By Nina Underman
<[email protected]>

On Friday, over 4,300 students will stream out the school doors, eager for a chance to relax and recharge over winter break before returning to school on Jan. 4. When senior Sarah Walker leaves the building, she’s not planning to come back.

Walker is one of a group of seniors who will be finished with high school at the end of the first semester. Having already met all of the credit requirements for her diploma, she is choosing to graduate early.

According to school registrar Maria Pacalo, this year about 50 seniors are graduating early. Pacalo said this number is consistent with previous years.“ To be a mid-year grad, students go through the counselors and make sure they have enough credits and adjust their schedules,” Pacalo said. “You certainly have to have enough credits to graduate early.”

After she finishes high school in December, Walker said she is directly moving to Florida to start at St. Petersburg College in January. She said her parents were supportive of her choice.

“My dad actually thought it was a good idea. He thinks it’s taking people longer nowadays to go to college, so my graduating early would help me get ahead. My mom was OK with it as well,” Walker said. “By graduating high school early, I’ll be getting ahead, so I’ll be done with college sooner. If I ever decide to take a break, I’ll still be on track to graduate college normally.”

Like Walker,  senior Andrew Trefny is graduatating this December as well. “I’ve had two sisters that went to Carmel before me, so I knew the whole school before I even came here,” Trefny said. “I had been around the school forever and was kind of over it, so I talked to my counselor (about becoming a mid-year graduate).”

Trefny, who said he plans to attend Ivy Tech Community College in the fall to study culinary arts, said his parents were fine with his decision.

“My parents were totally for it,” he said. “I’ve been working construction and in restaurants since I was 15 years old and I already have a construction job lined up after high school. My parents were fine with the fact that I would be taking a semester off to work and just save up more money.”

Counselor Stephanie Aikins said that reasons for becoming a mid-year graduate are unique to each student.

“There are a bunch of reasons why students choose to become mid-year grads,” she said. “It really depends on the student. Maybe there’s pressure to make money or get college credits sooner. For some, school’s just not a happy place for them and they want to leave early.”

Mid-year graduates may be leaving school a semester early, but, according to Pacalo, they are allowed to return for commencement activities.

“They do come back in May if they want to walk in graduation. May is when they will get their diplomas, along with the other regular graduates,” she said.

Walker said she does plan to return for graduation, but Trefny said he isn’t sure.  “It depends if I have time,” he said. “I think (graduation) is just a symbol, so it’s not that important to me.”

Though they each have different post-graduate plans, both Walker and Trefny said they will miss little, if anything, about high school life. Walker said she might miss some parts of her senior year but is ready for the next chapter of her life.

“I’m sure I’ll miss going to games and stuff, but I’m excited to move on,” she said. “It’ll be scary, but I’m excited.”