Senioritis

Mya McCannStaff WriterAfter all of the standardized tests, all of the late-night cramming for midterms and finals, and all of the juggling that goes into applying for college, seniors are tired. It’s as if the last three-and-a-half years of study-induced insomnia has rolled over into one giant ball of exhaustion for this final semester.The cause of this infectious epidemic is unknown, although there are plenty theories. The most prevalent theory is that Senioritis is the product of a lethargic mind."Well of course it [Senoritis] is not real. It's just an excuse to be lazy," physics teacher Marybeth Reardon, who teachers mostly seniors, said.Another theory, one that is more commonly accepted among the seniors who are affected, is that Senioritis is due to the limbo-like state they’re currently living in. With each foot standing in a separate world, seniors find that while their bodies are still in high school, their minds often drift off into the future."Everything is geared towards getting into college, so once that goal is reached they [seniors] see no reason to continue to work," senior Milan Olmon said.It's this anxious mindset that Olmon mentions that fuels the apathy seniors feel while in high school. The past three-and-a-half years have been stepping stones on the way to reaching bigger things, and now that the goals are within sight, it’s difficult to remain on these same stones.Once June rolls around, seniors will be ready to take off into the future, to remove one foot from the high school world and completely cross into another. Until then, it’s all just a waiting game. The grades seniors receive this semester, given that they’re not D's or F's, will not influence the college admissions process and any tests taken at this time cannot replace the standardized tests scores that have already been sent. Work that is given in class is now seen as busywork because it won’t influence the path that’s already been set.Reardon objects with this way of thinking."Having a good character means trying your best even when it doesn't 'count,' " she said.However, she does empathize with all of the hard work that most seniors have already put into their high school careers."I appreciate the fact that it's getting harder and harder to get into schools and that seniors are taking more and more AP classes and classes at SMC ... I understand why seniors might want to relax whenever they can," she said.It's true, seniors are tired. The past three-and-a-half-years have been a seemingly endless cycle of regurgitation and testing, regurgitation and testing. It's at this time, right now, when seniors reach the end of that cycle that they can reflect back, with tired eyes, on all of the hard work that they contributed to their futures."Frankly, I'm sympathetic with the students who worked very hard and are now exhausted," English teacher John Harris said. "That said, I get tired too. I have big projects and I keep working. But we all have summer vacation to look forward to."Harris also offers a remedy for the seniors in his classes who are struggling with this epidemic."I think it's important for senior teachers to give the seniors the freedom to do self directed independent projects in the spring with the intended rigor of the college environment," he said.By assigning these types of projects, seniors are forced to break out of this typical secondary school cycle and prepare for what they're going to face next year.This solution, if applied right when students start showing symptoms of senioritis, may be the cure to this epidemic. However, there is still this overall feeling of helplessness that continues to encourage Senioritis."Once I turned in my college applications and got responses I basically gave up. It's out of my hands now," senior Pedro Velasco said.Seniors have done all they can and now they’re just waiting at their starting lines, anxious to race into the future but held back by the obligations of the present.An epidemic has been sweeping the senior class and leaving behind zombies of their old selves. There’s no use in rushing to the nearest drug store, because there is no vaccine. You may even try to stuff a thousand posies into your pockets but this epidemic will take you hostage — it’s the new black plague. Senoritis has hit the halls of Samo, and it is ruthless.mmccann@thesamohi.com