When junior Ashley Goldstein departs for her annual cruise over winter break, she does not always bring her study materials to prepare for the looming first semester final exams.

“I think that having finals after winter break makes it so you can’t fully relax because you’re still having to study, and I know there’s a lot of people who spend their winter breaks studying when they should be relaxing,” Goldstein said.

Administrators of nearby schools such as the Maine Township High Schools and Barrington High School have opted to switch first semester finals from their original post-winter break position to a new pre-break arrangement.

According to Dr. Brian Harris, superintendent of Barrington District 220, the change has been “extremely positive,” and “students absolutely loved it.”

Barrington switched to the new testing schedule for the 2014-2015 school year, and Harris said the change has already proven to be a favorable one.

“We knew that for sure it’s better for our students at the high school level to have those final exams before a two-week winter break,” said Harris. “I just believe it makes a lot of academic sense and will certainly improve student learning.”

The switch has altered the schedule of the school year, as students now have to begin several days earlier in August and attend school on days when Glenbrook North and other high schools following the post-winter break finals schedule are off for a holiday, such as Columbus Day and Veteran’s Day. The course syllabuses have undergone modifications as well.

“A lot of [teachers] had to make some pretty significant changes in their curriculum in that first semester because of the pacing to make sure they were able to cover everything they needed,” Harris said.

According to superintendent Mike Riggle, the conversation has permeated discussion among GBN administrators as well, but he is staying mindful of the repercussions such an alteration would have on the district. Had District 225 altered its schedule to fit finals before winter break during the current school year, classes would have started the first week of August. Such a change would affect camp and athletic opportunities as well as some family vacations set to take place at the end of the summer.

“We’re all taking a look at it and considering what are ramifications, but there needs to be a definite advantage, a good solid reason as to why you want to do it because it’s a major shift for our community to do,” said Riggle. “And once you’ve made that shift, it’s hard to flip it and reverse it and go back.”

Despite concerns, the possibility of a transition for GBN is not entirely out of the question. Riggle said he is aware of both sides of the argument, including the view of students, like Goldstein, who would prefer to spend their winter breaks uninterrupted by the stress of the impending finals.

“Students would like to just have their downtime during winter break, and we understand that,” said Riggle. “But, all we’re saying is, if we were to do that, there needs to be collaboration among all the entities of our community because the high school has to be reflective of what happens to families, what happens to schedules of a variety of entities in making that change. For a community like Northbrook, it’s a pretty radical change. That doesn’t mean we can’t do it, but the process becomes important.”