By: Lili Romann ’19 and Daniel Harizman ’19

Sweat dripping, mind racing, heart pounding. Pencils dig into her palm and leave their abstract portrait of lead. She convinces herself that it will all come to an end soon, but she can see no end.

Students withstanding their senior year at Staples High School describe the fall season as demanding, stressful and challenging.

Hayley Foote ’17 has entered her senior year here at Staples High School. She hopes to complete the journey with the “self motivated” mindset that she once began with three years ago, recognizing the pressure she has thrown upon herself.

“It’s honestly never been this hard. I thought junior year was going to be the hardest but I was wrong. I’ve never been so stressed in my life,” said Foote.

Taylor Githens ’17 claims that with the proper schedule and mentality she is able to get through her work successfully.

“As I’ve gotten older I realized how important it is to manage my time well, so that’s something that I’ve definitely practiced this year and has helped me increase my effort in school,” stated Githens.

Many Staples students load up on Advanced Placement classes, enabling them to receive college credits, although many describe these courses as demanding and stressful. College preparation is a challenge senior year has presented to many students in the Staples community, forcing constant stress and anxiety upon them. According to U.S. News, participation in Advanced Placement classes at Staples is up to 56 percent.

Chris Scherban ’17 finally sees the end of his high school journey, “Last year it all seemed to be endless, but at least now I see an end to the tunnel. It seems that so much has been irrelevant,” explained Scherban ’17.

Graduated students who have endured the “stress” of senior year at Staples have reflected on their college experiences in a positive attitude thus far. They contrast their realizations with the experiences they had during high school.

Staples graduate Mackenzie Wood ’16 of Villanova University states, “The classes have been relatively easy compared to Staples so far, and I’ve felt extremely prepared and not had to put that much effort into school so far.”

College students have found themselves with an abundance of time enabling them to complete all of their schoolwork and take advantage of the extracurriculars their college has to offer. The extra time also causes them to avoid the work they are assigned, without dealing with the time-management stresses they dealt with in high school.

Gabi Titlebaum ’15 of Tulane University captions her Instagram photo: “As I sit here writing a close reading essay on a novel I have never read… I am reminded that I will be seeing my dogs in four days. Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow.”

Students were easily able to adjust to the college workload, and some even saw a decently significant decrease.

Reece Armstrong ’16 of Ithaca said that he mixed his schedule in high school with classes that caught his interest, as well as classes that he had heard that gave little amounts of work.

“Here at college it’s quite similar, my workload is steady and easy and although I’m taking an above average amount of credits, I have no class this Friday,” Armstrong states.

Although the idea of little stress is prominent in the college students minds’, Staples seniors are not yet aware of the the lack of pressure they will have to deal with in their road ahead. Githens stated she sees a significant amount of work in store for her college career, but hopes that the social aspect of college life will put her at ease.

Chris Scherban ’17 looks forward to college; a place where his substantial sleep schedule will significantly reduce his stress levels. Scherban is attempting to finish out his final year strong, and has packed his schedule with multiple math classes, along with physics.

“Until this point my values have driven me to do the most I want to do, I see everything as opportunity for growth, and another way to test a potential field to major in,” Scherban states.

Counselors at Staples recognize the pressure put upon the students at Staples, and have their schedules packed with meetings regarding college applications.

“I think right now they are at the height of their stress level. Take it day by day and know that in the end it all works out,” said Kimberley Curran, guidance counselor.