of these perks include parking in the senior parking lot, arriving late during a first and second free period, and leaving early during a seventh and eighth free period.

These privileges are more than just a “congrats for making it to 12th grade” reward. BSM vice principal Matt Weingartz emphasized the values that can be learned from earning senior privileges. “As you progress through…you should get more and more you know, like responsibilities, to be able to build independence to be able to kind of prep and prepare you for ultimately college, when you’re an adult and you’re on your own. So to kind of progressively get you ready for the next step in life,” Weingartz said.

The spring of second semester will bring even more freedom for seniors. Starting April 3rd, seniors will be able to leave during their free period, no matter what hour. They can go off campus for lunch, and return to school for the rest of their classes. Senior Emma Johnson is looking forward to the opportunity to leave during her sixth period. “I was really excited about it because I saw the seniors leaving…almost the whole school year last year…and it was really exciting especially because I usually don’t have anything to do during that period. But it was a little upsetting that we had to wait so long for it to take effect,” Johnson said.

Another second semester privilege is seniors’ ability to skip their finals. They will be able to apply for this privilege as long as they meet the requirements for skip-a-final. To apply, students must be passing the class with a C, have no more than 9 tardies to classes, not have any unexcused absences, and may not have any Tier II or Tier III referrals.

It’s no coincidence that privileges to leave school during all free periods and to skip a final are given in the spring; they are earned throughout the rest of the school year. “It’s almost, you know, rewarding you for being great for the other parts of the year and now you’ve done a great job…And then if you don’t hold up to the expectations, well, then there’s individual consequences for those students as opposed to a large block of all seniors having it taken away,” Weingartz said.

Senior year brings many new opportunities to students, and privileges are a way for them to begin developing the independence they need for life after highschool. Things like less time in the school building and an early start to summer foster responsibility as well as excitement to be the role models of BSM.