As Masters heads into the year’s final stretch, the yearly curse of senioritis has descended upon the Class of 2017 and shed light on the differences between the grades. As their high school experience comes to its end, it makes sense that seniors, nearly all of whom have been accepted to or committed to college, would start to slack off. They’ve achieved what it often seems like we spend all of high school working towards, but this loss of motivation and drive deeply affects the rest of the student body.

As a junior, my grade is about to head into some of the most important and consequential months of our high school career, if not our lives thus far. We are burdened with SATs, ACTs, APs, college applications and visits, as well as some of the hardest classes we have ever taken. Just as we all steel ourselves to push through this challenging time, we are surrounded by seniors on the other end, who often seem like they couldn’t care less about their classes.

Juniors and Seniors are often in class together, especially in science and language, and the difference in effort and dedication is substantial. In some cases, senior-heavy classes end up getting totally derailed or “dumbed down”. For juniors, this makes it really challenging to summon the necessary work ethic to bring our best to the table, and as the weather improves and many social interests vie for our attention, the seniors’ academic apathy is dangerous.

This fourth-quarter senioritis touches the rest of the community, including freshmen and sophomores. Seniors with copious free periods hang out in the library and on the quad at all hours, and it often feels like the school as a whole is done with the year a full quarter before it is actually over. This colors these final weeks with a sense of apathy, laziness and a lack of commitment. With the senior class at a significantly different phase of their lives than the rest of the school, it becomes a challenge to maintain a cohesive school community.

I know that this might sound like needless complaining on my part, especially to seniors, but I don’t fault the Class of 2017 at all for their attitude right now. It makes sense that they want to cut loose and relax, they’ve worked hard to get to where they are, and they deserve the fun. I propose instead that the senior class spend more time together as a grade having fun and capping off their high school experience together.

This isn’t always easy, as right now the school’s rules and administration expect (at least in theory) the same amount of work from second-semester seniors as everyone else. Though currently an obstacle, this should be even more motivation for current and future seniors to push for change. By separating themselves a little more from the day-to-day functions at Masters: through trips, activities, and maybe even a dedicated senior lounge, the seniors will be more able to enjoy their final weeks and the rest of the school can stay a little more focused.