After graduation, most seniors are anxious to start the next chapter of their lives.

But more than a dozen North Springs Charter High School seniors, who graduated last month, are still hanging out around their beloved school and with their old crowd. And they are not the only ones.

School seems to still be in session for many of the students in the performing arts program at the magnet high school. Last week, the group put on "Bat Boy: The Musical" at the Alliance Theatre on the Hertz Stage.

That's worth delaying summer vacation, students said. They all agreed that the opportunity to go to Scotland and perform "Bat Boy," which they will do in August, is worth it.

"So many kids never get to take a show internationally, so the fact that we even get this opportunity puts us so far ahead of our peers," said Lauren Bernstein, 18, who plans to attend Penn State in the fall.

That opportunity outweighs any desire the new graduates may have to veg out in front of the TV or work on their tans. They'd rather endure long rehearsal days and longer performance nights.

"We're working to perfect our art, so that when we get to college, we'll be at the top of the class," said Danielle Korman, 17, who's been accepted to the California Institute of the Arts. "This is what we want to do anyway."

The upcoming Scotland trip to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has the seniors stoked. A handful of the group went to the festival two years ago to perform, so they know what awaits them.

"There were so many things we didn't get to do the first time that we know we'll get to do this time," said Victoria Cook, 18, who will attend the University of Cincinnati's Conservatory of Music.

"That just makes working through the summer so much more worth it."