The 2025-2026 school year has officially begun, and the new school year means new schedules. Being a senior at St. Louis High School means getting ready for college. For some, they take this as an opportunity to take college classes while in high school to get college credits and get them prepared for the future. For others, they take this as an opportunity to take the easy road and relax before having to go out into the real world.
Senior Allyson VanAlstine is one of the many students who takes this opportunity to get ready for her future. VanAlstine expresses, “I feel good about not having any high school classes just because it makes it easier to plan things with my college classes and gives me more time to do my work.” She is not enrolled in any high school classes here, but by taking college classes, VanAlstine can start college next year as a sophomore at Northwood University. All the classes she is taking are based on her major she wants to pursue. VanAlstine shares, “Northwood University gave me my schedule of classes I would need throughout my four years of college.” While VanAlstine’s schedule benefits her, some students take another route and have it easy, which benefits them.
One of the students who is on this track is senior Jacob Erskin. Erksin says, “I have a jazz band for zero hour and a marching band for the first hour, then after that I go to Alma CTE for automotive.” Erskin only has one high school class, which is English 12 for the third hour. Being in the band doesn’t necessarily help Erskin with his future; however, taking automotive CTE may help him. Erskin shares, “I plan on going to the Marines after high school and then studying diesel mechanics.” By studying automotive now, it will benefit him in the service and workforce. His automotive class will help him in the future, unlike the jazz band, marching band, and steel band, which he takes for the love of music and his classmates. Yet in the end, all will be prepared after leaving the Shark tank.
