![MORE THAN A GAME. With two diving catches in the outfield, the Lions showed up defensively, aiding in their victory over the Pacers. One catch was made by Atwood, and the other by McGraw. Throughout the game, the Lions knew that it wasn’t just about their victory today. “I think [playing for cancer] makes it bigger than just a game,” McGraw said. “Knowing that you have a bigger impact in this world than just who you are as one person.”](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/I70A1454-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Students in the National Art Honor Society work on the Mount Hood mural on the window of SouthLake Church. The students brought a variety of paints and mixed their own custom colors. “Instead of brushstrokes, we’re doing more dabbing, because it gives [a] better impression of tree foliage, rather than looking like actual brush strokes, because if we’re painting trees, we need it to look like trees,” Crawford said.](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_2397-1200x900.jpg)
Those who leave
A student who graduated early gives insight on every aspect of early graduation.
Graduation for most happens in mid-June, but a small few students choose to graduate earlier than the rest.
Jaden Goldschmidt graduated early this year.
“I wanted to play competitive club Ultimate frisbee with a men’s team in Portland, and I couldn’t do school and the team with the time commitment being too much with practicing and traveling, so I decided to finish my two required classes online, so I could focus on training.”
The hardest part for Goldschmitt was “not being able to see my friends every day was a struggle on some friendships.”
The school supports students who graduate early, Goldschmitt said “the school work was on me to finish but yes, my teachers and (Michelle) Olson were very supportive and helpful in the process”
Counselor Krystal Toderick said the two main reasons that some students choose to graduate early is that they have finished their schooling and they are ready to move on to a greater challenge and that they have already got everything socially out of high school.
Toderick also said the hardest part of early graduation for most kids is the scheduling because there are some classes you have to take to graduate and it can be hard finding and scheduling these mandatory classes.
Four-year colleges don’t like early graduation, Toderick said, because they feel like the students may not be ready for the challenge that is college and that two-year colleges don’t care about early graduation.
Some colleges even require for students to prove that they are mature enough for college by having a section in the application essays asking why students chose to graduate early. Colleges might also require some sort of evaluation to prove readiness
Early graduation can be beneficial to some and not beneficial to others, and that is just a case-by-case scenario, according to Toderick.
Some colleges think when you graduate early you may not be mature enough or ready for college, but graduating early can allow you to join the workforce faster and get a head start on life. It can also allow you to challenge yourself and move on to bigger things.
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Between hanging out with his friends, playing basketball at a park on a sunny day and being a freshman on campus, Aleks Brooks, is loving the new-found...
