As time goes on, work ethics and studying strategies have changed as well as many other aspects of today's educational process. Photo by Rachel Bush.

parents are often in charge of the financial concerns during this point. But as Casey sent out his applications he asked himself, “can I afford it?”
Education has greatly changed over the years; student-teacher relationships did not always exist the way they do now.
“Teachers were once regarded as more of authority figures than they are today,” Chemistry teacher Bob White said.
If a student were to go back in time to the mid-1960s and attend White’s high school in Milwaukee, Wis., they would not be developing relaxed friendships with their teachers like students do today. In fact, the classroom was a place in which manners were most often used by students. After-school tutoring was very intimidating, because that meant they would be on a more personal level with a teacher.

Now, tutoring is avoided simply because it means extra time at school. Students have many other resources if they are struggling in a subject, most which can be found on the Internet. Students are not exaggerating when they complain that education has become more challenging; however, they are wrong to think they would be better off 30 years ago when ‘dinosaurs roamed the earth’ and encyclopedias were not untouchable dust-collectors in the back of libraries.
Vicki Hubbard is an account executive for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. College was not something she thought about until her senior year. Even then, it was never something she actually worried about.
“We had it easy – we didn’t have to grow up fast,” Hubbard said.
According to Hubbard, life was different in the 1960s and ‘70s. Girls did not wear makeup as early as they do now. There were no SAT prep classes, dual credit classes, and no AP classes at her school. Nobody was worried about their Texas Instruments calculator getting stolen; they did not exist.
“The first AP chemistry test in was in 1963, but the Milwaukee school system was not that progressive,” White said. “I never heard of AP classes let alone attended any.”
And yet, White still attended college without the fears and insecurities most students endure today even after taking multiple AP classes. It is not difficult to understand why many of them want to just run away from it all.
But running away from hard work would never be practical, especially not if you were to go back in time. How many trips would you be willing to take to the library to read textbooks and encyclopedias? Reading is a dying hobby – imagine reading entire books, dreaming of an easier way to understand them. Students back then dreamed about what one day would actually be called Sparknotes.
“Now anyone can go to college,” CHS 2011 graduate Julie Dasilva said. “Maybe not everyone can go to a prestigious school, but there is at least one college that anyone can get into. People can even go to junior college and then transfer. If there is a will, there is a way. You determine your own future.”
Dasilva did not believe she would be able to get into Texas A&M, an expensive and very popular college amongst students at CHS. But she took advantage of the opportunities colleges provide that they did not used to, and is now a freshman at A&M.
Our generation has to fight against rough currents in order to reach tropical waters. We must work harder to compete with a world that has been strengthened by mankind’s revolutionary creations. But storms have been and always will be fierce and violent, and ever so reccurring.
The teenagers of today remember 9/11 and how they watched their parents cry in fear of doomed peace. Hubbard cried the day her teacher chokingly announced to the class that President Kennedy had been shot.
“We wondered what has happened to the world,” said Hubbard, as she wiped tears from her eyes.
And still, 47 years from now we look back to those days, thinking they were easier.

Students sit at their desks for each 52-minute class period with a pen in their hand and their nose in a book, vigorously copying down notes. This repeats itself everyday, all year long.

The same students who are always learning and studying are the ones who are carrying around the huge 400-page AP study books with pages upon pages of repetitive study material.

Why take the time and do all of the work and preparation in the class if you are just going to buy the book with all of the information in it? Many students agree that it is unnecessary.

“I feel like my notes from the class are sufficient enough, and the book just repeats them,” senior Jessie Ross said.

There is a lot of anxiety in the air when it comes time for AP tests. Every tester wants to do the best they can and get that 5. If that stress is not enough, students also add on by carrying around the giant study books.

By constantly having a thick book in hand that must be read, a new layer of stress is added. It is much more important to take a test with a clear and calm mind than cram every single bit of information into your brain.

The Princeton Review has a wide selection of books covering each test individually and fully. These book and many others like it include notes and full-length practice tests.

Taking a test with different and dated questions before the actual exam is taken does not seem beneficial, but instead repetitive.

Each teacher creates his or her syllabus in a delicate and precise manner. They know how to teach the material in a way that ensures success for their students. Not every source, however, teaches the same way and confusion is inevitable when students are trying to receive information from different places.

“They can be confusing if they explain things differently than how it was taught,” AP calculus teacher Jan Bourg said. “If you listen and pay attention in class then they are not necessary.”

An entire year’s worth of lessons is difficult to condense into a single study book and so it takes a lot of time to get through one of them. Not to mention each book can cost around $20 to $25— money and time wasted.

Of course the book can offer a lot in terms of valid information, but in order to fully reap the benefits of them and not get harmed they need to be read and studied well before the exam and not suddenly before.  With that in mind, they could provide assistance, but many students still do not see the need.

“I think I did just fine on My AP English exam without having to waste the money on one of the study books,” senior Emily Fowler said.

According to Dr Marc Dussault the author of How To Get The Best Grades With The Least Amount Of Effort cautions against the dangers of cramming right before a test.  Trying to absorb all of the information from those study books in a short amount of time can lead to confusion of information and even loss of material.

To avoid the dangers of cramming and to do well on exams, students are better off staying away from the enormous study books and focusing on what they were taught all year long.

With school being such a big contributing factor of stress among students a nation-wide, six month screening of the film Race to Nowhere has opened America‘s minds and hearts.  Being active participants, Coppell set forth multiple screenings on campuses all over Coppell Independent School District (CISD) which undoubtedly made an impact.

“I went to the screening, and I just started crying,” Marilyn Ambrose said.  “It is a very harsh reality that we have come to face.”

The Race to Nowhere follows the story of burned-out young individuals across the nation who have been pushed to the brink, along with educators who feel that students aren’t developing needed skills and parents whom wish to do the best for their children.

It points out the “silent epidemic” in our schools where students have turned to cheating, become disengaged, been stricken ill with stress related illnesses and resulted with depression and burnout leaving them unprepared and uninspired when they arrive at college.

This film seeks to aware America “one film at a time”. Join the race to make a change–open your eyes and put an end to the silence. If you missed the campus-wide screenings, don’t miss another chance to see it again; take part in one of the following screenings.

Dallas: Munger Place Church–Mar. 25
Lewisville: Studio Movie Grill, Lewisville–Apr. 3
Southlake: Southlake Carroll Senior High School–Mar. 31

Over the course of the school year one of the biggest things that has been brought to my (and surely many more people’s) attention is stress among students. It is an everyday factor of are everyday lives, and I think I have finally come up with a solution (well sort of).

Stress isn’t something that I have been able to rid myself of or been able to avoid by any matters, but that doesn’t mean that I am unable to treat it. It’s crazy to refer to something like stress as treatment, but that–if it must be labeled–is what it is for many students.

I know many adults who truly do not believe in teenage stress and I find myself frustrated.

So many things have been introduced to the educational world trying to prevent this stress or just reduce the amount of it, but it won’t ever help enough. They do in some cases help others open their eyes and understand more though; such as ‘The Race to Nowhere’.

I’d like to help more students understand that although they can’t rid themselves of this problem they can in so many ways help treat it.

Stressfocus suggests the following:

• Eat a well balanced nutritious diet
• Exercise regularly
• Avoid caffeine, tobacco and substance of abuse like alcohol, drugs etc
• Follow simple stress relief methods like deep breathing, listening to music, recreational sports
• Develop assertiveness training skills
• Learn to be practical. Look for an alternative if the task is very stressful.
• Have high self esteem
• Learn to say no. By doing this a teenager can sort out important things in his life.
• Have good sense of humor
• Watching stress relief cartoons
• Have a good social relationship
• Discuss the problems with a trusted person and try to find his view of the problem
• Engage in hobbies like drawing, writing singing or playing with pets.

Features Editor

Chris Reagen

KCBY

Finals week is known to bring caffeine binges, study sessions, large amounts of money spent to support the Starbucks franchise and the realization that high school isn’t always a walk in the park.

With the additional stress and workload coming with the last week of the semester, many students are forced redesign their study habits and figure out a way to manage everything that is suddenly placed on their shoulders.

As a student at CHS, I am no stranger to cram studying, late night essay writing and three hour class study sessions at Starbucks on a Sunday afternoon. I am used to watching my fellow students try to memorize 50 years worth of history in 50 minutes and panicking when they find a mistake in the essay they printed out at lunch and are supposed to turn in by the end of the day.

While these procrastination habits are never encouraged, students are forced to face the reality of their own lack of preparation when finals week triples their workload.

“I usually don’t study for finals at all, but freshman year taught me that finals were crucial to my grade,” senior Caroline Lowry said. “I had to figure out which finals I really needed to study for and which ones wouldn’t affect my grades that much.”

Final exams are worth one seventh of a student’s semester grade in a class. With seniors being the only grade level that is exempt from first semester finals, a majority of CHS students begin to realize how important their final exam grade is to their semester average. This realization tends to be accompanied by a desperate need to revise study habits and manage stress in a more productive way.

“Finals week is always the time when the apathetic suddenly begin to care about their grades,” English teacher Matthew Bowden said.

Students are not the only people of CHS who are forced to handle an intense amount of stress during finals week, with teachers and administrators also feeling the pressure of schedule changes and important grades.

“As a teacher, the most stressful part of this week is grade crunching and working with those students who are on the bubble between exemptions and having to take the final or between passing and failing,” Bowden said.

As students discover the most effective way of studying for finals, grades go up and stress levels go down.

“I have to prioritize,” Lowry said. “I also have learned to study in order of the tests being taken. You study harder for the tests that are sooner and then you move down the list.”

While some students have been known to find this form of organization helpful, others find refuge in more long-term types of preparation.

“I just begin decently far in advance with reading and re-reading the material I need to know,” junior Jahnavi Udaikimar said. “The more I familiarize myself, the easier it is to remember.”

In addition to veteran test takers, freshman slowly adjust to the changes high school brings, adapting to the heavy workload and figuring out how to study for these types of all inclusive tests. Most middle schools lack tests that are equivalent to finals, making the concept foreign and intimidating.

“Coming back from Christmas break, I dreaded having to take finals,” freshman Elliot Tostrud said. “They have thrown off my whole schedule and completely stressed me out.”

As finals week comes to a close, students are discovering what tactics work best for them. Be it writing and re-writing, recording CDs of history facts or meeting up with friends to exchange notes, students are innovative and original when it comes to the best studying strategies.

Original Video – More videos at TinyPic

The week after break and the week before finals are always the hardest of all homework weeks, or at least it appears that way to me. Homework and finals are always stressful, but I always do a few things to lessen the load and decrease the stress.

Most of the time when I’m stressed out the best thing for me to do is to go to lacrosse practice. It requires me to do physical activity and it gets my mind off of school and the homework that lay ahead. Anything that you love, that being lacrosse for me or art or maybe even video games, can help to relieve some stress.

When I sit down to do my homework and I have a lot on my plate I always like to make a list of the things I need to do. I usually do this in the notes section of my iPhone because I’m always using my phone and I can delete things immediately after I’m done. You can also go buy a scheduling book from the school store if you prefer.

While I’m working I like to get everything done in a single sitting. Taking breaks or having the TV on usually distract me so I like to get things done as fast as possible. It’s different for everyone though, you might like listening to music or maybe even taking multiple breaks.

That’s just a few things that I like to do when I’m doing my homework such as right now. Whether or not you do the work is up you.

Though today was cloudy, dreary and cold (not to mention exceptionally stressful), I still enjoyed it, mostly I think because it is my favorite commercial free music Monday on Kiss FM.

 On the way home from school, I bopped to the music on the radio, and I listened closely when the song ended for the DJ’s transition into the next: “Because new music helps your day go faster.” It was the Black Eyed Pea’s new single, my new favorite song to dance to, so I turned the volume up and let a smile spread wide on my face as I let my school stresses melt away and bathed in the simple pleasure of listening to this rare tune. But wait a minute -I had just realized what I had heard. Because new music helps my day go faster. I had to think really hard about that phrase before I realized that I didn’t agree. Why would I want my day to end faster? Though there are 24 hours in a day, we as students know best that the day never seems to last.  If anything, I’d wish for the day to go by slower, letting me savor each aspect, including this song. Even on the most ordinary or miserable of days.

Caught up with homework, projects, tutoring, test preperation, college applications, sports, church, family, all the while trying to juggle a social life, it is so easy to lose ourselves and forget who we are and why we do what we do. Why do you study so hard, or play hard on the field or court, or love hard? Our daily actions continue without true purpose or passion -we eat simply to fuel ourselves through homework and late nights, sleep to be able to get up for classes at 8:20 a.m., and do homework so that we don’t get zeroes in classes. Isn’t there a bigger picture? We lose meaning of what each day should be and who we should be.

Through learning to take each moment slower and embrace and savor each experience, we will learn to appreciate the strangers that enter and leave our lives each week, the weather outside, our family and friends and most importantly our time. We will learn to stop doing thinks for the sake of getting them done and instead begin to do things in forethought of the product and impact it will create. Through finding appreciation again in the little things, a genuine motivation will soon take over our hearts and a true passion will be again ignited to drive our actions in life.

Don’t let the start of the third six weeks burry you in a flurry of work, work, work. Find time to play, meditate and truly unwind. Fully enjoy your midnight snack, the music you listen to tonight and studying for that math test because you know that the reward is worth your efforts.

Check out this link for quick tips on how to juggle all your tasks and stay healthy (this applies to all people, not only programmers!).

Keep in mind that “everyone dies but not everyone lives”, and I hope you enjoy the week!

Staff Writer

Although the weather here in Coppell is slowly starting to cool down, the stress levels have yet to follow in pursuit. Especially at the end of the six weeks where teachers are quickly trying to cram in tests, projects and grades. Most students here at CHS would call the week before the end of the sixth weeks crazy week, torture week or super stress week.

What a fitting name to this hectic week. Thank goodness that Thanksgiving break is in T-minus 9 days. With everything going on like the various tests and projects, with the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie to be released, the end of the second 6th weeks, and with winter just around the corner. Thanksgiving break is much needed in the world of Coppell High School students!

Waking up on Monday morning it seemed like this was going to be just like the last five weeks, but by Monday night I quickly realized that the sixth week of the six weeks was going to be much worse.
Needless to say, with a quiz on Monday, 3 tests on Tuesday, 2 tests and a project due Wednesday, and another project due Thursday, I was very stressed. I was not pleasant to be around and suffered from a major lack of sleep, but I wasn’t alone.
Everywhere I turned I either saw someone yawning, cramming all the information they could into the brains before a test, or I heard “I’m exhausted” or “I have so much work to do” countless times, but I was too tired to even respond. With teacher trying to get last minute grades in and kids trying to raise their grades and stay awake it’s been a hard week for CHS.
Don’t stress yourself out too much though, the weeks almost over and with two four days weeks in a row and then a half-day we will catch up on the sleep we’ve all missed so much.

As Juniors find senior year approaching, Naviance Family Connection serves as a great all-purpose tool for anything and everything related to college.

Earlier this year, students should have set up a Naviance account with their counselors and teacher -the username following the format of the student’s older school e-mail (ABC2345@students.coppellisd.com) and password (mm/dd/yy).

With the three main categories of college, career and “about me”, Naviance users can have access to information on upcoming college visits, scholarship opportunities, college maps; career choices and personality and interest tests; and history about you, the student.

With the “about me” feature, students can access their recorded favorite colleges, favorite careers, their personality type, resume, completed surveys, test scores and much, much more.

Further, the personal profile found on Naviance displays the student’s GPA and class rank, as of December ’09 and to be updated by the first of March.

The college research tool of the Web site allows students to look up colleges with ease(by name, by letter, by state or by country!) and then offers the school’s contact information, application deadlines, general information (like whether the school is private or public, how many students are enrolled…), blog posts from other users about that school, admissions qualifications, available majors and degrees, types of residences available, student organizations… the list goes on and on.

Naviance also offers free test preperation in math, critical reading and writing and offers a “quetsion of the day” to help keep students on track. It also offers a 13-week schedule guide with tips on how to raise your score on the SAT.

Don’t forget to take advantage of Naviance while you prepare for college.