With the first quarter just recently concluding, Seniors have begun to receive more of their senior privileges. One of the most exciting Senior privileges is the opportunity for “Early Outs.” This privilege means seniors may leave at 2:30 PM during their study hall on A days instead of the regular 3:30 PM dismissal time. Besides simply getting an extra hour away from the Bonds Wilson campus, students can beat the post-school traffic on the way home. While one hour doesn’t seem like that big of a difference, it truly makes the whole week feel just a tad bit shorter.
Most seniors were given the Early Out forms during 4A study hall on October 10th. Turning these forms in by Friday the 18th gave seniors their black lanyards and the opportunity to receive their first Early Out on October 18th. Since it was already a half day, seniors with the early out lanyards could be dismissed at 11 AM instead of 11:30 AM. However, October 22nd was the first “real” day of Early Outs, letting students leave at 2:30 PM.
I spent my first Early Out at Panera Bread near Tanger, around 10 minutes away, with Molly Quinlivan. We went there and got food to celebrate our first Early Out. I got a You Pick Two with Chicken Noodle Soup and a Caesar salad. I was also pleasantly surprised when I got a free cinnamon roll because I signed up for their rewards program a few years back. During lunch, Molly and I heard employees yelling at another employee to wrap cookies (justice for Jodie and thank you for the cinnamon roll). After this, I went home and took advantage of the extra time to take a much-needed nap.
Although Tuesday, October 22nd, was the first “real” day of early outs, there was a hold posture until around 2:45 PM, so Seniors with their black lanyards were unable to leave until the hold posture concluded. During my second day of Early Outs (the first time leaving study hall with enough time to truly make a difference), I went home to take a nap before I had to work at 5. This long-awaited nap drastically improved my shift since I had some time to rest before closing alone.
Some of my fellow seniors told me how they spent their first few days of Early Outs! Their replies are below.
When asked how she spent her second day of Early Outs, Molly Quinlivan said, “I went to Petco and got stuff for my guinea pigs today and took an extra long nap. I love being able to actually do stuff after school instead of just homework since I get an extra hour and less traffic.” Having the chance to beat the traffic on the way home from school is one of the best parts of these privileges. Molly also said that her Panera Bread from the first day of early outs was delicious; she got a You Pick Two as well, but she got hers with a Caprese Sandwich and a Caesar salad. She said she washed it all down with an Arnold Palmer with Panera Bread’s agave lemonade. She said that she would rate the overall meal a seven out of ten and recommends giving her order a try.
Grace Griffin spent her first Early Out on the 18th hitting the road early for her trip to upstate South Carolina to visit some of her friends. Leaving at 11 let her beat some of the extra traffic she would’ve run into on her way before her enjoyable two-and-a-half-day weekend. She also said that on her next early out day, it was so nice to have time to go home before heading to her golf practice after school.
Anya Podolsky and Lilly Sturm both went to various shops to thrift clothing and get some good deals. They then went to H&L to celebrate their first day of Early Out privileges and the half-day!
When asked what she did, Talia Barsness replied, “I did homework… at home, like where it’s supposed to be done. But, Magnet overloads us with assignments so much that we’re required to have an extra one-and-a-half hour class just doing work.” Senior year has been a lot with the work from classes on top of countless supplemental essays and overall college applications, so I completely see where Talia is coming from. Having that freedom now and getting work done in the comfort of your own space is nice.
Isabelle O’Leary spent her first day of Early Outs finding a Halloween costume at Spirit Halloween since Halloween is right around the corner! Isabelle also said that Friday in study hall felt weird because there were only five other people in her study hall for the last thirty minutes after many people left for the first early out.
Lily Thompson said she walked to her car and took advantage of the extra time to go home and get some additional, much-needed sleep before this hectic pre-Halloween weekend. It seems like taking this time to relax at home is a very popular choice!
A few days ago, on Tuesday, Amara Buelk took advantage of the extra time from the early out to get a birthday present for one of her friends. On the 24th, Amara got some Starbucks before going to Dirty Birds practice to prepare for the Senior Night football game!
Elizabeth Hample said that on Tuesday, she beat the after-school traffic and spent extra time at home. On Thursday, she hung out with her friends Sousa Waggoner and Lily Thompson for a few minutes before heading to Sousa’s house. She had extra time to relax and rejuvenate there before her sailing practice.
Overall, it is super exciting to finally be a senior and have the new Senior freedoms, especially the ability to leave an hour early every other day. I look forward to having an extra two to three hours away from school each week to let me enjoy my Senior year even more and have extra time to relax away from school or to see friends.
