Too Soon for Senioritis?
It happens to at least every high school senior at FSSA, even though it’s only October, it’s already beginning to take a toll. To some of them, it’s an obstacle from trying to get work done and finishing college applications, to others it’s a somewhat official word for a condition of senior laziness. This is their final year, with just a few months away from graduation, the upperclassman automatically think they are done, and are taking a break before they embark on college adventures. In most situations they are done, with just their art form to focus on and are able to go home before some freshmen are even scheduled to have lunch. This word is real to some extent and to most teen’s there is a reason why it fits: it’s senioritis.
At Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, senioritis is defined a little bit differently than at an average high school. The school with the tall grey doors and the famous signature of Frank Sinatra emphasizes focusing on art forms, academics and for students to do their very best to balance both. By featuring different art forms, different levels of intense hard work go into each. On the other hand, with most seniors very close to being finished with their academic requirements, its easier to just be lazy.
Danbi Yu, a flute major, says that she has already completed all of her academic requirements as far as math and science, and decided to remove these classes from her senior schedule.
“I didn’t want to even attempt it because I felt it was not necessary anymore, senioritis really kicked in for me,” she added. Danbi says she doesn’t practice the flute as much anymore either, unless she has to for an upcoming exam or a performance. Many others like her go through similar situations by not having to worry about every subject because they’ve already met certain requirements.
“My day is nothing. I come in, I go to drama, then right after that I have two free periods because I have lunch and I am scheduled to take health next semester,” says drama major Eleni Florides. “I think because we don’t have as many classes, when we actually have a substantial assignment, we go crazy.”
Vocal major Vanessa Valdez says that senioritis has affected her in a way that she is trying to avoid because in her eyes her GPA needs to improve. “I need to get into a good college, but I know once I get that acceptance letter I won’t do anything else,” she adds.
Senior dance major, Lucie Pierre-Louis, adds that she enjoys her art form just as much as when she first came to FSSA because of the learning experience that she has gained. However, to a certain extent senioritis has started to affect her, not so much for academics because of her desire to excel in college, but she says she would much rather work on college related things as opposed to doing actual school work. To her and many others, senioritis is not just laziness, it’s a matter of thinking about college and getting out there on your own.
by Samantha Clay ’14