Soldiers trudge through their barrack, scuffing the linoleum floors.  Empty coffee cups line the walls and incandescent bulbs drown the hallways in a dull whiteness.  The soldiers, outfitted with sweatpants, Vineyard Vine’s long-sleeves and moccasins, carry the latest Ticonderoga Number 2 pencils.

They file through doorways and stand in straight lines, waiting for their commanding officer to give orders.

“Please, have a seat and begin.”

For the next two hours, the barrack, called Staples High School, is almost completely silent while the teenaged soldiers accomplish their mission.

The mission’s name?  Midterms, also known as the most stressful four days of the first semester.

Hours upon hours are spent preparing for these exams, but once the first few are completed, many students lose their motivation and adopt an “eh, whatever” attitude, partially because the five-day weekend is so close.

So close, yet so far.

The mission isn’t over until Thursday at exactly 12:30 p.m., so until then it’s crucial to maintain a determined work ethic.  The five-day weekend will be even sweeter with the confidence of an ‘A+’ performance.

It is definitely easier to toss the textbooks to the side, fill in ‘c’ for every multiple choice question and answer the English essay with a single sentence, but the easy way is not the best way.

Sure, ‘winging it’ may have worked in sixth grade and will probably spare you a few hours of late-night studying, but there is nothing worse than reading a test question with wide eyes and the realization that you have absolutely no idea how to answer it.

So if motivation begins to falter, imagine the satisfaction of receiving a grade high enough to trigger full-scale celebration.  Now strap on your bullet-proof vest, go down another coffee and get back to work, soldier.