To attend Senior Ball, 175 must “date” their APs

About 175 seniors who want to take a date to the Senior Ball on May 13 will have to have another date first with their assistant principal. This is because of the renewed administration effort to restrict students who have violated certain policies or not met school expectations from going to Senior Ball.

“I think it came as a shock to a lot of seniors who have let ‘senioritis’ sink in,” said senior Gabbie Dionisio.

However, those who do not appear on the approved sales list are not completely out of hope. In fact, the majority of them will be guided to set a goal in order to qualify to buy tickets. After speaking with their administrator, devising a plan, and signing a contract, students will most likely be able to attend, administrators have said.

According to Assistant Principal Jesse Hansen, this is a way to ensure students will behave responsibly and stay motivated in school.

“We want our students to excel academically… and Senior Ball is one area which we can use to guide students to this behaviour,” said Hansen.

Attendance is one of the main reasons why students are receiving these warnings. More than five tardies for the four weeks spanning March 13 to April 7 resulted in students facing obstacles to ticket purchases. Those with attendance concerns can still plan on going, but must be aware that it may affect their chance if they don’t take the next steps to getting back on the list.

Other violations include book fines, a GPA of less than 1.5, and behavioral issues that led to suspensions.

“I just hope as a class we collectively improve our behavior and attendance so everyone can experience their last dance of high school,” said Dionisio.

This policy is not new, but the school plans to enforce it more consistently than it has in the past.

“An approved sales list has been a common practice in previous years, but has been inconsistent or nonexistent recently,” stated Assistant Principal Nicholas McMaster.

Senior Ball is certainly a privilege for which students will clean up their act in order to attend. This reinstated policy may scare some, however the school’s goal is not to make everyone miss the special night.

“Our number one priority is to ensure a great education for students with activities being a supplement to the experience. If a student is jeopardizing their academics and/or possibility of graduating, we would much rather put that in perspective with events like Senior Ball,” said McMaster.