It’s that time of the year. With graduation arriving soon at South, many seniors have begun to experience “Senioritis,” a phenomenon known to create a lack of focus and care on what students typically would display in their performance at school.
At South, the teachers see the seasonal drop in motivation again when spring begins. While some students feel their motivation fading after college acceptances appear, others still try to stay focused on their final months of high school. Science teacher, Shelly Rothenbuhler, said this behavior with seniors is not necessarily new.
“I don’t see much change from last year,” Rothenbuhler said. “Senioritis is still something seniors have to learn how to deal with”.
Oftentimes, this occurrence is associated with skipping class, arriving late to school, getting called out early, missing assignments and an overall apathetic attitude towards schoolwork. Ruby Lenhard ’26 says she has recently felt some changes in her motivation levels.
“After being accepted into colleges, everyone tells you that ‘you don’t have to try anymore,’ which makes it hard to stay focused when that’s all you’re constantly hearing,” Lenhard said. “A lot of teachers have said our grade has had it [senioritis] the worst they’ve ever seen it, I think AI has something to do with it since it’s become more popular this year, and it’s making people try less”.
Alex Lupo ’26 has noticed similar symptoms of Senioritis among her peers, but nothing too out of the ordinary, and is working hard to stay driven in her senior year and avoid catching it.
“What helps me stay motivated is that colleges can still see my transcripts, and I also know that I wouldn’t be doing anything better at home if I were to skip school,” Lupo said. “I like to have all A’s in my classes, and when I skip school, I fall behind, leading to more work to make up, so it’s best to keep showing up, even if I am tired of my classes”.
Rothenbuhler notices that some specific behaviors in the classroom indicate a student is experiencing Senioritis, including increasing lateness to the first hour, skipping the fourth and seventh hour, and not doing any work in class.
“Sliding into this mindset is not a good sign for success in your next stage,” Rothenbuhler said.
