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ADJUSTING TO SENIOR YEAR
Updated: Oct 5
Senior year of high school is often described as one of the most fun and exciting years of a student's life. However, it can also be very stressful and scary, given you have a lot more responsibilities, high expectations, and the pressure of what your next step in life is. In my experience, I’m kinda scared to graduate; there's just a lot I have to decide before that time comes. There are still so many things I want to try and experience, and it all seems impossible with such little time left. One of the biggest changes seniors experience is the increased amount of responsibility. Filling out college applications, working jobs, staying on top of school work, thinking about
careers, planning for graduation, taking care of their mental health, and preparing for life after high school are all things that weigh on seniors. If you are looking for advice or feeling lost, look no further than your other fellow seniors. “Be yourself”-- this was advice to both fellow seniors and underclassmen from Ava Kleinmeyer, a transfer student who is a senior at Clear Creek Amana High School this year. Kleinmeyer said in her interview that she has become less concerned about what other people think of her since freshman year, choosing
instead to prioritize herself and her goals. One achievement she is really proud of is earning her associate’s degree from Kirkwood Community College, which she began working toward during her junior year. She described graduation as both nerve-wracking and exciting, saying that she feels comfortable where she is, but knows that “nothing good comes from being comfortable.” When she was asked what teacher had the biggest influence on her life, she talked about her 11th-grade Honors English teacher, Ms. Knaack, who helped her realize that she wanted to pursue journalism. Kleinmeyer’s advice to seniors would be for them to not let others’ opinions get in the way of the goals they have set for themselves.
Another senior at CCA, Rylee Frank, said that although she is nervous about graduating, she is also excited for the new chapter ahead. Her advice to younger students is to remember that grades do not define you and that you should always prioritize your mental health. Frank revealed in her interview that she entered high school as a more reserved and nervous student, but she became more confident and learned to prioritize her mental health during her sophomore year. When asked about this change, Frank stated that she simply “stopped caring about other people's opinions.” This change, she said, opened up more opportunities for her. For example, she is most proud of becoming the Yearbook’s Social Media Manager during her junior year. When asked to give advice to her fellow seniors, she said that they should make sure to put their mental health first.
“If your friend tells you to join a club, do it,” says Elijah Tompson, another senior at CCA. He said that his life has changed since his freshman year because of the clubs he joined. One of those clubs was Speech, where Tompson made it to large group state speech for improvisation. In his interview, he listed that as one of the biggest accomplishments of his years in high school. He also said that it helped with “coming out of his shell.” When asked how he feels about starting his last year of high school, he expressed that he feels ready to move forward, sharing that he has been signing up for scholarships and applying to colleges. His advice to seniors: get ahead on applying to colleges and looking out for scholarships.
Overall, adjusting to senior year is different for everyone, but it seems to be a time when students learn more about themselves and prepare for the future. Between increased responsibilities, new achievements, and the uncertainty of graduation, seniors experience a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Their experiences show that high school is not just about grades and accomplishments, but also about becoming more confident, discovering what you care about, and learning to move forward.
