Senior Graduation Requirements
Story & Graphic by Mia Gatti- Feature/Sports Editor
As the 2022-2023 school year nears an end with only a few months left, many seniors have a lot to get done before they graduate. There are many requirements that each student has to reach to graduate at Lee’s Summit North. One main requirement students need to complete is their 10 hours of community service in four years.
“There are 205 students out of 449 that still need to meet their community service hours before May 21st!” Ana Cardoza, Counseling SBE, said.
Not only is community service needing to be finished by many, Mr. Whiting, history teacher at LSN, is making sure all students finalize their mandatory testing as well.
“In the state of Missouri, all high school students are required, by law, to pass a US Constitution Exam, Missouri Constitution Exam, and Civics Exam. The passing threshold for each test is 70%,” Whiting said.
These tests are mandatory in Missouri for many reasons, as students find this rule not necessary.
“With regard to the US & Missouri Constitution Exam, I believe the Missouri General Assembly intended to create two assessments that provided proof that students in the state, who take the required American Government or Civics Course, can demonstrate that they have retained knowledge from the course,” Whiting, said.
Students are working hard to get their testing done early so they do not have to worry about it in May. Another thing senior students are trying to get done is their A+ information.
“It’s such an awesome program that is not available in a lot of states and I don’t really feel that the students understand the huge opportunity and privilege it is to have 2 years of college* paid for,” Shannon Husted, LSN A+ Program Assistant, said.
There is not much that has to be done when working towards the A+ program, but it is an extremely beneficial program that can help pay for students college that attend in state colleges.
“The requirements for the program are you have to, be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, enter into a written agreement with your high school prior to graduation, attend a designated A+ high school for 2 years prior to graduation. Graduate from an A+ designated high school with an overall unweighted grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale, have at least a 95% attendance record overall for grades 9-12. Perform at least 50 hours of unpaid tutoring or mentoring, maintain a record of good citizenship and avoid the unlawful use of drugs and/or alcohol while in grades 9-12, have achieved a score of proficient or advanced on the Algebra I end of course exam or a higher level DESE approved end-of-course exam in the field of mathematics,” Husted said.
With all of these requirements, it is not too hard to get it all done, considering 2 free years of college are the reward!
“Out of 449 seniors in the graduating class of 2023, only 174 signed up for A+, 59 have dropped out, been removed, or will not be completing the program, and out of the 115 that I anticipate finishing, 64 have currently completed the A+ program to date,” Husted said.
All of these seniors have a lot to get done before graduation day, anyone that needs information on what they still need to finish can go to the counseling office to make sure they get all of their requirements completed.