April Showers Bring May Graduates

The direct preparation for graduation goes back to junior year.

Cassie Jennings-12 took a lot of her harder classes her junior year so that she could relax a bit during her senior year before she gets hit with the rigor of college classes.

Andrew Cowan-12 also took difficult classes his junior year, but he did not let up during his senior year.

“I do regret it sometimes - I take Calculus, Spanish 4, Dual Credit English [Composition 1&2], Anatomy and Physiology - It’s a real pain but the reason why I do that is just so that I might be prepared my next year in college whenever I face challenges with difficult teachers and hard exams,” Cowan said.

Cowan also notes that a drawback to that decision is a lack of time to enjoy some of the perks of senior year.

The Counselors’ page offers helpful tips and links to move forward toward senior year and graduation. They have a tab for scholarships and links to other websites for scholarships.

Another thing that Jennings and Cowan did during their junior year and continue to do this year is fill out scholarship applications. Some scholarship deadlines extend as far as June.

Many recommend that students create a generic application essay during their junior year or the summer before their senior year so that they can just adjust it to fit their college and scholarship applications and relieve some of the stress of filling those out and creating multiple essays.

That is especially helpful when there are so many other things to stress about during senior year, such as extracurriculars, senior photos, announcements, deadlines for college housing and class registration, visiting family, and graduation parties.

There are also less stressful things that are still considered to be an important part of being a young adult, like making time for friends and family, being in a club or sport, volunteering, or attending community and school events. Not everyone participates in these activities, but they can lead to a more balanced life.

“If it wasn’t for track this year my senioritis would be even worse...I have more incentive to actually get my work done because I know that in order to pole vault at the next track meet I have to be on top of my work,” Jennings said.

At KHS students must be passing at least six classes in order to be involved in sports, and this is where some athletes’ academic motivation comes from.

With so much stuff to do during senior year it is important to develop ways to stay organized, save time, and relieve stress.

Some of the things that people recommend for staying organized and saving time include making lists, keeping your everyday spaces like your bedroom or car clutter-free, going to bed at a decent hour when you can, keeping a calendar updated with deadlines and activities, setting specific goals for your year, and never putting things off that you can do early or on time.