What Do You Think It Means To Be A Senior?

The underclassmen share their opinion on the 2015 seniors, as well as how they view them.

Leaders of the flock. Top of the totem pole. The big men on campus. After four years of exams, college visits, and maturing, seniors achieve their long awaited place at the top.

To my surprise a lot of the students viewed the seniors as if they were famous. They see us as a different class of our own that rules the school.

“You walk down the hallway and the crowd splits and anyone in your way, they’d better move,” says sophomore Grace Leu (’17).

“If there is one senior walking down a hallway that isn’t the senior hallway, omg don’t make eye contact just walk,” agrees Mary Claire Hancock (’17).

The key is confidence. Seniors have been here for four years so they are comfortable with their classmates and the daily routine. Seniors leave judgements behind and strive to enjoy their last year together. To spend the last few moment together that they can spare.

“They are obviously veterans of the school so they kinda know what goes down. They kinda have their own mojo going, you know,” shrugs Sergio Castillo (’17).

“To be a senior is to be the leader of the entire school, not just in attitude or academics but it’s because you know about everything in the school,” explains Tori Davis (’17), “You know the ins and outs, so everyone follows their example. I think that the seniors are good to have around because they give the school a much more chill vibe.”

Being a senior doesn’t just mean your fourth year of high school, it comes with the responsibility of setting a good example for the younger classes. The way we act, the spirit we have, and the motivation we express is the reason they are looked upon so highly by the rest of the school.

Senior take others under their wing and hope to prepare them for when they become a senior. They want to be something others will strive to be.

“Seniors are like the mama ducks with all the little ducks following her around,” says John Encinas (’17).

The class on top always makes an impression on others. Without knowing it, many students are inspired by their seniors and admire them from a distance.

“Alec Edelmeyer (’15) is one i really admire. He’s like a sports star that everyone knows,” John says with a smile. “I can only assume he does well with his grades, I guess.”

“Garrick Sigl (’15), the one in the theatre program, I really admire him a lot,” says Tori.

“Gordon Pershall (’15), even though he knows me” says Brendan MacMillan (’17).

The students have expressed their appreciation for the class of 2015. Their appreciation for our calm nature, work ethics, and drama free year brings them to share their thanks.

“I love our seniors,” Sergio says. “The senior class whole senior class as a whole is really solid. They are all so great, I can’t just choose one.”

Even will all the pros, there are always cons to watching the seniors. The seniors work hard for four years, but once that last semester hits, things start to change. Like all people, we aren’t perfect and once the end of the year hits, the highly infectious virus spreads throughout the class of 2015 we all know as Senioritus.

“And they look good, well somedays they look good” considers Sergio, “Half the seniors take free dress like yeah lets look good, and half the seniors take free dress as lets come in pajamas and look ratchet. But you know, no judgement!”

Senioritis affects not only the seniors, but also the teachers. Each has their own opinion on whether it is ok to wind down as seniors are infamously known to do.

“Do I believe in Senioritis? Not at all. I’m sorry,” says senior teacher Mrs. Rose Ann Holmes, “You are all still gonna have those last grades. Plus there is always stuff to learn! Stick it out! You can do it! Chug along.”

Mr. Brendan Hogan shares his advice to all seniors about why seniors let go so much.

“You kind of want to finish things, but it’s like with everything, the hardest part of any task is the last ten percent,” Mr. Hogan explains, “People always want to say its done, let’s do it and really you need to finish everything and you finish strong. It’s a good trait to have.”

This mindset is very ideal but when the time comes, seniors become defined for their laid back attitude. For many it is just part if the last year process. Senioritis isn’t a recent epidemic either, one teacher in particular remembers his case when he was a senior.

“Oh of course I had Senioritis,” reveals choir teacher Mr. Anthony Lien, “I think thats a given. That’s part of the plan, especially in a place like CB where you work your tail off for three and a half years. You get to that part where you can smell college, you can smell graduation, it’s hard to stay focused.”

In remembering his senior days, Mr. Lien understands many of the seniors reasonings for slowing down. Of course, it makes it difficult to keep class the same as it was before, he does his best to roll with it.

“In some ways I say that you’ve earned it. You’ve earned the right to be a little unfocused right now because you’ve spent all this time working and you are there, almost at the end,” he says.

All in all, every teacher understands what it is like to be a senior. Yes, our teachers were seniors at one point too. It is more than just Senioritis and free dress.

“People start treating you differently, your family, teachers, friends,” shares Mr. Hogan. “There’s a lot more trust and freedom that they are giving you just because you are graduating.

“Being a senior was as crazy as it is nowadays,” Mr. Lien says, “Going to college and being torn between trying to focus for the last few weeks and just being totally burnt out. I remember thinking about wanting to spend as much time with my friends as I could before we all left.

Seniority means those last few memories that will last throughout the years. High school sweethearts, senior pranks, and your last prom.

“I remember prom because we had a lake and a whole group of us all got in a canoe. I looked at how close the water was and was wondering if we were going to sink the canoe” chuckles Mrs. Holmes.

The class of 2015 has definitely made their mark at Christian Brothers through their outstanding academics, pumped up spirit, and treating the whole class as a family. The seniors themselves have their own definitions on what it mean to be a senior.

“Being a senior means being the class who everyone looks up to. We are the adults who are moving on to figure out our lives,” explains Marcela Cuomo (’15), “It also means you went through four awkward years of learning how to be a person.”

“You’ve made it through four years, grown up and matured, learned about everything from the Renaissance to polynomials,” says Ally Boulas (’15), “We’re ready to function in society now, even if we don’t feel like it.”

Being a senior has a lot to do with growing up. Although it it just four years, students do a lot of maturing from the ages of fourteen to eighteen.

Seniors make friends that they know inside out and become comfortable around. After being with the same people for four years, cliques and labels don’t matter. Everyone is embraced in the graduating family.

“Knowing you aren’t coming back can be awesome, but also kinda sad because senior year is when you make really awesome friendships” says Marcie.

Even the teachers become attached to the departing senior classes.

“The teachers like us more because we are older and we have grown on them”,says Nate Lintz (’15), “I mean, most of them. Not all of them.”

A secret to the senior camaraderie may possibly be the largest senior secret of all: Kairos.

Kairos bring seniors of all different interests, backgrounds, and types together to create a bond.

“Kairos helps form bonds that weren’t there before” ,shares Anthony Macy (’15), “It helps you understand and truly experience how total strangers can become the best of friends in just four days. God has planted a bond in you and your group that is waiting to grow into something magical that cannot be explained through words.”

“For me, Kairos helped me get to know how amazing my peers are. I got really close with group, and the it was amazing how I knew no one in my group but by the end we were friends,” shares Dalvir Sekhorn (’15), “And not just hey how’s your day, alright bye, but like legit I can talk to you for 3 hours and do the same the next day type of friends.”

A lot contributes to making seniors what they are. There is no mystery or secret to the way of the senior except that your last year is only as good as you make it. Making friends, maturing, and making the most of every moment we have left is what makes seniors the most anticipated and memorable year of high school.

“I just can’t wait until I’m a senior”, concludes Sergio, “I love our seniors.”