The typical, everyday schedule can get very hectic for students, especially at this time of the school year. With the big, end-of-the-year projects, the end of some spring sports, and big exams like the SOLs, AP, and IB tests, it can be very easy to feel like one is drowning in work, and get stressed out.
When getting stressed out and feeling like the amount of work only seems to be getting bigger, it is easy to start feeling burnt out.
There seems to be a good solution to the problem of burning out; taking a break, or going on vacation. According to a podcast and article from the American Psychological Association, although going on a vacation can sometimes leave you feeling burnt out at the end of it, all in all, taking a break from the chaos and business of everyday life and going on vacation can be very beneficial.
This year, spring break rolled around right before the end of the third quarter. With two weeks left until the fourth and final quarter, the way in which this break was scheduled created the perfect opportunity for students to relax and decompress. It gave students time to have fun and rest before coming back to school and having to deal with end of the quarter tests and projects, as well as big exams like SOL (Standard of Learning), AP (Advanced Placement), and IB (International Baccalaureate) tests.
This was the case for Freshman Evelyn Petty. Petty went up to Annapolis, Maryland for the break. She spent her time with her family, hanging out by the water and visiting some historic sites.
“I went to [Annapolis] so that I could try to relax and get away from the stress that comes with everyday life, especially the schoolwork aspect.” Petty said. “It was definitely nice to get away. I enjoyed visiting the Naval Academy and getting to learn more about the history of our navy.”
Not only did this break give students a chance to try and alleviate any stress before the ever-so-busy months of school during April, May, and June. For some, like Freshmen Lucy Meder and Sarah Freeman, the break was less of a resting period and more of a fun getaway; a break from the seriousness of a normal school day.
Meder had quite the break, as she visited four states in the span of the week.
“I have a goal to visit every state in the US before I graduate from high school.” Meder said. “I went to four states over the break; Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa, so now I’m at 36.”
Although Meder went to many states, her break itself was not very busy.
“I didn’t do much there; I went to the Omaha Zoo, and I saw my cousins, but it was nice to walk around all the cities and see all of the cool architecture.”
Another student, Freeman, also went on an exciting trip over the break. Freeman headed down south for vacation, hopping on a plane to the sunny state of Florida.
“I went to Disney World for spring break,” Freeman said. “It felt like it was a billion degrees everyday that we were there, but it was definitely worth it. The amount of Mickey-shaped food items I ate was crazy, and I got to go on a lot of fun rides.”
Spring break ended up being a good way for students to escape from the stress of school.
“Spring break was a really good mental health break for me, although I wish it had been longer.”
