Tag Archives: Stress

Features

Students struggle to balance school with their everyday lives

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By Rachel Lamb

Stress is a huge factor in the lives of everyday high school students. Many have bigger responsibilities and extracurricular activities they partake in, as well as schoolwork and grades. Struggling to find the balance between school and their outside of school lives is a difficult task but for some it is just their lifestyle.

After drill team practice three days a week to her after-school shift at Polly Freeze, there is a pile of schoolwork remaining at home; however, senior Alessa Farnsley still manages to keep up with the pace.

“It’s not too difficult to juggle with school work because I always find time in between, even though I don’t get off until 10 on school nights,” Farnsley said

Farnsley added that the stress from her job does  affect her school work, due to the fact that she just wants to come home and sleep after her shift. Not only does she feel stressed with the amount of homework given, but her boss also manages to keep her extremely busy.

Students  that are without a job can have a hard time managing pressure that school gives them as well as their other activities.  They may not have a boss to please, but certainly a coach or instructor.

“It’s hard to juggle schoolwork everyday after football practice, but study table is always helpful,” said sophomore Garrett Sneed.

Football practice takes up a lot of time that students could be using to do school work. Dedication is required  in order to still put  school work first, such as having study table before football practice.

Sneed added that football  is the most stressful activity he is involved in since there is a new challenge to take on everyday.

Not all students struggle with balancing things they partake in.  A difference could be age, as students grow, more responsibilities are given.

Freshman Evan Michelle said that playing soccer and completing school work has not stressed him out too much yet this year. He agreed with Sneed that schoolwork should and does come first.

Most of the time teachers can tell when a student is overwhelmed. Grades, participation, or even the way they present themselves in the classroom is a big enough hint.

“I think it depends on their personality and the way that some of the students are driven to succeed no matter what,” said physical education and health teacher Juli Hutson.

Counselor Jessica Newkirk agreed that how each individual student copes  depends on their personality and what level of work they are already used to.

Newkirk added that being involved in sports or extracurricular activities might alleviate stress that the students carry on their shoulders.

When it comes down to it, all students are going to worry about juggling all that is in their schedule during their high school career. Learning how to handle the different stressors that contribute to it is the most difficult part.

“If you can get all A’s then that’s great, but having a balanced life is important too,” Hutson said.

Features

Students stress levels rise due to finals

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By Megan Hardin

With the last two weeks of school before Christmas break, comes a lot of pressure and stress on students. Most of the stress is due to finals, whether it is studying for them or taking them.

“Stress levels rise and I get really nervous because I know that I need to pass these [finals] and be properly prepared. It’s just so much to handle,” said junior Deja Jones.

With finals only a week away students and teachers are trying to stuff lessons in to get ready.

“Teachers are cramming things in last minute and then we have to go and try to cram them in and learn them,” said Jones.

Students are overwhelmed by attempting to learn new material as well as recall everything that they have learned within the past semester, intensifying stress.

“My stress level increases because you have to try and cram everything you have learned back into your brain,” said junior Kelsi Hardin.

Finals cause so much stress because of the impact they have on students’ grades.

“Finals are typically worth about twenty percent of our grade and a bad score could drop a better grade, so I do start to worry,” said sophomore Lauren Alexander.

With this impact, students are trying to figure out what grades they need to get in order to pass all of their classes.

“I get nervous and then I try to figure out what certain grades that I need to get and based on what that grade is, is how much I study,” said senior Ali Host.

Another item adding to the stress over finals is not always knowing what to study.

“Something that causes me a lot of stress is when the teachers don’t always tell you everything that is on the test. When that happens I just have to study everything instead of spending more time on the particular things that I know will be on the test,” said junior Jake Lammert.

With all of this multiplied stress students need to have ways to relieve the tension and get rid of it.

“I don’t study for long periods of time, I take breaks and I also break it up into sections, so that it won’t be so much,” said Alexander.

Along with taking study breaks students turn to friends to relieve their stress.

“I hang out and joke around with my friends to stay relaxed,” said Host.

Even with all the stress that is being caused by finals, students feel that they are ready to take them and begin their Christmas break.

“I feel like I am prepared finals. I think that I will do good with all of the studying that I have done. I’m ready to take the finals so that we can start our break,” said Lammert.