Stressful, cramped, and exhausting are just a few adjectives to describe final exams and the last week of each semester in high school. The final week of the first semester at OHS, however, has been even more cramped, long, and stressful than usual.

In the past couple of school years, the first semester has ended on January 25, according to past OHS calendars. The first semester of the 2013-2014 school year at OHS, however, ended on January 18. Thats right, the first semester was a week shorter than its usual length.

Orono is not the only high school around the metro area to end their first semester on the 18 of January. Wayzata High School and Minnetonka High School’s semester also ended on January 18, according to their school calendars.

“Having the first semester a week shorter this year was decided by the calendar committee,” OHS principal David Benson said. “I think that it caught a great majority of the teachers and students by surprise,” Benson said.

For teachers, a shortened semester can have both positives and negative effects. “It’s nice to get final exams and projects out of the way,” accounting teacher Ms.O’Meara said.

“Having a week taken out of the semester has also forced teachers to either cut a unit out of the semester or try to squeeze one in,” O’Meara said. “It definitely has made teachers feel more rushed and stressed.”

To make matters worse, on January 2 Governor Dayton ordered all schools in Minnesota to be closed due to dangerously cold weather. On January 3, the Orono school district was also closed due to another day of dangerously cold temperatures.

“It was nice to be home those two days,” senior Dan Lensing said. “At the same time, missing those two days made finals week even more stressful because we had less time to review with our teachers.”

Having two school days cancelled on top of the already shortened semester also affected students’ studying habits. “During finals week, I always try to cram everything in,” senior Madison Martini said.

“The shortened semester made me study smarter because I had to be more efficient with how I managed my time,” Martini said.

The final week of a semester is always stressful.  This year’s finals just came a little sooner.