The beginning of the school year at Old Rochester Regional High School also brings the first real look at the senior class of 2018. With 191 students from the Tri-Town and surrounding areas in Grade 12, this senior class has the opportunity to leave a positive lasting impression on the “Dog Pound.”
“Finally seeing that we are the leaders of ORR has long been awaited,” said Class President Gabe Noble-Shriver.
“High school’s gone by really fast, and I think we’re all really excited to move on to the next chapter of our lives!” added Madeline Scheub.
While senior year is always a time for reflection on the past 18 years of a student’s life, the reality of first quarter has grounded many of the hard workers in the class to focus on a shorter-term, but extremely important goal: the college application process.
“The college application process is going pretty well, though I am worried to see where I am accepted,” Sophie Gurney summarized.
“It’s going well,” Scheub said. “I’m only applying to one school so far for Early Decision, and then if I don’t get into that school I’ll apply to a few others.”
Senior Alice Bednarczyk said, “Over the summer I toured a bunch of colleges, so I’m putting together a list of places to apply to. I’m hoping I’ll be able to write the essays with my English teacher.” She continued, “I feel really prepared to work hard these first few months to make my first term look really good for college apps. It doesn’t really feel like anything is ending, I guess it just hasn’t hit me yet.”
With classes just kicking into gear after a short first week, the end of the year seems far off. Being enrolled in challenging yet enjoyable classes (Honors Economics, AP Biology and AP European History, to name a few) does ease the burden of needing good first semester grades for college applications.
“Honors Physics with Dr. Hamer is a demanding class, but Doc makes it worthwhile,” Noble-Shriver commented.
Acknowledging their positions as leaders for the lower grades, the senior class students had some beginning-of-the-year advice for those following in their footsteps.
“Any video streaming network is the devil in disguise,” Noble-Shriver warns. “I’ve spent too many hours watching TV shows than paying attention to schoolwork that must be done.”
“Don’t procrastinate!” Bednarczyk added. “Don’t be afraid to try to take as many honors classes throughout high school…. They’ll look good on college resumes.”
Gurneys advice: “Younger students need to treasure their high school years because they fly by!”
“Just enjoy it while it lasts,” Scheub suggested. “You always say that you can’t wait for it to be over, but once it’s over, it’s sad because you’ll never see most of these people again.”
“Younger students should get in the game as soon as they know what they would like to do,” Noble-Shriver also advised. “Sure, there’s questions that still arise with the foggy future ahead, but they must take a step of faith towards it to end up in their paradise.”
By Jo Caynon