Seniors will have more opportunities to pursue transitional and enrichment-type learning in coming weeks than in previous years, Head of Student Affairs Jordan Church said.
The administration will offer more ways for seniors to occupy their time after AP exams have been completed, including sitting in on classes they would like to sample for a day.
Despite the focus on the time after AP exams, the first transitional learning offered will be tomorrow’s senior class meeting guest speaker, date rape victim and sexual assault prevention activist Katie Koestner, who will talk about avoiding dangerous situations in college.
Koestner, who was a freshman at the College of William and Mary in 1990, was date-raped by a friend who lived in her dorm.
A 1993 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Koestner had no idea what date rape was prior to this experience, nor had she ever been told by others to be wary of peers that she thought she could trust.
Lenient laws on date rape at the time left her with little support from friends, family and authorities.
She was treated with cavalier practices, and many even refused to believe her telling of the story.
Following the incident, Koestner began speaking out about date rape on college campuses.
She was featured on the cover of Time Magazine in 1991 for her efforts in sparking a debate on date rape laws and safety awareness.
After this speaker, the school has other plans for seniors.
Director of Counseling and Psychological Services Kavita Ajmere arranged for Koestner to visit campus.
“It’s important to know this information before going to college so students are made aware of maintaining safety,” Ajmere said.
Following the next two weeks’ AP exams, seniors will likely be able to audit non-AP classes and attend optional speeches during their free periods.
Though a small number of students audited classes after AP exams in the past, this year it will be more formal and publicized, Church said.
“I’m trying to increase the amount of offering for seniors,” Church said. “Most of the administration and faculty feel that the post-AP time frame is an underutilized part of the school year, and we want to help you guys out. I think it’s hard for seniors already being at the end of this time already, going from being very scheduled to not scheduled at all, and hopefully this will help ease that.”
Previously, transitional classes were isolated to Senior Transition Day, which will still occur May 22.
Some senior-only events are still in the planning stages.
Prefect Council is trying to plan an on-campus senior picnic for after AP exams, but the proposal is still pending approval by the administration.
