Once again, local high school students have to scramble, cram, and prepare for finals week.

But this is the first real finals week experienced in the last few years since the start of the pandemic. Ever since remote learning began, in-person finals haven't exactly been possible, so they haven't taken place as they normally would. Ruby Zummack is a 12th-grade student here in Swift Current. She speaks to the surrounding concerns and challenges that go into a return to in-person finals after so much of hers and her peers' school careers have been altered by this ongoing pandemic.

"You just don't get as much of that in-person learning," Zummack pointed out. "You don't get as much of that in-person help from the teachers and it's harder to reach out to teachers and get the help you need when you need it."

Zummack says that since online learning began back at the start of the pandemic, she does not feel she has been adequately prepared for writing finals.

"We haven't done any tests in any of my classes, personally, since COVID has hit," revealed Zummack. "I've only known how to do projects and present projects for the past two years basically."

While that certainly seems like a great skill to have developed, it's understandable how any student would feel concerned heading into a future-defining set of tests like finals week without any recent practice for them.

But Zummack isn't without hope. She has been ensuring her best chances in spite of the last few years' lack of tests to help prepare her.

"I'm studying as hard as I can before the tests, not just the night before," Zummack said.

Studying has been long proven to help of course when taking any kind of exam, but it can also lead to a lot of anxiety if it's all you do. Zummack again is ahead of the pack with her cool-headed approach.

"I try to just get all of my assignments done on time and all of my information organized so that I'm not rushing last minute on the day of the final," Zummack admitted. "I Just try to not think about it 24/7 and just focus on it when I'm able to focus on it."

When asked if she would miss high school life once it was over, she admitted she will be sad that she and her friends would be going off into their own lives separately. She also says she will miss Swift Current and its close-knit community when she moves to Calgary for school. Zummack will be attending Mount Royal for their Broadcasting Media Studies program. She is excited to be moving on to bigger and better things when all is said and done with high school.