Spotlight on PRHS' Senior Flex Program

Recent Pine-Richland High School graduate Jayden Lahoti achieved a rare feat this past May: earning an associate’s degree weeks before graduating from high school.

In planning for his senior year, Jayden worked with school counselor Toni Filipowski to take advantage of the Senior Flex program. Having already completed most graduation requirements, including eight AP courses, Jayden took three courses at Pine-Richland High School, including two additional AP classes, and concurrently enrolled at CCAC in the Mathematics & Sciences Associate of Science program.

Pine-Richland High School’s Senior Flex program allows seniors to carry a reduced class load and be excused for work or to attend college classes. Students must be able to meet graduation requirements while participating, and they must work with their school counselor to apply and develop a schedule.

“Senior Flex permits our students to both meet graduation requirements and also explore their interests outside of PR while still a student,” said Dr. Frank Hernandez, principal of Pine-Richland High School. “We see examples of senior students that pick up jobs during the day following their classes, serve as volunteers, or in Jayden’s case, use their flex time to take courses that are not offered at PR and/or work towards earning college credits while in high school. We have great local partnerships with colleges and universities that we use time throughout the year to promote college in high school opportunities that seniors may pursue during their flex time.”

Jayden’s AP credits counted toward his associate’s degree, leaving him with 10 additional courses to complete. He took five CCAC courses each semester to complete the degree program. While dually enrolled at Pine-Richland and CCAC, Jayden also continued working 15-20 hours per week in a data analytics internship at Bobby Rahal Automotive Group, an internship he’d started the summer prior to senior year and continued through this past summer.

The Senior Flex program “allowed Jayden to develop in both college curriculum and a work environment,” said Sunil Lahoti, Jayden’s father. “It was a program that worked really well for him.”

Jayden graduated with honors from both Pine-Richland High School and CCAC. This fall, he is attending Northeastern University to major in mathematics and business. Jayden is spending his first semester studying abroad in Madrid, Spain.

Students interested in learning more about Senior Flex should see their school counselor and/or Mrs. Jean Whalen, Director of College and Career Counseling.