Very much-needed was the perfect way to describe the February break. No better time of the year called for a cold ski vacation for some, and for others, a trip to a warm, cheek-blistering location. Several students packed their bags and boarded planes for a quick escape from the usual demands of the American Pageant textbook or the AP Lang columnist assignment.

Just up the coast in the pacific northwest, junior Maddie Canfield visited Seattle. Her description of the trip glowed with vivid imagery as she described, “I knew they had so many landmarks and tourist attractions, and I made sure to see everyone! I loved the feel of the downtown and walking on the boardwalk by the water, along with seeing the fish-tossing at the Public Market center!” Canfield enjoyed the perils of exploring the US beyond the warm and sunny southern California landscape: “ I saw the Space Needle and the first-ever Starbucks, and visited the University of Washington! The city is so green and has a beautiful water view.”  Just a few hours away Canfield had the opportunity to spend time with her parents in a wonderful (slightly colder) city; “ loved being able to walk everywhere I went and see the city first hand!”

Freshman Dakota Yan might’ve had a much more relaxed approach to her break, but it was exactly what she needed: “my favorite part about my break was being able to relax and not think about schoolwork for a week. I tend to overthink about school a lot and having this week off made me so much more relaxed and I could have time to think about myself!” With the typical stress-induced by schoolwork and Yan’s honors biology class, a time to rest and think about nothing was the best way to spend a break. There isn’t always a need to go high and dry to enjoy a holiday — sometimes the best remedy is rest and rest.

For the Speech and Debate Team, the last two breaks included a heavy workload. Winter Congress had meant a weekend full of endless Zoom fatigue and fierce debate. Board member Omid Asadi (11) commented that “the participation of our members and the ability for everyone to engage in lively discussions was the best part about Wintercon.” Two of Corona del Mar’s members brought home Best Speaker Awards, while another had been awarded Best Moderator. As a key foundation to learning the US branches of government, President’s Recess for these students gave them the opportunity to experience this event which hadn’t been attended to by CdM in several years.

The break ended as quickly as a sun setting during the winter. It was wild, relaxing, yet too abrupt and unforgiving. Alas, Spring Break is close enough, and skiing may no longer be the go-to activity to savor the Spring sun.