Senior year, the year most students look forward to the moment they step into high school. For some, senior year means prom, senioritis, and your last memories. For others however, it’s the nonstop stress of wondering what’s next after high school. Either way senior year is considered one of the — if not the — most important year in your high school career by many people. With school coming to an end, senior year is closer more now than ever for juniors. Between hearing first hand experiences from their senior peers and the infamous horror stories heard by everyone, juniors can have mixed feelings about entering the next school year.

To start off, junior Jordyn Williams, explains how everything being “your last” isn’t actually so bad. “Some advantages to being a senior is you know it’s your last year; the last time you have to struggle in a class, the last time you have to see those not so favorite teachers, and the last time you have to deal with that overcrowded and loud cafeteria,” said Williams.

Although fellow classmate, Jeffrey Gordon, junior, vouches that just the status of being a senior is worth it all. “You have seniority over the underclassmen and you know you’re only going to have to deal with high school for only two more semesters,” explained Gordon.

Despite senior year being great, there are some disadvantages according to junior Candice Reed. “You’re going to be leaving your friends soon. You’ll have to cherish those memories knowing they’ll be your last,” Reed said.

For many students who play a sport as well, their extracurricular activity can add weight to the already stressful senior year. After breaking a track record his junior year, Zion Smith, thinks both track and cross country will define his last year at Lake Ridge. “Track and cross country will have a huge impact on my senior year, I love each sport and it will bring me huge opportunities. Especially track it will bring me tremendous exposure to colleges. Especially because I will improve over the summer and be better at each sport so a lot to come my senior year,” Smith revealed.

Either way many will agree they are looking forward to senior year nonetheless. Jeffrey Gordon wishes to applying and hopefully getting into his dream schools, Jordyn Williams can’t wait to see all of her hard work paid off, and Candice Reed just wants to finally be able to have senior release.

“Being able to leave early or come later would be great, I’ve been waking up early since middle school. I feel like I deserve this break,” expressed Reed.