One student lays at home watching Netflix, while another sits at the beach listening to the waves crash. Both students are on spring break and are relaxed as can be.

Spring break offers time for students to unwind and enjoy a week off of school. Some students like to travel in this time off, while others prefer to stay at home.

“I like the comfort of being in my own home,” freshman Nivea McKinnon said. “I like laying down in my bed and taking naps because my bed is really comfortable.”

Freshman Ava Wadle is traveling over the break. She has big plans to go out of the country.

“I’m going on a cruise to the Bahamas, Mexico, Haiti and Honduras,” Wadle said.

Freshman Allison Gadlage is also looking forward to leaving Michigan. Although she is staying in the country, she is still excited to get away from home.

“My family is going to Washington D.C. for spring break this year,” Gadlage said. “I have never been to Washington D.C., but I am looking forward to seeing many important buildings in our country. I am very excited to tour the White House and look at all of the monuments.”

Students who are not going anywhere still have plans for  things to do over spring break.

“I plan on hanging out with my friends that stay at home,” sophomore Jordan Hubbard said. “I plan on going out and doing stuff in different towns.”

Although McKinnon isn’t traveling, she wishes she was going back to Hawaii for a certain reason.

“If I could go anywhere, I’d go back to Hawaii because I miss all of my childhood friends and my other family,” McKinnon said. “I’d go to my favorite beach and just have fun.”

Senior Cayleen Reedy is going on the senior trip to Punta Cana.

“I can’t wait to have a great time … with all my closest friends and getting a great tan,” Reedy said.

Gadlage is excited for spring break because she knows summer is approaching soon after.

“I like going away for spring break because we get to explore new places and it gets me excited for traveling even more in the summer,” Gadlage said. “It is fun to get away from home and school and try new things while relaxing.

Hubbard explains how if she were traveling, she’d want to go somewhere warm.

“I would go to Punta Cana,” Hubbard said. “I’d go to the beach every day and try new things.”

Wadle also likes being able to experience the warm weather over spring break, especially because she’s going on a cruise.

“My favorite things are getting to relax in warm weather and getting tan,” Wadle said.

Some students like to buy souvenirs while away, so they will be able to bring a piece of their trip back home.

“I like to get the cute little things,” Reedy said. “Like a small key chain or cute stickers to add to my water bottle.”

Gadlage also likes to buy souvenirs from a vacation, but she prefers something that is more sentimental.

“Sometimes it’s a shirt or sweatshirt, or other times, I will try to get something that has a memory attached from my favorite place on our trip,” Gadlage said. “Usually, my favorite things are ticket stubs or wristbands from what we have done that remind me of specific parts and memories from the trip.”

Some students may find it difficult to wake up for school after a long break, but Hubbard does not feel this way.

“It’s pretty easy to get back into it,” Hubbard said. “I wake up pretty early either way, so it’s not hard waking up for school anymore.”

Reedy understands that students can only have so much break time in a year. She thinks they are given enough time to relax.

“I think the breaks we have are plenty long enough,” Reedy said. “We often have lots of other days off in between, to give us that extra time off we all want.”

Gadlage thinks that school breaks are long enough, but she would still like a little more time off.

“I do think that it would be nice if we had more four day weeks,” Gadlage said. “I think four day weeks with a Monday or Friday off help give students a mental break and help relieve stress.”

McKinnon is thankful that Michigan weather isn’t always the best because it means students get snow days. She likes how they are unexpected breaks that give students time to relax.

“I think that Rochester has lots of time for breaks,” McKinnon said. “There were so many snow days and I loved it so much. I basically got a week off because of bad weather.”

Gadlage can’t wait for spring break to come, so she can have an opportunity to sightsee with her family.

“Overall, I am very excited to get away from Michigan, spend time with my family and see many important monuments in our country,” Gadlage said.