Did your winter break feel short? It actually wasn’t.
Seth Atkins, Visual Art Editor
Students have returned from a much-needed break, and the new semester is in full swing. Some, however, think that the 2021-2022 winter break was shorter than past years. In fact, this past break followed the pattern of previous winter breaks.
On Dec. 8, 2021, the North Greenville family was set off on the school year’s winter break. This is on the second week of December, and this same fall semester end date is typical in years past. Students and faculty were back on campus for classes that started Jan. 6, 2022.
North Greenville’s Vice President for Student Services, Rachael Russiaky, provided a list of dates below that show when the first day of class was set for each spring semester since 2019:
- Spring 2019 – January 9
- Spring 2020 – January 8
- Spring 2021 – January 7
- Spring 2022 – January 6
Russiaky notes that it can certainly feel earlier depending on what day the New Year holiday falls on (i.e. the weekend prior to the first day of class v. during the week prior to the first day of class). This explains why some feel the break was shorter than normal. North Greenville started classes six days after the new year, which can feel like a quick start to a new semester.
Early childhood education major Lydia Kytle said, “I thought our return in January was earlier than expected, and some more time before moving in and starting new classes would have been nice.”
The busyness within winter break can definitely make the break itself feel short. With the current calendar set up, students and faculty are able to have the whole month of May off during summer break.
Kytle also said, “I personally would not want to change the end of school date. I enjoy having May to relax and be at home with family… I am fine with how they have it now.”
On the other hand, some students said the break didn’t feel as short. Sophomore Kinslee Medlin said, “I thought the month was good enough time away from school to relax with family and then come back to school.”
Having a hectic winter break can make it feel shorter than it is. For this, maybe we should be challenged to slow down during our breaks. We should take time to relax and get caught up in the hustle and bustle, so that our minds and bodies are ready for the new semester ahead.
