Charles Santa Cruz, principal at Gilbert High and the Gilbert Unified School District spokesman, said there are no organized programs to combat the malady. About the only thing he and other school staff can do is keep as high a profile as possible to keep seniors focused and busy. And he's not alone. Teachers and administrators from Mesa to Maryvale know their students will try to check out early, so they prepare for the mental exodus by scheduling events, projects and activities to fall in the last days of the semester. Santa Cruz said he encourages his teachers to keep the end of April and beginning of May thick with due dates.
Educators know that young people get a little antsy in the spring, particularly seniors.
Most colleges grant admission that's contingent on the student's final transcript, which should show the student graduated and got good grades, said Ellen Norton, guidance counselor and scholarship adviser at Mountain Pointe High in Ahwatukee Foothills. She said it doesn't happen often, but some colleges can actually rescind admission when a student's grades drop the last semester. He got in anyway, but it was a hassle that didn't need to happen. I do know it's a threat they have put out there pretty often. But when fear and projects don't keep kids in class, schools have to dig deeper in their utility belts.