With DePaul Prep’s February break students made plans to enjoy their time off from school. This year, the February break ran from February 12th to the 17th, giving students nearly a full week away from homework, tests, classes, and early mornings alarms. After a winter consisting of some snow, freezing temperatures, and unexpected schedule changes, the break arrived at a perfect time, for many.
Senior Olivia Tray used her break to explore options for life after DePaul Prep. During the break, she went to Pennsylvania to visit Penn State for a college tour. While this seems like an ordinary trip, for Tray, this is an important step in her college decision process.
“I applied to Penn State just to apply, but after getting in, I really wanted to see the campus in person since it’s totally different than just researching it online,” Tray said. “I want to get a feel of the campus and really see if I could see myself there for the next four years of my life.” Tray explained that February was the perfect time to go on college visits, since it doesn’t require missing school.
While Olivia is thinking about her future, her younger brother Edward Tray, a sophomore at DePaul Prep, spent his break relaxing and enjoying the present moment. Edward plans on staying home and hanging out with his friends during break.
“Everyone has been busy with school work recently, so it will be nice to just relax and not have to worry about that for a while,” he said. “I will definitely be sleeping a lot too.” For a lot of the underclassmen, this break is a great reset opportunity to be able to focus better after the break is over.
Not all students will be able to fully relax during the break; however, senior Ben Cuervo spent a lot of his break at basketball practice and games. With the practice, games, and training, Cuervo’s schedule is still filled even when school is out. Even with basketball consuming his time, Cuervo looks to the positive side.
“The weeks have been flying by recently,” he said. “With the many days off we have been getting, everything is moving faster, but I’m not complaining. The shorter weeks give me more free time.”
Cuervo reflected how many students at DePaul Prep have been feeling during these chilly months, especially after last month’s unplanned “cold break.” Because of the temperatures dropping below zero in Chicago, DePaul Prep students and teachers had a Friday and Monday off, creating a very long weekend. While the weather was freezing outside, this break off came as a joyful surprise to many students. “It is nice having so many days off close together,” Cuervo said, “it’s making the winter season more bearable.”
