Pretty much all students and teachers can agree that winter break is a long-awaited reward after the first four and a half months of extensive school work. In the past, this break has been about a week and a half long; however, this year, due to calendar changes, Yutan’s winter break was a full 16 days. Having a longer break, though, isn’t a bad thing because there can be many benefits of having two full weeks off of school. Some of these include spending time with family, having a period of stress-free relaxation and giving students and teachers a chance to recharge before the next semester. 

First of all, having two long weeks off school gives students, teachers and other staff members a chance to spend quality time with family and friends. One common way students have done this is by traveling. Whether it’s just to get away or it’s to reconnect with family that may live out of state, many Chieftains over break found it easier to travel farther distances with the longer break. This year specifically I know of students traveling to Colorado, Arizona, Kansas and more. 

For my family, this year we traveled for both reasons. The first part of our trip was to Pennsylvania, where we went to a Steelers game and explored the city of Pittsburgh. The second part of the trip was in Florida, where we visited St. Augustine, the oldest city in America. For the final part of our trip, we visited my uncle in St. Petersburg and celebrated Christmas with my dad’s side of the family. Not only did I get to spend time with my family during the long break, but we also made memories and built traditions. 

Freshman Jersey Daniels and Ansley DeGroff also traveled during the break, going on a combined family trip to Estes Park, Col.

“We met up with the Daniels during the trip and went tubing and had a lot of fun,” DeGroff said.

The longer break made it possible for these students to travel and not miss school. 

“[The long break] was convenient because I got to travel without missing as much school because I will be traveling for volleyball later in the year and will be missing school for that,” Daniels said. 

Another way that the two-week break benefitted students and teachers is by having a period of stress-free relaxation. With the winter rolling around, illness is becoming more common, but have you ever considered that stress also is a factor? According to the American Psychological Association, “[Extreme stress] can put you at increased risk for a variety of physical and mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, digestive issues, headaches, muscle tension and pain, heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep problems, weight gain and memory and concentration impairment.” Having a longer break reduces stress and can boost better health going into the second semester. 

“Physically, the long winter break was really nice because having that period of rest kind of isolated people and held back a lot of sickness that had been going around. And it just helped my brain refresh so that I could start school again,” freshman Anna Peterson said. 

Along with relieving some stress and boosting physical health, winter break can also help students academically by giving them a chance to come back on a fresh slate. Especially for students who may have been struggling the majority of the first semester, winter break can give them a fresh beginning and a new perspective on keeping their grades up. While having more than a three-week long break could tamper with the students’ school routines like getting enough sleep and being acclimated to waking up early, a two-week break allows a great amount of time for students to reflect on the past and plan for the future. 

For example, over the break, I started a Google sheet to help me plan and stay more organized in the second semester. This entailed a detailed key that helped me note which assignments I had started and which I had finished, every class of the day including Chieftain Time, and lastly, a column for sports so I could plan ahead to finish homework. I used winter break to my advantage and had more than enough time to reflect and prepare for the second semester.

This is also beneficial for teachers because the longer break gave them time to catch up on school work and grading as well as some time to relax so they could be recharged for the second semester. 

“The extra long break was awesome because it gave me plenty of time to finish up all my grading from first semester, but at the same time, I still had a good amount of time to relax with my family, think about ideas for the next semester and even just not think about school for a few days, which I think mentally helped me come back more energized for second semester,” English teacher Ginger Eikmeier said.  

Overall, having a long winter break can benefit students, teachers and staff mentally, physically and academically, which benefits everyone in the end. There are many excuses for why a school might want to shorten winter break, but after seeing the positive effects of this long break, hopefully it’s something Yutan will continue.