It may not be as catchy as the way Dolly Parton indented it to be, but at Papillion-La Vista High School the day starts at 8 a.m., and for some it ends as early as noon.  

As a junior or senior, there is the choice of taking an early release. An early release is a slot in a person’s schedule that allows the individual to leave early from school.  

Juniors only have this option for the last period of the day, and they must be taking an online class during that time. If they qualify, seniors may take up to three early release time slots.  

Senior Samantha Marek had nearly all her credits accomplished for her to graduate, so she decided an early release was “more beneficial in order to complete more during the day.” 

Marek takes three early release periods. She starts her day at eight like the rest of the students, but her day ends after fourth period.   

By having an additional three hours outside of school Marek “heads to work, goes to practice, and does her homework,” enabling her to finish more tasks than other kids that are still in school or in a study hall.  

“I chose to do an early release instead of a study hall because I am able to find time to complete homework and study for classes outside of school,” Marek said.  

This time outside of school could essentially benefit a student more than taking a study hall during school hours because of the time to execute work, and in addition, providing college exposure.  

“I would recommend early release for all seniors because it is more realistic to college,” Marek said.  

In college, school is not a consecutive eight-hour day. The idea of being released early from high school is similar to a college school day; a student goes to school for the minimum number of periods in order to maximize the out of school work time.  

The idea that freshman and sophomores need early release may be not necessarily beneficial in their case, due to the fact that they have not completed as many credits as the seniors have. Furthermore, reducing the amount of classes they must take as a senior by taking more classes as an underclassman may enable them to take more early releases later on.  

“The seniors have worked hard to earn their credits to be able to graduate, so they should have the option of early release,” Marek said.  

Early release provides students optimal time management in order to complete their school work, participate in extracurricular activities, and/or work a job. Working eight to noon is a great way to make a living.