By Feature Editor: Hannah Snyder
Spring has sprung and the student population here at Howell High School is well into fourth quarter. There are only a few weeks left until the class of 2014 walks out of the HHS doors for the very last time, meaning that seniors are running out of time to improve their grades and earn all the required credits for graduation.
Although the stress of graduation is approaching this is also a very exciting time for seniors. They are finishing up everything they have been working towards their entire lives. There might be something in the air spreading around HHS though because it seems a growing portion of the class of 2014 has come down with one very particular sickness that tends to only make an appearance during these last few months: senioritis.
According to Urban Dictionary, the definition of the noun is, “A crippling disease that strikes high school seniors. Symptoms include: laziness, an over-excessive wearing of track pants, old athletic shirts, sweatpants, athletic shorts, and sweatshirts. Also features a lack of studying, repeated absences, and a generally dismissive attitude.”
The extremely contagious illness has been hitting some HHS seniors hard for weeks, even months.
Senior Kelly Lemerand explains that she’s been under the weather since the very first day of classes. “I knew at orientation I was eventually going to have senioritis. It’s just a part of being a senior. If you don’t have it by now, I’m worried.”
One of the major side effects of senioritis is losing motivation and determination. If a teacher assigns a project that isn’t due for a week, it’s not unusual for students experiencing senioritis to wait until the very last minute to begin the work. And even if the assignment gets completed, chances are it was done with very little care or effort put into it. The illness is so harmful that the idea of even unzipping a backpack after school hours is too much for some students.
“I usually tend to skip out on my homework because that involves me bringing my backpack inside every night. Then I would have to bring it back out to my car each morning. That’s not happening anytime soon,” says senior Marissa Friend.
Although there are no serious injuries reported from senioritis, the illness could potentially damage a student’s chances of graduating or even worse – going to college.
“If I don’t do my work, I’ll get bad grades, and if I get bad grades, I’ll be the bum who doesn’t have enough credits to graduate before the school year ends. I’m not saying my work will be perfect this time of the year, but it will get done regardless.” says senior Anna Christensen. Christensen is one of the few seniors at HHS who still have their health. However, senior year isn’t over yet and chances are she’ll get hit with the sickness too.
Each year there are a number of students that think they can take the easy route throughout senior year, especially during the last few weeks. Ms. Margaret Breece has been teaching thousands of seniors for the past 40 years, and she understands firsthand the effects of senioritis. Currently, her senior English students are devoting all of their time completing a five-page research project in order to pass her class second semester. It’s definitely a task that is very difficult for the students caught with the senioritis bug.
“Seniors are lazy all year. But they always try to slack at the end, and when push comes to shove they decide that they really do want to graduate, and they get it all done.” says Ms. Breece
All jokes aside, it’s crucial that seniors remember their future college admissions office really is watching their every move. Colleges have the right to revoke an admission if they dislike the behavior of their future students. Why would a college want someone who shows no desire in showing up for class and learning? Seniors need to overcome this bump in the road and stay motivated until it’s time to walk across that stage at the Breslin Center on May 31.
