New Policy of midterms increases stress

With midterms approaching next week, Scituate High School has turned into a stressful environment for many. Midterms will be following the MLK three day weekend. The tests will be given January 21st-24th and two blocks will be tested for the first three days except for Friday. There has been a change in policy with the weighing of tests and projects that were meant to cause less stress.

However, students of all grades at SHS feel otherwise. Some students are confused about the new change as it was never fully explained, and others are nervous about how this will affect their grade. Junior Mackenzie Volger explained, “ I don’t know the biggest difference and I don’t really understand it.” While talking to students at SHS this became apparent that the new policy is increasing stress and confusion amongst the student body. Voelger added, “ I feel like this is one of those situations where it can either make or break your grade.” Voelger is hoping that her midterm grades don’t drastically affect her current term grades.

From a freshman to a senior there is less stress seen as the freshmen feel prepared as they have not experienced what midterms were like before the change. For seniors, most mainly take more elective classes and most students may have a college mindset that they do not have as much to worry about for tests. Freshman Mia Lovering feels there is a lot of in-class preparation, “There is a lot of packets, so I’m kind of prepared there but it’s still just my first time so I’m also nervous.” Senior Tom Connor feels no stress because he does not have any exams. Connor has taken mainly project-based classes or classes that you cannot be tested on. These midyear exams do not bother him, “I’m super low stressed.” 

With midterms following Martin Luther King weekend, some students feel it is not truly a three day weekend because of the preparation that comes before the week of midterms. Junior Ella Lewis is against the timing of the midterms. “I think it is stressful that midterms are the week after MLK weekend, and it kind of ruins [the] weekend for everybody.”

Students are feeling the stress and pressures of the upcoming exams. With the timing right after the three day weekend, and teachers cramming in other tests, many feel there is little time to prepare.