Laziness, lack of studying, dismissive behavior, skipping classes. These are just a handful of symptoms of the dreaded sickness that has recently plagued CMR. That’s right, SENIORITIS. It infects most, if not all, seniors around this time of year, and this year’s seniors are no exception.

“I’ve had four years of high school, and I’m done,” senior Rhiannon Mitchell said. “I want to get out of here. I’m done with high school, and I’m ready to move on.”

This attitude is in fact quite typical, government teacher Ed McNamee said.

“As this time of year starts to progress there’s a lot of [seniors] that want to move on and try something different,” McNamee said.

Some seniors are embracing the world of opportunity, preparing for college, getting jobs, moving on and living their lives, and some are just embracing the weather outside.

“The weather is getting nicer and it really makes me want to be outside,” senior Ryan Otto said.

Though he blames the weather, Otto said the true reason for his senioritis is the fact that his time at CMR is almost up.

“I worked really hard first semester, then second semester came around and it hit me. I’m almost done with high school,” Otto said. “After that I just didn’t have the drive to do anything anymore.”

When seniors contract senioritis, a major symptom is an overwhelming lack of motivation, which Mitchell admits is the worst part about this sickness.

“I just don’t have any motivation to do anything in school. I do what I need to get done and that’s about it,”  Mitchell said.

Although senioritis may seem miniscule, it is far from having its worries.

“The best part is knowing you have senioritis, which means you’re almost done with high school, but the worst part is that you don’t have the drive to do your work and you could fail,” Otto said.

Mitchell admits that a major pitfall of senioritis is that her grades have not been as high as they could be.

“As a result of my senioritis, my grades have been dropping,” she said. “I try to fight [senioritis], half heartedly, but I try.”

“The most difficult thing, as a teacher, is to get seniors to understand that there is actual value in a grade, and that in the current economic climate that we are in that this is important,” McNamee said.

McNamee said that another byproduct of senioritis is fear, the fear of moving on and actually doing something in their lives.

“I think a big part of senioritis is that the seniors begin to realize it’s over, and there’s a part of them that’s excited and a part of them that is scared,” He said.

Mitchell admits that the idea of moving on with her life can be a scary thought.

“Yes, I’m scared to go, but at the same time I want to get out of here and move on to something bigger,” Mitchell said.

“The struggle with seniors,” McNamee said, “is the freedom they want and enjoy also comes with hefty responsibilities.”