Searcy (LP) Senior year- the one school year that everybody is eager to take on, and more importantly, be done with.

Everyone imagines senior year as a nice breeze of fresh air, as the last few seconds on a field of a game that you’ve already won, but you’re waiting on the buzzer to sound, as fun, and free, and calm. At least, that’s what ASU freshman and Searcy High School Alumni, Maddie Cossitt,  thought before she actually started her senior year.  She soon found out that senior year wasn’t full of thornless roses like she had hoped. Maddie had a faraway look in her eye, but it was anything but dreamy when she said, “During the middle of senior year, I had a mental break down. I had so much going on that I just snapped.” Maddie had done what most seniors do pack their schedules  full with the roughest classes,  serve within the highest positions in all of their clubs they participate in, and  take on so much responsibility, and then proceed to  sum up their reasoning with a simple wave of a hand and a sigh that contains the words,  “it will look great on college applications.”

Current senior, Madison Holiday, followed in the footsteps of many before her and booked herself to the absolute limit. Once again, she was unaware of the stress she was signing herself up for.  When asked about her feelings towards her senior year Madison said, “Senior year is supposed to be one for the books. Walking into senior year I felt this rush of success, like I was already walking onto the stage at graduation. Now, I’m 9 weeks in, and the only success I feel is when I actually make it to school on time.” She’s currently struggling. She claims she can sum up senior year in one accurate  phrase,  “I hope the tassel is worth the hassle.”

 Senior year was stressful because of the decisions they were being forced to make.  Decisions that concerned life after high school, and the financial stress that came with those future plans, as well as how to get where they hoped to be. That stress added more to their workload than any class could. Regardless of how dark and gloomy senior year can be, there is life after high school. The pressures weighing one down will eventually either subside, or dissolve altogether.