It’s already February, and seniors have three months left until graduation.  Most people have already finished their applications and sent them off or are waiting for their deadlines to arrive so that they can submit the applications they have left. While some have already been accepted, others are waiting for their answers. This is the time of year that makes everyone want to cringe.

By May, seniors will have found out where they have been accepted to college and will begin the process of making a final decision about what school they will attend in the fall. Also in May, graduation will loom just over the horizon, and all seniors will stand at the ready to cross the stage when their names are called.

One thing I have always admired about the class of 2014 is the determination we have. I feel that, when measured against the other classes that I have seen graduate and the ones that will soon graduate, the class of 2014 stands out; it has something different.  In the third quarter of a senior’s last year, most seniors’ conversations are about a party that happened last weekend and what will be happening next weekend.  Not this group.

The Class of 2014 is filled with many very intelligent and accomplished students.  At Paint Branch, students are often conflicted when faced with making a decision that requires them to choose between focusing on academics or having fun their senior year.  While both are possible, it seems that – for the most part – seniors are staying on track on the academic front.

Unfortunately, many of the events that seniors, in particular, have been looking forward to have been canceled due to either the off days because of inclement weather or lack of interest. Winter Formal, aka – The Black and White Ball, was canceled because not enough tickets were sold. Also, Mr. and Miss Paint Branch was cancelled due to the weather, but it remains at risk of being canceled because not enough tickets were being sold.

These events serve as tradition, which leads me to the topic of school spirit – which really could be another whole article.  Despite the strange atmosphere, the harsh weather, the lessened school spirit, and a laser-like focus on academics, seniors must remember that time is passing and – all too soon – it will be gone.  We will have no more “next times,” no more “laters,” no more “tomorrows.”  For seniors, the time is now.

In six months or so, we will be in a completely new atmosphere that we are not used to and that is not as comfortable as what we know here. I’m sure none of us want to look back on this time and wonder what we could have done to make it better. So seniors, it is time to realize that the time for us is now. Enjoy the little things that you come across in the final months of your senior year, do something you wouldn’t expect yourself to do, take the time to involve yourself in school events, and embrace the good and the bad.  You won’t regret it.