By Jacob Furst ’16, Commentary Editor

Between Thanksgiving break and Winter break lies a three-week-long period of school that challenges the stamina of even the most dedicated students. There are few times at Newark Academy that are as stressful as this one. The sun goes down around four, leaving us students feeling tired before we have even gotten home and started our homework. Teachers have to finalize semester grades, which leads to more assessments for students and more grading for the faculty. Seniors are staying up all night to meet college application deadlines, while juniors are preparing for the daunting college process that lies ahead. Not to mention, winter exams are approaching all too quickly. For faculty and students alike, December 19^th cannot come soon enough.

The worst part of this time of the year is the enormous and sudden increase in course work. Sophia Busam ’16 says, “I feel like I have more assignments in these next few weeks than I have had this whole semester. Every time I finish an assignment it seems like two more take its place!” To most students, it seems as though the number of assignments grows during this time period as the time to complete them shrinks. In other parts of the semester, major assignments are spread out more evenly amongst the subjects. In any given week a student may have assessments in anywhere from one to five courses; however, during these last few weeks of the term, every students will almost certainly have assessments in all of his or her classes, and often, more than one per class.

It is not only overwhelming for students to have this much work; it is also unfair. In order to complete all of the assignments on time, students have to spend less time on each one, so the quality of their work suffers. After midterm comments, many students are motivated to improve their grades for the term. However, many students feel that they cannot put in both the time and the effort that is needed to improve the quality of their work because of the quantity of their assignments. In addition, seniors have the added time-sensitive pressure of looming college application deadlines. Nina Pusic ’15 is quick to point out, “I have enough on my plate right now just dealing with college. Thinking about the amount of school work I have in the coming weeks makes me sick.” Finally, this surge comes after months of hard work; everyone is worn out, exhausted and cranky. Just when it seems the end of the term is in sight, we are smashed with a giant wall of papers and tests.

The general mood in the building around this time of year is almost comically depressing. Students walk with their heads down, conversation centers around work, and the general feeling of tension hovers in the air. If the school were ever in need of a pick-me-up, it would be now. Anu Sharma ’15 says, “The school should have more of its fun events during the last weeks of the term. Events like Waffle Day would be really great right about now.” The School Council does try to organize events during the cold months. Senior class officers always dedicate a day to handing out chocolate cake and stress toys to seniors, and the council hosts a week of board games in early January called Winter Shminter. However, what we really want, and what we ultimately need, is a break: a break from all-nighters, a break from pencils and paper, and, most importantly, a break from stress.