One Month Left

By Josiah Andrews

One month. One month away until the final bell of the semester. A day that is hard to imagine that will come on the first day of school. Having said that, that specific bell is starting to loom over the heads at Dalat.

That bell will be a relief for some freshman who survived the first of eight semesters in their high school years. That bell also will mean that there is only one last semester for the Class of 2024 until their high school journey ends. Many seniors have started to feel some signs and symptoms of Senioritis. Even so, the excitement to graduate and be done grows. In contrast, the motivation and want to attend school dissipates quickly amongst the Co24. 

Holding us students back from that freedom is the dreaded final exams. Preparation for exams is about to get underway if it hasn’t already. This period of time before the exams and after the mid-semester break is what I like to call “the quiet before the storm.” The phrase often describes a peaceful point for someone before a significant event occurs just over the horizon. Finals are definitely anything but peaceful. 

Often, one can make out the distant frustration of a sophomore struggling to study Geometry or Algebra or the sound of two seniors arguing whether AP Chemistry’s or AP Biology’s final will be more brutal. One bright side to the first semester is the lack of AP finals. Since the AP finals aren’t until the next semester, students find themselves up against the tests of their teachers and not of CollegeBoard. A task that seems much more familiar and a good warm-up for the pinnacle in less than six months' time. 

Overall, however, there is excitement around the air as students and staff fantasize about their newfound freedoms that the final bell will sound for them. Dreams of Christmas breaks in home countries, get-togethers with friends and family, and, of course, the much-needed extra sleep. The break will allow those to recharge themselves for the second half of an already eventful year for Dalat. 

DJ Yost (12) highlighted his excitement by saying, “I’m most excited to see my sister who is coming back; I am also excited to have the free time to train for a half marathon.”

The end of Christmas will mark the start of the end for all of us. While it may seem improbable, even impossible, the beginning of the end for seniors all over has begun. Even though there is a quiet period they are in now, that bell in December will mark the warning call to enjoy the last months of childhood before life outside high school starts—a proper storm in itself.