As many student’s senior year is fast approaching, schedules are being chosen and the opportunity to take a half day is available. There are many advantages for the seniors who choose to do so as they usually get off after fourth hour, only having four classes compared to the usual six.

Skyler Cardella, senior, who arrives to school for second hour and gets out after fourth is only taking three classes his last year at OHS.

As well as the obvious advantage of having less time in class, Cardella also gets the advantages of missing the usual morning and afternoon busy traffic, having more time at home and more time to focus on things outside of school. However, having first hour off leads to complications with the changing bell schedules.

“I don’t have a first hour so school starts at a different time every day with half days and Eagle Hour. So I am late a lot,” Cardella said.

Some seniors choose to go against the norm and take full day classes, filling their schedules with electives, extra academic courses, or to retake classes from previous years. Many of the reasons students choose to fill their day with academic courses is to help their grades for college.

“Your GPA rises if you are doing well in your classes,” said Jonathon Badzioch, senior.

Badzioch has a full schedule getting out at the usual release time after his seventh hour, AP Physics class. Another senior who has a full schedule, Jacob Mansur, states some of the hard parts of his senior year.

“You have less time, you are more tired, and have more homework but it’s fine; it’s all for college,” said Jacob Mansur, senior, who also has a full schedule.

To meet in the middle of the half day and regular full, some seniors take 5 classes, getting out an hour earlier than the rest of the school. Marguerite Hoaglen senior, gets out after sixth hour, and greatly enjoys the extra hour of rest she gets before her extracurriculars.

“I recommend taking one period off. If you take to many classes off then you end up thinking ‘I have so much time to do my homework’ and then you never do your homework and just sleep all day,” said Marguerite Hoaglan, senior.

Hoaglan also notices the drastic change in traffic times after she is released early.

“Anytime I have to come to pick up anybody after school, traffic is awful. I get so used to it being nice, you go back to picking up after seventh hour and it’s terrible,” Hoaglan said.

The variety of options for a unique schedule available to those who have enough credits is one of many pros to senior year.

“I would recommend taking as many classes as you need and to raise your gpa as much as you can,” Badzioch said.