Every year in June, finals come and go and all I can hear being talked about in the passing between blocks is underclassmen complaining about how all the upperclassmen are so “lucky” that they are exempt from taking finals. Some underclassmen want their voices to be heard, so they shared their opinions about why they should be exempt from the finals along with upperclassmen if they earn an A for the year. Although some upperclassmen who previously had to take finals as freshmen and sophomores might get frustrated if future underclassmen are spared from taking finals, don’t forget the times when you had to take finals even when you had a high mark in a class.

Many underclassmen around LRHS seem to agree with the fact that they should also be exempt from the finals like upperclassmen if they earn an A. 

Sophomore Samantha Morris said, “I think that freshman should take the final, but sophomores and up should be exempt if they have an “A” average in that class.” She understands the decision to have freshmen take finals since it is only their first year of high school. 

Another sophomore, Maggie McGinty added on by saying,  “It seems unnecessary to have one test determine what kind of student I am and affect my grade as if the rest of the four quarters won’t matter.” 

Others agree with this statement because not everyone is a good test-taker, so one test shouldn’t determine whether a student maintains a particular letter grade. 

Sophomore Elliot Fudge echoed Morris’s sentiments saying, “I think maybe freshmen should take finals as they use finals to get ready for the rest of high school, but I don’t understand the reasoning for why sophomores must take finals as well.” 

In a Lancer Ledger survey, the majority of students felt that having the possibility to become exempt from finals would serve as great motivation to keep striving for As. 

Fudge agreed and said, “I know not having to take finals would be a great motivation for me and others.” 

Many upperclassmen strive to get good grades just to avoid taking finals at the end of their year.  

Junior Chace Severs said,  “People now have the mindset of if I don’t do good, then I have to take the final. [Having the ability to be exempt] would cause them to be more focused during the whole school year since one bad grade can make you take a final.” 

Now not everyone agrees that underclassmen should have the privilege of being exempt. Some upperclassmen said they should take the final and shouldn’t get the same treatment as upperclassmen. 

Junior Dalia Salem says, “I personally think that underclassmen should have to take their finals. It lets them see how they are doing in their classes and whether or not they will need to make a change in their school routine.” 

She went on to say, “If there were a change to be made, I think that the only final underclassmen should get the opportunity to be exempt from are electives and language classes, not the main courses (English, Math, Science, History).”  

Area supervisor, Ms. Jamie Cawley weighed in on the matter and said, “Final exams can help students develop important life skills beyond academics. Preparing for a cumulative assessment teaches time management, organization, prioritization, perseverance, and the ability to manage stress and deadlines.” 

According to Ms. Cawley, it’s important for students to learn life skills that can prepare them for their lives by learning responsibility and test-taking skills. 

“The good news is, the teachers at LRHS have flexibility in designing what the final assessment looks like for their course,” said Ms. Cawley. “While some teachers may choose a more traditional exam format with multiple choice or written response questions, others may use cumulative projects, presentations, portfolios, or essays that better reflect the skills and content of the class.” She says it’s all up to the teacher of that class to decide.

Regardless of the type of final exam taken, the stress of finals impacts many students who do extracurricular activities. 

Sophomore Luis Abrego said, “They have a big impact on me and many students. They start to get stressed about how much and how long they need to study for their exams. It is like a prison for students that really care about school. We shouldn’t have that pressure on us.” 

According to Abrego, many students are already stressed enough and don’t need more added stress. Other students said that the final is at the end of the year which turns a fun and special time into a stressful season. 

Sophomore Alan Quinn said, “Finals can lead to sleepless nights and stress on how well your entire year could turn out based on one test.” 

Clearly many students are affected by the stress of wanting to perform well on finals and it cuts into their sleep. This poses another problem. How can students do well on finals if they don’t get enough sleep? This is especially challenging for students who play sports or are involved in other extracurricular activities because sometimes there are late games or competitions and they don’t get home until 9 pm at night and instead of resting, they have to do hours of studying for a test only to wake up early in the morning.

Although opinions vary about whether or not underclassmen should be exempt from finals, we all have to agree that finals bring added stress and could be negative for your mental health. Still, perhaps if there was a goal for underclassmen to work towards, maybe they would do better on tests, classwork, and homework if they had a chance of getting exempt from a final at the end of the year.