Senioritis is contagious

Molly Zussman The Itis

We can call it that because there aren't very many other diseases going around TOHS. I'm referring to senioritis, which I didn't think was a real issue until this week. Microsoft Word doesn't underline it in red, and the term has its own Wikipedia article-those should have been my first clues.

But no, my first clue came when I got home from school on Monday and did nothing. Not rejuvenating, Oprah-endorsed relaxation time, but lay-on-thecouch-and-don't-move-forthree-hours nothing. The really good part of it is that I didn't even try to fix it. I even put off writing this column.

How could I have thought I was immune to the itis?

I did try to put up a fight. I would bring a magazine for SSR, but it would be The New Yorker. "Studying" went from notecards to Sparknotes to "what notes?"

School is . . . well, it sucks. An example of how it only sucks for seniors is my bio class. It's about half med-school-bound

uniors and half seniors (are we supposed to be bound, also?). Juniors follow lab procedures and ask for extra help at lunch. For the rest of us, printing out

ecture notes is a stretch. I'm wondering if I actually left the "Who cares?" on the Central Nervous System project.

The one thing I will not do is sleep in class. That's bad.

There is a real reason for the itis: I don't think it's a made-up psychological condition. This semester doesn't mean much . . . and even less if you don't have "Lancer spirit."

I know I'm not winning any popularity contests with this- the last thing parents want to hear is how lazy and apathetic we are-but if I were to try to write about abortion or gay marriage or affirmative action or how awesome it will be to vote in June, it would be lousy.

If I'm trying to say anything, it's this: be nice to your senior. We're not deadbeats; we're tired. It has been a long and oppressive 13 years. But as to a real solution? I'm too lazy. Ask me in September.

Molly Zussman, a senior at Thousand Oaks High School, is writing a column for the Thousand Oaks Acorn this year.