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Holiday breaks in the United States don’t compensate for major holidays

Ellie Samec, Copy Editor • December 21, 2023

Holiday breaks should allow students and teachers time to rest and enjoy the holidays. However, the length of holiday break makes many families, especially holiday travelers, feel rushed during the holidays.

The length of some of the most prominent breaks in the U.S. do not correspond with their valuable purpose. Students are sometimes forced to make the hard decision between school and the religious holidays they identify with.

The so-called winter break, meant to include all winter holidays, really only accounts for Christmas. There are over 18 religious holidays in December— only half of which are included in the average winter break.

Even accounting for Christmas, the break is not overly generous.

In 2023, PV’s winter break will span 12 days. Having less than two weeks of break causes problems for students and families who have to travel over the holidays. “I’m taking a lot of flights [over break] which will take several days. I’ll be missing the two weeks after break so I will have to study and make up my finals since I won’t have that much time while traveling,” senior Vamsi Challa said.

Pleasant Valley has a large population of students originally from other states or countries. Traveling can take several days, which can put 15-30% of their break to waste.

Rarely do people only have one family to visit. Typically, students have to visit at least two sets of relatives to celebrate religious holidays. “Me and my brother visit both my mom and dad for Christmas every year. Going to multiple different Christmases takes a lot of time and we are only able to spend about three or four days with each of my parents since the break doesn’t let us stay much longer if you include travel days and seeing other family,” senior Tate Lyon remarked.

These plans leave families with a tough decision: should they take their kids out of school to celebrate, or miss a crucial time in the school year?

Teachers become irritated when students start missing multiple school days around winter break, and for good reason. Wrapping up the semester while also preparing for final exams is stressful on students and teachers alike. Absence during this time is challenging for everyone, but the circumstance can sometimes entail students missing school.

“We all start to feel so much stress and pressure towards the end of break. Break just doesn’t feel long enough anymore,” Lyon stated. For such a joyful time to be filled with so much stress is extremely inconvenient timing and an unfortunate circumstance for students nationwide.

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About the Contributors

Ellie Samec, Copy Editor

Ellie Samec is a senior at Pleasant Valley High School. Ellie is a writer and a Copy Editor for the Spartan Shield, and this is her first year participating in the journalism program at PV. She has played the violin in the PV orchestra since 7th grade and plans to continue at the college level. Ellie enjoys taking science classes such as Anatomy and Physiology and Bio-Med as she hopes to, one day, become a doctor. She loves the outdoors and participates in the Love Your Mother Environmental Club where she helps to grow and maintain a flower garden at the high school. Ellie is excited to be a part of the Spartan Shield and to learn about writing and reporting!

Ariana Assadi, Design Editor

Ariana Assadi is a senior at Pleasant Valley High School. During her time at Pleasant Valley, Ariana has participated in many academic and extracurricular activities. Her numerous out-of-school activities include soccer and weightlifting, as well as taking part in the Pleasant Valley ambassador program for the past three years. Her favorite classes include Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, and Medical Terminology and Pharmacology. When she is not doing some sort of school activity, she can be found reading a book, binge watching Criminal Minds, or listening to Matt Maeson or Hozier. Ariana is a three year varsity athlete and plans on continuing to do soccer her senior year. Ariana is the design editor for the spartan shield.