As the second semester gets back into full swing, we must not forget the three and a half weeks between thanksgiving and Christmas break that tested the wills of each and every middle and high school student at The King’s Academy. Coming back from a weeklong Thanksgiving break, the spirit on campus was visibly low. The drive to complete any and all work during this time was non-existent. Walking through hallways during passing periods was comparable to walking through a murky passageway, filled with the bodies of hundreds of sleep-deprived teenagers. Procrastination during this period was extensive and began to become a problem around the middle of December when it became clear that exams were going to happen no matter what, and they were going to happen soon. Fellow king’s student and Lion Ledger Journalist Aaliyah Dobson threw away her sleep schedule, averaging two hours a night, instead choosing to pour over her notes, reviewing a semester’s worth of information with breaks few and far between. I know a few students who would take 15-minute power naps, and then wake up to continue studying and do homework. Anxiety and stress were also running rampant, especially among TKA’s Juniors. The stress of knowing that semester and exam grades would make or break the GPAs given to colleges made finals absolutely unbearable. When asked about what the weeks leading up to the semester one exam were like, Lion Ledger Journalist Fini de la Fuente said “I cried every night.” This was a feeling very common among the students in the class of ‘24. Another coping mechanism used was excessive caffeine intake. Lulu Obell said that the only way she got through exam season was by drinking Celsius, and more specifically “One Celsius for each exam.” (This Lion Ledger article is not sponsored by Celsius, although if you need extra energy to study and/or stay away for an exam, this drink seems like a great way to go) After weeks and weeks of sleepless nights, King’s middle and high school students across campus were excited to finally finish their exams, although not before more misfortune. Those at school during the 7th-period exam block were released after an unsettling code yellow and allowed to finally go home and celebrate Christmas. Although the road to freedom was hard, and at times seemed impossible, the light at the end of the tunnel proved worth it, as the TKA Administration gave their students three weeks off. This break was what all students needed. After days of rest and reflection, many have come back ready to take on the new semester, determined to finish off the 2022-23 school year strong! Seniors however seem to have not been so lucky, as a new enemy, senioritis, has become uncontrollable among the oldest TKA students, though that is a report for another day.