After spring break, we only have about two more months left in this building. April and May are going to come and go fast, with finals and AP testing. As a senior, I should be excited about this last stretch. Prom, the senior trip, senior skip day, the last day of school, graduation; all great things to look forward to. However, this schedule is starting to look like more of a race that I cannot finish.

My case is typical, I am succumbing to senioritis. In case you are unfamiliar, senioritis is essentially a decreased motivation or performance displayed by students who are nearing the end of their high school career.

Being a senior is supposed to be exhilarating. It is the final chapter before going into an entirely new world. It is the last chance to play Powderpuff Football or participate in Mr. PHS. Leaving these halls means no more Mr. Lindley lectures or Booster Club pep sessions. After this year, I will never officially play sports again. While this isn’t necessarily exciting, it just goes to show that things are coming to an end, and rather quickly at that.

My entire life I have loved school. I loved walking into the building each morning knowing I got to spend the day with my friends. I enjoyed knowing I would go to practice after school to play the sports that I loved. I was always looking forward to Friday night football games or Wednesday early releases.

But that feeling is no more. As my senior year is coming to a close, I am more than ready to graduate. I no longer have the determination and perseverance to finish as I once did.

This sense of exhaustion I’m feeling is starting to be too much and it’s taking a serious toll on me.

Activities I once enjoyed in the school building are beginning to feel like an obligation. Likewise, my grades were once a priority. Now, I just have accepted that I will get the grade I deserve based upon my effort and that effort is dwindling.

I find myself not taking advantage of the time I have left here. I am not appreciating my final season of softball the same way I am not appreciating my last issue of Paolite. I am just going through the motions as I count down the days until May 20.

While this ending is bittersweet, I think I have spent my fair share of time in the halls of PHS. From club activities to games and practices, I have probably spent three-fourths of my life within these walls. There comes a point where this time spent in the school building is sufficient; I think I have definitely met this check point.

I have always joked that senioritis is not real, but here I am, dealing with it firsthand. There is no more motivation or determination to be had. But, that’s okay and it’s normal. Senior year is tough. This “it is what it is” motto is new to me, but it is what’s keeping me going.

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory. I hope to look back on my high school years as the best times of my life, but for now, I can’t wait to get out of them.