With COVID-19 throwing a spanner into the ever-turning gears of the school year structure, there are expected to be some squeaky wheels. Shortened lunches, longer classes, unexpected quarantines, less time to socialize and post-Winter Break midterm exams all provide reasons to complain. To accommodate a late start to this school year, midterm exams were scheduled after the two-week Winter Break. However, among seniors, the exam schedule appeared to be less of a concern than expected. 

“I feel that my exams were successful throughout the block schedule,” senior Vincent Kessel said. “I don’t think my friends really seemed to care much about the block-schedule exams. They haven’t really talked about it at all, so I assume that they don’t really care.” 

Senior Andrea Cumba also noticed a lack of dissent about the modified exam schedule. 

“If we had more exams, I think it would have been really stressful to do them all in a two-day period,” Cumba said. “I haven’t heard anyone I know complain much about the exam schedule, I think everyone [is] just ready to move on to the next semester.”

In addition, a common consensus is the modified exam schedule did not have a significant effect on how students performed. 

“The only real test I had was for AP Calculus which was a practice exam to prepare us for the [final exam] in a few months,” senior James Green said. “I think [my performance] would have been the same before or after the break. I think I did [well] as I was able to focus all my time [on] studying for this test.” 

Cumba shared similar sentiments.

“I don’t think I would have done any better if I had taken the exam before the break,” she said. “I think that if we had exams before Winter Break, it would have been extra-stressful for the teachers who are already cramming their lesson plans together for us.” 

Instead of treating it as a time to study for midterms, Kessel decided to use Winter break for what it was intended to be: a break from it all. 

“Over the break, I did not prepare at all whatsoever.The entire time on break, [my family] skied and relaxed. I had no intentions of studying whatsoever,” said Kessel, whose family vacationed in North Carolina. “I feel like the break that we got gave us some time to relax and recoup.”

While Kessel traveled, Cumba stayed home.

“I spent time with my family watching movies and playing board games, which I’m really grateful for,” she said.