Juniors anticipate their senior year Andrew Ghazoulli
Catherine Eikelbarner
Since being freshmen in 2020, juniors have not yet gone through a full year of standard high school. Their development and experiences were cut short, and they are now entering their last year at Carlmont. Not knowing what a regular high school year is, many worry about what it will look like and when “normal” school days will return. “In Zoom, you can control which parts of you are seen. You can show only your forehead [or] only like your face, you don’t have to show your body…or even have your camera on at all,” said Katie Barton, a junior. “I’m not used to being in a situation where I have to live with my outfit choice all day.” Scenarios such as what happened to Barton are ones that many experienced when in Zoom class. Students were able to wake up and go to school in their pajamas, but even though the stress of one’s appearance at school was not present, the pressure did not decrease. According to the American Psychological Association, 81% of teenagers ages 13 to 17 experienced higher stress levels throughout the pandemic. Many had similar sources of tension and pressure, with three stressors identified as reoccurring themes: 13.2% felt increased stress caused by homework, 8.5% suffered from social isolation or lack of social interaction, and 12.3% felt a lack of support for mental wellbeing. The restraints caused by the pandemic are still impacting us today. Although the mask mandate and other restrictions are being removed and not enforced anymore, the social effects are still prevalent. Activities, events, and social interaction with friends were all cut out of the high school
Andrew Ghazoulli
lifestyle for a year and a half. Students are now getting to participate in those adventures, with many excited about what they will bring. Nicole Miranda, the incoming Senior Class President, shared her thoughts on what she is excited about for senior year. “I’m excited to have [Class of ‘23’s] sweatshirts and make all the activities for senior year extra special since it will be the whole class’ last year,” Miranda said. “I just want to make everyone comfortable and make a year everyone will remember as their last high school year.” Juniors will get to go through the entire cycle of high school traditions during their senior year, and for many of them, it will be the marking point of life returning to normal. New events are not the only thing that the Class of ‘23 will have as part of their senior year: they will have to bear the weight of being at the top of the high school class hierarchy. Senior status may come with some benefits, but do juniors feel prepared to be in that role? “It’s a weird experience being the only junior in my Spanish class,” Barton said. “All of these kids are so new to high school, and they keep asking me questions; I’m their Carlmont source of information [even though] I’ve only really been at school for a year.” Although juniors may be feeling different levels of stress and the expectations put on them, they still have some advice on how students can make their high school experience less stressful and more memorable. No matter what grade level students are in, Miranda suggests they should “get involved in different clubs and groups at school because that will benefit them in the long run. It looks great for colleges, and it just makes their overall high school experience so much better.”
20 HIGHLANDER CAMPUS
