After a long 11 weeks of school, homework, and tests, many students look forward to spring break as a chance to rest their minds and recover from a long third quarter. Many use the long spring break as a reset button for their minds before the final stretch to summer vacation.
Sophomore Alaina Bowman says, ”I look forward to spring break because quarter three is one of the hardest quarters with the most workload, test, quizzes etc.; and spring break and the two weeks off is definitely something I look forward to.”
That grueling third quarter, which is 11 weeks long, is two weeks longer than the other 9-week quarters. So, why is this?
In 2013 when New Castle Community School cooperation switched from the traditional school schedule to a “Balanced Calendar” (180 days of school, 185 days of break) This calendar would have school start in early August rather than later in the month.
This year-round school calendar has been adopted by almost all school districts around Indiana. This schedule disperses the number of vacation time that students get during the summer, and divides it through the school year. This schedule balances out the number of in-session school days and break days.
Indiana students must have 180 days of instruction. For the 2021-2022 school year, the school will start on August 3rd and runs until Fall Break, October 11-18. Students then get November 26-28 off for Thanksgiving. Christmas break lasts from December 17 through December 31. Indiana students also get Presidents day (Feb 21) off. Then, spring break is on March 18 through April 1. School ends on May 24th.
The biggest change to the 2022-2023 school year is Thanksgiving Break. Students will now have a whole week off (Nov.21st-25th) instead of the traditional 3 day break. This extra week of school comes from the start of school on August 2nd instead of the 7th.
This schedule for Indiana schools is dramatically different, as many schools in surrounding states end school in mid-June. However, those schools often don’t go back to school until around Labor Day. This year, New Castle schools will be returning on August 2.
Sophomore Laura Fischer states, “Two months for summer vacation just isn’t long enough.”
However, if Spring Break was only one week instead of two, could we start our school year later and gain an extra week of summer?
New Castle High School principal Kirk Amman says, “There are definitely pros and cons to having a 2-week spring break.”
August is arguably one of the nicest months in the summer, which Indiana students have to spend in school. With the second week of spring break being transferred to the second week in August, students would have more time to enjoy the summer, rather than spend it in school.
Amman states, “It is true that a later start in August would likely make for a one-week spring break like it used to be. That is a debate with many opinions.”
Experts also say that one week of break may show better results in the classroom than two weeks of break. Studies show that students begin to forget what they learned in the classroom after 3-4 days of not reinforcing that knowledge. The knowledge gained in the classroom during the third and beginning of the fourth quarter before break is vital to the spring semester exams and AP tests. The longer the break, the less of the knowledge that gets retained.
However, taking a week off of spring break is not the only answer of how to have a longer summer. With the change of Thanksgiving break into a full week, this week is getting pulled off of the start of the school year, causing the school to start a week earlier than it originally would.
Regardless of the length of spring break, make sure to make the most of the time off and spend time with family and friends. Even though a one-week spring break may seem short, it’s only 7 more weeks until summer!
