By Briana Murphy
Managing Editor of Production

Thanksgiving break is a time for students to get a break from their packed school schedule. They primarily focus on studying for the upcoming exams and spending time with family. It gives them a much needed break to focus solely on studying and not on the completion of their assignments.
During the break, the dorms are closed and therefore students have to make plans in advance. The protocol for boarding students is that they must fill out a Google form with information about how they’re traveling: where they’re going, when they are leaving the dorms, and when they will return to the dorms. Students who need to leave early for specific reasons are allowed to their classes early, but they must have valid reasoning for doing so as well as parental confirmation of their reasoning. other students are then expected to leave the dorms the day break begins or the morning after break starts.
Boarding students who are unable to visit home or stay at a hotel spend break with a friend and their family or their host family, but finding a place for a student to stay has never been a pressing issue because of LFA’s welcoming, helpful, and caring community.
”Instead of going home I’m visiting a family friend out in Chicago because it’s just easier,” said Cheryl Dao a boarding student.
The time off from classes not only benefits students but teachers get to enjoy this vacation time as well. They are released from their teaching and other on-campus responsibilities and get the opportunity to relax. “The dorm parents are able to travel to see family and enjoy their break,” said Ms. Lazzeretti, the head of Marshall Field dorm.
The timing of the break does induce stress for some students due to its close proximity to finals. It can cause some anxiety for students because they feel as though they lose knowledge and end up studying even more.
“It doesn’t fulfill its purpose as a break fully because finals are held about a week and a half after, and I personally feel like I use the entire week to study rather than to actually relax,” said Christina Franco a junior at LFA.
It creates an anxiety that prevents students from unwinding and perpetuates stress over grades
Let’s face it: students are under constant stress during the school year, but the absence of class during a break certainly can help some students ease stress induced by the end of the semester. Students are free to spend time with their families, eat delicious seasonal food, sleep in, and relax away from campus. It also allows some boarding students who wouldn’t normally be able to see their family during the school year to recharge in the company of their loved ones before gearing up to finish off the semester.
This period serves a different purpose for every student—some allocate this period to study more before finals and others use it as a time to destress.
“Thanksgiving break allows me to breathe and seperate myself from academics so I can focus on family rather than grades,” said boarding student Safiya Nicol.
Thanksgiving is a time to spread appreciation and thankfulness. There is an air of comfort around the holiday that alleviates stress unconsciously. Receiving a break gives the entire school a well deserved period of time to be used for rest,relaxation, preparation, or fun. Enjoy Thanksgiving break, bring back positive energy, and complete this semester finals in a relaxed manner.