With the start of their last semester ever at Chamblee, many seniors are feeling the effects of senioritis. Marked by feelings of apathy, procrastination, and laziness, senioritis hits many students hard during the second semester.

Said senior Leslie Myles as she worked on her homework due the next period, “Senior year is supposed to be fun. Who really wants to work?”

Other seniors also share this idea. Remarked senior Kenny Roache, “I got senioritis in the tenth grade. It is really strong this semester. I do not want to do any more work.”

“I am so lazy now because I do not care about anything except acceptance letters,” said senior Denia Phillips about her senioritis.

With senior students slacking off in their work, teachers of seniors are not exempt from the effects of this plague. Said science teacher Pat Mote, “ I have noticed that senioritis is really bad for the first couple of days back during the second semester where students are not yet in the roll of work.”

AP Literature teacher Lynn Farmer has observed her students with senioritis since August, “I empathize with them, but that does not mean they will not fail the class,” she said.

Counselors, too, have noticed the effects of senioritis. “Seniors think that it is the time to relax because many of them have already gotten accepted into the college of their choice, so they let their grades slip. However, they need to realize that colleges still look at final transcripts,” said Kathy Marnell about the lower grades she noticed as she mailed in seniors’ mid-year reports to colleges. According to counselor Carla Minter, a severe slip in grades could affect course placement in college or cause some colleges to call students in to get tutoring. In rare cases, students could even get rejected.

Not all students feel the strong effects of senioritis. Remarked Minter, “Really motivated students get senioritis but they still get their job done.” Senior Elizabeth Gomez is one of those students. “I do not have senioritis this semester so far. The winter break really helped me get back on track,” she said.

Seniors who are plagued with senioritis are counting down the days until their cure comes: graduation day (78 more days).