There is no sleeping at the high school

“I slept for only four hours last night,” a student explains. “Wake me up when the period is over,” another says. These are typical things one would hear when in Hewlett High School during the month of January. Many things account for this feeling of sleepiness — the endless homework, the constant studying, the plethora of activities, and the fact that there are 24 hours in a day.

January is an especially important time of year for both students and teachers. The first semester is coming to an end, which means midterms. Midterms were given from Jan. 25-27, an abridged version of the five-day “midterm week.” In the past, three-hour midterm exams were administered throughout the course of an entire week, but this year there were three days for 1.5-hour exams.

This brought even more stress on students because some had to take three exams in one day. More course had midterms than in years past, including many AP-level classes. The normal school week before midterms was just as hectic as midterm week because some teachers gave quarterly assessments, such as projects, papers or presentations.

This was a way for teachers to evaluate the skills and information the students learned over the course of the year. Because of inundation of exams, many students lost sleep during January.

The second semester began on Jan. 30, which marked an exciting time for seniors who are now one step closer to college. Seniors will focus on their plans for next school year and make decisions about college. For the rest of the students, however, it just meant that the school year is halfway over. It is reminder for juniors to prepare for college, by taking standardized tests or visiting colleges.

Studying was not the only thing that contributed to the madness of January. Clubs, activities, and sports were in full action. On Jan. 22, Hoops for Hope took place as varsity and junior varsity boys and girls basketball teams played to raise money for SIBS Place and Long Island Cares. Key Club members helped out at the event and it was a huge success. Also, the school newspaper Spectrum published an impressive issue early in the month.