Walnut Hills High School
Volume CVIII, Issue 10
Surveyed students admit to cutting class 7th grade 8th grade Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior When asked if they had ever skipped a class: 78.6 percent of SENIORS surveyed claim to have cut a class at least once in their academic careers, but only 5.45 percent of seventh graders have given skipping a try. Grace Hill, ‘15 Imagine this: upon arriving at Walnut, you get the overwhelming feeling that 7:30 is too early to start the day. Suddenly, the key becomes impossible to remove from the ignition. With the image of the dome inching closer, you decide to turn around and find motivation at Starbucks. “Nothing important happens before 8:15 anyway,” you tell yourself. As you drive away, the dome recedes into the rear view mirror. Skipping classes is a regular practice for many of Walnut’s stu-
dents. From Effies to SENIORS, all grades are taking part. Many students hold strong, divergent opinions on the subject, making it a controversial topic. Students in all grades are trying it out. In a random survey of 492 students in all grades, 46.8 percent have admitted to skipping before. However, out of those 230 students who have skipped, 21.3 percent have only skipped once. The number of students who skip increases with age. Out of all the seventh-graders surveyed, 5.5 percent have skipped. Eighth grade is when many students be-
gin experimenting with skipping: 22.7 percent of this class have reported skipping. 29.2 percent of freshman surveyed have tried it and 51.5 percent of sophomores have, as well. The most skipping occurs in junior and SENIOR years: juniors with a 67.4% skip rate and SENIORS with 78.6%. Most students attribute these last two percentages to age and access to cars. However, there are many students at Walnut who have never skipped, some because they just haven’t gotten around to it, and others because they have made a conscious decision not to. Naturally, many underclassmen are in this category, though plenty of upperclassmen have never skipped before. “I don’t see the point in skipping class; you miss way too much information that is difficult to makeup,” said one freshman. The reasons students skip vary significantly, however some reasons include: not finishing an assignment or not studying for a test, hanging out with friends, lack of motivation and disliking the class or teacher. The top-tier education students receive at Walnut often leads to a high-stress environment. Late nights filled with time-consuming work are typical for almost every student. The school’s academic prowess seems to have a major effect on skipping habits. Students named stress, tiredness and inability to finish assignments as some of the leading reasons to skip. SENIOR Nick Siemers agrees with
February 27, 2014
this concept, saying that “the stress levels play a big part in deciding to skip or not.” With a school-wide emphasis on grades, students can often feel overwhelmed. Siemers believes when grades are in jeopardy students often find the decision whether to skip or not to be an easy one. One SENIOR states that “I have my highest grades in the classes I skip most often.” Numerous SENIORS accredit their skipping to having senioritis. Lack of drive and motivation is a leading cause for this class’ less-than-stellar attendance. One SENIOR went as far as to say, “The question is not ‘Am I going to skip class today?’ but...‘Which classes am I skipping today?’” One sophomore’s skipping philosophy is one followed by many: “Never for classes where I am assigned a seat, often for classes that give me freedom to move around and disappear with ease (art classes especially).” Classes such as art, choir, band and gym are considered by some to be unnecessary, and are likely to be skipped often. Students often have the impression that skipping those classes doesn’t even count as skipping because they aren’t “real” classes. Some see skipping as a healthy, normal part of being a rebellious teen. However, many students feel that peer pressure plays a part. 50.4 percent surveyed believe this pressure is prevalent. “High school, in the way I've observed it, is basically a hive mind of societal pressures,” explained Ryan Kurz, ‘15. He finds Walnut’s social
dynamic to be very interesting in that “to fit in, you have to stand out, and that almost implies a rebellious undertaking.” Some students strongly disagree with skipping for academic reasons. For them, responsibility is of chief importance. Kurz describes himself as “a bit less lenient than most [when it comes to skipping.]” He generally disagrees with the practice, saying that “skipping class to me because of tests is cowardly. If you didn't study, that is a personal issue.” He believes that not being prepared for class “isn't an excuse to not show up when others are there, ready to go.” The consequences of getting caught also plague the minds of many student. “I don’t skip class because 50 minutes of a class, whether I like it or not, is better than a Friday school or ISS on my record,” said one junior. “It’s not worth it.” Students not only have to be worried about retribution from the administration if they get caught, but also the reaction from their parents or guardians. One seventh-grader said, “I don’t skip class (my mom would kill me).” The data in this article was calculated from surveys that were distributed to three English classes in each grade. 492 students gave responses. The classes were chosen with equal representation from college prep, AA and AP classes.
Reasons students skip class Didn’t finish an assignment or study for test Hang out with friends
Feeling unmotivated Do not like class or teacher
Among the various responses, the Chatterbox received this map as a SENIOR’s view on skipping. It includes a route from the south wing to Ruth Ave.
whhscbox.com
Hannah Shaw, Editor-in-Chief
All infographics by Karinne Hill, ‘15
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