Many seniors at Williston have been waiting for their stress-free and relaxing season, but reality can be harsh sometimes.
In the Spring of 2023, many seniors at Williston said they were getting more work and stress than expected.
After exhausting college applications, seniors can be less physically and mentally motivated to strive for academic excellence. Also, the pleasant weather contributes to a more dynamic and lively campus which enables people to enjoy being at school instead of stressing over work simply. In addition, a lot of outdoor activities take place on campus, for instance, Why Not Speak Day and WillyGras, as well as students gathering by the firepits and porches by the dorms.
Senior Campbell Collins explained the difficulties of maintaining motivation during the last high school trimester.
“Specifically for me, it has been extra challenging because I have known where I am going to school next year since December, which makes it hard to stay motivated sometimes,” she said.
Campbell will be attending Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., this fall.
Although a lack of motivation exists, the stress from work does not necessarily go away. The English Capstone project, for seniors who take standard English 12, has recently been on many people’s minds. Some senior students said that the project had been their major academic challenge.
Campbell explained how the Capstone is challenging for her.
“We are spending the whole trimester reading two books and then writing a final paper on them,” Campbell said. “Our final will be much longer than anything else we have written this year, which will be challenging.”
The Capstone, which includes writing an 8-15 pages paper and reading two books of the student’s choice, is due May 18th.
Campbell chose “Unwell Women” by Elinor Cleghorn and “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot.
Campbell is one of many who felt overwhelmed. Another senior student working on the Capstone project, Lexi Paez, addressed her stress and concerns with time management.
“Making the project due at the end of the term can sneak up on you,” Lexi said. “Planning is key, and sometimes I’m not the best at that.”
However, there is also a rewarding component of the Capstone. Lexi enjoys the work for its freedom to choose topics she truly wants.
“The Capstone project I’m working on is about Asian American identity,” Lexi shared. “I want to tap into the unique challenges that reside with that which includes family, culture, and struggles of finding out themselves.”
Lexi is reading “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang and “Ghost Forest” by Pik-Shuen Fung. She has enjoyed diving into themes and issues that interest her.
Freedom and autonomy to make choices are why many seniors like the Capstone.
Regardless of the difficulties, Senior Cici Yu enjoys the freedom the Capstone allows her.
“The English 12 Capstone is a big deal to my senior spring,” Cici said. “However, I like the Capstone better than regular English courses because we have more freedom on what books we read.”