Masuk Free Press

From midterms to counting down the days until spring break, the months of January through the beginning of April is the most dreadful time of the year. With an influx of exams, endless weeks of school with no breaks and nothing to look forward to, this time of year is a struggle for a majority of high school students. 

“It comes after the ‘most wonderful time of the year,’” said sophomore Eliza Palmieri. “I find it hard to have a positive attitude about these next couple of months.” 

After the demanding week of midterms, students are thrown right back into classes while teachers scramble to cram in last minute lessons to fit what they could not before break. 

“Subjects start to get more challenging,” said junior Niti Shah. “I think we get overwhelmed because there’s not a significant amount of break time.” 

The second semester of the year feels daunting to a lot of students. After a refresh from summer break with Friday night lights, homecoming dances, and holiday break ahead, it is easy to breeze by the first half of the year. 

“We need something to keep us up and excited for school,” said junior Kayla Roy. “We should have more fun things to look forward to.” 

With the creation of the winter pep rally, many students are hopeful about the possibility of more fun activities during the winter semester. Being able to not think about school and socialize with friends in a fun setting, can help to alleviate some dread of this daunting time. 

Years ago, the Monroe school district had a February break that consisted of a week off from school. This has since been terminated and replaced with a long weekend. The main reason why the long break was removed was because of multiple snow days during the winter that caused the school year to last well into the month of June.

“We should bring back the long February break,” said Roy. “It’s right after midterms and gives students a chance to rest and prepare for the next couple of months.” 

Having a break to be able to reset does not only benefit students, but also teachers. It allows for all to focus on mental and physical health. Feeling refreshed and energized can help to prevent the lack of motivation students and staff have during this time. 

Burnout is not the only issue that makes this time of year difficult for students. Illness is also the most prevalent during this time. 

“Illness is usually flying around at this time of year,” said Iverson. “Everybody is sick, trying to come back to school too early, not getting enough rest. It all contributes to this time of year being rough.” 

With no way of avoiding the winter cold, students who are already behind in their schoolwork struggle even more to catch up from missing school. It seems as if there is no chance to rest our minds or body with the seemingly endless piles of work.

During these long months, the topic of mental health is important to be discussed.

“Even though it’s extremely hard to get motivated at this time, staying on top of school work is important,” said Palmieri. “Just being organized can help lessen the stress.” 

Hanging out with friends and making time to do things you enjoy is extremely important to prevent yourself from succumbing to the darkness of the winter.

“January blues is real for everybody,” said Iverson. “But we all just gotta keep swimming.” 

It is important to not let yourself fall behind. The only way you can get through it all a little more easily is if you make it easy for yourself. 

Take advantage of the resources available for students. Along with that, teachers are also trying their best to make it easier for students.

“I try to be really gracious about people being out,” said Iverson. “I try not to get on top of people, and I try to be open to lightening the load if you are out.” 

With teachers and faculty on the students’ side, there are ways to relieve all the stress and pressure this time of year brings. It is hard not to dread the next couple of months, but by staying on top of work and remembering to save time for yourself, you can help yourself make this time a little easier.