Final exams are where it all happens. It is the final 100m where all of the materials the students have been studying the whole semester come together into one test.
It is also where all of the stress comes in.
“My grades aren’t the best, so if I totally fail a final then I could potentially fail one of my classes,” freshman Blake Samuel said. “If I fail one of my classes, my parents won’t let me play football” next fall.
Teachers and kids have many ways to relieve stress, many of which come from personal experiences.
“I think kids are more stressed about second semester finals, at least more so than first semester,” Physics and advisory teacher Cathy Dweik said. “There is more maturity and growth and it’s because they’ve already been through there first semester. I also see kids during their second semester taking it more seriously because they start to think about credits, and I think that leads to more stress.”
According to mentalhealthy.co.uk, a survey of 1,300 students concluded that 59 percent of students feel pressure from their parents to do well. That means there are about 1,180 students here who feel pressure from their parents to do well.
“My mom wants all As and Bs on everything no matter what,” freshman Dylan Soper said, “but my dad just wants me to pass.”
Soper likes to take a break from studying by playing video games and swimming in his pool when he gets too stressed. When he returns from a break, he usually feels like he is refreshed and ready to go. According to webmd.com, exercise is one of the top 10  ways to relieve stress.
“Usually when I get stressed I go outside and shoot some hoops,” Samuel said.
There are things to do relieve stress, but there are also ways to avoid it all together. According to verywell.com, students should not stay up all night — even if it means you’re studying all night. A study in the January issue of Behavioral Sleep Medicine showed that students who had study all night tend to have a lower GPA.
“The reason I am stressed is because with AP and honors classes finals become a lot more intense if you’re really trying to do well in the class,” sophomore Bettie Logan said. “For instance, I have a huge final project that’s called ‘What If?’ and it will be the final for both my honors biology and AP world class, which is a huge deal.”
While caffeine and energy drinks may be tempting and can help in the short term, there are also reasons why students should stay away from them. Caffeine can also stay in the student’s system for several hours and can interfere with sleep. This leaves the student exhausted in the morning and if anything less prepared for the test.
“If one of my students gets too stressed, I tell them what research says about stress, which is to exercise and get outside,” Dweik said. “Time is better spent being active than looking at a textbook. It resets your brain. I also break down the material for them so that it doesn’t seem to overwhelming.”
According to huffingtonpost.com, there are lots of ways to reduce stress, including getting a pet, listening to some music, cleaning out the workspace and making a calendar of when things are due. Social media needs a break too; instagram and twitter can sometimes even increase stress levels.
Although finals can be stressful, grades are not eternal. “I’m gonna miss seeing my friends and favorite teachers,” Soper said. “But I’ll be glad that finals are over.”