That typical rush of final exams will not happen in December, due in large part to the school switching to online instruction as a result of Covid-18.

Mr. Mark Matthews, vice principal for academics, said, “We chose to cancel finals for a number of reasons, but the most important is to relieve some stress from our students when they are at home away from Cathedral and to give teachers an opportunity to continue to teach their curriculum, which has been interrupted by eLearning.”

As a result, each quarter will count 50 percent toward each student’s semester grade.

Last March the school went virtual due to Covid-19, so this round of online instruction should not be as challenging as what students and teachers faced last spring. Matthews said, “Clearly, we would not have made the decision to cancel finals unless we thought it was in the best interest of our students. We try to make every decision with our students in mind.”

Since finals week is canceled, school will still be in session during those days before Christmas break, with classes meeting the entire week of Dec. 14.