--Veritas has declined this petition, and senior class officers are in the process of responding--

This petition is for Veritas Scholars Academy to allow exam exemptions for Diploma Seniors who have at least an A in the course. We know that VSA has previously considered exam exemptions, and ultimately rejecting the concept. We would like to ask parents, students, and alumni alike to support this policy revision before we bring it to the administration once again. Here is why we believe VSA should implement exemptions:

We believe that an education is not built upon a single exam but rather a collective sum of assignments and performances. Thus, we would like to persuade the Administration to change this policy by granting final exam exemptions to the Senior Class of 2017 and beyond. A few reasons we believe providing exam exemptions for all Diploma students with an A in the course would improve the senior environment at Veritas are:

•Currently, there are only a few days allotted to take all required exams. Final exam exemptions would provide the opportunity for students (Diploma students often have more than 5 courses) to focus on the exams for the courses that they are struggling with.

•As second semester seniors, many students struggle with motivation. The possibility of final exam exemptions would be a wonderful reward and goal for them to get straight A’s in their last semester at Veritas. Many times, if a senior has an A in a class, they only need to achieve a 70% on the test in order to keep their A. The likelihood that a student’s A will change from one exam is very low.

•The senior class is especially aware of the administration preparation required for graduation and the End of Year Gathering. Teachers attending the gathering will benefit with fewer exams to grade and the Veritas administration will be able to dedicate additional focus and resources on preparations as seniors will complete their exams sooner if fewer are required.

Student testimonials:

"I recently had a conversation with an adult friend who told me her high school had an exam exemption policy for those with an A in the class. She told me that in her experience, the policy acted as a motivation: not only did it discourage "senioritis," but also, those with lower grades worked harder than they would have otherwise to receive the benefit." - Rachel

"Veritas encourages its students to be well rounded, with submission of extracurricular activities being a requirement to even apply for admission to the Highest Honors track. Maintaining these activities requires time management, even under circumstances that are not abnormal. Juggling hours of competitive swimming, family responsibilities as the second oldest of seven, work on my family’s farm, and an average of more than seven courses per year is hard enough in exam week at the best of times. It will become completely impossible with the time for exams drastically reduced. Academics, family, or activities will suffer individually, or they could all plummet together if one is not focussed on to the exclusion of the others. School policy and founding principles clash when we are forced to sacrifice the flexibility and family closeness that Veritas was created for to maintain the academic excellence it helps build." - Hannah

"Diploma Seniors should be able to be exempt from final exams if they have an A in the class because that means they not only understand the material, but have been paying attention in class. On top of that, seniors only have a few days (including Sunday, the day of rest) to take finals which is very stressful. Most of us have taken multiple exams (like Omnibus, where the structure is very similar) so it seems pointless and repetitive to make us retake tests that don't necessarily teach us anything new. If we have good grades, it means we understand the material and have been paying attention, and should therefore be rewarded with the ability to be exempt from final exams." - Heather

Thank you for your consideration,

2017 VSA Senior Class Officers (Jesse, Josh, Jaclyn) and other Senior Class members