As the school year wraps up, it can be both an anxious and exciting time. Students are looking forward to all the things they can do in the summer, however the lead-up to finals can drown that excitement. Whether you plan to study or not, you are definitely thinking somewhat about finals, and maybe even worrying about them. Regardless of what it is, everyone has something they like to do after school ends. The celebrations vary from sleeping in to hanging out with friends.
Some would prefer to have a fun day with their grade (if they have the energy) after or even before finals to recognize the hard work they put into the school year. It could be something as simple as ice cream with lots of fun toppings, or something as crazy and cool as a field trip to a destination like Valleyfair. Even though school gets more serious as you get older, you can still set aside time to enjoy yourself. Sophomore Kate Meyer feels that if the school did do something to celebrate, it should be something smaller and not very time consuming. “I feel like an ice cream truck would be something fun,” Meyer said.
Many students would like to see the school itself set aside time to do fun activities in celebration of the end of the year. “There should be an activity after the last day of school. But I don’t think it should be an extra day, [students don’t] really want to stay in school longer than they have [to],” sophomore Abbie Marusich said.
If a celebration is ever planned post-finals, most students don’t want it to take much time out of their first taste of summer. Sophomore Charlotte Feller would want a possible celebration to be speedy so she can enjoy her first hours of summer. “Maybe [the school] could do something simple like give us all Taher cookies or something,” Feller said.
The week of finals can be hectic for students. Many people like how school just ends right after the last final exam. You can just leave right when you finish the last test and be done with school for the summer. “At the end of school everybody’s kind of just ready to go home,” sophomore Kate Meyer said.
As for how they want to celebrate the end of the year and beginning of summer, students like to do various things. From just relaxing and sleeping in, to spending the day with friends at the pool everyone likes to do something different in commemoration of the school year. “Normally my friends [and I] go to one of our houses and we hang out and have a sleepover,” Meyer said.
School can get repetitive, causing students to feel burnt out, especially after the week of finals and studying that the students did. Catching up on much needed rest can feel very appealing to them. Five out of seven days a week students have to wake up early at least. “Usually, I sleep a lot, [and] recover from the three days of finals,” Anderson said.
Friends spending an entire school year together can create a very strong bond between them. To celebrate not only the end of finals, but also to celebrate how their relationship has grown over time, some friends decide to spend the first moments of summer together. “[My friends and I] usually go out to eat at Wayzata,” junior Sophia Wessling said.
If the weather outside is nice, it is appealing for some students to complete their celebrations outside. That gives them many more options of things to do like going on the lake, taking a stroll down the block, watching a movie outside, or doing their workout in the great outdoors. Wessling lives on Lake Minnetonka, which provides her with some fun summer activities. “Since I live on the lake, I am able to go and attempt to convince my parents to take the boat out,” Wessling said.
Usually at the end of the year, I either shred them [my school papers] or I use them to start a bonfire.”
— Mykenah Anderson
Vacation is a fun option for some, because it can be carried out in different ways. The adventurous people have options to participate in many different adrenaline spiking activities, and the more laid back people are able to relax with a cold beverage of choice in their hand letting go of all their thoughts about school. During the school year it can be hard to fit vacations in with the school and sports. Many families also don’t want to take days off to go on vacation. Summer is a popular time to go on longer vacations and places that are farther away.
With the study materials and all the papers students receive during the year, it can build up and even stress you out after finals end. So some students like to get rid of their papers from the year, because they won’t need them in the future. Many students get creative when deciding what to do with all their school work. And some even have traditions they stick with every year. “Usually at the end of the year, I either shred them [my school papers] or I use them to start a bonfire,” sophomore Mykenah Anderson said.
Everyone has different ideas about what post final life should look like. None are better than others, they are all just unique to each student.