The second semester is officially underway, which can only mean one thing: The virus is spreading, symptoms flutter through the hallways, the disease is only getting worse.

Senioritis has taken over NASH.

This time of year, the term comes into common usage to describe the burnt out feeling that high school seniors face when their plans are already decided or close to being determined for the following year. 

“I believe senioritis is an excuse used by seniors to lower expectations,” NASH senior Mike Watson said.

NASH faculty who teach classes with seniors are well aware of the epidemic. They tend to notice shortened retention, a decrease in test scores, and an overall lack of a desire to try as hard as they did years prior. 

“I refuse to totally give into senioritis, but I am sympathetic,” NASH English teacher Mrs. Rhinehart said.

While many seniors are beginning to show symptoms, some feel that senioritis is nowhere in sight. The fear of a lower grade is enough to keep those seniors working hard until May.

If a student has their sights set on a top tier university and is accepted in the spring, a drastic decrease in grades could negatively impact this goal. In addition, some seniors derive motivation from their clubs and activities.

“I am too much of a perfectionist to let myself slip into senioritis,” senior Audrey Starck said. “NHS is also motivating me to keep my grades up.”

Starck, however, may be in the minority, as a growing number of her peers have already fallen into the clutches of the virus. The thought of already committing to a college or university, planning to take a gap year, enrolling in the military or a trade school, or joining the workforce following high school can be unavoidably distracting. 

“After being accepted into college, high school seems like a memory of the past. I am too excited for my future in college to find constant motivation,” senior Ellie Ortesy said.

Of course, it is simplistic to believe that each senior walking the halls is either all in or all out when it comes to senioritis.  Actually, it is probably the case that most fall somewhere in the middle.

“When I got my college acceptance letter, senioritis hit me,” senior Blaise Husek said. “I want to keep working hard, but it’s difficult. The clubs that I’m a part of have helped me overcome a bit of senioritis.”

Despite common belief, it is possible to maintain a solid GPA while looking forward to life after high school. It is important to not wish the second semester away by ignoring the assigned work, but rather to continue to work hard in high hopes of what is soon to come.