Among the students in the graduating class of 2026, one student stands out for his intelligence and his age. Senior Corbin Shillinger will graduate from high school, along with earning his associate’s degree, in May at the age of 16.
For Shillinger, the opportunity to skip a grade came in the middle of his seventh-grade year. He moved up to eighth after Christmas break.
“I’m really glad I did. I really like a lot of the people I’ve gotten to know in this grade, and I’ve made some new lifelong friends,” Shillinger said. “Just getting to be done with school a year earlier, and a whole year less of work in general.”
Outside of school, one of Schillinger’s more recently picked up hobbies is taekwondo.
“I am in the middle of taking Taekwondo classes for my senior project,” Shillinger said. “I’ve only been doing it for about a month now, so I’ve only taken a few classes.”
The opportunity to take taekwondo classes became available when he was picking the topic for his senior project.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was really young,” Shillinger said. “It’s just my parents have never had a good reason to sign me up because of money reasons and inconvenience.” “For my senior project, I finally got to do it, and I’m having a lot of fun.
As a school activity, Shillinger participates in theatre. In the fall musical “Once Upon a Mattress,” he played a member of the chorus, and plays the character Mr. Green in the upcoming spring play “Clue.” This production marks his first lead role.
“I’ve always been interested in doing theater and things like that, but my schedule has always been busy with classwork coming at the forefront of everything,” Shillinger said. “Now that I’ve been in the musical and am now in the play, I really enjoy what I’ve seen, and hope to do more of it in college and in the future.”
Through theatre, Shillinger makes friends and builds relationships.
“People should know how much I love to be around others,” Shillinger said.
Though Shillinger does not know what college he plans to go to yet, he plans to go for economics.
