By Ariel Ligowski

It’s the season of excuses. The warming weather makes six hours in a gray-and-brick building suddenly unbearable. We shrug off essays and homework for a night out (or on the Internet). We come in late, leave early, and doodle throughout class.

With T minus four weeks left, going on three weeks, it’s hard to have a sense of responsibility. The home stretch seems too short to worry about.

The truth is that the home stretch is important.

Seniors, it is still possible to not graduate. Nine absences earns a letter home stating loss of credit. Of course, if some of those absences were due to school activities or an excused absence with a doctor’s note as evidence, you can appeal to the Board. If you fail one semester of English, or whatever class you haven’t satiated for credit yet, you can’t graduate. Sure, you can take summer school and get your diploma in the fall. You could also return as a super-senior. But that’s still pretty lame.

Juniors, the third year of high school is the most important to colleges when viewing your grades. It’s the year to buckle down, rather than blow it off. Save that for senioritis. (Joking, you probably shouldn’t do that either).

Sophomores, it’s no secret that your year is the bum year. Nothing really special or important happens – you’re like the middle child of the high school transition. Junior year is better, so just hold out: you’re finally an upperclassmen. Plus, there’s prom. That’s incentive, right?

Finally, freshman. Freshman year, academically, is the easiest year. Sorry if your heart just sank, but it’s true. However, the following three years of your high school career are totally doable and not-that-hard if you condition yourself to have a certain work ethic.

Personally, I didn’t develop a work ethic until end of my sophomore year. Trust me: it’s hard to develop a work ethic when you’re expected to be ahead of the game. Do it when people still don’t expect you to have yourself totally together.

All in all, it’s important for every student at BHS to make responsibility a habit. Whether your near-future holds college, senior year, being an upperclassmen, or the prospect of the entirety of your high school career, there’s no room and no excuse to blow school off. Your future self will thank you for it.