Would you like to have food catered while having lunch separately with just your grade? Go to Walgreens or  Pizza Hut?  Excuse homework? Have more spirit weeks? Field trips, going bowling, going to museums, anywhere?  

Seniors have been introduced to a new experience, known as senior privileges. The criteria is simple: good attendance and good grades. 

“It’s like a right of passage,” guidance counselor Sashae Walls said. “Once you get to the senior level you have more responsibility. You are more mature and if you do what you got to do in school academically and attendance-wise, you deserve to be celebrated for that,” Walls said.

“We tried to implement something that would give seniors incentive to come to school and do their work,” senior dean Danielle Bond said. 

“Seniors are able to pitch in ideas,” Bond said. “I met with the student council and when students applied for student privileges there was a spot on the form where they could fill out ideas that they had.”

“I’m using the input of the students but some of the things we would love to see we can’t have because there’s a lot of red tape and things that we just can’t do. We’re trying to work around it and come to an agreement on different privileges,” Bond said.

“We don’t have a ton of senior privileges right now but there are some I would like to add,” Walls said. “One thing that a lot of seniors have reached out to me towards, the beginning of the school year for senior privileges was having food delivered or being able to order food.”

The staff has been working hard and diligently in order to incorporate the seniors’ opinions and ideas while they plan ahead for future privileges, including principal Dennis Lynch.

“After the senior picture, I let them leave 20 mins early,” Lynch said.  “I just dismissed them right outside. Lunch outside will be a senior thing going forward. I want to try and do some field trips for them and other opportunities like if they want to do movie nights, and do these other things I’ll allow them to do.”

“Most have been in school for 13 years whether it’s Everett or somewhere else,” Lynch said. “If you have been in our K-8, you remember the Polar Express around Christmas, just watching a movie and giving them easy days. I have no problem bringing those back. If you think it’s corny we won’t but I’ve heard from a lot of students that want to do that.”

“I want to do pep rallies, I want to do other stuff like seniors vs the juniors, or seniors vs the staff,” Lynch said. “Bring that old-school spirit back that I really need the seniors to be involved in. We had a huge amount of people participating in the student council elections, so I can work with the presidents and the vice presidents to advocate for you guys.”

But how do students feel about senior privileges? Do senior privileges actually help seniors enjoy their year and improve their grades? How do the teachers and staff feel?

“We’ve gotten senior dress up day, Powder Puff, and Polar Express day,” senior Olivia McCann said.

 “I enjoy the privileges,” senior Jennifer Portillo said. “I feel like it gives us more freedom than we’ve had any other year. I think we could add maybe food trucks, more free privileges to go outside, and maybe more fun activities.”

“We do get to recommend what we like, we had a form go out and we filled out what we wanted,” Portillo said.

Earning senior privileges is effortless, but they can be taken away just as easily.

“You can lose your senior privileges,” Bond said. “In order to have senior privileges you have to have 3 or less unexcused tardies and absences, you need to be passing your classes, and you cannot have any disciplinary action or no conduct report.” 

“It’s good motivation for seniors to go to school,” senior Rianna Botte said.  

A lot of seniors are happy about getting senior privileges but not everyone will have the same opinions.

“A lot of the senior girls are stressed because we have been talking about this since freshman year and seeing a lot of girls not be able to participate is really unfair,” Botte said. “Attendance and tardiness are why they wouldn’t be able to participate. It’s reasonable to have a consequence but this is unfair because it’s your last year.”

“I think senior privileges are dumb,” senior Kederson Pierre said. “Everyone in all the grades should have privileges, not only seniors. I don’t think it’s fair for only seniors to have privileges.”

 “I think it’s great to give them the opportunity to earn some rewards so they can have special things for doing what they’re supposed to do,” math teacher Amy Brogna said.  “To be above and beyond, getting good grades, coming to school on time, or even being a good role model for the other students. It’s good to give those kids rewards.” 

Staff and students of all grades are excited to see what’s to come for senior privileges in the coming years.