Senior privilege allows select students to leave campus

Coffee. Crisp air. Crushing of leaves. Midterms. Halloween. These are all signs of fall. But for Parkway North High School seniors the availability of the Viking Pass is their first sign that summer is over, and it is now time to settle down with the pass that allows seniors to get out of school during ac lab.

“It is important for seniors to have the Viking Pass because it gives them a chance to have a small break in the middle of the day. Being a senior, there are tons of things going on in my life right now (college, school, family, friends). Having a break in the day really helps me relieve stress,” said senior Auburn Meister.

There are many places to go in the area with the Viking Pass. Some students might want to go to Smoothie King, Starbucks, Bread Co., or home to take a nap.

“I will most likely go home to nap, go to a place to eat, or even go to the gym since I have a Viking Pass. I might even visit family members if I can,” said Meister.

Senior Brandon Etz said,” I have the ability to go anywhere I want-within reason of course- since I have to be back at school at a certain time. This privilege also creates another responsibility for students as well.”

Some students use their Viking Pass as a goal setting initiative. Since the pass is evaluated every month it gives students a chance to bring their grade up or get on track.

“I believe the Viking Pass is important for seniors because it gives them an initiative to keep striving for good academic success throughout the rest of their high school career,” said Etz.

The Viking Pass is only available to students who have no Ds or Fs in any of the classes during the selection period, no tardies, and no sign of misbehavior in a classroom.

“[We have the grade policy because] if we think your grades are fabulous enough then you don’t need to be in academic lab, but if someone is not doing well in all their classes why would we say you don’t need academic lab,” said senior principal Dr. Rhonda Page.

Many seniors view the Viking Pass as a way to take a break from their studies and prepare for what they are doing next year, whether that is college applications or preparing for standardized tests.

“It’s most important to use the Viking Pass around finals because you and a study group can go somewhere outside of the school and study without the distractions of other students going in and out of your lab,” said Meister.

However, the Viking Pass is a privilege that students earn with their academics as well as their behavior. If a student breaks school rules at school or while using the pass, the privilege will be taken away.

“The behavior policy is still in affect when kids are leaving campus. We still need to trust they will be back and be okay,” said Page.

By Brianne Lewis, Ad Manager/Entertainment Editor