“Twelfth year… amounts to a period of restless waiting that practically requires a descent into debauchery and ends with a big stupid party under a spinning disco ball place as the spirit of those below. » Essayist and novelist Walter Kirn, in his article "Class Dismissed," uses statements like this to support his opinion that the senior year should be eliminated in part, if not completely, from the high school system. Kirn views senior year as an unnecessary extension of students' education when time is wasted or spent causing problems. He believes in it so completely that he declares the following: “…[seniors] reign supreme, not because they have accomplished a lot… but because it is a tradition…” The job market or starting higher education would be choices above the twelfth grade of one's school. eyes. Considering the money potentially saved by not having a twelfth grader, Kirn's opinion doesn't seem to pose a problem. However, as a senior myself, I think Walter Kirn failed to take into account some important aspects of senior year that are more valuable than people think. First, not all courses need to be tailored to the student's chosen career. Just because he or she isn't going to go into business, chemistry, or whatever the course is, doesn't mean it couldn't benefit him or her to study as many subjects as possible. Kirn naively argues that seniors are trying to “get a grade they don’t need” throughout their senior year of high school. This is incorrect. College freshmen are notorious for changing majors, and while I can't say for sure how often young adults change careers, I know that the career they want is not guaranteed. Therefore, continuing to explore in late adolescence might help later, in the middle of writing...... In fact, given the opportunity to graduate early, I would take another course to don't do it. Kirn points out some of the unwise decisions the seniors made, but those decisions wouldn't change if the grade was removed. The senior year is not only valuable academically, but also socially. Walter Kirn managed to uncover some of the worst aspects of senior year. However, these reasonings are not sufficiently solid to justify its abandonment. Any problems found are the fault of the student or school administration, not the grade level itself. Senior year is worth saving for both persistence of learning and solidifying relationships. Kirn happily talks about his choice to leave high school early. Nonetheless, the four-year high school experience should not be demoralized by those who wish to value it for the irreplaceable opportunity it represents...