se·nior·i·tis
noun \ ˌsēn-yər-ˈī-təs \

Definition:
A decline in motivation or effort commonly experienced by students during their final year of high school or college, often marked by procrastination, absences, and lack of interest in schoolwork.

Senioritis has plagued high school students for years. Missing assignments, unexcused tardies, and an infinite number of classes skipped. For years, I thought  “Surely I’ll never get senioritis, I love school! I need to graduate”. Why would I get senioritis, why would I want to skip my last year of high school, surely that won’t happen to me. It did 

I sat down with a couple of my closest friends and fellow seniors to see how they felt about senioritis–whether they personally suffer from the disease or were able to steer clear and graduate with no issues.

Reese Allen, a longtime friend of mine and fellow senior, told me “ Yes, I indeed suffer from senioritis. It has stripped me from my senior obligations and turned me into a sluggish fool. I can’t believe it happened to me, especially before the 4 most important years of my life. As far as I’m concerned, there’s still no cure, even after all this time. I hope and pray nobody else has to go through what’s happened to me. However, there’s still a light at the end of the tunnel, and I can hardly contain my wondrous excitement for this summer, and I most certainly believe it will be the summer of all summers.”

Sam Hash, another friend of mine and star lacrosse player, stated  “it’s horrible man. Plain and simple. I can’t wait for the future, but it feels like the past is holding me back.”  Hash, who’s going to be leaving to play lacrosse for the Cortland Red Dragons in New York this summer, continued by saying “ playing in college has always been a dream of mine, especially on scholarships. Unfortunately, my lacrosse skills are only part of it, and I’ve really got to stay focused on the ‘Student’ part of ‘Student-Athlete’.  Senioritis has certainly presented me with a fork in the road, but at the end of the day, I’m Sam Hash, and I’m gonna get it done regardless.”

While seniors are certainly glad to be cured of senioritis in the coming weeks as we graduate towards the end of the month, the current juniors have something to look out for. I spoke with Junior Aidan Jones, to see what he thinks about the disease.

Jones said “I’m worried sick. That’s it. Worried like crazy. I take pride in my academic accomplishments and strong work ethic, but to have that stripped for me would be like taking candy from a baby. I can’t wait to spend my final year in high school with my closest friends, and I want to be here every step of the way with them. Hopefully I can steer clear of the disease, but if I can’t, I’m sure I could pull through and have a great last year here.”

Clearly, senioritis is no joke, and it affects more people than you’d think. Be sure to check in on your friends and family to make sure they’re doing well in this time of uncertainty. To all the upcoming seniors in the years to come, be prepared at all costs. If you think “surely it wont happen to me” it will, it definitely will.