Last week, a junior student decided to leave MSMS and return to his home high school. In the span of about a month, the junior class is already two students less than when it started. There are many negative aspects that come along with students leaving MSMS. For instance, when a student withdraws, a slot that could have been given to another talented student is lost. Moreover, it could possibly hurt the student’s friends they are leaving behind. However, some students may have problems at MSMS, and still have the desire to leave. Is leaving ever the correct decision? To attempt to find an answer, I contacted the Executive Director Dr. Germain McConnell to get his insight on the topic.

“I understand that many students who attend MSMS come in with certain expectations and that these expectations do not always line up with the actual experience. However, I also think it is very important for all students to take at least the first nine weeks to make the proper adjustments. In fact, they owe it to all the students who did not have an opportunity to attend. With that said, I also understand that regardless of a student’s initial intent, MSMS may have a negative impact on a student’s health (physically and/or mentally).  When this happens, and a student has done all he or she can, I fully support the decision to withdraw and appreciate their efforts to acclimate.”

When Dr. McConnell said, “a student has done all he or she can,” what exactly did he mean? When a student is having issues at MSMS, there are a variety of methods of getting help. For example, if a student, despite his or her best effort, is struggling academically, they can attend tutorials or ask their peers for assistance. If they are having any sort of emotional problems, they can speak to one of the school counselors, or any other trusted staff member.  The decision to leave MSMS is most likely unjustified if the student has not utilized all the resources available to them or “done all they can.” Dr. McConnell does however acknowledge that occasionally these resources may not be enough.

“MSMS offers a lot of support, but in some instances, the best option for students is to be at home with parents.”

This may be a bit surprising to hear from the Executive Director of MSMS. However, if a student has gone through all the steps of getting help, and is still dissatisfied with the MSMS experience, staying would only be detrimental to the student. In this case, the student is justified in leaving the school.

Any student that is considering leaving should ask themselves, “Have I done everything I can to make MSMS a successful experience?” If the answer is yes, they should be able to leave without feeling any guilt over the decision. While trying to work through possible issues is the correct thing to do, a student that feels miserable here should not be afraid to consider the idea of leaving. An education at MSMS should never be at the cost of one’s happiness. This decision should never be made too hastily and should be given plenty of thought. Dr. McConnell finished his message with the following statement:

“Ultimately, we simply ask that students and their families take the decision to join the MSMS family seriously and consider how the withdrawal of the student impacts students who did not have the chance to be here. If they arrive and do everything in their power to work past their issues, I can respect the decision to leave.”