This year, students are excited about having a full week off for Thanksgiving break. In the past, MHS only had three days off during break (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday). Many students and teachers hope that they get a full week off for Thanksgiving every year from now on.
MHS has had a two day school week for Thanksgiving for the past 18 years. This school year, the calendar committee was faced with two dilemmas that caused them to make the decision to have a full week off. First, in 2020, the Illinois state legislators made the November presidential election a “mandatory observed holiday.” Since there is no election this November this leaves an additional day off that could be put at any point throughout the school year. The second dilemma was Good Friday. MHS typically observes Good Friday, however this year the holiday lands during spring break. This leaves another additional day off that could be placed sometime in the calendar. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Anthony Kroll explained that the calendar committee, consisting of staff and administrators, discussed different ways these two additional days off could be placed in the school year. They considered putting it in the beginning of the year, which would cause the school year to start later and end earlier. They also discussed putting these additional days in winter break, making it longer than usual.
“In the end, the recommendation the calendar committee presented to the Board of Education for approval was to place those two days in Thanksgiving week making a full week break at Thanksgiving,” Dr. Kroll said.
To most students and staff, having a full week off for Thanksgiving Break is important for many reasons. Mainly, it allows them to have a full week with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. In the past, only having a three day break has made it hard for students and staff to be able to be with family, especially those that don’t live in Illinois. Having a full week off can allow people to fly out to family or have family fly out to them, and have a full week of celebration that they usually don’t have.
Nataly Cisneros, a senior, said that having a full week off for Thanksgiving Break will be very beneficial to being able to spend more time with her family. “My brothers are away at college right now and I don’t get to see them often so this is a great opportunity to spend time with them. Being really busy with school and clubs doesn’t give me a lot of time to spend with family,” Nataly said. She went on to say that having all of Thanksgiving Break off will give her some time to get a little break from school and take a breather.
For students especially, having a full week for Thanksgiving Break allows them to have time to recharge and refresh their mental and physical state. Many high school students struggle with getting the right amount of sleep throughout the school year and in general, mental health can decline as students try to juggle multiple classes (some AP or Honors), extracurricular clubs and sports, and homework.
The Child Mind Institute believes that having multiple days off of school can help a lot with a student’s mental health. “Children who struggle with depression, anxiety or other mental health and learning issues..may need some time to recuperate and recharge,” wrote Rae Jacobson in an article from the CMI.
All in all, it seems that many students and staff at MHS are happy that they get a full week off for Thanksgiving Break. According to Dr. Kroll, the calendar committee plans to meet later in the year and evaluate the benefits of having a full week of observance for Thanksgiving for future school years. Though currently, the committee plans to go back to three days of observance for Thanksgiving Break in the 2024-2025 school year. For this year however, MHS wishes every student and staff member a good week off and a happy Thanksgiving
