Prom, Grad Night and walking across the stage at graduation — these are the moments all students look forward to throughout all four years of high school. But these events aren’t a right; they’re privileges.

At Van Nuys High School, eligibility for Prom and Grad Night is tied directly to academic performance and attendance. Seniors must maintain grades of D or higher, and have no more than seven absences to attend. 

This requirement has effectively cured many students’ senioritis. Seniors are now turning in late work and making it to school before 8:30 a.m.

With graduation fast approaching, few students are willing to risk missing out on these milestone events just for the sake of hitting snooze. 

Still, struggling students have various opportunities to meet these requirements. Many students have spent the past month working to repair their records — attending detention, pleading their cases to administrators and making every effort to redeem themselves. 

The school acknowledges that unforeseen circumstances can impact attendance, so the process for making up absences isn’t overly harsh. Seniors have been attending Saturday detentions from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., which clear four absences at a time.

“There were some days where things came up that I didn’t expect which caused me to miss some days,” senior Samantha Dorado said. “But I have been putting in a lot of effort to clear all of my absences.”

There’s also a Thursday detention option where one hour covers two absences. And for those who feel their cases deserve further consideration, writing an appeal to administration is another available route.

However, attendance isn’t the only hurdle. 

Grades are a dire concern for many students. Jumping from an F to a D is no small task — it certainly takes more effort than attending detention twice a week. Seniors have been cramming overdue assignments and chasing every extra percentage point. 

“I’ve been even using my lunches to go into my classes and take tests or make up assignments that I haven’t done yet,” senior David Figeouroa said. 

The year is coming to an end, and for many seniors, these once-in-a-lifetime high school experiences are worth the extra work. They’re doing everything they can to make sure they don’t miss out.