negative effects of "senioritis""Most educators don't buy this idea that the second half of the senior year should be party time. Frankly, if our graduates are going to be competitive at the global level, we need to get out of that mind-set."
Does the Senior Lounge do more harm than good?
Should it be closed because it promotes senioritis?
85 comments:
Senioritis the real thing. the feeling doesnt stop once you graduate so get used to having distractions because you will need to motivate yourself in college. mr. ocallahan gave me the best advice last year, work hard till graduation and hit the ground running next year or else youll fall off. but! if you are as brilliant as i am then you are probably already leaning towards the arts and humanities in which case, college is easy! all you have to do is think smarter things then everyone else...
I would say the most common attitude of second semester seniors in high school is that they deserve a break from work and a time to just kick back and enjoy life; freshmen year they figure will come and they'll magically be able to concentrate and do work again. The major problem with that attitude is that once they start they do not stop. Giving one's self to much leisure time and putting off doing real work during the second semester will carry into the summer because, let's face it, no one does work in the summer, and then into freshman year of college. Countless incoming freshmen who would normally get A's or B's get C's or D's because they simply do not remember what it's like to care about doing work.
I'm sure that if you are a high school senior and are reading this that you're saying that this won't happen to you, but there is an extremely high chance that it will. College offers many opportunities to try and do a wide array of activities and meet literally thousands of people doing so. The work is harder, more plentiful, and the distractions even more powerful than the ones in high school.
Honestly, the best advice I can give is to continue your studies as best you can. As someone who fell prey to senioritis and did not recover for some time, I can attest to its harm. I had a rough first semester in college that was made more difficult by my lack of motivation to do work and required readings.
So please do your work. Not for me, not for your teachers or even your grades. Do your work for yourselves. Next year will thrust you into a world that can be both amazing and devastating. If you can balance your academics with everything else you will be doing, you will be fine. The problems come when you ignore your education, and give in to the temptations that are all around you.
P.S. NSHS Class '06 RULES!!
Seniors will be complacent regardless of where they are.
As a 3L (final year of law school) student, I am currently faced with a similar senioritis situation. Now, we don't have a 3L-student only lounge, but that has not stopped myself and others from not really working that hard this year. We just don't do our work in the regular lounges.
Now, a high school senior is several stages away from this final opportunity to slack off. Working hard senior year won't necessarily translate to you working hard as a college freshman. In college, you are not really held accountable for your work on a week-to-week basis, so you might lose your incentive to work hard next year even if you are working hard this year. If you fall into this slacking off mode early in your college career, it will probably take a few awful midterm grades to set you straight.
I would recommend that the AP classes restructure themselves so their grading is more similar to college courses -> fewer tests and less weight given to homework. This will help juniors and seniors get used to the college environment.
The Senior Lounge has its advantages and disadvantages, but either way, it needs to be changed. When a senior is faced with a free period, their options are either to go to the lounge, the library, or off-campus. A good amount of students are choosing to go to the lounge, which provides a nice room to relax and chat with friends, do work, or watch TV and play video games. The last option is what needs to be reformed.
When one is faced with doing work/studying or playing a video game, the student will push off the work nine times out of ten. This is giving several students’ grades a damaging blow. What needs to be done is for the TV and the video games to be removed from the Senior Lounge, giving seniors a comfortable room with tables, chairs, and a computer.
Despite the prior negative reaction, the Senior Lounge provides several benefits to seniors. First, it plays the role of a privilege that seniors have been looking forward to for years and gives them a place that they can call their own. Despite the independence that comes with the room, the responsibility of cleaning and maintaining the room also teaches lessons in accountability. The lounge also provides places for students to do work such as the tables and the computer. Personally, the Senior Lounge has helped me because I have often found myself using that computer at night doing work before I leave for the day because it is the only computer available after the labs and library close.
With the removal of the TV and video games, the Senior Lounge would become a quieter place that would promote the performance of work and studying. This alone would limit the affects of senioritis. It would still remain a room that is special for seniors because of the exclusiveness, but would remove the distractions that hinder a student’s academic performance.
PS: Class of 2006 can't touch the great 08!
"Judgement" said it earlier, but i will expand upon his thoughts. Senoritis is a feeling common to most of humanity, particularly the educated bourgeois (well Jon may be above Pleb status as a soon-to-be counsel).
Instead of oscillating back and forth between go-hard-do-work and free time la di da, you need to learn to compromise. Its a problem to be managed, not solved.
One thing i learned early on in college was that i had to minimize my 'passive fun' - ie surfing the web, watching junky tv, or just doing nothing in general - particularly when there was opportunity to do substantiative work. By minimizing my passive fun, i was able to optimize my active-fun (doing things with friends, ie concerts, bars, nightclubs, whatever college age adults do, operative word: Doing) and still accomplish enough work to feel productive, and that i wasnt wasting mom and pop's dime.
And highschool senior-year is the best opportunity to learn this - you're already into college so grades don't matter terribly, but its a chance for you to learn to manage your time properly so that when things start to matter again in college (this may take a few semesters to realize, but you need good grades to go to grad school), you already know how to roll with it.
The Senior Lounge, you ask? Do you really need another place to not do work? Step up and say "we can be responsable about our own work and play management", and show the administration that, and I'd say you have a very good chance of keeping the senior lounge for when it will be a great thing to have after you take your AP's.
As a parting gesture, i'd encourage everyone to particularly not slack off in language, because it sucks very hard retaking it in college.
HEY
I called Meursault!
I love how your seniors are so afflicted that none of them have posted yet (besides Marc).
The senior lounge has nothing to do with it and if you aren't responsible enough to go to the library when you need to that's not a room's fault. btw it's called HOMEwork for a reason. So go home once in awhile; your parents might even enjoy that.
Things the senior lounge promotes:
-PDA with your hott girlfriend
-playing video games
-pwning of other
-watching TV
-playing pool
-general socializing/ tomfoolery
-breaking stuff +making messes (not recommended)
-bragging about sandwiches
please continue the list, as I have better more mature college distractions to get to. oh yea and that work for my Lit class that I should have done last night. seriously.
oh and I don't care if you do your work. Unless it's OPTIONS. then really don't do it.
pwning of others*
excuse me
Marc, if we follow your suggestion, we might as well just close the senior lounge. What you seem to be asking for is another library. The lounge isn’t meant to be a study area. It’s meant to be a place where seniors can go when they have free time instead of leaving school. If you take away everything people enjoy about the room, such as the video games and television, it will just encourage people to sign out more often. Once someone leaves school early, even if they were planning on coming back, they most likely are gone for the rest of the day.
Simply because you feel that when faced with the choice of finishing your work or playing a video game, you would be irresponsible, doesn’t mean the entire class should be punished. Yes, many of us are feeling the effects of senioritis, but as the graduates stated above, the distractions just become worse in college. Do you really think that next year you won’t be faced with decisions such as whether to go out with friends or study?
Our class is going to be effected by senioritis with or without a lounge. If you’re really that against it, stay out of it, and let others make decisions about responsibility for themselves.
In no way does the senior lounge promote senioritis. It is the student who chooses whether or not to do their work. Some say the senior lounge is a bad thing because it distracts students from their academics. This may be true in some cases but it is easy for a good student to determine that homework is more important then videogames.
The senior lounge provides an area for seniors to relax and talk to their friends along with doing homework and playing games. The lounge should definitely stay open because it gives seniors a place to hangout. The library could be argued as another area for seniors to go during their free periods but it does not offer the comfortable environment as that of the senior lounge. The senior lounge is also a big part of the senior year experience.
wait, you mean to say that the broken computer in the lounge isn't helping you do work?
Senioritis has nothing to do with the senior lounge. Senioritis, in my opinion, does not exist. It is an excuse. A sophomore can have sophomoreitis. Does that just mean that the student is lazy and doesn’t want to work anymore? I think it does. Senioritis is the same principle. Seniors who don’t feel the need to work any longer define their laziness as Senioritis. I don’t think anything or anyone can promote or disable laziness. I think it’s silly to close the Senior Lounge when it one of the only things that set the seniors apart from the lower classmen; a definition that we value very much. I also think that the senior lounge promotes camaraderie and friendliness within our grade, helping to create a closer and more intimate graduating class. That’s important. All of the problems with the senior lounge have to do with the individual. For example, the senior lounge is a mess. If everyone cleaned up after themselves, then Jill wouldn’t have to spend her 7th period free cleaning up after the whole grade. It is unbearable to sit in a chair that was once covered with someone’s Bacon Egg and Cheese Sandwich. However, I can’t make every senior clean the lounge; that is as pointless as telling a senior to stop playing video games and go to options.
Senioritis is not an excuse, but an actual disease that claims millions of lives every year. Last year alone it took the lives of 12,632,081 high school seniors, a close second to dihydrogen monoxide. It is the devil(1).
Also, I do not believe in the closing of the senior lounge. I have many fond memories of my chums and I learning very valuable lessons from Maury Povich, and helpful survival skills, such as how to disarm a bomb using only a paperclip and a thrice-used tube sock, from MacGyver. Hours I could have wasted studying or doing "work" were eaten up by that room for the betterment of my life. I can now say that thanks to television programs like Saved By The Bell, I am better prepared to outlast boring classes in college. Glorious.
In conclusion, I would like to implore all of the faculty that read this blog to cease being systems whores and stand up for the senior class.
LET THEM LOUNGE
(1) http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j161/kevinsblogger/senioritis.gif
I do not think the senior lounge has anything to do with senioritis. It is just a place to watch TV, eat tons of food and hang out with friends. I find it almost uncessary given that I have hardly stepped foot in it. It is actually quite repulsive. It smells, looks disgusting and whenever I enter it I feel like I stepped into a biohazard and my life is in danger. So should it be closed down? I know that kids skip class to go there sometimes but shutting the lounge down will not prevent them from cutting and shutting it down because it is filthy will not make (at least) everyone a more responsible and cleaner person. Maybe it should remain open than, maybe the filth will become so horrendous that the people will realize that some sort of action needs to be taken. Learn the hard way and sometimes it makes people wish they never did it in the first place.
So the senior lounge. What can be said about this "sacred" area where only the blessed few can enter into and exit whole?
It is disgusting!
The few times that I have walked into this place of escape within the prison I see the males with an overabundance of testosterone all lined up on or behind the couch screaming and cheering at the little men on the television that can't hear them.
I almost never see a student working.
On that note I must say that students will decide for themselves if they want to do their work or not. If the senior lounge didn't exist would us privelaged few even consider doing our work before the day it is due?
When I was a lower classmen I didn't get to go into the senior lounge and when I didn't want to do my work, I didn't do it.
Therefore I am inclined to agree with Sarah and say; Senioritis is a load of bull.
In addition, I must inquire as to why past students, long graduated are writing on our blogs?? As Mr. Kowgios would say, they are disconnected, no longer part of our system and should act like it and get over it.
I tend to agree with Sarah and Steven on this topic. The senior lounge is simply a room for seniors only (although other kids go in regardless) to simply relax and enjoy themselves. I’ve had enough of sitting in the lunch room or in study halls with angry teachers and aids not letting you enjoy yourself. The senior lounge is also not a cause of what is called senioritis. Senioritis is just being lazy your senior year. I’ve been lazy all of high school. I’m still lazy as a senior. Also, the things inside the lounge do not promote anyone to be lazy. There are a good majority of people who don’t just sit in their playing games and watching T.V. I’ll play or watch when I have nothing else to do and enjoy myself with other people. I’m lazy but I’m responsible and know when to do work. The people you see playing video games all the time are those who won’t do their homework anyway. Video games are just an alternative to sitting around. Do I see ‘responsible” people take the lazy route and chill in the senior lounge? Sure. It’s dumb to generalize and say everyone becomes lazy with the introduction of the lounge. I’ve played Nerks, Spit, Egyptian Rat Screw, Castle and presidents for three years. My free periods have never been productive, and still wouldn’t be productive with no senior lounge around. Improvements are always wanted for the lounge however. More computers (or a printer. Please, please give us a printer) would defiantly make working in their easier. On an ending note, people are really exaggerating how bad the room is. Sure, its gross once in a while but the posters above me have described it as a room nothing can survive in. It’s not a room covered in feces, it’s a room that sometimes has a couple of empty wrappers on the ground or maybe a piece of a forgotten sandwich. Calm the hell down and throw it out. Big freaking deal. I’m also in complete agreement with Meursault’s list. It’s a lounge for just seniors. Enjoy it, do your work, if you use it keep it clean, if you don’t than stop complaining about it. Sorry this is so unorganized, I have senioritis and can’t reorganize it hur hur hur.
The problem is that people are not excited to learn anymore. The people who use the senior lounge the most are the ones who are not excited about learning. Maybe the seniors need to enjoy school, especially because this is their last year in North Salem. If you do not do anything your senior year then be prepared for a rude awakening next year and by doing your senior year work will help the academic transition.
Not to brag or anything (or in other words to brag), I did not use the senior lounge to the potential most seniors at NS do. I am too busy for my own good, but people are supposed to be busy and laziness is a bad habit that is hard to break. If you do not want to get senior citizenitis when you are older I suggest getting off that worn-out couch with the 2 month old pop tart between the cushion and do something with your life! Remember video games may not help with your 10 page on Blasé Pascal that you will have to do in the future, but actually doing some work might help you prepare for it.
Also consider yourself lucky. MOST SCHOOLS DO NOT GREAT SENIOR PERKS like NS! This may be hard to believe, but it is true. Can you image not having a senior lounge? Well some fortunate souls can.
The senior lounge is just a waste of time. If it needs to be used, then use it in moderation. If you are in the senior lounge every day or perhaps every period, maybe you should rethink your priorities. The lounge is not worth any time at all. Right now I feel it is a waste of time for me to writing about a repulsive lounge. Somebody just close it already or better yet turn it back into a study hall room. If you are using the room, you are wasting every precious moment of time. Someone must tell you that time will be become your enemy in college. Use your time wisely or expect your demise.
The word waste reminds me of the posts above me about which class year is the best. Seriously don’t you have better things to do than argue what class is better? It is childish and immature, especially because everyone knows that the class of 2007 was the best group to walk North Salem’s halls. This is an official ruling and it you have an issue with it click HERE.
First of all, I must agree with most of my classmates who have posted before me. The senior lounge acts as a place of relaxation and freedom for seniors. This room is clearly a privilege, something which you must wait until you are in the 12th grade to be a part of. If people who spend their time in the senior lounge, neglect to do their work… well that’s just their fault. If people are wasting their time in the senior lounge, it’s a good assumption that it’s not the first time they’ve procrastinated or just not done their work at all. It’s most likely their long time work habits which they’ve had established throughout all of high school, not only because of senioritis. Not everyone in the senior lounge just spends their time trying to make baskets in the garbage or playing Mario Kart, others in fact do act usually do work in the senior lounge. Everyone should stop hating on the senior lounge, if you don’t believe the class of 08 should have it because it acts as a distraction, then don’t associate yourself with it, that’s it.
"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." I absolutely hate this phrase but I'll use it anyway. Self proclaimed World Champion of the World, you make it seem like every second of life needs to be spend learning something. It doesn't. Most people just want to learn what they're interested in, and enjoy their lives and what they have. I spend 7-8 periods a day learning. Most of it gets done in English as I find what we learn there more valuable than what we learn in Statistics or APES. I use the senior lounge to escape from the monotony of school and school work and enjoy myself. I don't feel like having a book in my hand every second of the day, with the rushed feeling I have to be doing something to expand my intelligence. And I forgot to say this before, but teachers sometimes enforce that the second half of the year means nothing. I've had teachers say they know we don't care, and are just kinda teaching the class anyway. Hell, Mr.Kowgios himself said in the XX years he has been teaching, not one student that has been accepted into college has had that college reject them after the first two quarters. Hearing that from Mr.Kowgios kind of solidified to me the last half of the year means little (grade wise).
I agree that the senior lounge can get absolutely disgusting sometimes, and if you walk in there you are most likely to see students playing video games, or yelling, or watching tv, or eating. It is on rare occasion that you find a student trying hard to study in there, however that is not at all the purpose of the senior lounge. The senior lounge is NOT a study hall; what the senior lounge is supposed to be, is a place where seniors can relax and spend their free periods. As far as the term "senioritis," I think the whole idea of it is absolutely ridiculous. If such thing existed, then I have known kids with this horrible disease of not doing work and slacking off since the 9th grade. Lazy students who refuse to do their homework or do not care to study do not only exist in the senior class. Students will decide whether or not their schoolwork is important, with or without the senior lounge. I feel that if the senior lounge was taken away in hopes that maybe seniors would start doing more work, the plan would fail horribly. With the majority of the senior class having a car, the last thing they would want to do during their free periods is stay in school. The senior lounge is a place that seniors can enjoy and I think they deserve it; taking it away is certainly not the answer to these "problems."
Let’s be honest with ourselves for a moment.
Gas is expensive.
And most of us don’t live two-three minutes away from the grand establishment we call high school. In fact, many of us live at least ten minutes away, give or take a few due to traffic. So what was invented to be a refuge—a safe haven—to replace the stress-less environment of home? The Senior Lounge.
For what do we need such a place of shenanigans and lollygagging? Let me tell you simply: applying for college is annoying. So annoying that some of us just want to throw our computers, laptops, etc. across the room, out the window, down the stairs. But we don’t because obviously that giant piece of plastic and metal cost a pretty penny. When the weight of the future is bearing down on us and causing us to break and bend, where do we go? Well, most of us don’t have time to leave school in between two academic classes. Instead, we go to lounge. And the same goes for the stress dealt to us via AP courses. AP Literature, for example, might be so mind-boggling one day that some of us may need to lie down for the next period just to let it all soak in.
And from there I’d like to ask you all, what exactly is Senioritis? It can be found in the dictionary as a colloquial term that by definition describes the situation that many high school and perhaps college students claim is the cause of their lack of motivation. It is defined as a LACK OF MOTIVATION. Now how in the world, could a place designated as an epitome of healing steal away the motivation of its students? No, my friends, college does that to us too. Getting that acceptance letter, that email, that notice that tells us that “you’re in” acts like a switch—a trigger, if you will. And once set there’s only so much time before a person is shooting his or her self in the head. The Senior Lounge can’t do that to us, it's something that has been there all along.
The senior lounge should not be closed. It is a place for seniors to relax without being bothered by younger students or faculty. As long as the seniors do not disturb any classes, then the lounge should not be taken away. Just because the lounge may be unclean, it is no reason to take it away. If the seniors cared about their lounge being dirty, then they can clean it up themselves. It is the student’s choice weather or not they want to attend class. The lounge should not have an effect on the decision. The videogames and television should not be removed from the senior lounge. If you want to study go to the library.
I think your all full of **** The senior lounge just gives seniors a sense of privacy to get away from the stress of not being together next year. The senior lounge has also started alot of new friendships and also separates us fromt he younger kids who think they are older and try and act cool. Everyone has a diffrent case of senioritis it all depends on you as an individual and you ability to stay focused. Those who choose to play video games... let them be, they might be a professional one day and make loads of money(sike). In conclusion the senior lounge doesnt promote senioritis, seniors do. Just like guns dont kill people people kill people.
Hey World Champion of the World, if your time is so precious and you truly believe that every second should be used to expand a person’s knowledge, then why are you on a 12th grade blog? Yes, I am sure you will say you were trying to teach all of those dumb seniors something for their own good, but that is not true at all. No one will change their opinion based on your extremely impressive knowledge. And if you really are “too busy for your own good” then you should really consider setting your own priorities, and I am sure that posting on a senior blog would NOT be one of them. The truth is, as Kowgios said himself, the second half of senior year really is unimportant when dealing with colleges. I myself am not going to get this supposed “senioritis” because I have really never been a lazy student, and certainly don’t plan on being one now. But for those people who do not want to work, and want to be lazy, who cares? Let them do what they want, and if the senior lounge serves as a place where they can hang out and have a good time, why condone it? Most schools do not promote any kind of fun activity for seniors, and if our school does, why would people not take advantage of it? Unfortunately for me, I hardly ever get to be in the senior lounge, but I will say that when I am in there, I have a lot of fun, not just playing video games, but being able to relax with my friends and not have to truly worry about school. The senior lounge is fine how it is, and unless something bad happens, there is no way it should or will be closed.
I honestly believe that as a senior, we should be given at least one privilege, and for most it would be to keep the senior lounge open. It is not always fun and games, many do work or study for tests that they have later on in the day. It just gives us a place to get away from the normal high school routine and enables us to move on in the world. It is mainly up to the individual student to decide to have the case of “senioritis” … not because of the senior lounge.
This has been a tradition in our school for many years and it should not end now. Though most kids do work in the senior lounge it should not be turned into a library which other students have suggested. It is a sense of accomplishment to finally be able to enter this room…we have been watching previous seniors do the same and it is finally our turn. I’m sure that when the graduates were seniors they felt the same way. It is here to stay and we are proud to be using it.
you know, just saying "hey why are you older kids posting on our blog? don't you have better things to do?" isn't even close to insulting or earth-shattering. i'm not going to rethink my life now that you've called me out for posting on a blog that used to be a staple of senior english. what's more amazing to me is that more college kids have posted on this blog than those who are required to. what does that say about you?
let me break it down for you. college kids have mastered this thing called "time management." see, we can do everything we need to do, and still have time to do the things we want to, or are asked of us. so when my old pal nicky k emails me and asks me to comment on this blog of his. nostalgia kicked in and i found the time to answer the call, twice.
so look, stop hating on the college kids because they found the time to post on your blog. there is no reason to get upset, offended, or testy. i realize mr. k has probably told you something in class about challenging us when we comment, but by just saying "wow you're so uncool by posting on a high school blog," it really doesn't affect me at all. in fact, it's making me post again.
so stop it. think of a valid point and say something about that. trying to shame us into not posting anymore because you don't like it isn't going to do anything.
=)
<3
Seniors- we are called seniors for a reason aren't we? While at the ages of eighty and ninety seniors can be seen resting in their retirement homes for us this is our time. We have reached the pinnacle of our high school careers. It would be pointless for us to continue working so vigorously without significant leisure. While many disregard the fact that allowing a senior lounge may actually encourage students to go in there and work together finding out how to solve a problem that they didn't understand before or working on a project. Even for the purpose of playing a game or watching TV to allow us to unwind lets us recuperate from our day and replenish ourselves for the next class. Whether the senior lounge is there or not those students who chose to do their work or don't have formed a personal decision to do so. This has no bearing on the senior lounge-there or not this has no effect on the increased laziness and if they weren't in the senior lounge students may go out more or even home where they may lose time through traveling and even miss class. If anything the senior lounge is a safe haven for a moderate and not abused leisure so that there's just enough relaxation without going overboard. It’s what I would call a, “controlled-laziness” that ensures students will receive the break they need without seriously impacting their grades. By having the senior lounge it teaches us the fundamental lesson, how to be an adult, how to make personal choices in life and so forth. It is now that we determine with this new found freedom if we are we going to do what’s best for ourselves in the long run or rather are we going to do simply what we want to do? The choice is ours and perhaps the senior lounge is rather a symbol of our growth, our choice as an adult, and our stance in society with making our own choices for ourselves. Distinguishing the student body from those who seek to succeed and those who just seek.
I agree with most of the above statements from the seniors that currently go to North Salem. I could reiterate their points about how it is our sanctuary, a place from where teachers do not stray, a place to bond with fellow classmates but all that has been said. In response to some of the posts before me, I do actually see kids doing work in the lounge, even if it is copying, we even got rid of the decrepit old pool table and opted for more tables with chairs. Just on Monday I saw at least a dozen kids working last minute touches on their economic and government projects. Maybe you do not see anyone working because our senior class decided that day to do our homework at home; you do not have the ability or insight to make that judgment. The Senior Lounge does not promote senioritis. I see the lounge as a place for the senior class to come together and bond with other seniors you rarely talk to. We are going to slack off either way. Devil’s advocate, I hope that heart was not to all of us, you should not toy with people’s emotions like that.
I feel that the senior lounge is more beneficial than harmful. If anything, the senior lounge provides seniors with a special room for them to just sit back, relax, and be separated from all the other annoying little kids in the school. It gives them their privacy without any adults bothering them about anything. I believe that the senior lounge helps seniors stay in school and without this lounge there would probably be a much higher rate of seniors not in school. It gives them a better reason to want to stay in school instead of simply signing out and leaving school for the day. I also do not feel that the senior lounge promotes senioritis. Senioritis basically depends on how motivated you are as a student to do your work. Everyone is different and has different work habits. It is up to the senior to take responsibility, like Ally said, and decide on their own what they feel is more important. Therefore, the senior lounge will have no effect on senioritis since we are all old enough to be able to make our own decisions on whether we should study or play video games. In conclusion, I feel the senior lounge gives seniors special privileges, since they are the oldest and deserve it, and should remain open.
After thirteen years of attending public school and finally becoming a senior, this should without a doubt be a time to be rewarded. The senior lounge is the perfect reward: a place in school to simply go and hang out with your friends. It is called the lounge because it is not meant for people to go and do all their homework or study for upcoming tests, but it is supposed to be a relaxing place to eat, watch TV, or play video games. On the other hand, it is still a place where studying and work can and do take place. There are no rules in the senior lounge against doing work or anything like that, so I agree with most of my classmates that the senior lounge does not promote senioritis. At this time in our lives we are old enough to make our own decisions and if we choose to be lazy and slack off in a time when grades no longer have any substantial meaning, then we have that right. Nothing promotes senioritis except one’s personal feelings on grades and whether the last two quarters of high school truly matter. When in the senior lounge, each person makes his or her own decision on what to do with that block of time and the ultimate decision is only made by that one individual. Nothing contributes to that opinion and the only person who has to deal with the end results if that person who either chooses to slack off and let senioritis overcome them, or to continue to work hard and make the most of what is left of the academics of high school. The senior lounge should not be related to senioritis and there are no reasons to why the lounge should be closed. Keep the lounge open, let the seniors have senioritis, and let everyone make their own decisions.
The Senior Lounge should not be closed, and I assume the person who suggested this to be an adult. After thirteen years of required study hall, limited "recess" and the noisy, bustling cafeteria for lunch, seniors deserve a change in scenery, especially after a horrendous junior year. Just because the lounge has an air-hockey table, video games and a television does not mean people are slacking off. More often than not, those watching T.V. or playing guitar hero are those who have finished their work due for that day. I also find that people study together in the lounge for their AP American tests as well as finish projects on the computer; all of the previously stated proving that video games and television are not distractions. Closing the senior lounge would just wreak havoc in the senior class, and we've already had issues with lockers and what not. I'm sure it would not be fun for the office to have to deal with our complaints to re-open something that has been available to every other senior class since god knows when.
OKAY first off in no way shape or form does the senior lounge cause senioritis it the senior who chooses to have it. Some Alum who are posting who did not have the senior lounge their senior year have no clue about what there talking about because they have no experience. How are you going to say the senior lounge is bad if you haven’t experienced it ?!!?? It doesn’t make sense.. And I no class of 06 did not. So just don’t talk. Back to what I was saying , is the senior lounge a magical room where a senior walks in and magically senioritis is bestowed upon them? The answer to that one is no! The senior chooses!!! If you don’t want to do your homework that’s your choice if you want to play games then fine go ahead it’s your future. Why should people be worried about others that don’t concern them? They shouldn’t. from personal experience I have gone to the senior lounge many times before class and such and I don’t see a sign of senioritis in me . And I don’t see it in much of my class mates either. The senior lounge is a good place for seniors. It takes us away from the stress of schoolwork to spend quality time with our friends and classmates. If that is bad please tell me because that must be a new definition.
Senioritis happened to half the 12th grade before the year even began. There is no correlation between the Senior Lounge and senioritis. The kids that have been cutting class to play video games are the same kids that would cut class anyways, so what does it matter? If during our free period we want to go and dominate super smash bros. what is the problem with that? The senior lounge offers us time to step away from our same repetitive schedule and allows us to talk and hang out with our friends, play video games, and watch t.v. I for one only get to spend and most two periods a day in the lounge depending on if Mr. O'Callaghan is in school and enjoy the relaxed attitude of the lounge. Since I am terrible at almost all video games, it is not the games that is the most appealing attribute of the lounge. It is the atmosphere that the lounge has that gives the rest of the day some hope. If not for the senior lounge I would not be passing A.P American, however the lounge offers a comfortable place for Erica Nagi and i to work diligently on our homework. God bless the Senior Lounge
Senioritis is not caused by the senior lounge. Senioritis is just an attitude that students have. Like Sarah said, it does not exist. It has just become a name to the better known- lazy. The senior lounge has not caused any change to students work habits and has not caused "senioritis". The senior lounge is just a place where seniors can go to hang out. Although some may choose to not do their homework and play videogames or watch tv, that is ultimately their choice. If they really wanted to do their work in a quiet place, they would leave. The senior lounge may tempt students to fool around and not do their work, but it does not change the attitude students have about school.
and marc, you dont really want the videogames taken out. youre in there all the time BEFORE FIRST period playing golf of hockey.. so dont lie, you enjoy them.
I think that the Senior Lounge can do both harm and good depending on the student. I can agree with jimmy M how he says that it’s the student’s choice. It is defiantly the student’s choice to do there homework or not to do it but some kids get distracted easer then others. If there was no Senior Lounge then they would not get distracted. There would also be no time to relax from all your work that you get. Every student does work and learns differently. Some students will just play games all day in the Senior Lounge and some will play game and do there work, some just do there work. If there was no Senior Lounge I think yes it would make kids to there work a lot more and it would be better for the teachers. I also think that the student’s would not like coming to school as much which is not good. So there is a good and bad outcome of the Senior Lounge and no one can just say yes its bad and no it’s good because everyone is different.
“…and teenagers will be teenagers.” We’ve all heard it, we know it’s true. Ultimately, you and you only choose to do what you want to do. If you want to play video games in the senior lounge and not go to class, then so be it. When it comes time to graduate and you simply cannot, then that is your fault. The senior lounge is the school’s gift to us. Generous as it is, they have offered up a decent sized room for the oldest students to be able to relax during their free periods and breaks. Students who use it properly should not be penalized for those who abuse its existence. I can’t see myself spending my one free period anywhere other than the senior lounge; it has become a large part of being a senior. I get to be with my friends, bond, and even do schoolwork and studying. Whether you believe it or not, a lot of students actually DO work in the senior lounge. I personally think that we are old enough to make decisions for ourselves. If you want to punish people who misuse the senior lounge, then punish them and them alone…as if they’re not already punishing themselves enough by abusing it.
The senior lounge is not necessarily a bad thing for seniors to be able to use. “Senioritis” is some bull that teachers like to use against seniors. Throughout all of high school I have never cared about doing my work. I put all assignments off till the last minute, and do not study for tests. Getting rid of the senior lounge will not change my attitude about school. The rare times that I am in there, students are playing video games and watching TV, but others are doing work. I don’t think what marc said about students taking responsibility is true at all. The room is always dirty with stuff all on the floor, and the people that clean it are the SAME people every time. I feel indifferent about the senior lounge, I don’t care if its there, or isn’t there to be honest. But closing it will not change the attitudes of students.
okay so i just thought of a few things i thought i'd include in the discussion.
first of all, i would just like to explain why i post on this blog, even though i am two years removed for NSHS. i enjoy intelligent conversation. i enjoy being respectfully challenged and have serious conversation about whatever topic is at hand. i don't like it when people throw around insults or ignorant assumptions, which brings me to my next point:
secondly, "jimmy m," the class of '06 did have the senior lounge for almost a semester, before someone destroyed some of the property within it and caused its closing. so i do know about what it is like to have the lounge. get your facts straight.
thirdly, and much more importantly, i just want everyone to consider this:
okay let's look past whether or not the senior lounge CAUSES senioritis. however does it not facilitate, or offer the opportunity for it? the senior lounge is, by definition, a place for seniors to go and relax and unwind. is this not idleness?
okay calm down and keep listening...i am not looking for argument, but real discussion here.
if the senior lounge did not exist, what would you do? would not having a place to go and play video games make the difference in whether or not you decided to go to class, or to the library, or to do work? i think it might. say youre kinda tired of doing work, its been a long day, but youre debating whether to go to the computer lab to start that essay due in a few days, or to the cafeteria to hang out. chances are you choose the cafeteria because you dont want to do work, but sometimes you may choose to just get the work out of the way. now factor in the senior lounge. now your choices are to get ahead in work or go play video games. what are you going to choose? yeah...thought so.
so look, im not here advocating the senior lounge be closed. i know its a place to go and have fun during the school day...but what i am saying is that it provides a powerful deterrent from doing work that is due that day, the next day, or whenever. so yeah, you may not want to do work to begin with, but if you factor in the immense draw of a senior-only video game/tv room...well then, who would do work?
keep in mind i realize that there are, of course, exceptions to this. i don't to hear about each person individually, but rather make an assessment of the group or any points i have brought up here.
and yeah, maybe if you guys start having real conversation here, i just might tell you who i am.
As juniors, all of us remembered watching seniors wander in and out of the senior lounge to play video games, watch television, talk with friends, eat lunch, or simply to do work. We were envious of the special privileges seniors received while we sat in the uncomfortable cafeteria. Now it is our turn as seniors, and obviously we all agree that the senior lounge has been long awaited and well deserving for our use. However, we have been confronted with several issues regarding the senior lounge. Students have been cutting class to go to the lounge and play video games and socialize with friends while leaving the lounge a complete disaster. Only a few can attest to cleaning up the senior lounge after everyone continues to make a mess of the lounge. So, can we as a class take the good with the bad? Can the school tolerate the irresponsible actions of seniors? Should the senior lounge be closed? In my opinion, I do not think it should be closed. Students need to recognize the importance of attending class and that their moronic behavior is one of the main reasons the school is considering closing down the senior lounge. As for cleaning up, it is common sense to pick up after oneself. It is our duty as a class to work together and take turns cleaning up the senior lounge, otherwise the circumstances are completely unfair.
I think that closing the senior lounge down because it causes “senioritis” is ridiculous. Having this room where seniors can relax does not cause a distraction from our school work if we don’t let it become one. What I’m saying is that the only thing that would keep someone from doing their work and staying on task is that person’s mindset. If you say to yourself that homework is dumb then you will find a reason not to do it, but if you think that homework is vital to your education then you’ll find time to get it done. The senior lounge is not responsible for seniors’ partying behavior, if anything it’s just a place to release some of the stress we have from school and keep us from breaking down over the workload. I also don’t believe in this argument that having the senior lounge is the reason people slack off because it gives us an option to do just that. That is simply not true. If the lounge wasn’t there I am positive that people would still not do their work if they had a free period. I know that in my case I will do anything rather than a future project or assignment if it’s not due the next day. I will even help other people do their homework instead of my own. I know this seems stupid but I’m sure others must do it. It’s the mindset of the individual to do their work or not, and in my case I always get my work done on time in the end anyway.
I have always believed that Senioritis is a “disease” that can be caught during any year of High School. This isn’t a characteristic of just seniors however; it is a characteristic of our grade as a group. Mr. Jazzieri said, “Your grade seems to be very relaxed about schoolwork in general. It doesn’t look like anybody is doing work, but when the time comes for things to be due, everybody has completed it all very thoroughly.” This is the truth about our grade. We work hard and are very dedicated, but we also know how to have fun. We lined the halls with piñatas on the first day of school, decorated the school on spirit week, planned a trip to the city to see the Rangers, and ordered senior shirts with our favorite class quote (courtesy of Mike Palmieri). The senior lounge doesn’t promote Senioritis, and the claims that actual work doesn’t get done in there are completely false. There have been countless times where Kerrie Neuhaus and I shout madly across the room to each other studying for an AP American test the next period, and 5th period is also the time when Sarah Nathan looks up her infamous French reportages on super-mice and new species of frogs for AP French. The overall feeling that someone gets when they walk into the senior lounge is that of the closeness of our senior class. This week we’ll be putting up a Christmas tree purchased by Sean and Thomas, and everyone will have to bring in homemade ornaments to put on the tree. Stephen speaks the truth: without the lounge, there would not be a place for us to work together and for Stephen to contribute equally and responsibly to our daily homework. Let’s face it, the Senior Lounge is here to stay.
I feel the senior lounge should not be taken away from seniors who waited a long time, actually years to be able to call it theirs. At this point in our lives if you don’t have enough self motivation to go to class rather then play video games or watch t.v. well then I don’t think that is going to be anyone’s problem except for ones own in just a few months. The whole senior experience in North Salem is to learn time management and become independent as we mature out of North Salem High School. By taking the senior lounge away I feel that they are contradicting themselves. Lets be honest if someone really did not want to go to class they just wouldn’t …senior lounge or not. So no the senior lounge should not be taken way.
Ryan Spillane
The senior lounge doesn’t promote seniorities. Even if the senior lounge didn’t exist kids would do the same thing as they do now. Cut class, and not do their work. Taking away materials isn’t going to change a person, so by taking away the senior lounge, it would accomplish nothing. Everyone would still be the same. The good boys and girls would do all their work and be good, and the lazy people like me will still be lazy. If a senior doesn’t have enough responsibility to do his work or play videogames then he is never going to make it in the real world, because there is always going to be the easy way out. I think if anything the senior lounge encourages you to grow up and be more responsible. It makes you have to do what has to be done and not what you want to do. The senior lounge doesn’t promote seniorities.
We all know that senior year involves all the stresses from college applications and what not, so why shouldn’t seniors have a place to relax. The senior lounge provides just this. A place to sit back, watch tv, and hang out with friends during free periods gives seniors a chance to take time out of their school day. It is a privilege students look forward to, and does not promote senioritis. Senioritis forms by choice of the student. If anything the senior lounge provides a place where students can work on homework or study in small groups. The senior lounge should not be shut down as it allows seniors to relax and socialize throughout their hectic day.
I must concur with Burger about the graduates. Honestly "World Champion of the World" (because that makes sense) I think maybe you need to consider rewording things do you don't sound so damn condescending (unless that is what you are trying to do in which case you succeed tremendously!).
Furthermore, these blogs (some anyway) are getting way too intense. People (graduates and current students) it's a damn blog. Relax and go out and play in the snow!!!
The senior lounge is too valuable to the school to be taken away. In the few years that it has been in service, the lounge has become almost legendary. Its magical aura is evident in the wandering eyes of lower classmen every time they pass by the door. It does not solely provide entertainment for seniors wanting to escape from the school day, it unites the senior class. Nowhere else can the senior class hang out at one place, eat lunch and just unwind.
P.S. Nothing is better than watching Mikey Palms play smash bros. It is the most entertaining spectacle ever.
Anyone who says the senior lounge should be close obviously has no freinds. That being said, I dont think having the lounge prevents seniors from doing school work and I do not think that it promotes senioritis. Senioritits is controlled by the student, not by the lounge. It would be the same way if there was a junior lounge or a sophmore lounge. If there was no lounge, seniors would still go out to eat or go to the cafeteria and eat. Seniors should be able to do what they want during their frees and luch. The senior lounge provides all seniors a place to relax, watch tv, eat their sandwiches, and play videogames. I would also like to say that Super Smash Brothers is one of the most entertaining videogames ever, especially when we gang up on Anthony and make him look horrible. The only negatives I see with it are that seniors may be tempted to cut class and go play videogames instead. Also, it should be kept a bit cleaner. Other than that, the lounge is a fun and relaxing place that should stay.
Okay "devils advocate" maybe you had it for some what of a semester . your a perfect example of this blog. Now because you had the senior lounge and then did not have it do you think it cause the seniors to stop having senioritis after it closed down or did it stay the same. And because what your saying that if we close the senior lounge now that it might change our attitudes and go to the cafeteria and computer lab and such and do work. Did u do that? Did many of your class mates do that or did they hangout at a lunch table eating food that they got from a deli BS’ing ? Right after the senior lounge was closed were you and your classmates going to the computer lab to do a essay . I highly doubt it.
ohhh jimmy jimmy jimmy. you missed the point of my post...and you also missed the correct usage of "your" vs "you're" repeatedly.
let me restate what i said so you understand better.
i suggested that the senior lounge itself does not cause senioritis, but rather- hang on, let me just quote myself:
"okay let's look past whether or not the senior lounge CAUSES senioritis. however does it not facilitate, or offer the opportunity for it?" (devil's advocate)
the main point of my post was to try to get people to discuss whether or not the lounge encourages or facilitates senioritis. i asserted that the lounge provides a strong deterrent from doing work, not that it causes kids to not want to do work altogether. i meant that if a senior was given the choice, which they are, that almost every time they would choose the lounge over whatever productive activity was the alternative, if there was any.
so to reiterate, i am trying to cause intelligent discussion, not advocate the dismantling of the senior lounge that clearly all the seniors covet. stop trying to put words in my mouth.
oh and to answer your (correct usage there) question: yes. without the distraction of the lounge, myself and many of my friends did use the other facilities more than we did when we had the lounge.
HELL NO! Even though i do not usually ever go into the senior lounge i still think that it is a place for us seniors to just Chill-lax(TM, Copyright 2007). And i think that is an important part of finally becoming a senior. It may be true senioritis is real, but that doesnt mean its always a bad thing, what else are we supposed to do during our free periods....do homework or study HA! A good social life is a big role in and throuhout our lives.
Does the Senior Lounge do more harm than good?
Should it be closed because it promotes senioritis?
The senior loungue should not be closed because its a place where the seniors hang out. They get to relax and enjoy there free time in the senior loungue. Some people do there hw in the senior loungue too. I don't think that it can distract students from school because they choose wether they want to do there work or not and i dont think that a senior loungue will prevent them from doing work. and i dont think it promotes senioritis.
I think that seniors do get lazy at some point. However, taking the senior lounge away from us won’t do anything and will just make things worse. Even though I myself don’t spend any time in the senior lounge, I have been in it a couple of times and have seen seniors studying, finishing up homework, and just having a good time. In my opinion, the TV and video games in the senior lounge just give seniors something to do rather than to go out and drive. I also think that the senior lounge does not play a significant role in a student’s grades. The grades that a student receives are based on his/hers feelings toward school and the senior lounge is just something people tend to blame it on.
As a senior, I think that we should keep the senior lounge the way it is, despite the privileges we are given. Allowing us to have somewhere we can just chill and be with friends before we leave for college is a good thing to have.
Last thing I have to say is why now? Why haven’t people complained about the past years we have had the senior lounge?
To take the senior lounge from the seniors will only cause more problems around the school else ware. Instead of having seniors sit in one designated are to have fun or do their work there will be kids loitering around the halls possibly disrupting classrooms. Seniors have the right to be given a are for them to go relax in. sometimes a senor or two will choose the lounge over class room but lets be honest why would u want to do something you don’t want to do? So the lounge has one down but aside that it does its purpose to give kids something to look forward on when things are boring. Another point is it keeps kids in school instead of driving around and raising the risk of getting into an accident. So in the long run the lounge helps more than it does harm.
I think that the senior lounge does not cause senioritis. Senioritis existed way before the senior lounge was opened in North Salem. I don't even think that the lounge promotes senioritis. If you think about it, the lounge simply allows seniors to have a place to hang out in and have fun during their frees. A free period allows you do whatever you want; you don't have to do anything academically. I do not see how this can promote senioritis because if there wasnt a senior lounge, seniors would just go some where else and do the exact same things, except for playing video games and watch TV. As well, seniors do this after school; it seriously would not make a negative impact upon seniors because they would still be exposed to the same environment. People get senioritis when they get lazy and dont care about school anymore, not from going to the lounge.
Personally I could care less what happens to the Senior Lounge because I hardly ever go in there but I do agree with Domonique. The senior lounge doesn't promote senioritis it's the seniors that do. We are all capable of making our own decisions. We either chose to do our work or we don’t. You can't blame the lounge for student’s lack of doing work. Even if we didn't have it there would be other things distracting us. It's the student’s responsibility to make sure their on top of their work. The senior lounge allows students to break away from all the stress of school and just relax for a while. After sitting in class all day we need a break. I think it's good that the seniors get their own room to get away and relax in. It's a privilege I believe we have earned. So to end this I do not think the senior lounge should be closed.
Well since my first post was deleted for reasons beyond me, I think I'll just mimic everyone else's and be the stooge I'm obviously suppose to be.
Blah blah the senior lounge doesn't promote senioritis....blah blah...it's a privelege....blah blah lower grades want it but we have it...blah blah you can still do work in it. Honestly what else is there to say? I don't think there is a person on this blog...well besides Marc, who really can argue against the senior lounge. What is wrong with it? It's a heaven found in hell. There is no way to argue against this unless you're trying to either A.) Anger your other classmates (which by disagreeing with anyone's beliefs would do to someone) or B.) Suck up to a teacher (Cough Marc cough). I don't really care for this blog because this isn't a moral issue it's a bias superificial topic that just has everyone patting eachother on the back. More importantly why are we talking about something as meaningless as this topic when there are so many important debates going on?
THANK you Dakota.
Burger oh buddy oh pal-
My semester at college was over when I wrote those ideas about this lounge. I have time to type words that annoyed people now. Before it was sleep, eat, class and books. Now, I have this free time because I used my time at school wisely! If you work your hardest you will be rewarded, that is why we have summer vacation!
I would also like to point out that I never said I never went in the lounge! Whenever I was in there I felt like there is much better things to do than sit around. That’s why I never stayed in there very long.
In regard to Mr. Kowgios calling the second semester “goof off time”; do you think he really wants behavior like that? I do not believe that be became an educator to just have students sitting around in some room in the school and doing absloultly nothing. Teachers live for their students’ participation and preparation. Senior may be “burned out” from all the years of schooling, but why give in when you can win?
By the way I didn’t call any of you dumb, but I did write that the seniors lazy. There is quite the difference between the two. Also there is quite the difference in language on this blog. Please watch your language on the blog. It is an educational resource and NOT the senior lounge. Maybe that is the reason a few post were deleted. Remember being condescending is better than using foul language.
Burger also mentioned that he does not have the time to use the lounge. Why defend a lounge you barely use, burger? Come and join the dark side. Let me extend this invitation to anyone who does not use the lounge. Be one of us.
Glad to hear I am being condescending enough for the seniors! I cannot wait for the class of 2008 to share my view next year! Seriously it’s just a room, a really messy room. Get over it. It’s not like you are going to physically take the room to college with you.
Sincerely,
The World Champion of the World
PS. Devil's Advocate, you make me feel well liked.
eh, i do what i can
After reading every post on the blog I have to agree with the majority of them, the senior lounge does not promote senioritis. The senior lounge is a place where seniors get an option to relax and hang out with classmates or to be productive and do work for a class. This decision is up to the senior, and at this point they should be mature enough to decide what is right. Although, one can decide what to choose, majority of seniors decide to stay in the senior lounge. The senior lounge is not only a place to have a good time during a free period, but it is also a place where every senior comes together. Rarely are there actual arguments in there, there is, however, classmates coming together whether playing mario party, which can get intense, or sharing in a discussion. I am not saying seniors are being productive in the senior lounge, but are all juniors, sophomore, or freshman being productive during lunchtime. No. I have never been one to study or do work during my free-periods, and this has stayed true this year too, except this year I get to hang out in the senior lounge and actually have a good time with some classmates I will probably not ever talk to again. The senior lounge is a place where the senior class comes together.
I have to agree with Steven Borges; The senior lounge doesn’t make people lazy, its the persons own choice. Although “The Lounge” does make it easy to slack off, students just have to buckle down and play games like "Super Smash Bros, and Mario Party" after their work is complete. I personally do all my homework at home so i can enjoy my free periods and play games and hang around. i do not feel the lounge should be closed because then the seniors would have to resort to fighting the little kids and the school would become a war zone. The risk of a riot is simply not worth it. Keep the lounge open and peace will follow, close it and it would result in pure pandemonium. It in no way promotes senioritis. The kids have to make the decision to do school work and I believe that the kids at North Salem middle high school are smart enough to realize that work is more important than play. And to get into college kids need to do school work and then they can go play games. But I am sticking with my decision of keeping the student lounge open, partly because I am a senior and partly because I feel it in the right thing to do.
I've spent the past 20 minutes reading through everyone's posts and I think I've got this idea of most of the argument. We all know it; the class of 08 was diagnosed with senioritis at birth. While I do not believe the senior lounge has caused us to have senioritis, its presence does play an important role.
Many a time I have opted not to go to the computer lab to finish a project, but rather I went to the senior lounge to play "the floor is lava." So I can't say I'm the perfect student who never leads into temptation.
However, to be honest I don't think one can generalize and say "well they think they can slack off senior year and then be ready to work freshman year" (a summarization of devil advocate's first post) because while some people might not be capable of doing that, I for one know I am. I slacked off the last quarters of each year of high school, but I still came back the next year to take responsibility for the workload I knew was coming. And granted, next year will be significantly more difficult for us than high school, but in the end it really depends on our mentality. That's all it comes down to. If you can be responsible enough to work hard throughout high school and make it to senior year- congratulations you have a senior lounge. And now that we're here, the same mentality is expected out of us. If we can spend a little extra time working on an assignment in the library, then decide we want to relax with our friends- the senior lounge is there. If you want to spend every period of the day playing video games in there, then go ahead, but don't expect great grades come report cards. That’s your fault, not the senior lounges.
Ultimately, I think the senior lounge in some aspects can prepare us for college better than some of our classes. We're going to be faced with distractions next year I'm assuming almost every day. We can either go to a party, or take the night off and get some work done. We can either work on a project, or play video games in the lounge.
So what is my point? There was something in the water around the years 1989 to 1990 which caused birth defects- leading to premature senioritis. However, most of us were able to handle it. We accepted that fact that we're lazy as hell, but we do our work anyway. Others accepted the fact that they're lazy as hell and continued to just be... lazy as hell. So the senior lounge can work two ways, how you want it to affect you is ultimately your decision.
Oh and without the senior lounge I would not have been blessed with hearing Mike scream RAM at the top of his lungs while playing smash bros, everyday, 8th period.
I would have to agree with the people who say that no one should really have a reason to argue against the senior lounge. Unless you have other intentions to make yourself look good on this blog... why would you care enough to want the senior lounge shut down. If you dont like the senior lounge... dont come inside. Its as simple as that.
The senior lounge is not to be blamed for senioritis. People can make their own decisions as to whether or not they want to use their free periods to do something constructive or just “hang”. I personally am a pretty busy person and do a little bit of both, as do most of my friends. And in all honesty, most seniors understand that next year is going to be difficult, and that we should avoid slacking now in order to save us the pain of re-learning how to be a student next fall, but we cant help but be tempted to slack off. Most of the college freshman I talk to now say “yeah, college is really fun, but embrace the time you have now with your friends.” So that’s what many of my friends plan on doing, and if work isn’t somebody’s number one priority then fine, I doubt an old classroom with plastic couches is the reason that they cant seem to find time to get all of their work done.
I do not believe the senior lounge should be closed because it has nothing to do with senioritis. Each senior has a choice whether to go to the senior lounge or not, and many students chose not to. Whether students care about their grades or not is up to them, in fact I think that there really is no such thing as senioritis. Almost every senior that I am friends with still takes plenty of classes and they keep their grades up; I know that because in my classes everyone asks what grade did you get and they check to see how they compare with everyone else. As for the other students who have “senioritis” that I know, they have had that condition for as long as I have known them, not just in their senior year. Actually I have seen more kids start doing their work this year than kids stopping their work because they see how important it is to get their lives started; so therefore I do not believe in “senioritis” and again if there is no such thing as that, then the senior lounge could not cause that and it should not be shut down.
The senior lounge can be both good and bad for the current seniors. We were given the opportunity to have free periods in which we can go to the library, off campus, computer lab and so on. But we are also given the opportunity to go to the senior lounge. It supplies us with a relaxing environment in that students can eat, do homework, watch tv, play video games or just hang out.
But there is an argument in which concerns teachers if the opportunity to watch tv or play video games are given, will they actually get any work done inso promoting "senioritis." Well yea as seniors if you are given the oppertunity to play a game or do homework 9 out of 10 times that student will choose to play a game of course. But really we are all going to be affected by seniortis with or without the senior lounge. At least it gives a feeling of freedom and fun during out last year in high school. It really isn't hurting anyone when the homework should be done at home anyway. The senior lounge was given for the seniors to relax on there frees anyway i believe. This place gives us a place to call our own which i think is one of the biggest reason why it is so popular. But it is not like people aren't working there. Every time i walk into the lounge there is always someone on the computer doing work and people doing homework around and studying. Overall i think this is a very positive thing for our seniors and it should be kept there for as along as possible. If u were to take it away it would only cause chaos, and upset all of us making things a lot harder.
This is Katie using Sara's name...
I think I came too late in this debate to offer any new opinions about the senior lounge. I do, however, agree with Liz that it will better prepare us for the years to come. Next year we will be faced with much more appealing distractions than a small room with a few video games, so we might as well get used to it. To look at the big picture, the purpose of high school is to prepare us for the real world-- a place where we will actually have to make our own choices about what we do. The temptation of the senior lounge is, if anything, a way to accustom ourselves to this lifestyle.
In examining the supposed sacred senior lounge I have one thing to say and one thing alone “out of sight, out of mind.” Honestly, if it is that “disgusting” that you cannot stand it then just stay out. You are not being forced to spend your free time in the senior lounge so just stay out if you cannot stand it. It frustrates me that people can just sit there and whine and complain about it on some English blog but remain lurking in the shadows when the issues is presented to them. Next time someone is in the senior lounge that objects to its nature voice your opinion don’t stand there and do nothing!
-Alex Caulfield(mine isn't working)
I really do not believe that "senioritis" is reasonable justification for closing the senior lounge. I slacked off more in my previous years of high school than I have this year, and it was the stress of applying to college that made me try harder. I do usually see students studying for tests, doing homework or fixing powerpoint presentations on that ancient computer, so it is really just nonsense that kids go in there just to slack off.
And regarding the students who don't go in because they feel their lives are in danger from the filth, or that they are not some of the privileged few that may enter- I think it is something within those persons that is keeping them from the lounge. Anyone can go in and feel welcome, and the mess is only comparable to most college dorms. So, basically, get over it- it's there to help us, not to anyone away.
I definitely do not think that the senior lounge is responsible for senioritis. After the years of study and hard work, we need a reprieve. The senior lounge allows us to escape the underclassmen, teachers, and work. We are given the opportunity to relax and somewhat enjoy our time. Without the lounge, we would be sitting in the cafeteria making just as much noise and trouble as in the lounge. Face it; we need the chance to get away from the stress of school. Additionally, other schools which do not have senior lounges have seniors with severe cases of senioritis and I think that when the faculty try to pin the laziness to the lounge it is ridiculous. I think that if anything, the senior lounge would be closed for health reasons. Half the time it is filled with trash and food all over the floor, which is nasty.
I like the senor lounge greatly and this is even from a person that jest spent 45 minuets vacuuming and cleaning it up after a bunch of pigs. However I think that it is a nice place to sit don and relax its comfortable and a place to call your own. I think that it is good because your don’t feel as trapped in a school environment even when you are in the cafeteria or the library it still feels like you are trapped in school and the lounge lets you escape from that. So in the effects of it on senioritis I do not think that it matters I think that if you where going to have it then the fact how there is a senior lounge would not change it all- that much
Senioritis is in fact real in some ways, and the senior lounge could be a leading cause of it. But when taken into consideration that seniors have the right to leave campus during free periods, the senior lounge can not be blamed for seniors not caring. As a senior now myself, I would much rather spend time outside of school grabbing a bite to eat or at my house relaxing. Although I do go to the senior lounge, it is not my top choice of where to be when I have a free period. On the other hand though, it is a spot where seniors can go and relax, someplace more comfortable then the cafeteria.
Anyone that claims the senior lounge should be close has a good point. It is a dirty room that often has a strange smell which has no place using a classroom where another computer lab could be. However, as a senior I am glad it is there. With a a couple of televisions and and a few tables it gives us a place of seclusion where every move we make and thing we say isn't monitored by an adult. One can make the argument that being in the senior lounge affects student's grades, but they have to realize that if you aren't going to do the work in the senior lounge, you most likely won't be doing it in the cafeteria. I am glad that we have the senior lounge, and although I'm sure there are better uses for it, it is good to have.
I do not understand what the big deal of the senior lounge is. Obviously adults are going to be uncomfortable when kids are in school and playing video games, but what they are unaware of that many kids use the lounge as an area to do there homework, and if need be copy of somebody else. If somebody where to interview any senior that has had the luxury of using the senior lounge they would say that the senior lounge in no way promotes senioritis. I have to agree because senioritis is going to affect everybody, or most people. It is that person’s responsibility to decide whether they can deal with another year of high school, which in many cases will bring embarrassment, shame, and ridicule, or that person can decide to do just enough work to pass and graduate. It doesn’t matter what they decide to do, nobody can blame the senior lounge. I have to say that Marc is completely wrong when he says that the senior lounge will be special cause of its exclusivity but in fact, seniors would repel it. Also if the senior lounge did not have the entertainment that many seniors have enjoyed then I would see no point for a senior to even use the room. As others have said it would become another library and I feel that the one we have is sufficient we don’t need another one.
The senior lounge, as with most things in life, has its ups and downs. First i will discuss the ups. It is a fun place to play games, eat, relax, hide from teachers while cutting (of course i never do such things :)) and do a myriad of other seniorly things. The downs most likely in the eyes of all of those who aren't seniors, outweigh the ups. The place can be very dirty, it promotes segregation in school (seeing seniors int eh cafeteria and roaming the halls when i was in middle school and the years of HS before the lounge were fun and made the senior class more apparent), it can be dangerous having lots of 17/18 year olds with nearly zero supervision, and it can become a massive black hole in the realm of study time. I. Get. Nothing. Done.
But when asked if it contributes to senioritis.. id have to say not really. In all honesty the system of getting into college 6-8 months before school ends is largely the reason for this, not some dirty room. If the final classes and final tests and final AP exams mattered for every student in terms of getting into College, you wouldn't see many people playing nintendo instead of writing that paper or researching that unknown fact.
Champion of the world, you criticize Burger for defending a lounge he hardly uses, yet you criticize a lounge you hardly see. When was the last time you stepped foot in there? What more reason to judge, defend or attack the lounge do you have than Burger?
And you, as a person of such high academic ability and motivation.. wouldn't you rather keep the lounge the way it is to keep the fumbling idiots contained with their idiotic video games, leaving the library; a wealth of knowledge, the beginnings of preparation, and the foundation of participation, free for great students such as yourself?
Truthfully, I don’t think the senior lounge does any harm. It is just a place that the school has generously provided for us, the seniors, to have as our own to eat, do work, or entertain ourselves. If anything, the senior lounge is good for seniors because, similar to the principle of senior internships, it is giving us a taste of what lay ahead for most of us with a future at college. Options are presented in the senior lounge, and seniors who frequent the room have the choice of doing what is right. If a student is set on not going to class or not doing their work, they would not go to class/do their work in a location other than the senior lounge if it were not present. In my opinion the senior lounge is a great luxury of being a senior, and there is currently absolutely no plausible reason to remove it.
Having read some of the arguments I have to agree with the position that the senior lounge does not promote senioritis. Some have suggested that the room would be more valuable as a study hall, or that our time would be more wisely spent in a library. Does anyone actually believe that buy surrounding most students with books they will actually open them? 98% of students when surrounded by their friends, as most are during free periods, will not study regardless of the atmosphere. It seems ridiculous to think that buy taking away a room these students would then go to the library and study. They would most likely wind up doing the same things but in the cafeteria, and without video games.
Furthermore, the one thing that I have ever taken from my time with Stadt, is that everyone has a bias, and every piece of writing has a bias. I think it would be beneficial for the current seniors to know who is posting on their blog. If you want us to give even a second thought to what you’re saying, we need to know that you are credible.
Senioritis is very very real, however, I do not feel that the senior lounge promotes senioritis. Although there may be testostorone driven males in the senior lounge yelling at inanimate objects, it is no worse then the "carpted area" where the "nonconformists" angst about their lives. The senior lounge is no diffrent then the cafeteria in regards to a "hang out" besides having a television and video games. It is no diffrent then the carpeted area as a hang out eiter. The senior lounge is just a place where people sit to talk and hang out. Home is where senioritis is promoted. I myself have failed to bring my backpack into my house for the past two weeks.
I agree with Sean. Even though while we are in the senior lounge no homework/schoolwork is accomplished, that is not the fault of the senior lounge. I can't speak for everyone, however I know most of us just are not motivated and just don't care. Its not that seniors are lazy, we feel we have come this far and we now have much more freedom than in the past that we are in control. In the senior lounge, we have privacy and video games and a television which entertains us, however, it does not keep us from doing our work. If they want to demote senioritis, taking away the senior lounge will not fulfill their task.
I've already posted on this blog, but I'd like to say that Sean is the man. That's all I wanted to say. Hahah "nonconformists"...good stuff.
Firstly I must say that the senior lounge has nothing to do with promoting senioritis what truly promotes senioritis is us. We have our college applications done and then we hear from a college and it’s like bam your in and really all one needs to do is the bare minimum and there going to that college. It’s our actions which promote senioritis, we are able to drive and leave campus whenever we want which lets us have freedom, and freedom is what promotes senioritis ultimately. Once you have a car at school you can sign out and leave anytime you want and you don’t necessarily have to return to school, or once you get into college your free to relax and breeze through the rest of the year. The senior lounge is just a place to hang out and relax it has no effect on whether we do our work or not, to me the senior lounge is a place where I can relax and eat and talk with my friends. In no possible way does this make me not want to do work so in conclusion the senior lounge does nothing to promote senioritis in fact all it does is provide a place for kids to get out of the beat of school for an hour before delving back into work.
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