While the chill of February sets in, a cold shiver washes over the students of U-High as they long for a two-week spring break, still a month away with only a couple small three-day weekends to get them through the months.

Instead of waiting until March, spring break should be split into two parts: one week in February and one week in April.  

Students experience an increase in stress during winter because of exams, long periods of school, and the overall stress of winter, which according to researchers from Children’s National Hospital causes up to 20% of adolescents to develop symptoms of seasonal affective depression, which could lead to a detrimental impact on academics.

Mental health is a significant factor in academic performance as according to the National Library of Medicine students experiencing high levels of depression and anxiety have GPAs about 1.5 points lower, therefore depicting the tight-knit relationship between mental health and academics.  

Breaks offer the opportunity for students to catch up on sleep or go to a warm place for vacation as lack of sunlight is often the cause of seasonal depression with 75% of people feeling better after a vacation, according to Forbes. 

Two week-long breaks would allow for students to take time for themselves instead of dealing with the constant stress of school and all of the other factors in their life, which in the end is the number one priority. Students will wake up with a well-rested yawn from that extra hour of sleep as they get ready to hang out with friends while they feel the warm sun on their face during their relaxing vacation so that when they get back to school they get an A+ on their next test from the boost to their mental health because of the split up spring break.