Caps and gowns? Ordered. First semester grades? Posted. Yearbook superlative nominees? Decided. With the start of the second semester, the lives of the Seniors at Hempfield Area Senior High School are about to change- forever.
For some, the last 18 weeks of high school will be spent studying for AP exams and SATs, applying for colleges, and finalizing scholarship essays. Others will be enjoying their last year of playing high school sports, and preparing for their college freshman season. For the Seniors in the CWCTC program, the last semester is simply just preparation for various career opportunities in the tech field. Many Seniors’ paths are also still unclear, as they are figuring out what their futures will hold.
In order to graduate, the Seniors are staying dedicated, fighting “senioritis”, and maintaining the stress of eventually becoming a part of the “real world.” May 29 is inching closer every day and one thing is for sure, this last semester is certainly a reality check for all.
Peyton Heisler is spending her second semester of her Senior Year with the knowledge that she will pursue her academic and athletic career at the University of Pennsylvania as a Quaker. Throughout her four years at Hempfield, Peyton has focused highly on her academics, as well as becoming the best softball player that she can be. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be admitted into an IVY League school, and Peyton has demonstrated nothing but commitment.
Since most students already have the majority of credits needed to graduate by their Senior Year, many Seniors choose to fill their schedules with lots of electives rather than intense academic classes. However, Heisler did not decrease the rigor of her schedule once she got to her Senior Year. To prepare herself to “major in finance” and for a future in “corporate finance,” she is currently “taking AP Economics and AP Statistics.” Peyton is “also in AP Spanish V and AP Calculus,” because she thinks those classes will be good background knowledge for entering college. As long as she can ‘beat the battle of senioritis’, Heisler will be able to achieve her goal of possibly becoming a “chief financial officer for a large company.”
The transition from high school to college is a big one. Since she’s known where she is going to college and what she is going to major in for a while, it’s “the little things” that Peyton has mainly been focusing on like her “dorm room and roommate.” Another big change that Peyton has to experience is no longer living at home with her parents and entering the world as an adult. “I think it’ll be weird,” Heisler says “but I do want to move on.”
Before she moves on from high school entirely, Peyton is going to spend her last semester at Hempfield making memories and enjoying the end-of-the-year activities. She is extremely excited for her last prom because “it’s the last big event.” While these fun events are certainly thrilling, they are also very symbolic. Once prom has concluded, the end of the year is right around the corner. “It’s always gonna be a bittersweet ending.”
This year is drawing to a close quickly, and even Peyton mentions that even though “we’ve only been in school for six months, I feel like the year just started.” The reality of the second semester has taken over, even for students who are as prepared as Peyton Heisler. “Looking back, I’m happy I lived through the four years of high school. People say the time flies by, and you think ‘okay, it can’t be that bad,’ but it really is.”
