The End of the Road

Story and Photo by Mia Fuller – Staff Reporter

 As the end of the school year is getting closer and closer, relatively speaking, so are the exams for the seniors enrolled in an International Baccalaureate (IB) class. Two seniors, Caitriona Reiss and Jacob Winer were interviewed about the upcoming exams and their experience with IB classes as a whole. The two students’ journeys started when both of them signed up for an IB class: Reiss and her mom agreed that taking an IB class could be a building block for a better future and Winer wanted a challenge. 

   “I only took easy classes earlier on, so I wanted to challenge myself more,” Winer said. 

   One part of the exams that Reiss is spending extra time preparing for are the commentaries, when they give a speech in front of an IB examiner. 

 “I have been preparing those [commentaries] a lot. Writing out what I want to say, almost just memorizing it all,” Reiss said. 

   A common thread between both Reiss and Winer is that with exams, they are a bit nervous about how it will go. 

   “I feel pretty nervous about it, I think it’s going to be pretty hard and I think we should be okay. [I] Just have to do a lot of studying,” Winer said. 

  With their time in IB coming to an end, both Reiss and Winer have had time to reflect on their IB career. 

   “In IB classes you are more likely to study for a test. And I feel like that’s definitely a big skill that will be necessary in college,” Reiss said. 

   While there is a higher workload in IB classes compared to others, Winer found the time to look deeper and really understand why that was a good thing. 

   “I think they are just fun classes, you get to learn extra things you wouldn’t in other classes,” Winer said. 

   With Reiss, she really enjoyed the sense of community being in IB classes brought.

  “The community [has been the most enjoyable], because typically you are in the same kind of group of people taking the IB classes, so usually you have lots of the same classes together,” Reiss said. 

   When it comes to advice for students who are interested in taking an IB class, both Reiss and Winer say one thing: study, even if it is just five minutes before a test, it really helps out. 

   “I was able to see that I can survive in a more advanced course, so I feel like I have more confidence in myself to take harder classes or take on more challenges,” Reiss said.

   Wish any seniors you know luck on their upcoming exams!