It’s that time again. Class assignments, large projects, exams and due dates all creep up quickly. 

“It’s overwhelming,” junior Sandlin Finkel said. “I have multiple finals the same day.”

We know that it has been a difficult year of quarantine and somewhat relearning normal routines. 

“I feel like we’re finally getting back to how school was before COVID-19,” Math teacher Lauren Emmitt said. “The structure is similar to before and is nice.” 

With the changes of COVID-19 brought, most students at Manhattan High haven’t had normal finals since 2019. Every student last year had different schedules due to some being hybrid and others fully remote. 

“Last year’s finals week was very different and strange,” junior Kenzie Kilner said. “I was fully remote and for most classes teachers did not give a final.”

Now that the first semester is coming to an end, what will finals look like? 

“[Finals] will look different than they were structured last year,” Emmit said. “Last year we did hybrid finals, which forced [teachers] to not see kids and not have in-person finals.”

For some students it may be weird to take a final in a classroom. With some students being fully remote last year it might be weird experiencing finals in a normal setting.

“I think finals this year will be both easier and harder,” Kilner said. “I will be in class on a regular schedule getting direct instruction in terms of taking finals. On the other hand it has been a while since I’ve taken a final in a class, which for me adds pressure.”