The Last Chapter: How Juniors Feel About Entering Their Last Year Of High School By: Priscila Roque

Graduating high school is a big accomplishment for students all over the world. From freshman to seniors, the experience is different for everyone. As the year continues, juniors start their countdown to senior year, preparing and planning for what happens next. When students head into their last year of high school, they realize how serious everything gets. According to the website, “grown and flown “, the mother of a junior states, “It’s a stressful year for everyone involved: ACTs, impossible amounts of homework, grades to keep up, colleges to consider, extracurricular activities to balance, and the pressure". If this is how a parent feels, how does an active junior in high school feel?

Elijah Anderson, a junior at Hillgrove High School explains how he feels heading into senior year soon. He says, “It’s long and exciting because coming to school every day, eventually, after a while, it feels like you've been here forever." Elijah explains how coming to school can start to feel like a routine, as if he has been stuck in a loop and feeling as if the school year could not pass by more slowly This can lead to being unmotivated, but it is important to always keep pushing yourself. Marcus ware who is also a junior said, “Stay consistent, do your work, and learn and do great things in life." Keeping a mindset like this can have positive impacts. Leading students to strive to do better, even when that is the last thing they want to do. 

As senior year approaches, so does the stress and responsibilities. Although not everything is negative about it. Taylor Deshazer, a current junior at Hillgrove High School expresses her thoughts on becoming a senior, she states, “It’s bittersweet, because I'm not necessarily going to miss school, but I'm going to miss the memories and the bonds and the friendships I've made. But I'm also stepping into a new life and new beginning." Focusing on her experience all throughout high school, Taylor describes how she will miss everything she has built over the last three years, showing that worries and tension should not be the only thing to define student’s last years in high school.