Missing Perks: Are Warde’s Seniors Losing Out on Senior Privileges?


When I was a freshman at Warde, I admired  the seniors who seemed to juggle everything—academics, extracurriculars, college applications. But now that I’m in their shoes, I see the reality: senior year is a constant balancing act, and stress is part of the deal. Thankfully, Warde has introduced initiatives like “Senior Spirit Month,” organized by the Class of 2025 Club, to help ease the pressure. It’s been a fun distraction, but it also got me thinking—are seniors really getting enough privileges to make this year feel special?

To find out, we ran a poll on the “Warde Focus” Instagram page. The results were loud and clear: 89% of students believe senior privileges are lacking, while just 11% think they’re fine as is. So, what are seniors looking for? More free Bagel King? A cure for Senioritis?

One conversation I overheard offered a fresh perspective: maybe it’s not about piling on more events but rethinking certain policies. Take the recent change to PE requirements. Starting with the 2024–2025 school year, Warde reduced the PE requirement from four years to just two, aiming to give students more flexible schedules. Sounds great, right? Well, not for the seniors graduating in 2025, who had already gone through three years of PE before this change was announced. To make matters worse, PE classes now last a whopping 1 hour and 25 minutes—double what they used to be.

An anonymous senior summed it up perfectly: “One hour of badminton could’ve been another class I needed—or at least some extra time.”

For seniors already drowning in AP classes and college essays, these extended PE sessions feel like a misstep. That time could be spent taking a class that actually helps with their goals or simply decompressing before the whirlwind of graduation. Instead of feeling celebrated, many seniors feel overlooked by a policy that seems tailor-made for underclassmen. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to offer seniors the option of a free period instead of another semester of gym?

To make matters worse, Warde doesn’t even have a Senior Lounge anymore—a space that once served as a small but meaningful way to acknowledge the oldest students in the building. Without it, many seniors feel increasingly overlooked. At a time when senior privileges should be a highlight, policies like the PE change only add to the sentiment that the Class of 2025 is missing out on the recognition it deserves.

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