Three Seniors Finish Out Final Term

by Emily Green and Olivia Menold

Three seniors at Princeville High School (PHS) will finish their final semester on December 21st. These soon-to-be-alums are Grace Avery, Sommer Eads and Lily Andrews. 

The students petitioned to graduate early during the spring of 2018. Petitioning included speaking with a guidance counselor and presenting a letter of reasoning to PHS principal Rich Thole. 

“It was a pretty easy process,” Avery said when asked about petitioning. “I didn’t have to do much besides make a schedule around the credits I needed.”

Letters are then presented to both the superintendent and board of education, and the board has the final say on whether or not the request is granted. 

“I haven’t had any situations where an early graduation has been denied. There have always been solid reasons,” said Thole. The school averages about one to two requests per year.

Although the students are graduating after only seven semesters, they still have to meet the same criteria as other PHS students, including all 28 credits and 40 hours of community service.

“There are some students that, based on where they are at and the goals and plans they have, are at the point where they are ready to continue on,” said Thole. 

Avery considers her choice one of the best decisions she has ever made. She plans to work through the spring and summer, saving up money for the fall when she will attend Illinois College as a psychology major. 

The other early graduates, Andrews and Eads, have goals that align similarly.

“My future plans are to, at least now, have a full time job to save up money and go to a community college, then transfer to a university,” Eads said. 

Andrews also hopes to work and begin college in the fall, rather than beginning midyear.

“Starting midyear interferes with financial aid and scholarships at some schools because it makes you a transfer student,” she said.

The three students all expressed their gratitude towards the opportunity. 

“I am glad that we have this opportunity for kids who get held back or kids that have social problems at school or just kids who just want to start college early,” Eads said.

Early graduation at PHS has been an option for as long as the current staff can remember. And while students may miss out on spring extracurriculars, for some, the opportunity to move ahead early can seem very enticing.