Students give back diplomas
Dozens of recent graduates have returned their diplomas and re-enrolled in high school after briefly entering a “terrifying” job market, education officials said this week.
“Apparently, there is a general feeling that high school is far, far better than the jobs available for young people in the Virgin Islands,” said one principal.
For former graduate Joe Smith, the decision came shortly after the high cost of living in the territory forced him to move back in with his parents.
“I had to pay $800 a month just for rent,” said Mr. Smith, who moved into a studio apartment in Road Town on the last day of high school. “I thought I’d be able to afford it once I got a job, but it didn’t work like that.”
After applying for more than a dozen jobs and getting no interviews, he was very discouraged, he said.
“My parents weren’t crazy about the fact that I had to keep sneaking in to their house to steal food,” he added.
Eventually, he did get a job offer, but it was in construction, a field that doesn’t interest him.
“I felt really, really low,” he said.
That afternoon, he took his diploma back to the Elmore Stoutt High School to return it. To his surprise, he wasn’t the only one with the same idea.
“There was a long line of kids from the Class of 2012 doing the same thing,” he said. “I was ecstatic. At first I had felt like a failure, but then I realised that several of my friends were in the same boat.”
‘Get a job’
Jenny Bradbury was among them.
“Now I’ll get three months off for the summer, and my parents can’t complain,” Ms. Bradbury said. “Before, they were like, ‘Get a job, get a job!’ Now, what can they say? Returning my diploma has significantly lowered my stress level.”
Ms. Bradbury plans to spend the summer “hanging out,” going to U.P.’s Cineplex and using Facebook, she said.
On her return to high school, she doesn’t expect her stress level to increase much, she added.
“I’ve already graduated, so I’ll be taking all my classes for the second time,” she said. “It’ll be a breeze. I might even stick around for a few more years.”
Even students who did manage to find a job have jumped on the bandwagon. Jeremiah Elliot said he started waiting tables shortly after graduation.
“Everyone said I was lucky to get the job because of the economy or whatever,” he said. “But waiting tables is not my idea of luck. It seriously cut into my social life.”
After two weeks, he quit the job, returned his diploma and re-enrolled, and he’s planning to “lime” all summer until school starts again.
“I thought I hated school,” he said. “Boy, was I misguided. Guidance counsellors should warn us.”
Pressure
High schools, meanwhile, are scrambling to prepare for the unexpected influx of ex-graduates.
“They’re saying that their diplomas aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on, and it’s kind of hard to argue,” a principal said.
She should know: The school has been trying to sell the returned diplomas on bBay to raise money to build new facilities.
“We sold a couple for a dollar each, but then there weren’t any more takers,” she said.
She added that a few graduates had returned their diplomas each year since 2008, but school officials were able to keep the situation quiet until now.
“Now the cat’s out of the bag, and everyone wants back in high school,” she said. “Ten years ago, no one even thought to give this a try.”
Asked about the problem, Education and Culture Minister Myron Walwyn encouraged recent graduates to be the best they can be, whether in or out of school.
Then he admitted that he is considering giving back his own diplomas and returning to school as well.
“When you’re in high school, there are no reporters hectoring you,” he said. “Your only worry is finishing your homework. Those were the good old days.”