WEBVTT

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All right, class of 2027. This is it. It is 
time to start crafting your senior year. And

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believe it or not, it all begins right now with 
the courses you are about to choose. This isn't

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just about checking off boxes. You know, this is 
about building the foundation for your future,

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whatever that looks like. So, to make this whole 
process as easy as possible, here's the road map.

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We're going to start with your personal blueprint. 
Then, we'll hit the must haves for graduation,

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look at all your course options. I'll show you 
exactly how to register and we'll finish up with

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some key reminders you definitely don't want to 
forget. Okay, first things first. Let's talk about

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your blueprint. This is all about planning for 
what comes next. Are you thinking about a 4-year

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university, maybe a technical college, or the 
military? Or are you ready to jump right into

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a career? Your plan starts here. So, I want you 
to just pause for a second and really think about

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this question. The classes you pick now should 
really line up with your goals. Do you want to get

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a head start on college credits? Or maybe you want 
to explore a potential career path. This is your

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shot to build a schedule that truly works for you. 
Now that you're thinking about those big goals,

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let's get down to the essentials. Before you can 
jump into all the cool electives, we got to make

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sure you've got the non-negotiables covered. You 
know, the credits you absolutely need to earn that

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diploma. So, here it is, the full breakdown. 
You can see all the core stuff, English, math,

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science, but look at that last number. See it? 
8.5 elective credits. That's a huge amount of

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space for you to really explore your passions and 
customize your senior year. And it all adds up to

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this magic number right here, 25. That is the 
total number of credits you need to have by the

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end of senior year to walk across that graduation 
stage. And this is what it's all about, right?

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Every single course you choose, every credit you 
earn, it's all one step closer to this moment. So,

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let's make sure the plan you're building gets you 
there. All right, with the requirements locked in,

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let's get to the fun part. choosing the different 
levels of courses you can take. This is where you

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can really tailor your schedule to the kind of 
challenge you're looking for. So, first up, we've

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got regular courses. Think of these as the solid 
foundation of your education. They're designed to

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give you a really strong grasp of the subject, and 
they're graded on that standard 4.0 scale. Now,

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if you want to push yourself a little bit more, 
honor courses are a great option. They go deeper,

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they move a little faster, and they just offer 
a bigger challenge overall. Plus, you get a

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nice little GPA boost since they're graded on a 
4.25 scale. And then for those of you who really

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have your eye on college, we have postsecary 
courses. This is where you'll find AP, Project,

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Lead the Way, and dual credit classes. These are 
hands down the most rigorous courses we offer,

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and they give you a chance to earn actual college 
credit. Not to mention, they're weighted on a 4.5

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GPA scale. Okay, a quick but really important note 
for our student athletes who are hoping to play at

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a division 1 school. The NCAA has its own strict 
set of academic rules. You have to complete these

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16 core courses. So, it is absolutely crucial 
that you double and triple check your plan to

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make sure you're on track to be eligible. Okay, 
so you know what you need and you know what your

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options are. Now for the practical part. How 
in the world do you actually sign up for these

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classes? Don't worry, we're going to walk through 
it step by step. We've broken the whole thing down

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for you right here. It all starts with planning 
and research. Checking your plan in Zello, seeing

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what your teachers recommended in Skyward. But the 
most important part, that's in the middle. Do your

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research, talk things over with your parents and 
teachers, and then come to your counseling meeting

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ready to lock in your choices. And here's a little 
pro tip for you. When you're looking in Skyward,

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keep an eye out for a little asterisk next 
to a course name. That's a direct signal

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from your teacher. It's basically them saying, 
"Hey, I really think you do great in this. You

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should definitely pay attention to those." We are 
almost there. I promise. Before you hit that final

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button, let's just go over a few super important 
reminders. Think of this as the fine print that

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you really, really need to know. First up, the 
minimum. You have to have to sign up for at least

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6.5 credits. That is the absolute baseline for 
your senior year schedule. And on the flip side,

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the absolute maximum number of credits you can 
possibly take is 9.0. Now, that would mean a

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jam-packed schedule, probably with an early bird 
class and no study hall. But hey, it's an option

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if you're up for it. Okay, listen up because 
this one is a big one. Please do not forget this.

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You must pick at least three alternate courses. 
Sometimes classes get full or schedules change,

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and having good backups is the key to making 
sure you still end up with a schedule you love.

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And finally, just a few last key things to keep in 
your back pocket. Taking 7.0 credits will get you

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a study hall for the whole year. Always double 
check the prerequisites for a course before you

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sign up. Oh, and remember, once you pick a 
course level, like honors, you're locked in

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for that first quarter. And one last thing, summer 
school, that's a completely separate registration

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process. So, what's the big takeaway here? It's 
that you are in the driver's seat. Senior year is

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the final chapter of your high school story. 
It's a blank page and you get to decide what

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goes on it. Use these choices to push yourself, 
to explore something new, and to build a really

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strong launchpad for whatever is coming next. So, 
the only question left is what will you write?