Early release is one of the many privileges available to the Senior class at Panther Creek high school, which allows a high school senior who is on track to graduate to drop their 3rd or 4th period. From taking a college level course at a community college or university, to fitting in a couple more hours of work to save money for college, many students find that their time is better spent outside of the classroom. PCNN sat down with a couple seniors who had the opportunity to get early release and asked them a few questions.

The first question we asked was “What are the benefits of early release?” Senior Kaeli Murphy believes that having early release “allows you to be able to work or do something else, other than school, that is productive.” The most common reason students get early release tends to be so they can pick up extra shifts at a part-time job. Whether that be to save up for college, or even just to have a little extra spending money, the seniors have found this additional time extremely beneficial as they prepare for life after high school.

Next, we asked students what they do with the extra time off. Several of them replied that they either went straight to a job or to the gym. Camryn Ware says that she usually heads home first, does a few chores and then gets ready for work. We also inquired if there were any cons to having a shorter school day. Almost every student answered that they sometimes find themselves sleeping instead of using their time to be productive. According to Camryn Ware, the only problem for her is “trying out for sports, because the buses are blocking everything” when she returns to school at the end of the day.

Lastly, we asked students how they thought things would be different if early release wasn’t an option. 12th grader Jessica Powell said “the parking lot would be awful,” and Elisha Mattis agreed that “not everybody would be able to get a spot, and the parking lot would be super full.” In general, the benefits of early release certainly outweigh the negatives. However, it is the responsibility of the student to use this time to their advantage and make the most of having a condensed schedule.