Senior Year: A Nature Documentary
Introduction:
Observe the seniors–a fascinating species in their natural habitat–embarking on the transformative journey from adolescence to adulthood. In this documentary, we will explore their life within the high school ecosystem, an ecosystem they will soon venture beyond. From their first emergence onto campus as seniors to their final flight leaving graduation, this story is about more than just growing up; it's about beginnings, endings, resilience, anticipation, and reflection as seniors close the biggest chapter of their lives thus far and open an even greater one…
Episode 1: The Habitat: Senior Territory
Seniors instinctively claim the most strategic locations. They nest on couches, boothes, and large tables in the middle of the cafetiera, where they can be nearest to both the food and their classes. During lunch, the cafetiera is observed to be packed with red sweaters and buzzes with chatter as seniors happily populate the “prime real estate” of lunch tables at SAS. Curiously, lunch isn’t the only time seniors dwell there. Along with lunch, seniors inhabit these spaces before class in the morning, in between classes, and during free blocks. Underclassmen–an entirely different and inferior breed–rarely dare to challenge the red-sweatered settlers, although a bold few may attempt an incursion, but to little avail. Many underclassmen wisely keep to their own, settling for the upper library, lower library, or the perch.
Seniors are sometimes spotted in the cafeteria in disproportionate numbers during free blocks. By far the most promising theory is senioritis, which triggers a behavior much like “playing dead”–or more accurately “playing-sick”–to the teachers overseeing the classes they evade. This leads the seniors to not only dominate the cafeteria during lunch, but almost perpetually throughout the school day. With the culmination of the last four years, seniors feel a sense of ownership over coveted spaces within the high school.
Episode 2: Migration and Rituals
Seasonal patterns and rituals are what really define senior life. The beginning of senior year marks the dawn of a season of stress: the college application season. With the early application deadline in November and the regular decision deadline in January, this season takes up half of senior year. It’s a time of hope and anticipation–a combination of excitement and stress for most. Venturing into the cafeteria during this season, one might overhear the frantic chirps of “Common App” and “essays” filling the air. Like wildebeests massing nervously at the water's edge, clusters of seniors gather near counselors offices, obsessively checking and rechecking all their forms to ensure that they are in order. But once the application frenzy subsides, a new period of restless anticipation begins: the endless, agonizing wait for decision day.
After the application season, in mid-February, seniors set out on their annual migration in flocks of 20, the lucky ones venturing as far as the chilly climates of South Korea and Japan. In early April, seniors take flight to the tropical haven of Bali, where they gather for a week of celebration and rejuvenation. Later in April, the species engage in an elaborate courtship ritual known as a “promposal.” Males perform extravagant, sometimes bewildering, theatrical displays involving posters and flash-mobs as much of the senior population gathers to witness whether they successfully courted their target mate.
These highlights define this period as the transition between the college application season and graduation.
However, as May arrives, graduation looms over every senior's head, and with it comes a visible shift in the senior population. Seniors, signaling the onset of another seasonal change, shed their red sweaters for the distinctive plumage of college sweatshirts–a visual marker of full-fledged senioritis (more on that behavioral adaptation later). Amidst rituals such as Senior Walk and the meticulous preparation for graduation, seniors finally begin to sense the approaching finale.
Episode 3: Natural Laws Governing The Senior Ecosystem
While invisible to the untrained eye, there are many unspoken “laws” that govern senior life. First is inertia–a powerful phenomenon that renders these creatures famously unwilling to expend unnecessary energy. Seniors, by nature, just can’t be bothered. Their preferred method of signalling this lethargy is the habitual call known as “ceebs,” an almost instinctive sound that reverberates through the senior herd, meaning simply, “I can’t be bothered.” Inertia is seniors' resistance to accelerating towards the finish line whether that takes the form of unfinished homework, winged tests, or being mentally checked out. In addition to their minimal efforts to remain mentally and physically present, seniors succumb to something stronger than any curriculum: the second law of ‘seniordynamics’: senioritis. Like entropy in the natural world, senioritis is the unavoidable increase in chaos and impulsivity, leading seniors to abandon class and shrug off responsibilities. Yet, despite the mounting chaos, gravity relentlessly drags seniors to class, pushes them to finish their last exams, and inevitably pulls them to graduation. As the school year wanes, seniors encounter several other significant forces shaping the final leg of their journey:
They feel the tension of balancing friendships, academics, and future plans. They exhibit elasticity–bouncing back from failures, stress, and rejection letters to adapt and move forward. They oscillate between excitement for the future and nostalgia for the past. They embrace cosmic expansion–seeing the future and bounds of one’s universe expand once they receive their college acceptances. They are drawn by the magnetic pull of close friendships and the familiar high school environment, even as they prepare to part ways. They experience time dilation–time used to feel slower during monotonous everyday life but now races ahead during the joy and stress as graduation approaches. They hit senior year’s climax as students go supernova, bursting with energy, celebration, emotion, and enthusiasm near their final moments of high school. They finally reach singularity–the convergence of emotions, plans, and identities as senior year culminates at graduation night.
A Conclusion
As the final episode about the senior ecosystem comes to a close, these remarkable creatures prepare to depart their long-held territory. It’s in the natural cycle of high school life for the once bustling halls and cafeteria to soon fall silent as their once vibrant population disperses to new and distant habitats. Yet, the stories, traditions, and memories they leave behind will ripple throughout the high school environment for years to come. Seniors typically make the most of their last experiences, including their final MUN Conference, final sports season, final music show, final week, final walk through the hallways, and final hangout with friends. As the final bell rings, the seniors begin their ultimate migration beyond these familiar grounds, leaving the high school ecosystem and venturing boldly into the wilds of adulthood.