Today marks the beginning of the second quarter for the students and teachers of AHS. Among students however, the day has another meaning.
The tradition of Senior Skip Day was honored by a number of students in the senior class. Senior Skip Day is an informally organized event planned by the senior class in which they elect not to attend a chosen day of school. It is sometimes held multiple times throughout the year.
The attendance office did notice a higher number of seniors absent from classes today though exact numbers were not available. Some students, such as senior Ben Vest did not see a large number of students from his classes participating in the tradition this particular time.
“I was actually surprised by how few people were absent,” Vest said. “There were a couple but by and large everyone that I know was at school.”
Several factors go into a student’s decision on whether or not to attend school on Senior Skip Day. Risks of getting caught, one’s classes that day or the amount of work they would have to make up all get considered by those contemplating skipping school. Often times however, this decision boils down to whether a majority of their peers make the same decision.
The influence of one’s friends was noted by senior Samuel Shin. “Most people won’t skip unless they are sure that a majority of other students will, which hasn’t happened yet,” Shin said.
The fact that Senior Skip Day occurred on a Collaboration Day, where seniors were able to sleep in for an extra hour, made the decision to skip classes seem unnecessary according to Shin.
The schedule of a student’s classes also acts as an important determinant in whether they show up for school that day.
“I think students’ classes influence how much work they would miss, and the extent to which they enjoy or value the classes,” said senior Sameen Yusuf.
Honors and IB classes often act as deterrences due to the pace of the classes and the amount of work assigned. Core classes such as math and science may also raise doubts in some as to whether skipping would be the appropriate decision. As a result, the number of students skipping are often times very low for these classes.
“No one’s skipped my classes the last two years,” math teacher Hee Chang Choi said. He was very adamant in his opinion that students should not be cutting classes in general. “What I think is that they just shouldn’t be skipping school.”
