By Ashley Bagwell

   The plight, the journey, the voyage, the metaphorical mountain that is high school comes with its own unique set of de-motivational twists and turns complicating the forever naïve expectations and resulting in the plague known only as senioritis.

   Originating in 1957, courtesy of the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term “senioritis” simply put a name to a psychological disease which has undoubtedly ailed seniors dating back to the beginnings of the public school system.

                Main Entry: se·nior·i·tis

 Pronunciation: \’sē-nyər-‘ī-təs\

Function: noun

Date: 1957

: an ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades

   But senioritis is just that, psychological, self-induced and self-perpetuated. Senioritis is not a disease it is nothing more than an excuse to slack-off and the ultimate place to lay blame for the consequences of procrastination and skipping classes.

   Senioritis can be a good thing, at least for those who have managed to elude its grasp during their climb up the mountain. While the majority of students tend to start slacking and quit caring, these conquerors of procrastination claim their spots on the top of the class ranks and enjoy the admiration of tired teachers.

   The key to reaching this pinnacle without unwittingly falling victim to clutches of senioritis is simple. Keep caring. It is easy to stop trying and hope the consequences aren’t too devastating, it takes pure determination and will-power to keep caring.