OC HIGH / STUDENT NEWS AND VIEWS : The End Zone : One More Push Will Make a Better Final Impression

As the countdown continues toward graduation, seniors find themselves caught in a sort of twilight zone--that point in time between receiving a high school diploma and entering a new adult life, whether in college or the work force.

It’s hard to remain in the here and now. Exams, final papers, homework. “Why bother?” many cry. “We’re outta here.”

It’s called senioritis.

Here’s a look at that affliction and excitement facing college-bound seniors.

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Gary sits in his economics classroom, passively watching his teacher drone on in a monotonous voice about economic indicators and the stock market.

The teacher asks desperately, “Did anyone finish their assignment? Anyone?”

Gary kicks himself again for not finishing his homework.

Last night he went home, fully intending to do the assignment, only to grab a Snapple and some Teddy Grahams from the kitchen and place himself lethargically on the couch to watch another episode of Tiny Toons. “It doesn’t matter anyway,” he thought. “I’m outta here.”

It is only days until graduation, and the Class of ’94 is patiently awaiting June 16, about as patiently as a 6-year-old waiting outside an occupied restroom after drinking 32 ounces of Coke.

Yes, it’s senioritis , wreaking havoc once again on seemingly innocent victims. The same senioritis that millions of American students fall prey to every year. We thought the end of the school year was bad last year. But this time there is no one to keep us accountable, because we aren’t coming back.

We are suddenly responsible for our own lives. Wasn’t this transition supposed to be fun?

So, hey, we’re almost independent now. This is what we wanted, right? People will have to treat us as adults. We get to do all that nifty adult stuff. We get to work 40 hours a week, make car payments, pay taxes, pay rent, vote, start a career, worry about cholesterol and heart failure, buy a Nordic Trak, watch TNN and Bob Villa and set our own bedtime.

Not only are we adults, but we are adults with vision. Ironically, we possess that childlike hope for the future that makes us the idealistic young people that we are. We think we’ve got it all together. And that’s the point, right? We don’t need to be in this hideously over-structured, creatively limiting environment.

We are the immortal youth! Not even large quantities of butter can stop us now!

On the other hand, we still have plenty to learn. We have been at here at Troy High for four years. Why is it so hard now?

If we are as mature as we would like people to think, why are we struggling to finish our last quarter of high school?

Conquering senioritis requires one more burst of energy.

As seniors, we are leaving our final impression on our friends, our teachers and those that we have grown close to. Whether it be school, or a job or some equally important place or event, how you leave indicates a great deal about your character.

As we leave Troy we will show a lot of people how well we will follow through with responsibilities in the future.

What we need to do is take a look at how the actions we take now will affect our future. We have worked hard to get where we are. The teachers and administration have worked as hard, if not harder, to assist us in preparing for our future.

Take a moment to decide what kind of impression you want to leave on those who will remain.

We can still do all that crazy senior stuff. We can still run through the halls with underwear on our heads singing “Ukuleles From Heaven” at the top of our lungs.

But we really should try to get our economics homework done, too.