Finals Underway at CHS

     At Chadron High, levels of stress are high, especially when finals roll around. Maddie Sandstrom, Cooper Wild, and Zayne Jones all use different ways to prepare for finals.
      Unlike the boys, Maddie will study every night for at least 15 minutes the week of finals. The boys, will look over their notes briefly, and Cooper believes a "one night cram session" helps pass finals.
     Cooper and Zayne both do not feel intimidated when it comes to taking finals. They feel as if it is just another day, and don't stress. Maddie on the other hand says finals make her feel like she will fail them and that they are very much so intimidating. All three of the students are nervous about different subjects; Maddie, Spanish, Cooper, English, and Zayne, Government. Maddie and Cooper both have English and Geometry finals, but Maddie also has Spanish to worry about, and Cooper also has art. Government is the only final Zayne has to take.
    Without teachers, there would be no finals. Mrs. Noble, the Spanish teacher, looks at what she has taught for the semester, pulls questions off of tests and/or quizzes, and will take questions asked from students and use them for finals. Mr. Hencey who teaches art, makes his finals based on his reflection on the semester, and thinks about what he wants to check the students understanding on. He will also hit weak spots the students have harder and review them more. When it comes to finals for Mrs. Drinkwalter, who teaches multiple levels of math, she feels spending three days of reviewing, each day with three chapters, is the best way to pass finals.
All three of the teachers agree that finals are a good way to see everything the students have learned throughout the semester. They all feel it is a good way to show them what the teachers themselves need to improve on. Ms. Noble says taking finals shows what students retained, and what she needs to work on. Mr. Hencey believes that taking finals is an excellent way to see what was accomplished throughout the semester. "If students failed the test, I failed at teaching," Hencey explains. The teachers all grade the finals differently. Mr. Hencey has no multiple choice questions, and each question is worth two points. Noble grades her finals like any other regular 100 point test, and Drinkwalter's finals are worth a two times more than a normal exam.
The three teachers seem to deal with stressed kids, other than Ms. Noble. When asked how she dealt with stressed students, she exclaimed "Not very well," but she hands out tootsie rolls, and gives out pretests to relieve stress a little bit. Hencey talks to the students, or attempts to, to figure out why they are stressed while trying to stay calm at the same time. Drinkwalter believes in doing the review with them and giving them the tools to feel confident in their skills. “More confidence leads to less stress,” she stated.
Although when finals come around, students stress levels shoot through the roof, having the right tactics will help relieve tensions and help you pass