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From Oct. 21 to Oct. 30, some students in the U.K. had a fall break. The fall break allowed students to spend a week reviewing school work, spending time with friends and doing things they enjoy after their first few weeks of school.
Many schools in England have three semesters, while Wayland High School only has two semesters, which consist of two quarters each. If a fall break were to be added, it would affect the system in which WHS functions.
“If we were a school that had three semesters instead of two, I would definitely opt to have a break in the fall,” Assistant Principal Laura Cole said. “Unfortunately the way that our academics are now, with the two semester , we just can’t fit [a fall break] in.”
Students in Massachusetts are required to attend 180 days of school, so the additional break would result in a shortened summer. Students in the U.K. begin school in early September, and end in mid-July.
“[Students] have to attend school 180 [school] days, so that means we would get out that much later, [and] we would lose that much more of our summer,” math Department Head Shanley Heller said.
Since students are out of school for two and a half months during the summertime, some teachers believe that the transition back into school is crucial.
“I do feel like the fall in particular, more than any other stretch of time at WHS, is the one that is already most broken up by three day weekends or days off,” History Department Head David Schmirer said. “The beginning of the year is the most important time for us to get some level of momentum going.”
The beginning of the school year can be a daunting time for some students, filled with new teachers, classes and other potentially stressful factors. This can be overwhelming for some students, but especially for incoming freshmen.
“I feel like [a fall break] would benefit me a lot, because I’m still getting used to high school,” freshman Cordia Wang said. “I would look at all the classwork and [material] that we’ve been learning [during fall break].”
According to U.K. student Alaia Moghal, students who have a fall break are given the opportunity to review classwork, which could benefit their grades.
If there was a longer break, some students report that it would be helpful for their mental health.
“[Fall break would benefit my mental health in] a positive way, because I feel that with only having Thanksgiving break [in the fall], the teachers [assign] a lot more homework and like preparation [during break],” freshman Cesar Campos-Belussi said. “But if there was a bit of a longer break [in the fall], maybe they would give us a little bit more leniency and less tasks.”
According to Moghal, because international students are given a fall break, they are able to spend time doing things they enjoy at the start of the school year, which can contribute positively to students’ mental health.
“Having a week off helps you to focus on the things you love, without having to worry about school work, [which can] help your mental health,” Moghal said. “I enjoy going out and socializing with friends and family without thinking about school and doing [the] things I wouldn’t normally have time [for] when we have school.”
