As the school year winds down, seniors at Tombstone High School will have to take into consideration the declining economy they will be entering into. Many students are planning on attending a local community college, while some chose to enlist in military services or stay close to home for work.

According to the Arizona Department of Education, the four-year graduation rate is 71 percent at THS, which is slightly less than the state average of 73 percent.

Counselor Sam Hopkins said a majority of the students will go on to a community college within the county, but it’s hard to say how many will actually finish their two-year-degree and go on to a four-year college.

Some students aren’t sure what they want to do after high school. Kyle Smuda, 17, said he would like to run track for Pima Community College but isn’t sure if it will work out. If not, he plans on trying to either work for a landscaping or moving company around Tombstone.

Others find it difficult to decided which path to take in an unstable economy. Living in a small community can limit their options on what they want or could do, which is why military services is the answer for some students.

“I wish every kid could have a push in the right direction, like the Army has given me,” Caleb Holland said. “I chose to go into the military because I don’t have the money to go to college.”

Parents with a military background can influence a teen’s decision to join the service after completing high school.

“I have been inspired by my mother to enlist in the Army,” Jerrone Dunn said. “I plan on going into the army for 31 years and getting my bachelors in nursing.”

Dunn feels putting in that amount of time will provide sufficient service to his country, and would also give him a chance to work as medic.

Michael Bonilia, on the other hand, has a dream to become a firefighter in Sierra Vista.

“I like the work firemen do,” Bonilia said. “It’s interesting and I feel their schedules would fit my lifestyle.”

Other students are going to try the college route and further their education.

Jamie Brundage plans on attending Cochise College to become an office assistant for a veterinarian. Amanda Ortiz, 17, wants to go to the same school to go into the nursing program.

“I did not want to move far away that quick,” Ortiz said, adding that she would like to eventually attend the University of Arizona to complete her bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Some students feel that it is beneficial to go outside of the county to either Pima Community College or Eastern Arizona College to meet their post-graduation goals.

“Pima has a good nursing program and I’m hoping to walk onto their softball team,” said Antonia Bell, 18. “Plus it’s really close to home.”

Living in a small community has the potential to have its setbacks when trying to follow a dream or finding a career. Students from Tombstone High, however, are doing their best to find their niche.

“These are good students who are working hard to accomplish their dreams, but it’s hard to encourage them to go and do what they want to do when they live in such a small community,” Hopkins said. 

Simply stated, tombstone High School is working to prepare students for the future, no matter what their next step in life may be.

“Tombstone may not be the best education,” William Filinuk said, “but it has done the best it can and I feel it has helped prepare me for my future.”

• (BULLET) Nearly 19,900 students did not graduate from Arizona’s high schools in 2008; the lost lifetime earnings in Arizona for that class of dropouts alone total nearly $5.2 billion. (According to Alliance for Excellent Education 2008)

• (BULLET) College graduates earn substantially, on average, $1.5 million more over the course of their careers and have less unemployment than high school graduates. (According to FAFSA)

• (BULLET) Nearly $107 billion in financial aid was distributed to undergraduate students in the 2007-08, the majority coming from either loans or institutional grants. (According to Alliance for Excellent Education 2006)