Seminary

I recently read an article about the Canyons School District in Utah, which is considering offering more advanced high school diplomas. The idea behind this is that they are behind in preparing students for college and the real world. The issue they're facing in the LDS community is that requiring extra credits for these new diplomas could cut into the time allowed for released-time seminary, which has some people worried.

Personally, I don't see what the problem is - I applaud the steps the school district is taking to increase the education level in Utah. Utah schools are among the lowest in the country for required core course load (18 core credits; Arizona requires 22, New Mexico 24, and Texas 26). The new advanced diploma would require 22 credits, allowing for only one elective. I took four years of early-morning seminary and a full load of classes in high school. My freshman year, Spanish counted as an elective, and so did band. Because I was taking an extra elective, I had to take the after-school P.E. class. This was in addition to early-morning seminary.

Would it hurt Utah LDS students to sacrifice a little more to attend seminary, rather than taking time off from their high school studies to go? Maybe more of the kids who attended would have a positive experience, and I know that fewer would take it for granted.

What are your thoughts? I know many of you attended released-time seminary. Do you think you would have benefited more (or less) from early-morning seminary? I want to hear your opinions.