Fourth quarter is a time to be winding down, seniors commit to college and underclassmen recap their long school year. Summer is just ahead and students are less motivated than ever. This results in grades dropping heavily, which affects their semester grades and college opportunities.

Students are more likely to take the fourth quarter more lightly because they are burnt out from schoolwork. Burnout also applies to teachers which may result in more busy work.

“It would be better if teachers gave us more thought out projects instead of daily tedious busy work everyday,” sophomore Elikel Barrigah said.

One of the worst things about the end of the school year is going through folders for old papers that might help on quizzes. Towards the end of the school year, students throw papers out to lighten backpacks making it difficult to study.

Mental health is one of the biggest topics of discussion for high school students. Summer is approaching quickly and students do not want to stress out about assignments that are missing or late which can affect the mental health of both students and teachers.

“I usually can’t get excited for summer break until all my work is submitted,” sophomore John Jernell said.

On the other hand, having intense work for the entire school can pay off because it results in higher test scores for upcoming years or useful information you didn’t know before. It also makes summer that much better knowing you emptied the tank and now get a relaxing few months.

MCPS has a very generous grading criteria which helps slacking off in the fourth quarter but it may still impact college chances for underclassmen. Semester grades are still at risk which is why it’s important to finish out the year strong.

As the final assignments get handed out by teachers, the work gets lazier because students realize what they need to keep their grade in the class. Also, teachers tend to grade more generous because they also want summer break to come.

Summer is just as important to staff as it is to kids at our school. They have plans and sometimes understand students’ troubles with getting work late in the year.

“My productivity in class decreases because I like thinking about going to the beach,” sophomore Mugunza Kaleeba said.

Although there are many reasons why students want to take the fourth quarter lighter, they need to stay focused. There are just as many tests and quizzes to study for.

The end of year and work load directly related to summer being just around the corner. It’s the perfect time to relieve stress and forget about school.

“My freshman year was very long but I noticed less motivation towards the end of the year,” freshman Corey Dooren said.