For the hundreds of seniors on campus, the end of the school year is a time to kick back, relax, and prepare for graduation. After four years of stress and academic dedication, most are ready to forget their schoolwork and look forward to college.

But despite the completion of AP exams and the absence of finals, seniors aren’t completely in the clear yet. For many, the final task of high school is simple: creating a music video.

In past semesters, most teachers have used the final weeks of school to give the biggest tests of the year, challenging students on all they’ve learned in the months prior. 

But for upperclassmen, the “senioritis” epidemic of laziness has plagued even the most diligent students. Combined with the increase in senior absences halting normal class proceedings, teachers have decided to assign a suitable alternative in the form of projects.

While some teachers have chosen specific tasks like one-pager assignments or themed essays, music videos have easily emerged as the most common. 

“I like seeing my students’ creativity, and assigning a music video is a good way to measure what they’ve learned in a fun and entertaining way,” says calculus teacher, Ms. De La Cruz.

Of course, different teachers have brought their own unique spin on the assignment. While filmmaking teacher Mr. Ward’s project is open-ended with few specifications, those for Ms. De La Cruz’s and Mr. Yousefian’s calculus classes require students to write and sing their own math-themed lyrics to go along with the music video.

“It’s a lot of extra work to make our own song and our own video at the same time, but it’s a good way to go over all we’ve learned so far,” says SAS calculus student, Seongmin Song.

But before planning out their projects, students must first answer the hardest question of all: what song should I pick? For many, this is the biggest hurdle in the entire process, as it may require creative sacrifices. 

While some may opt for a shorter song to get the assignment done quicker, many might choose a longer song if it’s one of their favorites even if it’ll be more time-consuming to create.

“I feel songs that are faster paced [also] tend to be more difficult because you’d need to film more action to fit the vibe,” says ASB historian, Sebastian Gopar-Navarrete.

Choosing a song is hard enough on its own. But for the many who decide to work in groups, it can be even harder to come to a decision. Even the most tight-knit friend groups may find difficulty agreeing on something everyone will be excited to work on.

As with any assignment, working in a group comes with other issues as well. Agreeing on how to divvy up the workload and when to film the video can create scheduling conflicts that disrupt their plans for completion. Of course, an imbalance in participation can also leave many students overworked and dejected if their group mates don’t contribute their equal share of work.

For some, these reasons and more can lead them to decide to do the project alone in spite of the increased workload. 

“I chose to do my music video alone just because I knew it would be easier if I didn’t have to rely on anyone else for help,” says HGM senior, Elias Fenig.

Whatever the form of participation, hundreds of students across campus have rushed to complete their music videos on schedule. With final grades due by the beginning of June, many students have had to scramble to finish.

In a sense, such newfound dedication has ended up ironically helping to cure seniors’ senioritis. Now that they’re under pressure, many students have become more productive than ever, even if that means investing less quality into their work.

“I think [our teachers] should give us more time to make good videos because a lot of them haven’t come out well,” laments STEM senior, David Karelin.

“I think the music videos were fun … [but] since it was for multiple classes it [was] a bit tedious, especially with all the deadlines,” says Multicultural Music Club President, Adriana Perez.

Despite issues of timeliness, one thing is clear: as far as assignments go, the music video is among the most positively received by students and teachers alike.

“This project is the kind of thing [students] can really get behind and usually flourish in what they create,” says video production teacher, Mr. Rondini. “They get to do things with their friends that are not only [for] an assignment, but also [provide] a chance to capture a moment in time they will be able to look back at for the rest of their lives.”