A recent trend developing at South Windsor High School is how some juniors and seniors have opted not to take advantage of their lockout privilege, a longstanding perk for upperclassmen.
For many, lockout, or early release from school, offers students the opportunity to rest before extracurricular activities, eat, or get work done. Students can also head in early to their afterschool jobs with this privilege, not needing to wait until the final bell at 2:00.
Yet, students like senior Mohnish Srivatsav have chosen a different path. Instead of adding lockout to his schedule this year, Srivatsav prioritized his academics, focusing on taking more competitive classes to prepare for his future goals.
Srivatsav recounted how many AP classes he had taken for the first three years of his high school experience.
“I chose to take important classes that I knew I really couldn’t avoid,” Srivatsav said.
Applying to colleges and setting the right priorities should always come first, as a senior, it’s important.
Recognizing that his aggressive academic schedule earlier on left him with classes that he still needed to take as a senior. “I still needed to take gym credit, which also took up space in my schedule,” Srivatsav explained.
Srivatsav could have taken a lockout privilege, but he chose not to. He felt like adding lockout to his schedule wasn’t beneficial in the long run.
“I could have taken a lockout, but I chose to take a finance-oriented course to gain more exposure to the field I’ll be applying to college with,” Srivatsav said. He decided he didn’t want to waste his final year. “I’d just come home and waste my time instead of using it for homework or test preparation.”
However, Srivatsav understands that some people like to have some free time in their schedule and a break from some classes. He understands that it could be useful to some people.
“I want to stay busy and continue learning new subjects, especially when it could benefit me in college and improve my admission chances,” Srivatsav stated.
Additionally, Chaitanya Bommisetty, also a senior, decided not to take a lockout for his senior year.
“The factors that played into my decision to not take lockout was that I viewed it as not that useful in the long run,” Bommisetty said. “I would rather have extra credit and more knowledge than to skip a 70-minute class”.
Bommisetty had earned a lot of credits in his first three years that would fit the graduation requirements but wanted to earn more credits to be prepared for post-secondary education.
“The credit that I earned, and I wouldn’t have taken had I taken a lockout would have been AP Psychology. This is an extra credit AP class that can boost my GPA and also help me with college decisions,” Bommisetty said.
Bommisetty wanted to pursue knowledge and use that as a skill for his future.
“This is one factor that played into my decision to not take lockout,” Bommisetty said.
School counselor, Mrs. Brown-Quinn explained how choosing lockout as a senior or junior is a prior choice, depending on the situation and who you are.
“I feel that this is an individual choice. Some students may choose early release or late arrival for various reasons,” Mrs. Brown-Quinn said.
Associate principal, Mrs. Harlow spoke on the lockout situation. Harlow usually is in charge of early release and late arrival, and she thinks some junior and senior students choose not to participate in early release for various reasons.
“I feel like a few common reasons include the lack of transportation home, the desire for a study hall, the need for certain classes in their schedules,” Harlow said.
Mrs. Harlow thinks the reason some juniors and seniors are not taking lockout is that they are taking eight classes in a semester.
“Each student’s situation is unique,” Mrs. Harlow said. Choosing lockout is an option that everyone has, but isn’t compatible with everyone.
