The tensions in the hallways are rising, teachers are cramming grades into the grade book and students are trying to get all of their late work in before the last bell. It is finals week at Antioch Community High School. 

Every student experiences finals week differently, depending on what grade they are in and how confident they are. For some, finals can feel like a giant asteroid plummeting down and plotting to destroy their grades. Others are not sure what to expect, whether it is because they have never taken finals before or it is their first time in a more advanced class. Some students like to take a more relaxed approach to finals week, simply hoping for the best. 

As time goes by, students disagree on whether finals become less or more stressful. Some believe that after freshman year, finals are less nerve-wracking since they have done it before and nothing is a surprise anymore. 

“I didn’t know what to expect last year,” Sophomore Jaxon Poglayen said. 

Poglayen believes he has not changed his studying habits from his freshman year, he simply is more prepared since he knows how the process works. Other sophomores seem to share the same opinions. 

“I’m less stressed,” Sophomore Dereon Galloway said. “I understand it now.” 

Although sophomores seem more at ease going into finals week, upperclassmen do not. Upperclassmen tend to take harder and more advanced classes, leading to more stress come finals week, especially if they are trying to better their grade. The number of Advanced Placement classes available to take junior and senior year is much greater than freshman or sophomore year.  

“I’m in five AP classes,” Senior Delaney Emering said. “I am in AP Environmental Science, AP Spanish, AP Precalc[ulus], AP Gov[erment] and AP Lit[erature].” 

Emering expresses that the classes that are causing her the most stress are AP classes that have a bubble grade, such as an A- or a B+. As someone who takes her grades and her future quite seriously, Emering has realized that this year she is more on edge about finals compared to her freshman year because this semester is what colleges will be looking at when deciding if they want to accept her or not. 

With all of this anxiety consuming ACHS students, there are certain teachers that go above and beyond to try to relieve some of the negative energy and try their hardest to help students understand academic material. One teacher who stood out to multiple different students is math teacher Emily Parris. Parris seems to prioritize students’ understanding of school work and takes time out of her day to help any student struggling, specifically in math. 

All students process hard tests and stressful speeches differently from one another. Some go into them confident, others not so much. Whether walking into the school on those final days brings confidence or fear, the final grade in the grade book is not what defines students’ success