Finals week. Even the words form physical and emotional goosebumps on the skin of all Greeley West students. Their shoulders and arms drag, achingly heavy from the weight of worry that surrounds the idea of endless, grueling exams. And still, they power through – knowing that the unnecessarily high percentage it is of their grade will benefit most students in the long run. 

This year, finals are making a comeback. Due to COVID, finals testing was not as big of a deal last year. Now, however, Greeley West finals week will be in full-swing starting tomorrow and students are a little less than thrilled. 

Senior Bridget Hulac thinks it is too stressful. “Finals week is really stressful and there’s a lot of pressure put on kids to do a good job. At the end of the day, it is a really important test and you have to prove that you’ve worked hard but there should be other, better ways to do it. I just wish it was more conversational or fun,” said Hulac. 

Even so, teachers are working endlessly to prepare students for testing and prepare the tests themselves. Hours of work go into making sure this final is a “show-what-you’ve-been-taught” kind of test. And, if you’ve paid attention in class and been a good student, they should be easy to pass. 

English and AVID teacher Elizabeth Dent said, “My favorite part of finals is to see how students bring together the skills we have sharpened over the semester. In some classes, we do district finals paired with something more relevant to the class itself, some classes do projects, some do presentations, and Creative Writing has a mystery final.”

She continued, “For the actual final task, we might spend a week unpacking what they will do, and planning the process.  The mental prep game…the psychology behind success is huge.”  

Greeley West students: make sure to sharpen your pencils, study hard, and set aside time for yourself – being healthy mentally and physically can play a big role in how you test. You got this!