Every year around the middle of March, spring break occurs. From Friday to the following Monday, students in the lower, middle, and upper school have a chance to relax, travel, and unwind for a week and not worry about school. But last year was very different. Around that time, many families were canceling their travel plans as the Coronavirus began spreading through the community. This year many families are doing the same thing, as the virus continues to spread and people slowly receive vaccinations. How is spring break different from last year, and what are some students up to this year?

One way that spring break can feel different is the plans to travel. Some families last year were still planning to travel somewhere, but ultimately, their plans got canceled or they had to leave their vacation a few days early. Becca Hartwick ‘23 said, “I think naturally it will feel different compared to in the past, but normal compared to any other breaks we’ve had this year. I think this is just because everyone is used to going on vacations usually around spring break, but this year we’ve all gotta stay safe with the current pandemic and can’t really travel much. As well as even getting together with friends or family could be dangerous, so you can’t even do any of those activities either.” Even though it might feel different than last year, it is similar, as many students were spending more time with family. 

Usually, around this time, teachers assign tests, essays, and other projects to get them out of the way before spring break. Or, if the class is in the middle of a unit they might have a test a few days after the break, and then assign more work. When asked what they wanted teachers to do this break, Sarah Levenson ‘24 said, “I hope my teachers get to go out as well because they have also been experiencing hard times.” Sophomore Ellie Crisicimagna ‘23 said, “I hope I do not have too much homework.” Clearly, students want to have a relaxing break, with not much homework to attend to. 

Students around the school still have plans for the break, whether it’s staying home, or driving somewhere. When asked about what is one thing they plan or hope to do, head of upper school Rebecca Zug said, “I hope to do some hiking over spring break and to read novels.” She also added on saying, “I want students and teachers to stop school work for most of the vacation, get outside safely and unplug from technology.” Sarah Levenson ‘24 said, “I hope to see my family and go somewhere.” Other students planned on just staying home and taking the time to relax. Becca Hartwick ‘23 said, “… A good portion of the break may be dedicated to getting all that done and then catching up on all the sleep I’ve missed.” Besides relaxing, Ellie Crisicimanga said, “… But I plan to continue training for soccer and maybe getting a few girls from the team to practice, (socially distanced and with masks of course).”

Around the school, spring break is still planning to happen one way or another. Whether it be driving somewhere or staying home, hopefully, everyone around the upper school will have a chance to relax and not have to worry about school for a week.