Finals week is a stressful part of the school year for both students and teachers. Students must study for exams that constitute large chunks of their grades, while teachers must catch up on grading and ensure their students are well-prepared.

In the past, the finals schedule at CHS has arguably been the most stressful part of finals week. Worrying about parents calling their students to be prearranged and putting off studying in order to cram during the final review periods contributed to this stress.

This year, administrators released a new schedule that will help students to focus on studying, which is exactly where the focus should be.

In past years, the schedule featured up to two finals per day, with a 90-minute period review sessions followed by the final exam. During the review period, many students either crammed or played on their phones instead of asking questions or seeking help from their teachers. Often, students would skip the review period altogether, which led to a zoo of people lining up at the attendance office right before the exams.

This process was highly dysfunctional for students who skipped finals or for students in classes that simply did not have a final. Because the exams were submitted or completed earlier in the semester, the students could come late or leave early but had to wait in a massive line.

For teachers, who were required to be at school each day, the issue was often having to get their students focused on studying for the final.

The new finals schedule looks like a breath of fresh air in comparison. According to the schedule released by administration, the review periods are split up from the actual finals periods, and even though administrators would prefer students to still be at school during those periods, it gives students the opportunity to get an idea of what to study and bring that home to study more instead of cramming it all right before the final. There are also office hours, which give students the choice of coming to study on campus or staying at home without the necessity and stress of getting prearranged. This may also prompt students to cram less since they know they will not have a review session directly before their exam period. Also, since students can opt out of coming to office hours, they can choose to sleep more, and getting enough sleep before an important exam is necessary in order to perform well.

Even though students may at first see the new schedule as different and perhaps a little strange, they should remember it was created for the purpose of benefitting everyone, and we commend the administration for its efforts. The schedule imitates a college-like routine and, therefore, will also help students prepare for future studies. The old schedule had its flaws, and, while the new system may have a few glitches, it’s a step in the right direction.