Recently, a noticeable number of UME scholars have left the school, and it has reached the attention of many attendees, creating quite a buzz in the hallways. The question being heard the most however, it is simply ‘why’? Is it some sort of mass conspiracy or just a happy coincidence?

 

The truth is that there is no one answer to this complex inquiry. The reasons behind an individual’s departure is just that: individual and specific to that person alone. “Most of the seniors left because they wouldn’t have had enough credits to graduate,” says fellow senior Connor Merrifield. And they certainly can’t be blamed for their desire to finish high school.

 

But as for the non-seniors, the question remains an unanswered mystery. It could be that for some, UME just wasn’t a good fit, and they wanted to attend a school which better suited them personally. Or maybe the academic challenges which faced them were greater than they originally expected, and they cracked under the pressure. Among the possible causes are family issues, social issues, and many more variables which cannot be accounted for.

 

So perhaps the focus shouldn’t be so much on the students who have already left, but the ones who have remained, in spite of whatever flaws can be detected in the system. Although UME has lost many of its members, it still flourishes every day as its first graduation approaches. So chins up, scholars! Root for our seniors and remember that soon, each student will get that diploma and begin the rest of their life. 

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2-21-17

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