On Tuesday, December 12, Fossil Ridge High School’s Academic Council hosted the school’s annual Cocoa Cram from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. In preparation for impending finals as the end of the semester approaches, students were invited to study with friends or to receive assistance from student tutors or teachers. The event also provided snacks and the hot cocoa for which the event is named.

One such student to seize this opportunity was Dean Jones. “I started out with history, I needed to finish something for that,” Jones stated, outlining his study approach for the evening, “and then I went to math, and I did a review for the final with my math teacher.” Amongst these activities, Jones found the most benefit from the chance for individual aid from the instructor. “There weren’t as many people here, so it can be more individualized. The teacher can answer more of my questions. More of a one-on-one kind of deal,” he explained.

Another student attending the event was Cross Burchess, who found a space to study with a friend at a chess table in a corner of the school media center. Burchess spent the event working on homework and preparing for various upcoming finals; the classes that took highest priority were Earth Systems Science and Geometry II. “Those are two really hard ones,” Burchess offered. “They need a whole lot of experience and help from teachers that actually know the subject.” For the duration of the event, Burchess found occupation using a key review tool in advance of his tests: study guides. “They’re pretty long, but it’s all stuff we’ve covered, and I still have my notes,” Burchess clarified.

Two other students who made an appearance at the event were siblings Ethan and Naomi Sherman, who attended as a tutor and to study, respectively. Ethan’s perspective on the event was straightforward, and offered areas of improvement for future Cocoa Crams: “Don’t have wing designations. Just have room destinations, because the wing designations kind of fell apart. It didn’t work out very well.” Naomi, on the other hand, offered simply that, while she had gained much from the event, there was still room to grow. When asked what she had gained from the event, she stated: “not enough. Never enough.”

Finals will take place over the last two weeks of the semester and conclude at the semester’s end on December 20. Best of luck to all as they complete their exams.