After a week off, John Waginger had difficulty getting out of bed Monday morning.

Tuesday, May 02, 2000

After a week off, John Waginger had difficulty getting out of bed Monday morning.

After all, the St. Joseph High School senior only has four weeks left before he says goodbye to his alma mater and prepares for college.

And it’s hard to keep up with school work when you know the end is near, Waginger said.

"You know you don’t have to come back anymore," he said.

Waginger’s cousin Eric smiles when he thinks about how close summer break is.

"I’m relieved it’s almost over," Eric Waginger said. "I’m ready to move on."

His teachers might wish he weren’t quite so ready, though.

"I’m kind of slacking off, because it’s almost over and we know we’re going to graduate."

Waginger’s apathy, which is often labeled as senioritis, hits different students at different times.

"Senioritis hit me when I was coming back from Christmas break," Amber Crum said. "I’ve been doing as little as possible."

Not taking homework as seriously doesn’t mean the seniors have time to relax, though, said Melissa Payne.

"The school year is still hectic," Miss Payne said. "You’re into a lot of sports, campus visits, college applications – it’s still pretty hectic."

Luckily, though, the teachers seem to take that into consideration, said Erin Roush.

"Most of the stuff now isn’t that hard," Miss Roush said. "Instead of a lot of homework, you usually have one big project to do."

Limited homework has its bonuses – the seniors can spend more time with their friends, which is important as the final day approaches, Stacie Sydow said.

"It’s very sad," Miss Sydow said. "It’s hard to believe you’ll never see these people again."

And even though Eric Waginger and Andy Stack can’t wait to leave St. Joseph behind, they still have a few mixed emotions.

"I think I’ll miss it a little bit," Stack said. "I’ll miss the students."

With such a small class size, though, it seems possible the Class of 2000 will be able to keep in touch.

"I’m going to try," Miss Sydow said. "I’m going to school in Columbus, so I’ll be coming home a lot. I’ll stay in touch with most of the people.