It’s 2 a.m. on a Monday morning, and everyone in the house is sound asleep—except for junior Aneesa Mazumdar who is frantically scrawling down her AP U.S History notes. Finally at 3 a.m., she collapses onto her bed.

How to best schedule the school day is a topic that will debated by teachers, students and parents in the next few months.

With memories of winter break and first semester finals fading fast, many students have forgotten the stress that plagued them as they crammed before each day of finals. The break was not as stress-free as it was purported to be, and added an even more frantic week before it. Even though many teachers had been forced to cut down the material taught, there was still little time to study.

People usually do not change unless an event is significant enough to have a real impact on their daily lifestyle. Eventually, as students journey through life, they will receive some sort of wake-up call that will change and shape their habits for their entire lives. People tend to miss the obvious; the conundrum here is how in-your-face the epiphany has to be before they actually see it.

In December, a crew of four is slated to begin shooting a movie at SHS. The movie will depict the stress felt by many high school students, and the importance of not keeping one’s troubles bottled up. Professional actors from around the Bay Area have already been cast in the film.

Go down the hallway in front of administrative assisstant Susan Dini’s desk in the office, past the teachers’ boxes, open the door on the right with the name Judy Jackson written on it and you will find yourself in the presence of the comfiest couches on campus. Covered lamps and amber wall-hangings create a reassuring atmosphere where you feel free to talk about anything that is bothering you. This is the room of the school psychotherapist.

The administration has implemented a new finals schedule this year in which finals week will start on Dec. 19, before winter break, instead of in January. Winter break will now start on Dec. 23, and students will not be burdened by having to study for finals over the holidays.

What could an all-girls public high school in New York City have in common with Saratoga High? Judging by the experience of Hedy Yuen, junior Sofia Chang and senior Arthur Chang’s mother, more than one may expect.

The star basketball player was in a scoring slump and despite studying for hours each night, her grades had dipped. Her parents noticed the changes and told her to see a therapist. She thought it was a crazy idea, but after a few appointments, she felt like she had more control over her life again.

Like a lot of students, junior Rebecca Chen wishes there were more than 24 hours in a day. She goes to school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then off to a 3-hour swim practice, followed by 5 or more hours of homework. She usually only gets 7 hours of sleep on a normal weekday.