As final exams draw near, students are beginning to feel the pressure of important deadlines quickly approaching. The final push begins with hours filled with studying and building strategies for taking final exams. Students place a great deal of pressure on themselves to do well, sometimes even sacrificing sleep in order to extend their studying time. Performing well on finals and obtaining a sufficient grade is overwhelming for students regardless of their grade level or number of finals students are taking. Consequently, the need for stress free activities are critical during the next few weeks of classes.

The Oakton staff entitled this past week “stress less, laugh more” for students as a way to release some of the pressure prior to the start of this busy week. The idea is to allow students to have a mental break before final exams start next week. With a small break before finals begin, students are able to decompress, mentally preparing themselves for the exams ahead of them. This week, the counselors handed out candy to students as a reminder that all members of the Oakton community are standing behind and supporting students through this challenging time of the year.

A highlight of the week was the therapy dogs that met students during lunchtime this past Wednesday. Students look forward to this annually, and the therapy dog event is one of the most anticipated events of the school year. Typically, students gather around the dogs and wait their turn to pet them, as there normally is a large turnout at the event. The event features a number of dogs for multiple people to pet, as well as shaded spots and tents for the dogs to lay under and students to sit near to stay away from the heat. Therapy dogs are a great way to de-stress and allow students to take a break out of their schedule to relieve any unwanted stress before final exam season.