(Editor's Note: Mt. Rainier High School student Scott Ritchie wrote this op-ed piece as part of his senior project. We asked Scott, "Do you think your Highline School District education prepared you for college, career and citizenship. Why or why not?")

The purpose of schools is, and always has been, to prepare people for a productive life. In more recent times, higher education has become all but a necessity in order to live comfortably.

The Highline School District has responded to this change, and prepares each student for higher learning. Almost invariably, high school students announce proudly that they intend to move on to a university, vocational school, or community college. Those who don't have such plans are few and far between.

This is because, at every step, teachers are reinforcing the importance of higher education. Practically every day mathematics and English classes are devoted to imparting some new concept or skill that is explicitly stated to be required for college.

The School District does not stop at simply giving the students tools with which to face college. They also offer students the ability to experience it earlier, at no cost, through the Running Start program. I believe that the school curricula have prepared me for a successful, enlightening college experience.

The graduation requirements here require the students to have a wide variety of classes. This is a great preparation for life.

In my high school career, I have taken classes specifically tailored for health care, engineering, and marketing careers. In addition, I have learned from courses dedicated to personal health, family life, today's society, and the intricacies of the United States government.

Even some of the core classes have helped me in this way. English classes, in particular, have aided me in deciding to work towards a career involving writing, such as journalism, as well as encouraging my ambitions of becoming a novelist.

This expansive base of knowledge granted to me by the school system has allowed me to better understand what types of careers might suit my skill set, and appeal to my tastes.

It is, in my opinion, crucial to have a wide scope of knowledge at this age, rather than a more specialized education. This encourages a more complete world-view, and imparts a better understanding of one's place in the world.

At the beginning of my high-school career, I understood very little about how the world functions. Now, while I do not claim to have a complete understanding, I know enough about how society functions to find a niche in it.

Schools also prepare students for citizenship. They must learn the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of people in this country. Each senior at Mount Rainier High School, along with only a few others in the state, is given the opportunity to be a part of the We The People program. I opted to join this program, which requires its participants to study the United States Constitution, along with particularly important court cases. It also gave the students involved the opportunity to meet several people active in the government, including Representative Dave Upthegrove.

This wonderful program allowed me to understand the elaborate nature of the government, and our role as citizens of the country. Citizens are ultimately the most important part of the government. They must understand how the government functions, and why.

It falls to the citizens to make responsible choices through voting, if this country is to improve further. I am very glad that the school district offers this program. I think it offers something of real value, not only to the students who choose to join, but also to the country as a whole.

I think that this school system has given me both the skills and the drive to press onward in my education and my life. It has given me the insight to know what is best for me, and it has taught me a sense of responsibility.