In the 2017 school year, Glenbard South High School first semester finals will be held before winter break.

To start, finals week can be one of the most stressful times of the year for high school students. Because of this, a teacher committee and Glenbard board members discussed whether finals should be before or after winter break.  In the past, finals have stressed out students because they had not used the two week break effectively as a way to study for finals.

For example, it is beneficial for students to have the two week winter break as a time for relaxation and fun bonding with family and friends.

According to sophomore Daniella Little, “Winter break is meant as a relaxing period because I do not want to study over break because there is no school. Also, I will not choose to study because I enjoy hanging out with my cousins.”  

Moreover, Little will be thankful that finals will be before winter break next year because then she will be more determined to study. According to Little, “I will perform better on tests if they are held before winter break because I will still be in a school focused mind set.”

To add, Principal Coughlin reported interesting results from finals after winter break compared to results from second semester finals when there was no break. “There is more success on second semester finals when kids go straight into finals without a break.”

Moreover, it is evident that students are more focused going into second semester finals because they do not have a break to steer them off track, compared to when they do have a break for first semester finals.

Because of this, it will be a great advantage that finals occur before winter break next year, and every year following.

Furthermore, the change of final scheduling will not only impact the students, but also finals will impact teachers as well. According to Principal Coughlin, “It is more efficient for teachers to start the new semester with a new curriculum.”

In addition, college students complete first semester finals before winter break. According to Principal Coughlin, “It will be beneficial for high school students to test before winter break in order to better adjust to college.”

On the other hand, some students feel it will be stressful to have finals before winter break because they will need to study for finals and complete additional school work earlier. These students would prefer to have the two week break as a chance to study and review for finals. Although this may be true, the majority of the students disagree.

Overall, Glenbard South finals should be held before winter break in order to ensure that students spend the two week winter break in a relaxed state of mind with family and friends.