By: Ila Crowe

With the third quarter coming to an end, spring break is right around the corner. Most students at Ponte Vedra High School (PVHS) travel and enjoy the break. For many, spring break is supposed to mean sunshine, sleep, and a pause from school stress. But for others, the week off feels anything but relaxing.

A sophomore at PVHS, Kate Hurford, who takes 6 AP classes states, “I try to relax but I also have AP test prep and assignments due the week we come back from break. For me, it doesn’t fully feel like a break.”

With AP exams and final projects approaching, spring break often lands right in the middle of one the busiest academic stretches of the year. Students enrolled in advanced courses say the pressure to review material doesn’t stop just because the classes do.

Aside from academics, athletes also feel the balance. Spring sports teams frequently continue practices or tournaments during break. “We have games over break, so we’re still training,” sophomore at PVHS, Charlotte Martin, a soccer player in her busy recruiting year explained. “It is fun, but not exactly sleeping in every day, resting.”

A pole with 40 PVHS students was conducted finding out that approximately 55 percent of students plan to do some sort of academic work over spring break. This can include studying or trying to stay on top of work in classes.

Others use the week of spring break to work extra shifts at part-time jobs. With more free hours in their schedules, some students choose to earn money rather than travel.

Spring break may not look the same for everyone. For some it is traveling, for others it is schoolwork and textbooks. It may not look the same for everyone but no matter how its spent spring break offers a chance to breathe and reset before the busy months ahead. Spring break gives everyone an opportunity to recharge in their own way.

Pictured: Flagler Beach during spring break