Anjelique Kyriakos
Reporter
Walking into the lounge, it’s not hard to miss many underclassmen rushing to get work done before the bell rings and they go off to class once again. Yet there is one corner of the room where it is an odd sight to see a book out, or a pencil in hand. The senior section is a breeding ground for senioritis, and by the end of the year, it will be almost impossible for a student in the class of 2010 to avoid it.
Since it’s early in the year, there is still a lot of pressure to do well. By last period, the lounge is full of socializing seniors and juniors, a time when not even the underclassmen feel the need to work with 2:05 being so near. Nick Larson is the center of an unusual sight, found surrounded by a social crowd, but with a book in hand. It may appear that Nick has yet to catch Senioritis, but deep down, it is inside him. “I haven’t done homework all week”, he said.
Darryl Cummings feels the same about school. “I don’t want to do any work, and once I get into school it will get fifteen times worse,” he said.
It’s hard to give senioritis a definition. Each case takes its own form. Senior Andrew Leslie defines it as procrastination. “It’s easily one of the greater aspects of the senior year at the high school,” he said. “You know, we went hard out there in the first quarter and just kind of let it all go downhill from there. If you ask ten people, nine of them will say it’s great.”
“It’s going crazy. You just don’t care anymore,” senior Shelby Barada said.
Senioritis has yet to crash down on our school in full force. However with the start of senior year, the change begins to take place. “I already have it,” senior Dolly Meckler said. “I had it my fifth week of school. After [being accepted into college]I’m like, ‘ehh I’m already in college’, even though it’s not my first choice. [Getting into my first choice] is my only motivation now.”
Being accepted into schools seems to be the turning point for majority of students. Senior Roger Stone applied to four schools, but hasn’t heard from any yet. “Right now there’s so much uncertainty about my future,” he said. “As soon as I get into college, I’ll have senioritis.”
Some seniors, like Anjalie Christie, don’t let the application process affect them even after they’re accepted. “It’s stressful because I still need to do well,” Anjalie said. “Dartmouth still sees my grades, but second semester will be awesome.”
Now that Mike Freyre has been accepted he spends his time doing things other than school work. “I spend my time practicing for Pura Vida championships,” he said. “I also leave my backpack in my car. I barely touch it.”
Math teacher Mr. Bloss is starting to see some early change in his students. “It’s way too early for seniors to have senioritis,” he said. “I could see if it was the spring and it was nice out. They still need to do the job at hand. We all go through it, but to have it this early is not a good thing”.
Others may not understand the reasoning for a sudden decrease in effort. “Do you know what it’s like?” Dolly said. “It’s like being dropped off in a desert with a bottle of water, and being there for a week with just that one bottle. By the end you can’t help but die out.”
To make the most of the remainder of senior year, Danny Glass gave words of encouragement to his fellow classmates. “All I can say is go hard up there, give 110% and try your hardest,” he said.
