Finishing Strong

With the school year coming to an end and summer on its way; although it may seem like students can start to relax, that is not the case. At the end of the fourth marking period, students are preparing to take their first or their last regents exam of their highschool career. But as you may already know, the June Social Studies, U.S. History regents have been canceled because the content of some of the questions could have induced traumatic responses after the Buffalo shooting. Although students may be ecstatic because of the cancellation of this exam, the teachers do not feel the same way. AP US History teacher, Mr. Bellinger stated that he feels disappointed because everyone worked hard on getting ready for it, but he understands the reason for it to be canceled. Even though there are no Social Studies regents, for the U.S. History classes, there still needs to be a final examination for students. With that in mind, the school has decided to give a two day test to replace the three hour regents exam students would normally take.

It is especially important for students to finish the year off strong as it comes to an end. Among students there is a phrase that lurks around the end of the year that affects juniors, called “junioritis”. This is where juniors slack off and not put in the same effort they used to put in towards the end of the year. It is not known why this happens to juniors or why it is said to only affect juniors but it is most definitely real and affects all students. In many cases it is caused because as summer approaches, students get into the mindset that they are already relieved of their school duties and begin to slack off. In addition they may start to slack off because they feel they deserve an added reward for all the effort they’ve already put in this year. No matter the cause, it is up to the students to get out of this slump. In relation to that, many students believe that their junior year is the most important year of their high school career, although there may be some truth in that, it does not mean you should not put the same level of effort into every other year. If students only worry about one year out of the four, it can be reflected in your overall G.P.A. The most important part of keeping up with grades is to be consistent, thorough with studying and staying on task. Being able to do so, can and will lead to scores that reflect the effort made.

It has been a great year for Baldwin High School with many sports teams having successful seasons. Baldwin’s art and music program also played important roles in the high school’s success. As the senior class takes their leave and a new freshman class joins, the torch has been passed down from class to class with each year following in the footsteps of their upperclassman and alumni.