Photo by Inayat Thukral

Senior Noah Parker studies for an AP Chemistry test.

The first quarter of the 2023-2024 school year is coming to an end; Common Sense takes a look at how students and teachers feel about that.

This quarter has been filled with ups and downs for students, especially those taking all AP and honor classes. With the quarter coming to a close, classes are trying to wrap up grades. “All of these tests will be crammed into that final week of the quarter making it really impossible to balance an academic life and a social life,” senior Noah Parker said.

Students find the first quarter to be a preview of the rest of the year, especially with all that the year entails for upperclassmen. “There’s a few things I like about the quarter ending. One is that I have a good diagnosis of how the rest of the year will play out if I continue the same habits I’ve used so far. It’s also a huge step closer to ending the year and this is our most important year of high school so I’m appreciating every milestone that I reach. I’m really happy with my grades right now as well and I’m glad the quarter is ending,” junior Max Hammerman said.

Despite this quarter being the first, students still find struggles and hardships throughout its course. Because of this, students are ready for the next quarter. “I am ready for quarter two because I am excited to have the opportunity for new grades and new topics,” junior Meymuna Oweis said.

While students are stressed about studying and completing their final grades, teachers are stressed about grading, and trying to reach their own deadlines. “I feel a little bit frantic now that I have a lot of papers to grade to meet the deadline on time,” AP Biology teacher Christina Joung said.

Despite this frantic feeling, quarter one is important for both teachers and students.“I think that the first quarter is really important in setting the skeleton of what’s to come, all the scaffolding of what’s to come,” Joung said.

While some students find the quarter ending to be stressful, others find it to be a clean slate. “One thing I like about the quarter ending is that I have the opportunity to start fresh with my grades next quarter, and it’s like a break because all my quizzes and tests are finishing,” Oweis said.

Reflecting over the quarter, students find this first quarter set a routine for them, “I’m not killing myself over how things could’ve gone differently but if I had to change how something went it would probably be the way I handled myself at the beginning of the quarter. It’s hard to adjust to school starting again so quickly and there were one or two classes at the beginning of the year, which I definitely did not fully realize how much time and effort I’d have to invest into them to be successful,” Hammerman said.

Although the end of the quarter brings difficulties, students find the new quarter to be worth the work. “I believe I am ready for quarter two because I will put myself in the best position academically to succeed in all of my big risk classes,” Parker said.