Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Raider Times staff nor its advisor.

Being a senior, I get to experience senior privileges, and although they may be great, they aren’t something to be taking lightly. In my opinion these privileges should be a perk that only seniors get for multiple reasons; first, seniors are going through a hectic and stressful time and need a break, second they have earned the privileges, and third it is something that can easily be abused in a lower grade.

Personally in my freshman, sophomore, and junior years of high school, I really didn’t have that much stress put on me. I wouldn’t say it was easy, but it certainly doesn’t compare to what I’m dealing with now. The workload has tripled and the amount of time we have to do things has decreased, with deadlines right around the corner. Seniors are in a very stressful time, and in their last year of high school, these privileges help assuage some of the stress. As seniors, we have to worry about our STP (Senior Thesis Paper), which in itself drains all of our time and energy. Then we have to worry about our regular classes and all of the work that goes along with them, which takes up the rest of our time. To top it all off, we have to worry about college and meeting the deadlines that follow. The privileges seniors get give them a break in this hectic stage in their life to just relax and have a moment to breathe.

Second, senior year is the last year of high school and seniors should have some special treatment to show all that they have accomplished. They are older and have paid their dues. Everyone will get their chance with senior privileges, but it is something that has to be earned through the first three years of high school. As students, we have worked as hard as we can in order to do what is right for our futures. As a reward for their hard work and efforts, the senior class is awarded privileges to leave school grounds during their own studies.

Lastly, underclassmen might not fully see the severity of how important the “right now” is to them and the future that lies ahead. With that said, they might abuse the power to leave during a study to do whatever they want. In turn, their grades may suffer, which will make senior year even more stressful for them. Having to raise their grades and pull off miracles in just a few months to get back on track is not only difficult but it’s nearly impossible. To even try or attempt that with everything else that a senior has to worry about would certainly exceed the breaking point. Underclassmen would only want these privileges so that they would be allowed to leave during school hours, only for the benefit that they get to leave, not help them in school in the long run.

Current sophomore, Niko Ohannesian, believes that the privileges should also be allowed to juniors as well because, “They deserve them for the reason that they are older and more mature.” For me, the end of junior year was when reality started to be more than just a hazy idea. It wasn’t until the start of senior year that reality became more realistic. Current senior Sabrina Gentilucci likes these privileges because, “seniors need the extra time to get things done on time.”

I believe that senior privileges should stay as a benefit only to seniors because senior year is extremely stressful, and after three years of high school, we are responsible enough to not abuse the freedom.