It’s finally here. The week that our sophomores, juniors, and seniors have been dreaming about for the better part of the 2013-2014 school year. This is the week that signals to students to take a breather, knowing that all their hard work has finally paid off; the end of AP exams has arrived.

With the end of AP testing comes the end of something else: the upperclassmen’s will to do anything remotely related to school.  What even remains for students once AP exams are finished? What could our students possibly have to worry about?

“Not really anything,” junior Alex Weis said. “I’m kind of done. All my mind is set on now is summer.”

That is the general consensus of most students.  They have dedicated this past years’ worth of blood, sweat, and tears up to the point where they will no longer have to worry about AP exams.  However, despite the sense of relief and laziness that will inevitably accompany the end of AP testing, students can’t relax completely. Summer vacation is still a month away.

Some tips for those finding themselves giving up on school is to start focusing on attendance and making sure absences remain low.  Also, passing other classes, including AP classes, is key to finishing out the year strong.  Now that AP exams are in fact complete, most students believe that homework doesn’t even exist anymore .  It would be a miracle if this was the case, but sadly, it is not.  Many teachers still have lesson plans to carry out leading up to the end of the year.  This may involve many more tests, quizzes, projects, etc.  The curriculum may be easier, but students still need to maintain good grades if they wish to pass the class.

But at the end of it all, when all the academic responsibilities have been met, only one thing remains for the students: making most of the summer ahead of them.

It is alright to look ahead into summer and remove school from the mind, but only once academic goals have been completed.  Make the most out of the time left of the 2013-2014 year.  Make it a goal to finish out the year strong.  Yes summer is less than a month away, but it is still in the future.  Live out the present, and get what needs to be done, done.