As this 11-day break comes to a close, lingering memories of ski slopes and snowmen will immediately be replaced by loads of homework. The upcoming report cards and ending of the first semester will only add to the stress of coming back to school, leaving many students wishing they could go back in time and stay in Winter Break forever and eagerly counting down the days until Spring Break begins.

“I couldn’t wait for winter break to start because I was going to Seven Springs Mountain Resort with my girlfriend, Natalie [Ford], and both of our families,” junior Alec Villafana said. Villafana spent the majority of his break skiing and teaching his girlfriend how to snowboard. “It was hard [teaching her] because it was her first time ever snowboarding, but I love it and I really wanted her to be able to do it with me.”

Juniors Becca Sponga and Casey Fait decided to go on vacation together and visit new places. “We went to Dollywood, Tennessee, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and stayed in a two-story cabin with the most amazing view,” Sponga said. Sponga and Fait spent most of their time in Tennessee going to shows, shopping, and sightseeing. “I definitely would not have wanted to stay at home because I loved everything about it and I would’ve been bored if I was at home,” Sponga said.

Other students such as sophomore Nick Warner weren’t as blissful about their vacations. First, Warner flew to Colorado to visit his dad and his step-mom, then after Christmas, he flew to California to visit some of his cousins. “I would’ve rather stayed home because I wasn’t allowed to sleep in and I couldn’t hang out with my friends,” Warner said.