Senior Countdown Has Begun

Carlee Lermond (‘22) has similar “bittersweet” feelings towards graduation as she is excited to start a life outside of RMHS but also worries it will be hard to let friends go. She intends to live the final week to the fullest, spending as much time with her peers as possible without worrying too much about her grades. “Sometimes it feels like social hour but I feel like that’s what it should be for senior year. I feel like I’ve worked hard enough these past four years that I can take a break and just make memories and enjoy my time,” she explained. Lermond added that indeed, she feels as though senior slide has kicked in, the infamous idea that seniors begin slacking off on their schoolwork in their final days. She admits that knowing the last day of school is just out of reach has significantly reduced her stress level on assignments.  

However, seniors can’t drop everything just yet, especially those who will be taking AP exams. Including spring break, students have approximately three weeks left before exams start and many AP classes have already begun the review process. Dionysios Georgopoulos (‘22) will be taking the Spanish Language and Culture exam and the US Government and Politics exam, both of which he explains aren’t necessarily difficult but have a lot of content. “But I think I’m feeling pretty good about it. I think I’m feeling prepared enough because we’re always practicing,” he affirms. Lermond, who will be taking the AB Calculus and Statistics exam, doesn’t feel as confident and stresses about these exams as she strives to receive college credits. “I feel like they are kind of ruining my last days because this is a test that matters outside of RMHS, and it can help me at school next year,” she said. “So I feel like it’s more of a weight on my shoulders.”

Nevertheless, the seniors live off a “work hard, play hard” notion. Many feel that RMHS has greatly helped prepare them for the college experience. “High school has prepared me in a lot of ways in terms of classes, getting help, my work ethic, and just learning from people. I’ve had a lot of experiences that I’ve been able to learn from so I think that’s helped me develop as a person and as a student,” Malley asserted. Georgopoulos supports this idea, claiming that high school has taught him to “manage your time well and make sacrifices as far as not being able to do everything, but do things you value,” something that he will heartily keep in mind in college.

At this point in the year, the seniors continue to commit to schools across the country, waiting for the day they will finally be able to throw their caps in the sky. One will experience a mix of excitement and sadness on the last day of school, but as Georgopoulos put it, most will likely be thinking to themselves, “What do I do now?”