As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer in Missouri, that can only mean one thing; Summer break. As the last day of school draws nearer, this means that finals are coming up. Stress heightens as scholars and teachers both have to prepare for these finals.

“Finals are like a hurricane coming and you can anticipate its arrival but you can’t do anything about it and the damage it’ll cause,” Liam Wilfong, freshman, said. “You can try and prepare as much as you can but you never really know how bad and how much damage these finals can do to your grades.”

Many students feel the same way as Wilfong, as preparing for these upcoming finals could be stressful for students. While students have to take all these finals, some may not think of how much stress does fall on the teachers.

“Students have a lot of pressure taking all of these tests, but it can be hard for the teachers as well [who are] finishing up the year,” Cheryll Bowman, German teacher, said. “I have to finish up my units in all my classes, prepare my students for the final and grade all previous work.”

While Wilfong may see finals as a bad thing, some find them good. Some students, like Colin Magruder, freshman, will look at the upcoming exams as a good chance to expand your knowledge and as a last chance to improve their grades until the year comes to a close.

“[Finals are] almost as if it’s the light at the end of the tunnel for me,” Magruder, said. “Summer is just around the corner and these exams are the only thing really holding us back from the break and if you look at it, these exams don’t seem that bad.”