This year marks a big change in the schedule of final exams. Not only are the final exams extended a day due to the snow day that occurred on February 9th, but the periods for the exams have changed as well.

A change to the final exam schedule had been in discussion among the school administration and department chairs for the last couple of years. It was done to have the department chairs available to teachers and to help the department chairs work on tasks before summer break.

Mr. Todd Elkei, the Physical Education Department Chair, speaks about how the new schedule change benefits the department chairs: “On the last final day, a lot goes on. We have our own things to deal with and classes to teach, so it [6th period being the last final] helps get stuff done.”

East’s Vice Principal, Mr. John Greenan, summed up the change by saying, “It really is just to help the department chairs and the teachers for the last day [and] end of semester procedures that they go through. It may not sound like something students think is important, but for our teachers and department chairs it really does help.”

The schedule change will undoubtedly please students with a 6th period study hall and lunch, as their summer vacation will begin as soon as school ends on May 25th.

“I like it because I get to leave the first day. I don’t like how it’s rearranged. I got to sleep in on the second day last year, and I don’t get to now. So my feeling is pretty neutral,” Karolina Ulinskas, an LTHS junior, says about the new schedule change.

Janet Marquez, another LTHS junior, expresses a similar neutral view: “I think it’s okay. My periods aren’t that messed up.”

“I don’t really care about it; it doesn’t affect me,” junior Olivia McCullum states when asked how she felt about the new schedule change.

While the new schedule is not set in stone, it will more than likely not be changed. It may take some getting used to, but the reactions and reasoning behind it gives the new final exam schedule some merit.

To view the complete schedule for final exams please click on the link below:
https://www.lths.org/cms/lib/IL01904802/Centricity/Domain/4/Sem2FinalExamSchedule.pdf