By James Coffey

When you picture high school and college, its the word you dread: finals. However, for many students who display hard work and earn “straight A’s”, the week of finals turns into a week of vacation.

With many rumors recently flying around, many students are wondering if exemptions will be done with before they graduate high school. From a classmate’s point of view, who has some information that a typical student might not have, sophomore class president Connor Schoen also remains in the fog on this topic. “I have only heard rumors of what Administration will do surrounding the issue of exemptions. Some teachers say they that they will not have exemptions and some say they will.”

A typical school year at WHS is about 180 days, spanning from late August to mid-June. In what is considered by most students to be an already strenuous year, why get rid of the one thing students can look forward to as an end to their year?

In order to earn an exemption from a single class, a student must have, by rule of the WHS student handbook, “At the discretion of the teacher, students that have achieved an A­- (90 or better) may be exempt from final assessments for those subjects” If you achieve an A- grade, after working hard for an entire school year, why shouldn’t hard work pay off, and you earn and exemption?

If students have the prior knowledge that they won’t be exempt, no matter how much work they do, they are more likely to show a lack of effort, because they know they won’t be rewarded in the long run.

At WHS, students also take midterms in January. Both the midterms and finals accommodate for one fifth of your semester average, and total one fifth of your yearly average; unless you get exempt. Sophomore Joe Liebert complains, “I just don’t think its right for students to take two tests that make up 20% of their yearly grade.”

While proponents of getting rid of exemptions may argue that finals are an opportunity to raise one’s average, many students, including myself, have felt the agony of the other side of the spectrum.

Studying for a test of this significance puts a lot of stress and pressure on students. Knowing that having a bad day, and “bombing” one section of the biggest test of the year, could bring down your average by a whole letter grade, is a lot to handle for teens.

According to the Student Health Services at Georgetown University, an overload of stress at times of finals could lead to: impatience and irritability, eye twitches, frequent headaches, fatigue and difficulty sleeping, stomach problems, and skipping meals among other things. Getting rid of exemptions, would force every student to take finals, and could lead to an increase of many of these effects in the WHS community.

Schoen states, “I believe that there should remain exemptions. First of all, exemptions are a way of rewarding students who have worked hard throughout the year. Also, they are a way of reducing much student stress associated with the volume of important exams during midterms and finals week.” He also adds, “Lastly exemptions promote good work ethic throughout each term. They serve as a motivation…”

While everyone has a right to their own opinion, it seems clear as to what the right decision is for WHS and school across the nation. While it might seem like a stretch to some of us, a switch in our school might not be that far off. Schoen states, “Nonetheless, I think it will remain an issue here [ at WHS], of which the students have little say.”

On behalf of the student body; keep our exemptions!