From the day spring break ends until the end of the school year, every student is waiting for the same thing: summer.
Without any breaks left in the school year, concentration on schoolwork becomes difficult.
English teacher Kathleen Reeves has noticed that the end of the year usually signals for a more relaxed curriculum.
“I try to lessen the intensity and try to break things up in the spring because it’s nice outside and we want… not to have all the dreary literature at the end of the trimester,” Reeves said.
According to psychologist Dr. Lynn Rosen, the nicer weather makes people feel better than they would feel during the winter.
“The less light there is, the more depression there can be,” Rossen said. “In the winter, people tend to feel more depressed.”
According to senior Kathryn Watts, the effect of nicer weather is apparent is especially apparent in seniors.
“I’d say probably almost every senior has some form of senioritis,” Watts said. “I had definitely had senioritis before spring break, but after spring break it kicked in more. I still care, but it’s just not at the same level as the other years in high school.”
Not everyone in the building is feeling the effects of spring, though.
“Junior year is the main year colleges look at,” junior Lizzie Schaaf said. “I really need to keep my grades high.”
Reeves has also noticed this in her juniors.
“Mostly I have juniors and they’re always more intense than anyone else in the building, and still pre-AP,” Reeves said.
“Sophomore and freshman years I didn't have to work as hard to get good grades, but this year I have to work harder because I have harder classes and I have to study for AP exams,” Schaaf said.
Even the seniors need to resist senioritis to some extent in order to continue impressing colleges.
“It is a relief knowing I’m in somewhere,” Watts said. “[But] it’s hard to slack off because they do revoke admissions.”
While juniors and seniors are still trying to impress colleges after the AP exams, they will start to feel the effects of spring fever.
“The things that I’ve planned for after the AP test will allow for [relaxing],” Reeves said. “After the AP test, I expect I will see some of those [spring fever] symptoms.”
