As the end of the semester approaches, preparation for finals is underway. The 22-23 school year is going to be the first year completely back to “normal” since COVID-19. This means that Antioch Community High School will return to a more traditional finals schedule than in past years. Final exams will be spread out over three days, Dec. 19-21, and students will have three 80-minute class periods each day.
“We put the lunch hours at the end of each day so the periods go a little funky, but that’s on purpose to get lunch hours to always close each day,” Assistant Principal of Student Services Scott Leverentz said. “If it’s their lunch hour, students are welcome to head home because there is no attendance for lunch and study halls those days.”
“[This schedule] gives students the opportunity to have a lengthier final assignment or assessment in your course if that’s something important for your particular discipline,” Leverentz said. “[This schedule] opens the door to different kinds of activities to take place on that final day of school for that particular course if that’s appropriate.”
With the exams being spread out over three days, it also allows the students to have half days of school each day of finals. This is beneficial for students because it gives them a break and the opportunity to have more time to study for upcoming exams.
“Finals being three days long helps because it gives you more of a mental break so you don’t have to do eight tests in a row,” junior Tyler Stackhouse said.
Final exams give students one final opportunity to get their grades up before the end of the semester with an extended class period, giving them time to think through the questions fully. The exams are a significant way to end the semester so that students are fully knowledgeable about the curriculum from semester one and prepared to move on to semester two after winter break.
“What [the schedule] does is provides closure for both students and staff, and a sense of ending which is nice,” biology teacher Jackie DeCaro said. “It also provides that opportunity for extended time for students who need it.”
The ILC will provide students with a quiet atmosphere to study, complete work or read starting Dec. 12. The ILC will provide breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 7:55 a.m. Dec. 19-21 sponsored by the Library Advisory Board.
