Winter is fast approaching, and with it comes the holiday season and arguably the most wonderful time of the year, especially for students at QHHS who cannot wait for final’s week and the deadline of semester grades. Whether or not you celebrate a holiday this time of year, every student gets the joyous gift of a three-week break from school.

Three weeks always seems like a lengthy amount of time away from instruction; however, these numbered days seem to fly by for most, if not all, students. Yet, despite the vacation, students should still find ways to slip some productivity into their Netflix binge-watching schedule.

A junior at Quartz Hill High School, Averie Burke, has already laid out plans for a productive winter break. With the rigorous classes she is taking, she plans on completing the work assigned to her by teachers during winter break instead of slacking off and saving all three papers until the last jingle bell.

According to Burke, students will differ in their urgency to study depending on the classes and/or programs in which they are enrolled. For example, Burke is an IB student, meaning she is required to recall information taught to her from one or two years ago. Reviewing the material taught in the first semester would be beneficial to students who take classes that test cumulatively, such as AP courses.

Rather than cramming the week of the test in May, taking time during your days off can increase the effectiveness of your study sessions, ensure you absorb more information, and thus achieve a greater score when the test rolls around. Junior Amber Stricklen also agrees, stating that reading up over break “helps you retain the information and not fall behind when school resumes.”

Doing school work and studying during a time of relaxation sounds overwhelmingly uninteresting, but there are other ways of staying productive. Stricklen is planning on working on her Jeep, including, “pulling out the motor, assessing the issues, and replacing the seals.” She got her Jeep over the summer and is going through a learning process with the mentorship of her father. According to Stricklen, “Break is when [she] will finally have enough time to start that process.” She will also go to a meeting for the Robotics Club to plan and prepare for the “build season.” Remaining productive is important for Stricklen “in order to stay on track for college.”

Meanwhile, Burke plans on improving her violin skills as she will have more time to dedicate to fine-tuning her talent. Winter break for both of these students will be a time to complete, continue, or commence assignments or projects they would otherwise not be able to accomplish during the busy weeks of legitimate instruction.

Winter break is three weeks of time for students to do whatever they wish, without the time crunch of daily deadlines. It is simple to grab the opportunity to be productive. Students who are old enough can start a driver’s education program as a head start to get their license before their friends. Being productive during winter break can help students flex on all their peers. Students can begin volunteering as a way to help out the community and become a decent member of society; it also does not hurt on college applications. Starting a personal undertaking, doing homework, studying for standardized tests, or even just picking up a new hobby are all ways students can get the most out of this winter break. Three weeks, 504 hours, 30240 minutes, and so many more seconds is valuable time that would be shameful to waste.