As the final bell rings on the 10th of October, students will officially be a quarter of the way through the school year. After nearly a dozen weeks and countless hours of lessons, homework, studying, and extracurriculars, all will be entitled to ten days of recovery and relaxation.
For juniors, such as Lily Hughes and Javya Patel, the break comes as they complete the first quarter of what many consider to be the most difficult year of high school. As the uptick in course rigor compared to her sophomore year has brought some additional stress, she continues to adjust to the meticulous studying required for her classes.
“I never had to study a ton in my second semester last year, so having to come in and study three hours a night just trying to catch up on everything; I’m just still adjusting to it,” Hughes said.
A year-to-year transition has also been felt by Luke Smith, a senior. With many of the most difficult classes of his high school career now behind him, his schedule has opened up greatly.
“It’s my senior year, so it’s definitely been a lot easier than I’ve expected, and it’s easy to get bored at times, but I think the school’s done a good job of just kind of providing students with good windows for putting ourselves out there with school spirit and celebrating things like the football team and athletics,” said Smith. “It’s been a really fun time.”
For freshmen, such as Elaine Rife, the academic transition from middle to high school is also being felt.
“In eighth grade, I did not have to study at all, and now I’m having to actually pay attention during class,” said Rife. “You actually have to listen and do what’s told because if you don’t, then your grades will suffer.”
The adjustment back to school life is also felt by teachers. In the case of math teacher Sam Barker, little adjustment is needed in his annual return to work.
“I am one of those weird ones that is ready to come back,” said Barker. “I love my summer, especially because I [have] two young daughters, and I love spending time at home, but I also enjoy my work.”
However, some teachers, such as English teacher Tim Davis, find it more difficult to adjust back to the daily routines of the school year.
“August is always difficult for me, and even though I try different ways to handle it, sometimes you just have to become one with the storm,” Davis said. “I just realize that there’ll be a day, usually in September, where all of a sudden you feel this peace: you’ve gotten over the hurricane of newness that August brings.”
As he returned to the classroom this year, Biology teacher Harold Kelley has begun partaking in a unique action for his classes, something he says improves confidence and brings students a sense of reward.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever actually done this before, but I started making positive calls home,” Kelley said. “It was sort of a, ‘Hey, you know what? When your kid walks in my class every day, their smile makes me smile.’ Every last one of them that I actually got to talk to were so happy that I had called and did that, and that in turn made me happy.”
As students and staff prepare to enjoy their week off, many plan to utilize the time as an opportunity to relax and disconnect from the stresses of school.
“I am going to try to silence my phone and silence everything in order to not worry about school,” said Lily Hughes, who is traveling to Texas and Florida. “I love traveling, so I’m very, very excited to step away and have a week off.”
For English teacher Tim Davis, this fall break is special and unique to him, as he takes his family on a Floridian getaway.
“This is a once in a lifetime fall break,” Davis said. “I’ve saved up some money, and I’m gonna take my family to Florida. I let my kids pick the area, because I want it to be that family vacation. We’re just going to go, we’re gonna forget about school, and we’re gonna fish.”
In the case of social studies and education teacher Brad Morelock, he plans to use his fall break to vacation with his family and acquire new resources and decorations for his classroom.
“We are taking the girls on their first plane. We’re gonna fly from Knoxville to Boston, tour three days there, and then drive up to Maine. I’ve always wanted to go to Maine; people ask me why and I have no idea,” Morelock said. “I’ll spend $200 on historical souvenirs in Boston to be able to show my classes, which I think is cool. I bought stuff from the Alamo and I brought stuff back home from Gettysburg and all of the Civil War sites that I’ve been to.”
Overall, students and staff look to fall break as an important opportunity to recharge after the stressful workload that comes with returning to school.
“It’s a time to sit back, relax, and regain control of studying and everything,” said Patel.
