A Few Days Given to Mental Health
Abigail Ernst
Editor
On Friday, October 29, it was announced that Thanksgiving break would be extended to a full week November 22 through 26, instead of just the 24 through the 26. It was cited that the break was lengthened to give students and staff a mental health break.
The break will not impact the rest of the school year in any way, so no additional days of learning will be added nor will any days off be taken away. Alexandria City Public Schools has not announced the details of school activities, providing meals, etc. to families over the extended holiday yet.
Even with this sudden change, most students are on board with the shift in the schedule. Senior Alaina Eveges said, “I have been going hard for the past couple months with college applications and schoolwork, so an extended break is exactly what I need to de-stress and give time to myself.”
In addition to what it will mean to her directly, Eveges said, “Also, my family is already thinking about how hard it will be for me to leave home, so extra family time is a big bonus right now.”
Senior Kevin Zheng says, “I really needed this and am so thankful for it. Because of college applications, I have been getting an average of fewer than 3 hours of sleep and some days even none. This is a very much needed [break] and can definitely help with my mental health.”
It is not just the seniors that are going to appreciate the longer break though. Junior Evan Bellanca stated, “I was super happy when my teacher announced to the class that we were going to have two extra days for Thanksgiving break. I am excited to spend more time with my family after a rough past year.”
Although most students are looking forward to the break, Sophomore Abigail Gerstein is looking at it in a broader context. She says, “I feel really excited to have more time to recoup, especially with this year being such a stressful and hectic one. I think it will help my mental health to some extent, but at the end of the day, or in this case, [in a] week we will all just be thrown back into the same draining routine.”
Students can use this extended break to catch up on work, sleep in, spend time with family and friends, and also hopefully find time to focus on their mental health.
Photo by Alexandria City Public Schools Traditional Calendar 2021-2022
