End of quarter panic sets in at South lakes as final tests and assignments are looming. The end of the quarter is fast approaching, with less than a month left. This leaves many students impacted with stressed feelings and worried about their final grade. feeling stressed and worried about their final grade. 

South Lakes uses a quarter system instead of the standard semester calendar that’s used in most American schools, which can take pressure off of students. As it allows them to focus on small portions of their grade at a time, which will be added up with the three other quarters and averaged for a final grade.

At the end of the quarter, grades like tests matter. As the weight of them can drastically affect students’ final grades. Usually these tests are one of the last grades entered into the grade book. As the quarter comes to a close, students have less and less opportunities and assignments to bring their grades up.

 Emma Ayres, a Freshman, says: “I am worried about my math class, because we have a test and a project at the end of the quarter and that doesn’t give you a lot of opportunities to fix mistakes.”

Around this time, students routinely check their grades for any updates. More so, then at the beginning or middle of the quarter. This act contributes to students’ overall stress levels. 

 “When it’s not near the end of the quarter, I do think about my grades a lot, but not as much…” Ayres adds on further.

With the quarter ending in three weeks, this puts excess stress on students at South Lakes. Which causes them to check their grades for any updates more frequently than usual. While the quarter system breaks down the grading system further, the stress of upcoming tests and projects are still present in students’ minds.  This is a typical part of school that most will experience at South Lakes.