By Gabriel Selbig
Summer fever in mid-March? The excitement is growing throughout the school even as the snow continuously falls right outside classroom windows. For Homer High’s soon-to-be graduates, the lethargic symptoms of “senioritis” are at their peak. For others, the next nine weeks are filled with opportune moments to complete or build on to an triumphant school year.
Burl Tonga, an accomplished Homer High senior, has loved all four years he’s spent at the school but exceedingly anxious to cross the finish line. “It’s awesome of course!”, he replied when asked precisely how his feelings are of entering his final quarter of high school. Burl has held an astonishingly high grade point average since being a freshman, thus opening some bright windows for himself once his days in Homer are done. “I’m headed to University of Oregon and planning on either getting into music or sports business.”
He’s a captain of the football, basketball, and soccer teams. He’s handled nearly all school subjects thrown at him with ease. He quarterbacked the Mariners football team to their first state championship appearance. Robin Glosser is just one more senior of Homer High pushing through one more quarter and one more sports season to complete his high school résumé. “I feel great about my accomplishments in high school. They’ve prepared me to get on with my life away from Alaska. I’ll probably be going to Oregon State and become an engineer.” When asked what his greatest accomplishment of the past four years was, he quickly and sharply declared, “Going to state!”
As students go about battling anxiety for the remaining 25% of class days, certain staff members fight the same fray.
Her teaching at Homer High began in the fall of ’02 and will end two short months from now. Mrs. Sharon “Share-Bear” Thompson is set to retire at the end of the year. “Weird” and “somewhat relieving” are the expressions she feels about being in her last quarter in the school. When asked how she enjoyed juggling adolescent freshmen biology classes year after year, Mrs. Thompson snickered and replied, “The things these new kids say every year is endless fun!” With the deadly effects of senioritis in full bloom, will our staff members prove immune?
Now, just nine Mondays to go. Snow still falling but temperatures on the rise. The thrill of another gorgeous summer in Homer seemed like a fairytale just weeks before spring break. Those who put in eight hour days in Homer High, five days a week, will either struggle to the end, or strut.
Classes End May 23rd