It’s the most wonderful time of the year

Throughout both elementary and junior high school, the month of December was undoubtedly the most exciting and magical time of the year. However, due to the stressful workload, strict deadlines and never-ending tests accompanied by high school, I haven’t even been able to think about Christmas and other fun holiday activities. It seems many other York students have fallen into the same situation. 

During the month of December, not only do I want to feel the same holiday excitement I did when I was a kid, but I also believe many other York students long to feel festive and stress-free. I sent a survey out regarding school-stress during the holiday season to every student at York, and out of 107 students I surveyed: over 75% of students are stressed during the month of December. 

“Usually during Christmas time I want to spend time with my friends and family, but it’s kind of hard to do that when I’m also studying for finals and finishing all my assignments for my classes,” sophomore Gianna Leonardo said. 

It’s difficult to try and enjoy the holidays when all you can think about is school work and certain deadlines. In “the most wonderful time of the year” that should be filled with the “holiday spirit” while enjoying happy times with family and friends, students can’t help but feel nervous, overwhelmed and anxious. 

“Right around this time of the school year there’s usually a lot of stress in all my classes,” junior Rocco Ramos said. “I think that it really affects the holiday season in a way. This time of the year is supposed to be chill, fun and happy, but there’s a lot of stress during this time because of all the school work.”

As we all know, school-related-stress can really hinder the joy of the holiday season for students before Christmas. Although, after school is let out for break some students still remain stressed waiting to see the results of their final exams and final grades. 

“Around this time of the year, all of my classes cram in the last bunch of tests and quizzes, and on top of that, I’m also trying to study for finals,” senior Jake Barmada said. “Even after I take the finals, I’m still updating PowerSchool checking to see if the grade I wanted is there, and it really takes away the joy of the holidays.”

As a school, we really need to find a balance between being festive during the holiday season and attempting to be stress-free. Luckily, York’s student council is doing multiple things this year to help relieve stress, such as decorating the school and implementing spirit days before finals.