Into a New Season of Life

The second semester has started at Fair Grove High School and the senior class only has a few months left until they venture into the world on their own.

There are two ways students normally choose to spend their senior year. They either take on easy classes so they don’t have to worry too much, or they take hard classes to keep themselves busy. Kaci Collins (12) is an example of one of the first one. She shared, “The easiest part of my senior year has been my classes. Since the only class that was required to graduate was English, I took a lot of easy classes like art.”

While some students will choose to make senior year the easiest one yet, others are still pushing just as hard as their previous three years of high school. 

Zoey Hupman (12) is taking the second option, “I have quite a bit of homework that I have to do throughout the week and I have a job that I work 4-5 times a week. On top of that, I have extracurriculars that I do like jazz band and soccer. Another thing that I have to balance is filling out college applications and scholarship applications which is pretty time consuming.”

There is one common factor in many seniors and the source of their stress. Collins explained, “The hardest part of my senior year has been applying for colleges and scholarships.” She is not alone. 

There are ways to make picking a college less stressful, one of them is finding a sport or field you are interested in and making sure the college you pick has a good facility for it. Devin Carroll (12) shared, “I personally am interested in playing basketball at the next level so that plays a huge part in my college decision process.”

Money is also a common factor in choosing a college. Macee Mcatee (12) is one of the many seniors using this technique to pick a university, “Personally, I’m looking for the cheapest route, because in the end we will have the same degree without the debt. Some want the true college experience and that is fine, but you pay for it. I will be attending OTC for two years free, thanks to A+, then MSU for the remaining time.”

Even in a town as small as Fair Grove, the variety of careers the seniors choose to pursue after college are astonishing. Collins is going to study behavioral science, Carroll is leaning toward physical therapy, Hupman wants to study to become a surgeon, and Mcatee is thinking of doing social media marketing and photography.  

In the midst of all of the stress of senior year, it is still a time of growth for many students. Mcatee explained, “The best part is slowing down and enjoying the little things. Exploring more hobbies and things that interest me.”