Winter break is something many students and staff look forward to during the second quarter. It’s a chance to wind down and spend time with friends and family, while celebrating the holidays stress-free.
The idea of winter break starting earlier has become an ongoing discussion amongst students at Meridian and in nearby counties.
An advantage of an early start on winter break could mean being able to study without the pressure of cramming for a test the next day, or students having more time to work on jobs or any other responsibilities they may have. This would also allow students to have more time to adjust their schedules without the stress of school, as they move into the end of semester one.
School can take a toll on students both mentally and physically, so allowing them time to wind down during the holidays could help students feel less burnt out. If winter break started earlier, students could return to school relaxed and able to learn with a fresh mindset.
This year, winter break started at the end of the school day on December 19th, and students returned on January 5th.
Many students agree that FCCPS should consider extending winter break. “We should extend winter break by a couple of days. I think that we get out really close to Christmas so it’s hard to do many holiday activities before. However, I think a long break is good because we don’t have much of a break after the holidays until the spring.” freshman Sarah Garrity said.
I and many other students likely wouldn’t want to add more days on to the end of the year, but I also don’t think it would be that big of a deal if we did. We would be able to utilize those few extra days during break to our advantage by getting more sleep, resting, or spending time with family and friends, which could really help students’ mental health.
However, not everyone agrees.
“I think winter break was long enough, since I managed to go on vacation in two different places,” junior Aimée Harris said. She also explained that she had enough time to wind down and relax over the holidays.
Others don’t want winter break to be longer, because they worry about the summer vacation getting shorter.
“I do believe winter break is long enough. I’m usually all for more days off school. But I’d rather have a longer [summer] break.” Junior Petra Oleson remarked.
For the most part many students think that winter break is long enough and don’t want to add more school days onto the end of the year. However, others believe that adding a few extra days could also help us relax a bit more.
