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As the first semester of the 2011-2012 school year came to a close, Los Alamitos High School students were faced with the dreaded end-of-semester procedure: finals.
High school final exams can range anywhere from 30 to 300 points or 45% of the total grade, depending on how many points can be earned per semester in each class. With so much pressure on their shoulders, students sought different ways to prepare for the tests.
“Finals can make or break your whole grade,” Savannah Brown, a junior, said on the first day of final exams. “It’s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared, so a few days before the tests, I started studying each subject on my own. Then, on Tuesday, my friends and I met at Starbucks to figure out study guide questions that we were having trouble with. It helps to make sure that you’ve got some topics down, and then get a bit of help from people you’re comfortable with.”
“I keep all of my old homework assignments in a folder at home,” Makenna Lumbard, a sophomore, commented. “Before finals, I do one or two questions from each assignment to make sure I remember the topics we covered in class.”
Most teachers hand out study guides a week or two in advance. The few others, however, often seek more creative ways of helping their students study.
Jim Doone, a British Literature and English II Honors teacher at LAHS, said on the Monday preceding the exams: “My honors kids always have a two-part final, 100 points for each part. One part is for vocabulary words only, and since it’s stressful to review the definitions and synonyms for over 150 words, we have a “vocab gender battle” the day before testing. A boy and a girl go up to the whiteboard, and when I say the word, they have to write the definition on the board and circle it. First to circle gets the point.”
On Wednesday the 25th, students took exams in their second, fourth, and sixth period classes. On the 26th, they tested for first, third, and fifth period. Although final exam days are minimum days (meaning school gets out at noon) splitting the morning into thirds allows for more time so that students won’t feel rushed while testing.
After finals were over, teenagers found ways to celebrate. Group outings such as movie-going, mini golfing, and going out for Volcano Burger or Yogurtland are popular ways for students to rid of the post-exam stress.
“Off to the beach with family and friends!” one student posted on Facebook. “Thank goodness finals are OVER!”
High school final exams can range anywhere from 30 to 300 points or 45% of the total grade, depending on how many points can be earned per semester in each class. With so much pressure on their shoulders, students sought different ways to prepare for the tests.
“Finals can make or break your whole grade,” Savannah Brown, a junior, said on the first day of final exams. “It’s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared, so a few days before the tests, I started studying each subject on my own. Then, on Tuesday, my friends and I met at Starbucks to figure out study guide questions that we were having trouble with. It helps to make sure that you’ve got some topics down, and then get a bit of help from people you’re comfortable with.”
“I keep all of my old homework assignments in a folder at home,” Makenna Lumbard, a sophomore, commented. “Before finals, I do one or two questions from each assignment to make sure I remember the topics we covered in class.”
Most teachers hand out study guides a week or two in advance. The few others, however, often seek more creative ways of helping their students study.
Jim Doone, a British Literature and English II Honors teacher at LAHS, said on the Monday preceding the exams: “My honors kids always have a two-part final, 100 points for each part. One part is for vocabulary words only, and since it’s stressful to review the definitions and synonyms for over 150 words, we have a “vocab gender battle” the day before testing. A boy and a girl go up to the whiteboard, and when I say the word, they have to write the definition on the board and circle it. First to circle gets the point.”
On Wednesday the 25th, students took exams in their second, fourth, and sixth period classes. On the 26th, they tested for first, third, and fifth period. Although final exam days are minimum days (meaning school gets out at noon) splitting the morning into thirds allows for more time so that students won’t feel rushed while testing.
After finals were over, teenagers found ways to celebrate. Group outings such as movie-going, mini golfing, and going out for Volcano Burger or Yogurtland are popular ways for students to rid of the post-exam stress.
“Off to the beach with family and friends!” one student posted on Facebook. “Thank goodness finals are OVER!”
The Los Alamitos Unified School District serves nearly 10,000 students in Seal Beach, Rossmoor, and Los Alamitos. The district includes Los Alamitos High School, a full service high school, Laurel High School, a continuation high school, McAuliffe Middle School, Oak Middle School, and six elementary schools. Mrs. Meg Cutuli is the current President of the Board of Education. Dr. Sherry Kropp is the Superintendent of the Los Alamitos Unified School District.
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