Back on Track
By JANELLE TENGCO | Jan. 25 | Student Life
At Stanton College Preparatory School, students desire an extensive break from school after enduring a period of testing. Although this intermission from school offers a time of relaxation, newly learned strategies and knowledge will gradually fade from students’ memories. For International Baccalaureate (IB) students, returning from winter break can mean recalling this knowledge, adopting new study habits, and meeting assignment deadlines.
In addition to general exams, IB students are required to complete their Extended Essays (EE), Internal Assessments (IA), and Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS) hours that they have worked on since their induction into the program. For some IB students, the EE’s 4,000-word limit can be a challenge to meet. Doing the necessary research using verified sources to support the essay’s progress can resolve this conflict as students learn more about their chosen topic.
“The most important thing for [Extended Essays] is choosing something that I like,” said IB junior Mariann Ocampo. “It’s one of the best parts of the EE because I’m actually interested whenever I read [my sources], even if its legal documents. I really love the research aspect, even if it can get hefty.”
The conclusion of winter break is not only a time of deadlines for IB students, but for guidance counselors, as well. There are students lining up in Stanton’s guidance office to turn in their volunteer hours to be eligible for the Florida Bright Futures scholarships. For seniors, requests for a copy of their transcript and meeting deadlines for college applications have become an ongoing errand for guidance counselors.
“The first half of the school year is the busiest,” said Ms. May Ibasco, one of Stanton’s guidance counselors. “Fall semester, for sure, [is the busiest] with senior deadlines. Right now, [the guidance department] is taking care of mid-year reports for seniors because some universities and colleges require us to do a mid-year report for senior grades.”
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In some cases, the school’s counselors are obligated to work on their errands during school breaks. Although counselors strive to complete their work before these breaks, some students request recommendation letters from them a couple of days before their deadlines.
“I would do recommendation letters before [winter break],” said Ms. Ibasco. “But there are some that we do have to do during winter break, especially if a student didn’t really tell us before, that could require us to do work over the break.”
For IB juniors, maintaining passing grades and balancing this aspect with extracurriculars are essential for upcoming college applications. IB students are given the responsibility to manage the time their extracurriculars demand and the remaining left for schoolwork.
“On the weekends, [I have wrestling] meetings where I spend six to twelve hours across the city,” said IB junior Connor McLoon. “It takes a lot of my time unless I bring my work with me there. It’s really a matter of prioritizing which homework I need to absolutely get done.”
While juniors are set on preparing themselves for college applications, seniors begin to anticipate the arrival of their college acceptance letters. They hope that their academic efforts and involvement in extracurriculars have paid off in the form of acceptance to their desired colleges.
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“I felt extremely stressed, worried, and concerned about my future,” said senior Daniel Alvarez-Arevalo. “[So far], I’ve gotten accepted into [the University of South Florida (USF), University of North Florida (UNF), Stetson, and University of Central Florida (UCF)]. ”
Both IB and Advanced Placement (AP) students try not to let requirements and deadlines faze them. Despite the demanding workload IB students encounter in the second semester, this encourages them to create new goals for themselves.
“Managing time [wisely] is the most important thing,” said IB junior Marley Perry. “[When you] throw yourself in your studies without having the time for extracurriculars or yourself, you’re not really going to succeed. You might be doing well grade-wise, but [not mentally].”
The new year can call for students, AP and IB alike, to integrate changes into their school routines and create goals for improving themselves. With the first semester over, students are given the opportunity to improve their academic performances while being faced with new challenges. The resolutions being made for the new year shape students into better versions of themselves and allow them to start on the right track for the second semester.