Second semester is an exciting time. For freshmen, there’s one semester of high school they’ve achieved. For seniors, there’s only one left. For everyone else, there’s the thrill as they count down to summer break.
“Once that change in weather happens… around spring break or just after… it always just seems like… everything can be possible at that time,” OH school counselor and Student Council co-sponsor April Ponte said.
“I feel like a lot of people work harder than the first semester, so just finding that balance between a social life and academic life [is important],” said junior and Student Council Executive Board member Melanie Imbronjev.
As important as it is to live in the moment, second semester is a busy time, with a lot of important deadlines that it’s important to keep track of.
May 4-15: AP testing
It may seem counterintuitive to start with something in the last month of school, but AP testing is a big deal.
“The earlier that you start [studying] the better,” Imbronjev said. “If you [start only] two weeks ahead, you have more that you need to do per night, but if you split it like, 30 minutes per day, it will be easier to… balance… and then you have so much more time for your other work.”
AP tests are covering a year (or two) of college-level coursework; the things taught back in August are often just as important as the ones people will learn about the week before the test. It’s important to have a good study plan to make sure all of the topics for all of the tests can be covered in time.
“Days that you have a lot of homework, do not study for your other tests or your review,” Assistant Athletic Director and AP Human Geography teacher Mark Johnson said.
Another benefit of starting to study early is having more flexibility, which means that on days with more homework or other commitments, students can move that studying to another day and not overextend themselves. Often, AP teachers will designate review days, but that shouldn’t be the only studying.
“You have to put lots of hours in outside of class. It’s not an easy class. It’s, you know, it takes lots of time and effort,” senior Brayden Borrowman said.
The College Board, the organization that runs AP, offers many resources online, including practice tests, review videos, and testing policies.
First 2 weeks of March: Tryouts for spring sports
Most of the spring sports start tryouts on March 2 (Boys Volleyball starts on March 9), but it is important to be planning and preparing before then.
“If you just show up [to tryouts] and haven’t been practicing, then chances are it’s gonna be very difficult,” Johnson said. “Every single program offers open gyms, so … hopefully kids are taking advantage of [them].”
March 30 – April 6: Spring break
Spring break is both a blessing and a curse: relaxation, a last hurrah before the grind of testing, but also an interruption to routines right before major testing.
As frustrating as it may be, spring break is a good time to wrap up studying for the ACT or Pre-ACT and start focusing harder on AP tests.
Before Spring Break, though, Student Council is planning a spirit week and talent show.
“At that point [before a break], everyone’s kind of… itching to be out of here. But in terms of school spirit, we want to have students and staff do things… out of the ordinary, but together,” Ponte said.
“The talent show, it really… brings people of different talents [together], and [it’s about] realizing that there’s… uniqueness within our school,” Imbronjev said.
April 9: ACT (for juniors)
“Make sure you study a lot. It’s not an easy test, and… it means a lot more than what you think it does,” Borrowman said.
Aside from being required for juniors and sophomores graduating early, the ACT can be an important factor in college admissions. Even for colleges that don’t require test scores, they are often beneficial.
There are many prep books and materials available online, as well as practice tests and resources offered at places like Huntington Learning Center.
May 16: Graduation
“Seniors will finish… a week and a few days before all other students,” Ponte said. “Before they have cap and gown pickup, they have to get…their FAFSA applications [done,] their senior exit survey… and turn in Chromebooks or any technology stuff that they need [to].”
Finals (not officially announced)
The last week of school is May 18-22, so finals will most likely take place on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with make-up finals on Friday.
May 22: Asynchronous last day of school
Aside from make-up finals and google-form attendance, this is the last day of school and the start of summer break!
For further information and updates: SD308 Assessment Dates, OH Athletics/Activities Calendar, OH School Calendar, SD308 Calendar
I'm Taylor Jo Ana, I'm a Junior at OH, and this is my first year on 42Fifty! I'm on the Speech Team, and I'm in the National English Honor Society and National Art Honor Society. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
