Coming back to school after winter break is a different feeling for all students. Seniors are getting anxious to graduate, and freshmen are thinking about how they still have three more years to go.

The contrasting thoughts of coming back affect everyone in the school from the students to staff.

Teachers also notice the difference between freshmen and senior attitudes on coming back, “senioritis,” as Tammy Kuipers calls it, who teaches both ninth and 12th grade.

“Seniors come back second semester and mentally are done. A lot of the seniors have a shortened schedule second semester anyways but intellectually they are checking out. They want to just get done and they start to drag. It’s hard to get them motivated second semester,” Kuipers said.

Opinions differ coming from glad to be back or the opposite.

“Freshmen are excited in August because they are finally in high school. Second semester coming back, they are more relaxed,” Kuipers said.

Freshman Gavin Smith agreed.

“I feel refreshed because my schedule has been changed up and it feels really good,” Smith said.

Re-entering the school year also can cause students to miss what they have been doing on their break. From being able to sleep in until 2 p.m. now having to wake up before 7 a. m. can be a struggle for anyone.

“I can barely get myself up at 10 a.m., so it’s very hard to get up at 6:30 a.m., but I didn’t mind coming back because I got to see my friends,” freshman Jossy Self said.