(June 14, 2002) — Seniors are bound to ditch after being expected to endure 180 days of school for each of the 13 years of elementary and secondary school. Plus, give them a car and they’re more than likely to run away from their monotonous schedules. Ditching is an epidemic that strengthens its grasp as the school year comes to a close. And I’m not talking about the infamous senior ditch day, which has actually turned into senior ditch days at our school, due to miscommunication. Although some people have purposes for ditching, apparently, not all of them do. Diego Kim said that sometimes he and his friends just got tired of school and they either went home or went to do something. He added, “I ditch because I feel like it. I will. I can. And I won’t stop.” Despite punishments such as Alternative to Suspension (ATS), students continued to find a way to ditch. Levon Amirkhanyan said, “If they made it okay for us to leave school and come back every once in a while, [ditching] wouldn’t be a problem.” The stress of senior projects and the balancing act of school, work, and homework finally caught up with many. While some students ditched to go watch movies like Spider-Man and Star Wars, others ditched due to stress. Karen Ovasapyan said that he only ditched when he had too much stress. “I don’t think there is anything wrong with ditching,” he commented. Not every senior ditched when stress became too overwhelming or when projects were due. Thomas Choi said that ditching is “stupid,” and that students should continue to try their best, even though the year is coming to a close.