As finals approach at Prairie High School, stress lingers in the halls for both students and staff. What should be an exciting countdown for winter break, but could turn into a time filled with pressure, worry, and long nights of upcoming studying. 

While winter break is approaching faster than we know, that means finals are closer than ever. At Prairie, students are starting to feel the pursuit that comes with the end of the semester. With grades and deadlines getting closer than students know, the stress is looming over students who are not ready, feel overwhelmed, and are starting to find the holiday break more stressful because time catching up before everyone knows it, real break or an overwhelming break who knows. 

Students say that finals bring a unique kind of pressure. The idea that so much depends on one test or project can be overwhelming, especially when several classes are giving it all at the same time it adds more and harder to remember all six subjects. “Finals can make or break your grade” said Gabe.L. a prairie student. Many students share this feeling, explaining that balancing homework, studying, sports, and teen life becomes harder as finals are getting closer. 

Not only do students feel this way but also teachers, they also are impacted by the stress during this time. Math teacher Mr Root explains that the pressure does not fall only on the students. Teachers must plan the finals,answer questions, and finish grading before the end of the semester deadlines. “Stress is in two places for me, one for the students and wanting them to do well and it impacts the juniors  and seniors for their future and the other is worrying about grading alone.” mr root said. He also noted that finals reflect the entire semester’s work which adds to the weight  of finals week.

Even though finals are challenging, people at prairie have ideas for making the process smoother. Some suggestions include having teachers focus more on review instead of adding new assignments, giving students more time to prepare and offering a break day after finals. These ideas could give students the chance to breathe and even help the teachers to manage their workload on grading and even have time for a retake if needed. 

While finals week will probably always bring some stress, understanding the problem is the first step towards improving it. With open communication, better planning, and support from both teachers and students, prairie high school can make finals less overwhelming. Instead of a week full of pressure , it can become a chance for students to show what they learn with confidence and calm. Finals can be crazy, especially six classes but if you study and prepare you’ll get through it.