Lake Catholic senior Abby Detering has made a tough decision.
The University of Florida volleyball recruit decided to graduate early from high school.
She will graduate after fall semester and leave for Florida after Christmas break.
She plans to arrive in Florida in January so she can meet her coaches and start training with her team.
There is a good chance the standout setter can start as a freshman, that is why she wants to get a head start.
While Detering is excited about her decision, she is upset over a decision Lake Catholic has made.
Because she is graduating early, Detering has been told by Lake Catholic officials she can not walk with her class to receive her diploma next spring.
My question is, why punish Detering because she wants to graduate early?
What difference does it make if an exception is made to allow Detering to receive her diploma with her classmates?
She has brought so much positive publicity to the school through her volleyball skills. She has earned a Division I scholarship and is a positive role model in the school.
She deserves to receive her diploma with her class.
I went to Lorain Catholic High School and I am very aware of the strict standards private schools hold their student athletes to. Very little is tolerated and that is one reason why parents send their children to schools that have such high standards.
Detering has met those standards.
She is a talented teenager who has a big future ahead of her.
Why not allow her to leave Lake Catholic with a positive memory of graduating with her class?
Why does she have to leave with a bad memory of not being able to join her friends for one of the most important moments of their lives?
I would like to ask Lake Catholic to reconsider its decision.
It's the right thing to do.

-Theresa Neuhoff Audia