School year concludes with finals and projects

Maddie Root, Managing Editor

After two years of no finals at JC, some classes are bringing them back into the classroom. Teachers and departments have been able to choose what kinds of assessments they want to end the school year.

The decision was made by the administration earlier in the year.
Assistant Principal Danica Attanasio said, “Each year the administration reviews the format for final assessments. In consultation with the Academic Council, the decision was made to allow departments to plan final assessments for their classes this year instead of having a designated exam period as we did before COVID.”
Math teachers Mr. Robert Torres, Mr. Michael Cotter, and Mrs. Kristen Kirkpatrick will all be giving final exams to their Honors Trigonometry classes this month.
Mrs. Kirkpatrick said, “I think [the final] will show the students what important concepts they learned this year and what they will be using next year. I also hope they see the importance of really mastering and learning the concepts to remember and retain the knowledge, not just to learn and forget.”
In regard to having a Trigonometry final, junior Hannah Hamill said, “I wish we weren’t having one. It’s enough stress on us with AP exams. I kind of wish we didn’t have to.”
Many teachers have easily adapted to this new change. “We talked about [having a final] in August,” said Word Language Department Chairman Cathy Edge. However, the World Language department decided against giving their students finals in June.
While some teachers are not administering a typical final, they are instead having their students complete a final project.
Science teacher Andrew Ketchum teaches Honors Biology, AP Biology, and AP Research. While his AP classes do not have a final in June, his Honors Biology class will be completing an “ecology project” for their final.
Honors Biology student Arjun Sagar said, “I feel that a final project would be better for the class. A final exam would be hard because there are a lot of things to remember throughout the course of the whole year.”
AP U.S History, AP Human Geography, and U.S History teacher Gretta DeMennato said that all of her U.S. History students will be completing a final project in place of a final this year.
Mrs. DeMennato said, “Students will investigate a decade after our curriculum ends and they can choose the subtopics they want to highlight, for instance, fashion or sports.” After they have found their information, the students will make a slideshow and present it to the class.