<p>Shrinkwrap, I certainly don’t want to come down hard on your daughter – as I said, I simply think that the B for the semester is a very fair exchange – and one that respects the rights of the other students and the teacher. (I mean, it wouldn’t be “fair” to the participating seniors if the kids who cut could do so without consequence). If the “F” for the final meant an F for the semester, I’d think it was too harsh – but a B sounds about right to me. (And it did back in the day when my daughter was griping about her fall semester B for missing class – I have been known to say things like “the teacher is right” and “it’s your own fault” to my kids from time to time.)</p>
<p>Given that the school is so small, I don’t think you should suggest something different for graduation - it may be that without the seniors, the choir wouldn’t have the critical mass needed to perform. My d. attended a performing arts high school, and graduating seniors always performed in the ceremonies – I think that was a highlight for many of them, and tickets to the graduation ceremony are also highly coveted, because it is always a beautiful & memorable event. It might be nice if your school made the participation optional, rather than mandatory – but that might present problems of its own given the way kids tend to influence one another. </p>
<p>To tell you the truth… it sounds like the real solution to exhausted seniors might be to cancel the Hawaii trip in the future! (I know you don’t want to suggest that, but believe it or not a whole lot of kids survive at high schools where they are lucky if “senior trip” means a day at a local theme park).</p>