The past few years have been nothing but unordinary. The typical high school experience has been drastically altered under numerous circumstances. At the core of our problems lies the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which is affecting our community in negative ways. Despite the current conditions, it is essential for students to receive optimum education, whether it be from home or from an in-person environment.

The past few weeks alone can be described as chaotic, although it is an understatement of reality. Plans have been changing by the day and what our future holds remains a mystery. With the semester coming to a close, teachers from various classes are rushing to finish course material while adjusting to new forms of teaching. The versatility of our transition to remote learning has been far from easy and has placed people behind on coursework. With only three weeks until our final exams, it is imperative for teachers to complete the necessary material, which is far from possible given the circumstances. With the multiple disruptions from our traditional learning throughout the fall semester, the amount of time teachers have to complete material has drastically decreased.

During the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school year, we have adapted to online learning in response to rising cases. Now, in 2022, we are faced with a similar issue. One key difference exists between these different school years: we are still scheduled to take finals on January 29th and 31st. As displayed in the past two years, final exams are not necessary for course completion. The absence of finals in the last two years has positively impacted students’ mental health during difficult times. Rather than students spending hours upon hours preparing for final exams, it is vital for them to understand course material thoroughly, which is especially important for AP classes since AP students have the opportunity to complete an exam in order to obtain college credit. 

It is crucial that finals be canceled for the fall semester. Course averages are equally significant to final exam scores for demonstrating one's understanding of a class. As our current situation for the following weeks remains unknown, it is in the best interest of students and teachers for finals to be canceled in order to allow for thorough understanding and coverage of course material.