![Walking through the tunnel created by the cheerleaders and Celebrities, senior Frances Tran smiles as the soccer team is sent off during DEN for their playoff game against Rouse tonight. Tran said the wins against Smithson Valley and Alamo Heights gave the team a morale boost to take on the Raiders tonight. “I know we were not 100% confident in those games,” Tran said. “But, Rouse is a big opponent for sure. We’re definitely going into tonight with a lot of morale [because of the previous wins].”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/frances-tran.jpg)
![Holding a bucket of materials in one hand and a roll of tape in another, anatomy and biology teacher Tyler Terry prepares for a lab. Terry said his proudest moments are when his students are happy to see him. “When I take my wife to a football game or something and a bunch of students want to say hi to me or they like to smile and wave and it just makes me feel good that the students are really kind and supportive of me,” Terry said. “[I’m also] proud when I see students perform really well in their extracurriculars because I can see how hard they’re working in my classes, [so] when I see that they’re also working so hard in other things. Like they’re winning band competitions or they’re getting awards for their theater productions, or I see them put on their choir shows, that’s like, wow, you guys are incredible.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rags-6.png)
![Catching a ball, junior Alivia Robinson plays at the Cedar Park vs Glenn game. Having played since she was 5 years old, she is dedicated to softball and has committed to UTPB for softball. “When I got my offer it took me a very long time to decide where,” Robinson said. “Softball has always been my dream for college, and UTPB is my fit. When [I committed] I knew I was going to be loved and supported.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Lilly-Adams-3.13aliviaedit-901.jpg)
Wash Your Hands, It’s Senioritis Season
Seniors Express Feelings About Last Semester of High School
Seniors struggle to find the will to make it through their last semester of their high school career. Almost done with all school work, the seniors show up for attendance purposes and to have their last experiences with their peers. “I’m doing the best I can in all aspects, trying to spend time with my family, friends, and make the most of this last year on campus,” senior Brynne Wardell said. “I think this is why seniors are always tired or never show up, we have so much to show up for.”
January 24, 2020
The last semester of any year is exciting for students and the anticipation of summertime can be felt in the hallways, especially for the 516 seniors who are set to graduate in less than five months. No matter where a student is in their process of decision-making for the future, the inevitable burden of senioritis could have an affect on their motivation to finish the year strong. Many seniors have reported having had a bad case of senioritis beginning their junior year, a year many students struggle to overcome AP coursework and extensive club requirements. Despite the feelings of boredom, uninterest and lack of motivation, seniors find their will to push through the next grading periods and onto the stage for a diploma.
“I’m doing the best I can in all aspects, trying to spend time with my family, friends and make the most of this last year on campus,” senior Brynne Wardell said. “I think this is why seniors are always tired or never show up, we have so much to show up for.” It’s time now to not pay as much attention to school and start paying attention to the people you won’t ever see again. — Ayush Bilakhia
According to seniors, the roots of senioritis stem from three main circumstances that most of the students are faced with in the last semester. First, the student’s lack of motivation could be a result of a fear of the unknown future that rests mincingly in front of them while they struggle to choose the right path for themselves and still meet expectations of others.
“The change of next year will be different, and I’m happy doing the bare minimum right now because it’s comfortable,” senior Ella Rae said. “I’m scared to go to college, but I’m hopeful that the experience will be worth the commitment.”
Second, the student could be experiencing boredom in school because they already have a concrete plan set for the upcoming year, maybe by way of scholarship or acceptance into their dream school, so that their excitement for the next chapter makes the present seem obsolete.
“I don’t like giving as much effort in school because I’ve already been accepted into the college I want to go to,” senior Ayush Bilakhia said. “It’s time now to not pay as much attention to school and start paying attention to the people you won’t ever see again.”
The last cause of senioritis may be due to an attitude of wrap-up, seeing as though many students have been at this campus for all four years, and view their senior year as an unnecessary time of attendance and busy work. For those who don’t plan on college as a next step, this last year stands as a task to complete on the road to the future.
“I think senioritis has made me a little bit lazy, but I think it’s because I know that this is all temporary and that there are so many great things happening in only a few months,” senior Kieren Garner said. “I’m so excited to go and live my life that high school feels a little bit irrelevant because I know I’m about to be doing what I’ve always dreamed of.”
Despite the feelings of boredom or lack of energy to complete the year, the seniors are making the most of their time with each other before life takes them in different directions.
“I’m finally becoming comfortable with myself, and that’s allowed me to find really amazing friends,” said Garner. “I go on adventures with them that brings me out of my comfort zone, helping me realize that being out of that comfort zone is good for me.”
![Holding her dog, Nova, senior Ariana Balakrishnan poses for her senior pictures while Nova wears a bandana with her college decision. Balakrishnan applied to 18 colleges in total, but she decided on Columbia in the end. “Right before I clicked the button to open Columbia’s letter, I literally looked at the camera and go ‘This is just gonna really suck because I wanted it so bad,’ and I clicked it and all of a sudden you hear trumpets,” Balakrishnan said. “There’s a video that plays when you open it and I actually didn’t watch the video, I just watched the screen go black, because every day of December before ED [Early Decision] I would go on YouTube and watch the acceptance video to manifest it, so immediately when the screen went black, I started screaming and jumping up and down. And my parents in the video are like ‘What are you doing, where’s the letter,’ and I was just screaming ‘I got in, I got in.” I just started crying, and it just felt like everything in the world came together.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ariana-2-300x217.jpg)
![Catching a ball, junior Alivia Robinson plays at the Cedar Park vs Glenn game. Having played since she was 5 years old, she is dedicated to softball and has committed to UTPB for softball. “When I got my offer it took me a very long time to decide where,” Robinson said. “Softball has always been my dream for college, and UTPB is my fit. When [I committed] I knew I was going to be loved and supported.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Lilly-Adams-3.13aliviaedit-901-600x400.jpg)
