In 1907, the term “senioritis” was first coined by the Chicago Alumni Magazine to describe the lack of motivation found in many seniors graduating from high school at the end of the school year. Since then, it has expanded to include the year-round lack of motivation seniors have during their last year of high school, and Ankeny High School seniors are no strangers to this condition.

Many seniors at Ankeny High School seem to struggle with senioritis, and the gradual loss of motivation seniors possess at the beginning of the year can make it hard for seniors to keep up with their work as the year ends.

“You’re in your senior year, and you [can see] the lights at the end of the tunnel, and you still have all the schoolwork, but you don’t have the energy to do it,” senior Morgan Conklin said. “You know you have to do it, but you just really don’t want to.”

As the school year goes on, this condition seems to get worse and worse, eating into the ability of seniors to not only do their assignments, but also their ability to prepare for college.

“I’ve been trying to put it off because I’m like, I can’t, like, just not put the energy into stuff that I have, you know, for the last four years. But it’s starting to hit. I’m like, we’re like, you know, a month away from being done,” Conklin said. “And it’s like, that’s gonna go fast. And so it’s also like, oh no. It’s just stressful because there’s still all the stuff to do. But I’m trying, it’s hard to find the energy, and then there’s all the things I have to do for college too.. And I think that’s part of what makes it so bad. It’s this entire year, because you don’t just have school, you have 1000 other things on your plate the entire time. And so it’s kind of a lot to handle at one time.”

Along with that, graduation seems to increase the lack of motivation seniors have, but some, especially those with AP exams, can’t afford to succumb to senioritis.

“By the end of the year, since you’re graduating, you’re sort of giving up. You just don’t really care anymore, since you’re about to graduate. For me, you’re so close, but so far, and you have no motivation,” senior Danny Nguyen said. “… [and] it’s not easy if you’re taking an AP class, because for most classes you have to take the AP exams. You’re stressed and studying for the test and all that.”

Besides the effect on seniors, it seems that teachers are affected by senioritis as well. As seniors’ motivation slips away, teachers seem to struggle to get those affected by senioritis to keep up with assignments.

“It’s just one of those things to just try to keep people motivated, to keep them going. I feel like so many teachers who teach mainly seniors understand at this point [in the school year]. They’re like, ‘I know we’re almost there, you should push through.’” Conklin said.

However, others feel that more could be done to combat senioritis towards the end of the school year, and that rising expectations contribute to the spreading lack of motivation.

“The curriculum doesn’t really allow for [senioritis to happen] because they kind of just assume that people just deal with it. So, while they acknowledge it, they don’t actually implement anything,” senior Mia Koka said. “We have more seniors that are burnt out, [because] I feel like the expectations for seniors are higher.”

Though many consider senioritis to be a simple lack of motivation, others describe it as a bittersweet feeling stemming from moving on to adulthood and undergoing a significant change.

“We’re finally graduating. But for me, it’s just kind of sad. We’re never gonna be in this kind of environment again,” Nguyen said. “I’m not gonna even talk to some of these people after high school, and it’s sad, [but] also good.”