Juniors and seniors interested in opting out of select courses must fill out the GPA opt-out tile in the student portal and get counselor and parent approval in order to officially opt-out by the deadline on Friday.
Students have the ability to opt-out of the following courses if they have participated in them for at least two years: negatively affecting their GPA: Band, Drill Team, Athletics/Athletics Manager/Athletics Trainer, Color Guard, Choir, Orchestra, and Theatre/Tech Theatre.
Principal Stacey Whaling believes that the policy provides students with the option to pursue their interests and desired paths without being penalized for it.
“My goal is that kids take the classes they want to take because they’re excited to try new things,” Whaling said. “I know that some students are more academically motivated and they don’t wanna limit their GPA in some way.”
For those who rank higher on the GPA scale, each class can affect their goals for their high school career.
“I am opting out of orchestra,” junior Cindy Trinh said. “The reason why I decided to opt out of orchestra is because I’m in the running for the top 10% of my class and opting out will help me maintain top 10%.”
The premise of allowing students to pursue their passions while still achieving academic greatness is not lost on students, and serves to benefit them.
“I think the ability to opt out affects those who are ranked because it helps them maintain a competitive GPA while still pursuing their extracurriculars,” Trinh said.
