With everyone’s preparation for Final Exams, no one is quite prepared for Mother Nature’s big Winter test that will hit the Skokie area Dec. 22 -24.

According to the U.S. National Weather Service, the area is under a winter storm watch that starts Thursday, December 22, 6:00 p.m. through Saturday, December 24, 6:00 a.m.

As a precaution, Principal Dr. Edwards sent an email to students and families stating:

“As we continue to monitor the weather conditions toward the end of the week, here is an update in the event that winter storm predictions hold true and the impact the storm may have on Friday’s scheduled final exams.

If we need to call an asynchronous/eLearning day this Friday, December 23, students and teachers will remain at home and access learning for the 3 periods listed below via Canvas on their computers. An eLearning day is NOT an emergency/snow day where school is canceled.

We will continue to update you as we move closer to the end of the week. Just to be clear, we have not officially called for an eLearning asynchronous day for Friday, just looping you into the possibility.”

UPDATE from Edwards on Dec. 22:

“Friday, December 23 will be an asynchronous eLearning Day. The school day will take place online and asynchronously. We will follow the Friday schedule already in place for Capstone/Finals Week:

• Students should check Canvas on Friday for any announcements or instructions from teachers.
• Students should contact their teachers directly with any questions or final exam instructions.”

The last-minute scramble meets students with mixed reactions. Some students question the authenticity of test-taking.

“It’s like middle school all over again,” sophomore Gino Hamoy said. “Students will get an online test and cheat.”

“It is more fair to take my math final in person rather than online because more people will be tempted to cheat asynchronously,” freshman AJ Bautista said.

Other students are not bothered by the change.

“My Social Studies teacher gave us the option to take the final exam early in the testing center,” freshman Yoshi Waldron said. “It was really no big deal.”

“If school is canceled on Friday, I have the option to opt-out of my Chem Final,” sophomore Hawa Hashimi said. “I’m happy with that.”

“Because of the pandemic, I have taken tests asynchronously before,” freshman Justin Abraham said. “It doesn’t affect me too badly.”

Ultimately, students and staff will have to be ready to pivot as they adjust to the weather-related challenges that lie ahead.

Last week, NSN asked students what their exam load looked like for Dec. 21 – 23. Here are the results: