This year has been difficult, to say the least as seen by students’ academic performance and both mental and physical health. As a result, winter break came as a relief to many students.

“I was getting mentally exhausted from school,” freshman Pamela Moura said, “so I needed some time to focus on myself.”

The two weeks of winter break offered students a chance to relax and recharge, which was much needed after many weeks of relentless work.

“I was looking forward to not being overwhelmed by school work or waking up early,” freshman Christiana Kalokoh said.

Nevertheless, winter break is now over and students are returning back to school. For the majority of FCPS students, school means virtual learning.

However, returning to school has been proving to be difficult for many, especially waking up early and re establishing work habits.

“It was weird. I thought we would use the first days of each class to just catch up,” Kalokoh said, “but instead we went straight to work, which just made me dread it even more. I already have a test coming up.”

Furthermore, adjusting back to a life full of deadlines and stress is difficult. Staring at a computer screen for five hours per day is as tedious as it ever was.

“When my first class started, I really started hating the fact that we were back to school,” Moura said.

Teachers share this sentiment as well.

“I missed my students,” Vaughn said, “but if I’m being honest, I would’ve loved to have a couple of more weeks off.”

Perhaps because of how desperately it’s been this year, winter break passed very quickly for some.

“Breaks always tend to fly by,” Physical Education teacher Joshua Damico said. “I tried to take it one day at a time but before I knew it, we were back to work.”

On the bright side, becoming more structured was also much needed.

“It’s a double edged sword,” Damico said. “On the one hand, it’s ‘aw man, break is over.’ On the other hand, it’s nice to get back into a routine and be able to actually get work done.”

Winter break for many was a chance to forget about any work and pressures, a chance to lose track of time and relax. However, reality has returned, and with it, the stress that school normally brings.

However, teachers and students might take solace in the fact that there are two catch-up days (Jan. 14 and Jan. 15) and three student holidays (Jan. 18 for MLK Day, Jan. 20 for Inauguration Day and Jan. 25) included in this month, which will possibly ease the process of adjusting back to school.

As school kicks back into gear, memories of winter break become more distant and bittersweet. Nevertheless, it is time to focus on the present and perhaps also look to the future with the possibility of in-person school glittering on the horizon in the coming months.