Spring, AP Exams, and staying awake

Warm afternoons, long days and short nights…it is almost the end of the year, Blazers. Key word: almost. The road to summer vacation still has a few road blocks.

But before we get excited about the end of the year, let us keep this new updated schedule in mind. Due to the 10 emergency snow days the county has had this year, the end of the school year has two new adjustments. Firstly, we will find ourselves in the hallways of Blair on April 21, since the Easter Monday holiday was canceled. Additionally, the last day of the school year has changed from Thursday June 12 to Friday June 13. The last day will be an early release day. But the point is, we are at the final stretch of the school year. The weather is finally catching up to the season (thank you, Mother Nature). The thoughts of long days spent at the beach with friends and family, indulging in cold treats, or catching up with much needed sleep is already filling up the minds of many students. April promises the delight of spring break, but the weeks afterwards will be intensive. Blazers taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes will test their skills in the middle of May when they take their AP exams. Students will also take High School State Assessments (HSA's) at the end of May. Then comes final exams in June.

Juniors and Fourth Quarter

It is easy for the thought of the end of the school year to distract from school work or stress us out even more. For junior Hakim Lachnani, AP Exams are the only thing that is keeping him focused on school work. "The only thing that I am concerned about at this point is AP exams. I just want to pass them with good scores."

Junior Ariel Blakey is concerned with passing not only her AP exams but also her other classes while participating in outdoor track. "It is seriously about sleepless nights nowadays and making it through the day," says Blakey with a chuckle. Lachnani has a simple statement about how he feels about the end of the school year. "We die, we do not survive."

Seniors and Fourth Quarter

Then of course there are the seniors. The oh-so-lucky ones that basically have everything done. It is probably that they have received answers from the colleges that they applied to and they either need to make or have made decisions on where they are going for college.

Sure, most seniors still have to worry about passing AP exams like Lachnani and Blakey, but still. They get to leave at the end of May.

Most seniors welcome fourth quarter with excitement despite AP exams and finals. There is the much awaited prom and of course there is the main event: graduation. Then there is beach week. No wonder seniors are so excited this time of year.

Stress still does find a way to come creeping through the minds of seniors. Senior Brieanna Iyomahan agrees that stress does come from time to time even during this last stretch. Still, Iyomahan has been able to find a way to handle the near end of the school year. "I think of it as give and take" she says, adding, "When things stress me out I take a sick day once a week. I make sure to be moderate though, like I make sure that I am not skipping two even days or two odd days."

Methods to survive

Sophomore Julia Sint agrees with Blakey on the stressfulness of the last quarter. With a laugh, she says, "I stock up on coffee. I've done it so many times this year so I'm prepared to do it for this final stretch of the year" Sint adds, "There is never a moment where coffee is not in my system nowadays."

There are other not necessarily effective methods that people use. Like Sint and Blakey have coffee, Lachnani also has a unique method to survive this last quarter. "I basically pray to the Nutella gods, and hope that they will give me the energy to go through this," he jokes.

The last quarter of the school year can be exciting yet stressful. On one hand, there is the vision of the carefree summer days ahead. Yet there is still the stress of exams and the last chance to bring up grades.

Whether it is stocking up on coffee, praying to the Nutella gods or even taking "sick days", Blazers have their individual ways of surviving this last stretch. Even though the end of the year is still two months away, there is no doubt that time will go by fast. However, if you do think it is far away, here is something to cheer you up: You can rest up during Spring Break.