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Navigating Senioritis

Belzora Lovett (’24) shares her take on Senioritis, including some research on how to keep motivated. “No matter what this goal is, it is important to give yourself some kind of reward, because when graduation is looming over your head any accomplishment is worth a reward.”

The coined term “Senioritis” is something that we hear daily at this time of the year, but what REALLY is senioritis? Senioritis is defined as a lack of motivation felt by seniors, due to the hope that one will be able to easily cruise through the end of the school year with no effort. Some common signs of this contagious disease are dropping grades, an influx of missing assignments, procrastination, loss of interest in mainly school, but also other parts of life, skipping class, and an overall lack of effort. The causes of senioritis can be anything from feelings of anxiety to wrap up the year and move on to the next part of life, or burnout from a stressful past year or two. It is important to get down to the cause of your senioritis, because if it is due to burnout, this can follow you through the next four years and have serious mental health consequences.

I spoke to a few seniors at Skyline, and asked them if they have started to feel the effects of senioritis and what consequences, if any, it is having on them. Ava Dawson said that her senioritis is “not a huge hindrance unless it comes to everyday process assignments”. Dawson says that she still has enough motivation to do well on assignments that are worth a lot, like tests and projects, but often will turn in her process work late once she gets a burst of motivation. She will be attending the University of Michigan in the fall, and having her plans already figured out has alleviated a lot of the pressure to overachieve. Ava also noted that if she were currently doing a sport, her senioritis would probably be much more severe and have a greater effect on her ability to do work.

I also spoke with Lexie Rooks, who is another senior who has also noticed her lack of motivation getting worse as the year comes to a close. Rooks has identified her work and motivation to do it as a mental block that she overcomes by telling herself to just do it. Despite her senioritis, she is still able to get her work done.

Southern New Hampshire University has a few suggestions for seniors handling their senioritis. First, is to set specific goals, and reward yourself when you achieve them. These goals can be minuscule, for example getting in 10 minutes of reading each day, or major, like writing a long essay for a scholarship application. No matter what this goal is, it is important to give yourself some kind of reward, because when graduation is looming over your head any accomplishment is worth a reward. Some other tips they give that will help seniors get their work done are changing up the study and work environments and routines, and staying positive about the situation. No matter what mindset you have, the work will still be there, so it is better to be positive and believe in yourself than to procrastinate and have a negative attitude. Dr Jessi Gold, a psychiatrist at Washington University in St. Louis, tells students to spot the signs of burnout by checking in throughout the school day to find out what is stressful and what is enjoyable. Doing this will help you hopefully reduce the stressful parts and increase the enjoyable parts of school. He also suggests putting boundaries between school and life, making designated places and times to focus on school, and trying to take your mind off of it otherwise.

Lock it in.

Gianna Falcicchio-Wall (’24) describes the struggle that many Seniors face to stay motivated in trimester 3. “The last 13 years of my life have been leading up to the moment I graduate. It’ll open up a new and scary (but so so so exciting) time in my life. Why not finish strong?”

As a third trimester senior, who already knows where she’s going to school and whose parents no longer care about GPA and straight-A’s, how the hell am I supposed to stay motivated?

I guess what it really comes down to is the amount of pressure I have put on myself to get things done and be successful in my schooling. It’s a habit that never came naturally, but came out of much trial and error over the years, on top of my fear of failure.

Okay, now I’m at the point where I know I’m not going to fail. Some way or another I will proudly walk the stage June 3rd in the sky blue cap and gown. So I go back to the question. How the hell am I supposed to stay motivated?

I’m fortunate enough to be at the point where all I have left to do is to wrap up some long term assignments. With that being the case, I know I would rather put my best foot forward and make a good effort than turn something in subpar.

BUT BUT BUT

The weather is getting nicer!

My extracurriculars are done!

Summer is on my doorstep!

That’s why I am asking…

How the hell am I supposed to stay motivated?!?!

Here’s what I tell myself (and you should too!):

The last 13 years of my life have been leading up to the moment I graduate. It’ll open up a new and scary (but so so so exciting) time in my life. Why not finish strong? Why not show everyone what I can really do? Even when everyone else is struggling, persevere!

If I let myself shut down and lose the momentum started 13 years ago, what would happen to my readiness for the next level of education? There is so much uncertainty at my doorstep, but I can’t let it consume me. I have to live not only in the moment, but for the hope of it all.

In short, there’s one thing I can do:

Lock it in.

War on Adjectives

Will Pace (’24) encourages writers to embrace maximalist description. “…we can’t change the world of writing all at once. But just one person at a time, we can do better to speak and write in more creative ways.”

As a society, minimalism is too widely celebrated. Sure, if you want your kitchen to look like an Ikea walkway, knock yourself out Brenda. But in literature, there should be color. There should be a flare that we seem to lack as of recently. And I think there’s a way to fix that.

The ball is red. It is shiny, and it is bouncy. These are simple statements, and are probably true about some little red ball. Now, if I told you that the ball was a blindingly vibrant red. If I said the ball was airy and soared in a birdlike way, with a glistening exterior. Now that was dramatic, but you probably would prefer to play with that ball. As writers, we have standards. They are all at different places and levels, but they do exist. There are different styles and guidelines that different people use in their work, but they all culminate to a similar type of format. It’s what we do with that format that really makes us unique.

Now my solution is not easy, because we can’t just change the mind of every single person on the planet who has written anything ever. But what we can do is, if you’re reading this, switch up our mindsets a little. Put your left hand on your keyboard, and put your right hand in the air. Now repeat after me…

“I, (insert your name)

Solemnly swear

To write more vibrantly

To describe more creatively

And to use adjectives the way they were intended to be used”

Thank you for taking my pledge. The Will Pace Adjective Pledge™. Like I said, we can’t change the world of writing all at once. But just one person at a time, we can do better to speak and write in more creative ways. Using language just like it was intended to be used. And even if just one person who reads this can do their best to follow suit. It’ll cause a ripple. A beautiful, asymmetric, effective, remarkable, deliberate, astounding, comforting, awesome, peculiar, ravishing, nice ripple.

Find Your Inner Critic! How to write your first film review by a novice

Felix Atkins (’24) outlines how to write a film review. If you are inspired by his work, submit your own review in the link at the end of the post to be published on our website!

Have you ever watched a movie so good that you just had to recommend it to a friend or family member, but you didn’t have any better way of recommending it other than simply saying: “You should really watch this movie!” Or maybe you can’t help but give a full synopsis and ruin their need to see it in the first place. If you’re anything like me and you like watching movies and picking them apart, you should consider writing a review!

Important Preface

One thing you must consider is that watching a movie for fun and watching a movie analytically are completely different experiences. If you think about a magic show, a magician uses tricks, distraction, and deception to make their audience feel surprise and awe. Similarly, a movie uses camera angles, dialogue, and visual effects, among other things, to evoke certain emotions. Watching a movie analytically is like learning about a magician’s tricks and how they make people feel the way they do.

This can feel overwhelming at first. I came across terms like mise-en-scène or semiotic analysis during my research. While knowing about these terms and techniques can help you elevate your opinions about a movie, it’s important to remember that you’re writing for your average Joe, not a film student. Your ultimate goal should be convincing your audience whether they should or shouldn’t watch a particular movie.

Let’s Watch

Firstly, watch your movie multiple times (at least twice). On your first watch, I encourage you not to take any notes until the end. Then, write down your big ideas and emotions. Here are some questions to think about.

How does this movie make you feel?
Is there anything specific about the movie you liked (Camera work, Music, Lighting)
Is there anything that you didn’t like?
What is this movie trying to tell you?

Now, on your second watch, go more in-depth with these questions. Did the movie leave you satisfied? Going back to the magician example, Did the trick work?

How does this movie make you feel?
- Do you think this was intentional?
  - If so, how does the movie achieve this?
  - If not, where do you think the movie falls short?
Is there anything specific about the movie you liked (Camera work, Music, Lighting)
- Go back and figure out exactly why you liked that element
- For Example, the dialogue in a scene feels convincing and necessary
Is there anything that you didn’t like?
- Again, go back and figure out exactly why you DIDN’T like that element.
- For example, the music in a scene could be too distracting.
What is this movie trying to tell you?
- This is a harder question to answer and is more about the theme(s) in a movie.
- Does the narrative represent the theme well?

Time to Write

Now it’s time to put pen to paper and write your review. Now that you have taken notes, develop an opinion about the movie. Which of the previous questions was most important for your watch? Once you have a central topic for your review, I will show you where to talk about it In this outline.

Expository Information

This is where you will write about the general discourse of a movie and its making. Write about who was involved in the movie: directors, actors, producers. Was the movie controversial or highly anticipated? Is the director well established or is this a debut film? Were there any risks taken while making the movie? Providing this kind of information can set up expectations and create interest for someone who otherwise wouldn’t watch the movie.

Plot Synopsis

Write a brief description of general events in the movie and plot. Be sure not to reveal too much; a good tip is to reveal about as much as the trailer does.

Review

Here, introduce your “central Idea” about the movie. Share your opinion, don’t be afraid to be critical, but do be professional. Try to answer the questions listed previously, and go into detail about the techniques used to make it happen (I will include resources below to help you with this).

Conclusion

Deliver your final verdict to the reader. Would you recommend this movie? Here you could include general sentiments about the film, and talk about your feelings at the end of the movie on your initial watch.

Here are some resources to learn more about film analysis and technical approaches to movies.

UNC Film Analysis Article

Mise en Scène Masterclass Article

How to read cinematography | Shot analysis explained

Parasite’s Perfect Editing

How I Analyze Movies: A Quick Guide to Film Analysis

Hopefully, this blog helped you with your review process! Though this can be an overwhelming process, Just remember to relax. You are only writing for your peers at Skyline.

Submit your review

How Audiobooks Changed My Reading

Andrew Chen (’26) discusses the pleasure of audiobooks and offers some recommendations. “It is thanks to audiobooks that I have developed a love for books and a strong vocabulary.”

Every year, like clockwork, my family travels to New Jersey and Pennsylvania over the Christmas or Thanksgiving break. Instead of flying, we would drive the ten or so hours on I-80 all the way to the East coast. During the drive, we would listen to audiobooks from excellent authors.

Specifically, in the most recent years, we obsessed over the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood. My dad would slide the disk into the CD player, and we’d be regaled by Katherine Kellgren’s incredible reading skills the whole drive long. Sometimes we’d pause and discuss, as the entire series is a mystery tale. Every detail could be something that was important to the overall story. But mostly, we’d listen and laugh at the antics of the characters.

This literary experience was impactful in several ways. It is thanks to audiobooks that I have developed a love for books and a strong vocabulary. I have long been convinced that I am an auditory learner. When I perform music, I don’t read the music, I hear it in my head. Same with a book, I don’t read it, I hear it. This, of course may not be the case for every reader and writer, but audiobooks can be an incredible way of passing the time. There’s something special about listening to a very calm, clear voice reading your favorite classic, or a new, exciting fantasy.

The amount of audiobooks I listened to while creating a 6 foot tall, 128,600 strand latch hook numbered somewhere in the 30s. I would encourage every writer, reader, and teacher to listen to an audiobook one day. You may never know what part of the story may stand out to

you that you missed while reading.

Whenever I encounter a challenging text, I immediately go and get the audiobook, and for many of these texts, it makes understanding much easier. I remember many of these audiobooks because they impacted my entire reading method. It’s not for everyone, but we should all encourage others to read, whether it is an audiobook or a real book. Either way reading enhances vocabulary and a portal into a new world is opened.

A few good audiobook recommendations (with links to Amazon): Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. Any of the Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (Del Roy). Anything Rick Riordan, especially the Trials of Apollo serial. Maryrose Wood’s Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place. Harry Potter (Jim Dale).

You can find audiobooks at the library, on Libby, if you have a library card, or on Hoopla, which also requires a library card. Many audiobooks are also on the internet for free, or for a small fee. Amazon’s Audible service has thousands of audiobooks that you can peruse as well.