There is an epidemic at Emmaus High School, affecting most seniors, and even some juniors. Bronchitis? Perhaps. Strep throat? A firm possibility. However, this sickness cannot be cured with antibiotics or plenty of fluids.

Of course, I am referring to senioritis, a disease referring to the complete lack of motivation afflicting second semester seniors. Symptoms include sleeping through several alarms, constantly dressing down, dismissive attitude and more. The only known cure? Graduation.

Senioritis can infect a student as early as fourth quarter of their junior year, but mainly appears after all of the college applications have been submitted. Students are most susceptible to senioritis after their first college acceptance.

Here's something all parents and teachers should know. It's not that students don't care, or want to rebel against authority, or be disrespectful in any way when they exhibit symptoms. We as humans, crave change. It is as simple as that. We are no longer satisfied with the mundane, and we desire to move on to new environments, new people and a new life.

That's not to say that we won't miss the familiar faces, friendships we've made and even the teachers. Senioritis simply means we are ready for more, and high school simply has nothing more to offer us.

I've come to realize even though we are all ready to move on and start our lives in the "real world," Emmaus will always be a part of us. Whether we want to admit it or not, we have been shaped by the people we have met and the mentors we have looked up to during our time here.

Nevertheless, senioritis is still a problem with most seniors, me included. I suppose the only way to attempt to remedy this is to just plow through the rest of the school year and persevere through every class, project, and test, even if you are already accepted to college.