October can become an extremely stressful time of year for students. With the end of the first nine weeks, the pressure from teachers and coaches along with the expectations from parents to excel in both academics and core classes makes school a hectic place for students to balance their responsibilities.

Fall sport athletes, for example, have games almost every week during this time. Whether they’re in football, volleyball, or any other sport, students quickly become overwhelmed with balancing their academics and their sport without prioritizing one over the other. Although the days athletes play are considered “no homework nights”, giving students one day without homework is not enough time for people in sports. Many students have practice several times a week either before or after school, meaning they are not getting home to focus on work until very late at night.

That being said, athletes are not the only ones under stress. Extracurriculars such as band, color guard, cheer, drill team, and others are also a major component of Rocktober These groups spend just as much time on their extracurriculars as athletes do. They travel with football or volleyball to both home and away games. Most of all, the coaches require students to practice on their own time. It is nearly impossible to be able to complete homework and practice all in one night while still putting in full effort to both.

However, many students that are not in any extracurricular activities still find themselves stressed due to the assignments that teachers give during this time. Wrapping up the first nine weeks of the school year means having to input all grades into the gradebook before the deadline. In the last few weeks of October, students can get overwhelmed by the amount of in-class assignments and homework being thrown at them in order to meet those requirements and deadlines.

Regardless of whether students take extracurriculars or not, this time can be difficult for most students.