Starting next week, WBHS has officially entered the final stretch of the school year. You have entered the fourth marking period and can already feel the excitement for your summer plans. However, this final stretch can be the most challenging and overwhelming. Although, here are some key requirements, dates, and opportunities for all freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

Starting with seniors who have just under two months left, also have an important decisions date coming up soon. On May 1st, seniors who have not done so yet will be committing to college or university if that is what they plan to do once they graduate. 

For the juniors, they can already see their senior year around the corner, but there are several steps before. The first is completing their three standardized tests, M-Step, ACT Work keys, and the SAT. Additionally, this year’s zello sections should be completed. This program is a graduations requirement. Finally, this time of the year is a great time to talk to your counselor or Mrs. Essig in the college and career center.

In those meetings, you can work on picking colleges to tour or apply to. There are many resources and people here in the high school who can aid you in making smart choices in the following months. Mrs. Essig is also holding several college informational talks that go into depth about the college application process. Information on these events can be found in your email or in the college and career center canvas page.

“I have gone to a few things down in the college and career center. Especially, at the beginning of the year when different universities are brought in to talk to us about their school,” junior Reta Jimaa said, “It was really helpful to figure out what kind of schools I want to apply to.”

Then, there are several more pieces of our end of the year checklist for all grades. The first is that AP exams are right around the corner. It is vital to look up the date and time for your exam beforehand. Also, be prepared with all of the proper testing materials and give yourself time to review the classes material. AP exams are a  busy time and you will want to make this time as least stressful as possible.

Finally, since marking period 3 grades have been finalized, you should be aware of where you stand with your semester grade. On a college transcript, it will only send semester grades, so it’s important to use this 4th quarter to bring up the grade you had previously. The end of the year is consistently one of the most chaotic and busiest times. So, use this as a checklist to better prepare yourself for the next few months and each day.