Thanksgiving break is an essential holiday for both students and faculty, as it is not only a day to spread gratitude in each of our personal lives, but it also is the last holiday of the semester, marking the last vacation before finals week. However, its short duration of only three weekdays and the weekend is too brief for students to truly recharge, relax and spend quality time with family and friends — all the while with finals hanging a mere two weeks away.

Instead, the school should eliminate the four-day weekend at the beginning of October, which serves little purpose, and instead extend the November break to encompass the whole week, as other schools such as Harker and Mission San Jose have done. This change would make vacations more convenient and allow for a more rejuvenating and relaxing holiday.

Many families make use of the five-day break to take a small Thanksgiving vacation or attend family reunions; however, many have to cut their plans down to make it back home in time for the start of the next week. Extending the break by just two days would merge it with the previous weekend, resulting in a nine-day break, which is a more reasonable and convenient time frame to take a trip in.

With the current duration of the Thanksgiving break, many students skip school on Monday and Tuesday anyway to travel with family, leading to missed tests and falling behind on assignments. This change would remedy the problem and make staying on schedule easier for teachers and students.
The spring semester already has two week-long breaks, so it would be natural to have one in the first semester as well. 

Some might argue that seniors need the October break to finish early admission and decision college applications before the Nov. 1 deadline. However, this issue can be alleviated in other ways without affecting the whole school — teachers can lighten up on seniors’ workload in the weeks prior to the early deadline, as many already do for UC and regular decision due dates.

Additionally, students can use this time to catch up on work and study for upcoming finals. Without two days of school to start off the week, students can more easily finish homework and then move on to needed study and review.

The school should combine the October and November breaks for the benefit of both students’ families and staff. This longer holiday would be more convenient, effective and provide the needed rest everyone needs before the last push into semester finals.