Whatever their reasoning may be, every year some students find themselves questioning the point of the traditional four years of high school, leading a handful of motivated students to graduate ahead of their peers. 

With accelerated course work and an eagerness for the future, individuals at OHS have made the decision to graduate early, taking a leap of faith. For some, middle schools providing high school credits to students in gifted programs allow students to enter OHS taking sophomore or even junior-level classes.

“It was kind of like ‘why not?’ Freshman year I had completed most of my core classes besides freshman biology. The Renaissance program… set me up on that path. I was able to take Algebra 1-2 honors and English 1-2, along with Spanish 1-2 honors, and that kind of laid that foundation,” said Tadeusz Borowski, sophomore.

With ambitious plans for higher education, individuals wish to begin this process of excellency as soon as possible.

“I’m actually going to college to get my masters in accounting and then I’m going to get a minor in statistics, and if I feel like staying in school longer, a minor in analytics. My goal is to eventually become the CFO of a company after 15 years of working in the field,” said Jori Nunn, junior. 

For some, analyzing their credits reveals that this path is not only feasible but ideal.

“I really only decided on that this past summer going into sophomore year. I was going to still graduate early freshman year but I was going to be a junior, and then just reviewing everything it really didn’t make sense so I decided to give it a shot and take some community college courses, things like that, to get all my credits done,’’ Borowski said. 

Through a strenuous year of rigor, students are able to be set up for paths of ultimate success at an early age. 

“All of these courses set me on a path to basically have my associates done going into college. So from there I only have to take a couple years of undergrad and then from there I can focus solely on medical school,” Borowski said. 

For these students, such a rigorous schedule makes it normal to feel like one is working so hard without enough time in the day to get everything accomplished. 

“A lot of time management issues…for a lot of courses it’s like, oh you need to fit in time for your homework, manage your time between texting, playing games, watching TikTok, all of that stuff, but for me it was just finding the time because I did cross country and track,’’ Borowski said. 

Thankfully, these students have found comfort in others. Teachers have been able to support students throughout their educational journey, leading to their recognition as positive role models of the school. 

“My math teacher, Mr. Cardon, and then I would say Mrs. Garraway. They’re honestly always there for support and they’re there for you to talk to them; they’ve been helpful with plans and classes I should take,” Nunn said. 

Due to the stress surrounding this process, it is possible to feel like the high school experience has been significantly decreased. 

“I thought it was going to be just a year, like that’s not going to be a big deal, but it was and it’s made me really enjoy what I have [left] in high school. It’s made it a good experience but it was kind of short,” said Rita Dodd, junior. 

The overwhelming feelings these individuals have dealt with makes it necessary to take some time and relax, recognizing the importance of taking a moment to destress. 

“Taking it day by day, not focusing on the future too much. Just taking it step by step, taking it slowly, has really helped me,” Dodd said.