For Arrowhead students, spring break begins on Friday, March 30th, and students return to school on Monday, April 9th. Students use spring break for a variety of activities: to study, to vacation, to just take a break. But how do they plan to spend spring break this year?

“I’m going to Puerto Rico this year with my family and boyfriend, Zach,” says AHS senior Shelby Langer. “Every spring break my family and I travel. Last year we went to Mexico, but we’ve also been to Italy, Tokyo, and Florida a couple times.”

With AP tests starting on May 7th, some students are choosing to spend their spring break studying.

“I’m going to start studying for my AP Psych exam during spring break,” says AHS junior Lily Gallagher. “I’m not going to spend the entire time studying, but when I have time on the airplane or in the car I’m going to start preparing for the AP test.”

Langer says, “I’m going to use spring break as a break from all homework and studying. I’m going to try the make the most of it and relax as much as I can.”

“I don’t see the point in teachers giving homework over spring break,” says AHS senior Aleah Travers. “It’s like they think their class is superior to our break and I don’t get it. Everyone just does the work they give us the night before.”

“The week before spring break is the worst,” says AHS junior Karlea Schuelke. “All of my teachers try to cram in as much information as possible in the short time, and all it does is cause so much unnecessary stress.”

AP Macroeconomics teacher Joseph Paul says, “I do not plan on giving out homework during spring break.  I don’t think the majority of AP Macro student need the extra practice. I would rather students take a break from the macro content and come back refreshed and eager to learn.  However, students with a lot of free time during break may want to begin preparing for the AP test by working on released AP exams. It’s a great way to get a head start on studying, especially if the student has a long flight, long car ride, or lots of free time on his or her hands.”

In addition, if students in Paul’s class choose to study, he posted resources onto his class Canvas page to prepare for the AP test.

According to US News Travel in the article, “Best spring break destinations,” the most popular spring break destination is Cancun, followed by Miami Beach and South Padre Island.

Schuelke says, “I’m going to Belize this spring break and I couldn’t be more excited. My parents really believe that spring break is a time of fun adventure and the perfect distraction from the stress of school. Sometimes I wish spring break was longer, but then that would mean summer would be that much shorter. While I may not be studying during the break, I’ll instead be learning about the world around me, and I think that’s more important than any book.”