It’s hard to believe that in less than five months, NKHS seniors will be crossing the stage at the Ryan Center, when it feels like just yesterday we were all meeting everyone in our advisories for the first time. Although it has gone by quickly, it seems like we cannot get out of high school soon enough. As we inch closer towards second semester, senioritis is stronger than ever before.

Senioritis is something that I experience everyday from when I drag myself out of bed at 6 A.M. in the pitch black to when I’m sitting through the last few minutes of fifth period before the bell rings. It’s a feeling of indifference towards school, and it makes surviving the day much more difficult. When you are so close to the end of high school, focusing becomes nearly impossible.

Seniors Abby Kinder, Joyce Omaiye, and Jake Owen all echoed these feelings. When sitting in class, Kinder feels “tired and annoyed,” Owen “bored,” and Omaiye “zone[d] out.” “You just don’t want to do anything anymore. It’s, like, you kinda give up and have no motivation,” said Kinder.

Even one of the most important parts of senior year, senior project, increases senioritis. The project focuses on preparing us for our future, encouraging seniors to create a product, provide a service, or host an event pertaining to something we are interested in pursuing in the future. This simultaneously prepares us for big assignments that we may receive in college.

Seniors spend day after day of their last year at NK applying to colleges, figuring out what the next step is after high school. When you spend so much time thinking about your future, it is hard not to get antsy to be out of high school and onto the next best thing. “The thought of moving on to college and something new [spurred my senioritis],” said Owen. “Symptoms of senioritis include planning college excessively.”

Surviving senioritis becomes even more difficult once you are accepted into college. When I first heard from two of the colleges I applied to, I immediately felt relieved to know that I definitely had somewhere to go next year. Although I felt reassured and happy, I also felt evenmore anxious than before to be done with school. Sitting in class and staying focused is now more difficult than it ever has been throughout my four years at NK.

So, what is the key to surviving senior year and senioritis? “Hoping for a snow day since we don’t have to make them up helps,” said Omaiye. Instead of focusing on potential snowy weather, Kinder chooses to focus on what is in the near future. “I just focus on the fact that graduation is only five months away to help me get through [the year],” said Kinder.

Although it may seem impossible to make it through the rest of your senior year when you are dealing with senioritis, it is important to not get too caught up in your future. Make sure to enjoy your last year with your friends while you still can. Focusing on the fun and happy memories you are able to make as a senior is the only way to treat and subdue a strong case of senioritis.