Study guides. Late library nights. Coffee break cramming. Stress. Final exams. Most high schoolers have to go through the process of taking final exams at the end of the semester, making this one of the most stressful times of the year.

In previous years the school has always had final exam dates after Winter break, usually around the second week of January.

Early in the school year it was announced that first semester final exams would now take place before Winter break, and also that seniors would be required to take second semester assessments, which was not put in place until this year.

Principal Tom Rogers explained the process as to how this change was made. “We engaged in a very extensive study and fact finding process and after a lot of meetings and a lot of conversations where teachers were consulting with members from their department it was ultimately determined that having final assessments prior to the holiday break would be a beneficial thing.”

After Thanksgiving break there was about three weeks until finals, however this hasn’t stopped teachers from giving more work. Senior Breanna Magpantay said, “Teachers are piling up more information to squeeze onto the test versus prepping us for it.”

This change has had an effect on students’ stress levels, especially as these exams are quickly approaching in the next few weeks.

Students lead busy lives outside the classroom. Many have part-time jobs after school, sports and activity meetings after school, and other family responsibilities.

According to an infographic by Online College Courses, this emotional health can in fact lead to insomnia, headaches, nausea, and possibly even more severe problems such as depression and anxiety.

However, others think stress levels have been decreased with testing before break.  “Students never have a time where they are not stressed,” Mr. Rogers said, “in the old system we would go on holiday break and in those two weeks students either have assignments or papers, or study guides on the final exams that would take place after the holiday break.”

Having to take one test that is responsible for a large portion of a class’s overall grade can be very intimidating. For this reason, students often start preparing for these final exams weeks before the actual test.

“They [students] would always have it in the back of their mind that finals were coming up,” Mr. Rogers said.

Student’s are not the only ones who have to deal with finals. Finals time can be a stressful time for teachers as they try to review a semester worth of knowledge into one 90-minute test.

When asked how her teachers are handling these earlier finals Breanna said, “All I know is they [teachers] definitely seem super frantic about it and their time management.”

Senior Emily Lenaghan agrees that teachers may be feeling more pressure to wrap up all assessments and regular semester tests before final exams. “They have significantly less time than they’re used to with having to finish teaching the content,” she said.  

However, this change can also be beneficial to teachers, Mr. Rogers pointed out. “I think there are many teachers who are looking forward to being able to just get started right away on January 3rd when we return with new material in the second semester.”

Before this year students would typically come back to school for about a week in January, take final exams the next week, and then the following week after that begin the new semester.

Teachers have also begun to prepare for final exams. Many have already given out final review packets and test outlines in order to better prepare students.

Several students also agree with Mr. Rogers and the school board’s decision to push finals before break. “I think it’s a good idea,” Emily said, “I personally feel less stressed and the content I have to study for is more manageable.”

This new change is something teachers, administration, and students are eager to test out. These new test dates have their advantages and disadvantages, but it’s a change the board has been pushing for for years.

As Mr. Rogers said, “we believe it’s a very healthy situation for students to have that holiday break to decompress, take a deep breath, and start second semester when they come back in January with a fresh start.”