Written By: Kathryn Harbauer, Staff Writer
UNWIND: During the two breaks and one holiday given to them in the second quarter, students may get stressed over finals and the New Year or, instead, find it the perfect time to relax.
Roughly two weeks into November and a little over a quarter of the way into the school year, students around the nation are let out for Veterans’ Day, being given a day off to relax. Then again, soon after everyone returns, schools dismiss for (in Poly’s case) a week-long break for Thanksgiving. When students and faculty come back, a three week period slightly delays the final break of Quarter Two, winter break, which in turn marks the transition into a new semester. Although some spend Thanksgiving break dreading the agonizing build-up to finals, many students enjoy the time given to them to take a break, catch up on work, and nearly forget about school.
Relaxation is a popular favorite and an important part of break. Many students enjoy taking advantage of the extra time given to them to chill-out and focus on hobbies. David Wilson (10) enjoys the breaks, stating “it’s good to have time to relax.” Wilson makes music outside of school, and with the time on break, he can indulge in more composing, honing his skills. Catching a break from difficult classes can be helpful to many students: relaxation from school work alone can make a break worthwhile, helping to ease the stressful thoughts of finals.
Aside from relaxing and learning new skills, break also gives students catch-up time on school. Students who take more difficult classes, like APs, appreciate the break for giving them an opportunity to finish more homework and study for the constant stream of quizzes and tests that AP students are bombarded with before finals week. Sophomore Lucien Bar sees catch-up time as a necessity, due to their busy schedule. Bar acknowledges that breaks may be stressful, and how “during the winter season, [stress] can be worse,” because work tends to quickly pile up leading to finals, but “stress helps with some of the studying.” Being given the time to do homework at one’s own pace can be a stress reliever and provide the time needed to prepare for finals.
No matter how short or stressful they can be, the 2nd Quarter breaks give everyone a bit of time to just sleep in for a couple more hours and enjoy the nice, cooler weather fall or winter brings. With flu season picking up and chores galore for parents to give to their kids, not everyone has an amazing break full of crazy adventures or on the other hand purely relaxation. However, a little segment of time in between the chaos of finals and schooling allows one to just take a quick breath and return to a calmer state of mind. Whether it be in sleep schedule, hobbies, or homework, it is simply nice to relax.