Spending time with friends and family, celebrating holidays, watching movies, enjoying the snow, and having the time to rest is what winter break is all about. After a hard working semester, winter break is a two week break from school before the second semester begins.

Schools throughout St.Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) end their first semester after December 22. This later date makes it difficult for students, and families to adjust from finals week to their Winter Break plans. Winter break should’ve begun earlier for SVVSD students to give them and their families time to adjust.

After a semester of work, finals are the final major assessment before grades are finalized. Many final exams are cumulative, meaning the exam contains content from all units of the semester. Students have up to eight classes and a minimum of six with a final in each one. Therefore, students will spend hours studying for these finals. When finals week begins, students have about three tests a day. After finals week is over, students are exhausted and ready for a break. The winter break start time this year only gives students one day to rest before the holidays.

Amelia Masson, a freshman at Silver Creek High School, will be taking her first year of finals. Masson is experiencing stress with the pressure of final exams and isn’t looking forward to the rapid adjustment of finals to the holidays.

“[It’s] frustrating because finals are really stressful and I have to switch into winter break mode right away,” says Masson.

Winter break and celebrating the holidays is meant to be enjoyable but with the one day period between finals and the holidays many students, like Masson, are frustrated with the winter break start time.

Sam Harding, a junior at Silver Creek High School, feels similar to Masson. With finals being stressful, Harding feels it will be hard to adjust.

“Break starting later doesn’t give me the time to get into the holiday spirit,” says Harding.

With many students feeling similar to Harding and Masson, winter break should’ve begun December 16. If winter break would’ve begun December 16, SVVSD students would have a week to make this adjustment before the holiday.

Christmas is a Holiday celebrated by many students on December 25. School ending on the 22 gives students only a day before Christmas Eve. Christmas is celebrated between friends and family but with this tight schedule it was difficult for families to make their traveling plans.

Saxon Pardee, a junior at Silver Creek High School, has extended family living in Florida. Pardee looks forward to visiting her extended family whenever she can.

“Since break is starting later, I can’t visit extended family until after the holidays” Pardee states.

With there only being a one day time period between school ending and Christmas Eve, traveling to visit family members becomes more difficult. However, if school got out December 16, traveling to visit family could’ve been easier for many students such as Pardee.

Considering the one day time period before Christmas, travel plans, and the rapid adjustment students must make, winter break should’ve begun December 16 instead of December 22.