The doughy cake and the savory icing all come together to form a sweet treat loved by many. Amador Valley High School counselors tend to give out donuts to students during finals week. 

The donuts are just one way in which counselors here at Amador are trying to help students manage their stress. They also hand out anti-stress cards with different ways to combat stress. 

Methods like exercise, writing down thoughts in a journal, or focused breathing is all very effective and is some great catharses for students during finals week. Other ways to reduce stress include spending time with loved ones and lighting candles. Some students at Amador do several things to reduce their stress during finals week. 

“I make sure that I get my studying done a week or two ahead of time, and make sure I study throughout the week and not just right before the final. The day before I just relax and don’t really worry about it too much,” said Trevor Asbery (‘20). 

“I basically just try to have everything organized so I take things into pieces and study in parts,” said Ryan Bonitz (‘20). 

In addition to advice about stress, counselors also offer some ways to prepare for finals. Some examples are organization, study breaks, and snacks. It is great to hear that not only are counselors trying to reduce or stress, but they also care about doing well on the upcoming tests. All of these are available at the Wellness Center located in the library. 

“I’m sure counselors are trying their best to manage stress. They seem to be trying many different strategies,” said Igor Aprelev (‘21). 

“I think that counselors are to help a lot with reducing my stress. They have some exercises and tips and can maybe even get some extensions for kids,” said Kaitlyn Peng (‘21). 

With the stress-reducing techniques and finals preparation advice, it is clear that AV counselors are doing what they can to be there for students during the difficult time period of finals week. The wellness center was open during access for the entire month of December for students to have a quiet study space.