WOODBURY — The first quarter of the school year has come and gone, and the phenomenon known as senioritis is spreading throughout the senior class.

The slump known as senioritis can be a dreadful part of senior year for both students and teachers. Students’ grades can start to decline along with their mental health.

Teachers may also feel drained with the constant need to remind their seniors about schoolwork and their grades.

Senioritis can differ from person to person, but every student comes in with an expectation of how their senior year is supposed to go. Even with a plan, seniors can still find it difficult to keep motivation throughout the year.

Downsides of senioritis

Students and staff of Nonnewaug agree that senioritis can have a negative effect on a senior’s year.

“Senioritis has a negative effect on students,” said Nonnewaug floriculture teacher Eric Birkenberger. “It makes them not care, and they tend to start breaking the rules.” 

Birkenberger believes that senioritis causes seniors to give little to no effort during their last year of high school. That may come from seniors seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Senioritis is when seniors get overly excited about leaving school for good,” said senior Kayci Hungerford, “and it’s the only thing on their mind.” 

Hungerford added that not every senior student gets senioritis, but that there is a substantial portion of the senior class that does. She argues that seniors can have senioritis while also doing all of the necessary work. After all, she says, just because you’re excited to graduate, doesn’t mean that you have to lose all motivation. 

“This year has been good so far,” said senior Shanyn Hardisty. “Honestly, I thought it would have been worse because of all the college applications, but it hasn’t been that bad.”

Teachers feel the impacts

“Senioritis makes me feel disappointed,” said Birkenberger, “because they can’t finish up their senior year being focused.”

Birkenberger stated he feels disappointed in those who are only worried about how close they are to not having to attend school anymore instead of school responsibilities. 

With some of the senior students experiencing senioritis, it’s not any easier on the teachers. 

“I think that senioritis can possibly make some teachers care less,” said Birkenberger. “But for me, I want to help them to care a little more.” 

Birkenberger believes that students with senioritis might push the teachers to start caring less as well. Teachers might think this way because if students aren’t putting in any effort to do their work, then why should teachers keep putting in effort to remind them?

Although there are many students who do have senioritis their senior year of high school, there are also many students who never experience it. Some people are able to go through their entire high school career never experiencing the slump.