On Tuesday, January 13, a special “Sleigh Your Finals” event was hosted by Link Crew and National Honor Society. It was designed as a place for 9th graders to receive help from upperclassmen when studying for their first ever finals, as well as for getting other schoolwork done. Over 40 freshmen showed up to receive help and enjoy wintry treats with their friends.

There was a raffle, which gave prizes to 5 lucky students. One of them, Harry Diller, spoke about the event.

“[I came here for] help getting better finals grades,” Diller proclaimed. He said the event and tutors helped him with his work. “It helps me understand some things I didn’t before.” He also said that he would probably go back if there were to be another one for Semester 2 finals.

Volunteers also helped with snacks in addition to tutoring students. Complimentary candy, chips, and hot chocolate (with whipped cream) were all enjoyed by both students and volunteers. The goal was to make this event fun as well as helpful, which was achieved in multiple ways.

Both Link Crew and NHS members volunteered at the event. Leianna King, a sophomore earning hours for NHS, was interviewed on volunteering. “Tutoring is my favorite type of volunteering,” King said as to why she volunteered at this event. During the event, she “helped [someone] with [advanced algebra].” Overall, she’s positive about her first year with NHS, saying it’s been good and “I hope that it’ll help me on my transcript.”

It’s beneficial to have events like these because they provide students an opportunity to be better prepared for school, all while enriching their sense of community. It’s especially crucial for freshmen because they don’t have any previous experience with the stress of finals week. And if their experience with this was positive, they may be motivated to volunteer at future events as they become upperclassmen, continuing the cycle.