The anticipation of spring break runs through many, students look forward to Mexico as seniors
Jamie Henderson
Leading up to March, after ceaseless five-day school weeks, everyone is counting down the days until they can have a week to relax: spring break.
Every year, ESD seniors spend the first few days of spring break in Cancún, Mexico, to bond before they graduate.
“I was super pumped to go on the trip because I’d been looking forward to it since freshman year when I saw the class of 2020 go,” senior Liam Pham said. 24 percent of seniors have also been excited about this trip since freshman year according to a poll of 41 senior responses on March 28.
While most seniors decide to go, there are some who go on their own trips. Billy Bryan, a senior this year, opted to travel to New York City for the first time with his mom and twin sister instead.
“While I am a little disappointed to miss the trip all my friends are going on, I am really excited for New York,” Bryan said. “I am excited for the museums, good food and fun streets.”
Spending quality time with his family sounds like a great trip to Bryan. Other seniors, like Briggs Briner, went on the trip and could not wait to finally experience the famous trip that fills everyone’s conversations.
“There’s obviously a lot of excitement around spring break because we don’t have school, but I also think it’s really important because it is the last big thing before graduation, exams, and the end of the year,” Briner said. “It is also one of the last times we get to bond with our grade.”
Senior spring break is run completely by the parents, and the school does not play a part in this trip. Last year, the seniors stayed at the a hotel called Dreams Riviera Cancún Resort and Spa, but because of certain behavior, they were not invited back. This year’s seniors stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel instead.
“The hotel change did not bother me because I have heard that Hard Rock is supposedly nicer than Dreams anyways,” Briner said.
The Eagle Edition contacted the Hard Rock Hotel to get further information about the ESD trip, but they did not respond to our request. Their website, however, explains some ground rules for groups staying at their hotel.
“The hotel change did not bother me because I have heard that Hard Rock is supposedly nicer than Dreams anyways,” Briner said.
The Student Group Policy, created by the Hard Rock Hotel, states that students traveling with parents must have a legal guardian or adult over 30 staying in each room and that each student under 18 must travel with a guardian and share a room with that guardian. Valid passports must be shown as proof of age, and anyone under 18 will not be served alcohol legally.
“The hotel can and will suspend any or all of its services to guests who, in the hotel’s opinion, display or enact improper conduct offensive and/or unacceptable and/or dangerous to the others and/or themselves,” Hard Rock Policy said.
This trip did not cover the entire length of spring break, however, and gave students the option to extend the trip travel with their families afterward. Briner went with his friends after the senior trip to Isla Mujeres, which is a 30 minute ferry ride from Cancún. He finished out the break there with his smaller group.
“I was really excited about the senior trip because it is talked about all your years of high school, and it’s finally here,” Briner said.
But not only seniors enjoyed the break with a group. Many other underclassmen traveled with friends as well. Junior Kate Eastin went with her group of friends and their families to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
“I personally enjoy going on spring break with my friends, and we’ve been going to Mexico for the past couple years,” Eastin said. “I like going with my friends because it’s more fun for me.”
Sophomore Libby Miller went to Rosemary, Florida, right outside of Seaside, which is a very popular spot for high school kids. In a poll with 145 students and faculty, 79 went to some sort of beach destination for their spring break. She had been going, for the past two years and was looking forward to spending her third with her best friends and their families.
“I have gone to Rosemary Beach the past three spring breaks and every time we go, I come back with the best memories from the group I go with,” Miller said. “I always enjoy spring break because it is such a fun time to enjoy with my friends and family.”
The craziness before spring break is filled with last minute shopping for the best bathing suits and making sure everything is packed and ready to go.
“I love shopping for clothes before spring break because I can finally wear spring and summer clothes instead of winter clothes,” Eastin said. “It is also so fun going shopping with my friends before because we all went on a trip together and got to get each other’s opinion on the clothes.”
Then, of course, the classic Thursday and Friday before the break are filled with many absences and teachers giving an easy class. Upper school French teacher Geraldine Owens thinks this day is a waste of teaching time and believes the faculty in-service day scheduled on Monday after spring break should be moved to the Friday before spring break and the senior skip day pushed to Thursday.
“This year, I had my class last period on the Friday before spring break, and I knew there would not be many students, so I made sure there were no tests or quizzes,” Owens said. “This year, we just made crepes and played ‘conjuguemos’ review game with no new material or homework.”