Shift in school calendar causes problems for students and staff

As the school calendar continues to change each year, it seems as though breaks are beginning and ending on an offbeat schedule. For the first time in many years, Samo students will not be going on winter break until a day before Christmas Eve. Indeed, Samo’s new schedule has been locked in and the Friday before break will be a regular schedule except with shorter class time. For the past years, the Samo staff has tried to give students at least a week off before the Holidays. However, with Hanukkah falling exactly in the days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, Samo’s administration has decided to release students only a day before the beginning of the Jewish and Christian festivities. “Developing the school year calendar is more complex than one might think,” Interim Deputy Superintendent Mark Kelly said. “We had a committee comprised of representatives from teachers, classified staff, administrators and departments who discussed the calendar. The committee weighed in the pros and cons of various options and picked the more favored one which was to have the last day of the first semester be Dec. 23, with a minimum day for all schools and the week after New Years be part of the Winter Break.”While this has not caused any protests or outrage as it did with the Presidential Election, it turns out to be quite burdening for some families. “My family had planned to go to Oregon to visit family in the week before Christmas, but we had to cancel when we noticed that the timing fell during finals week. It was kind of annoying,” Wyatt Filler (’18) said.Although it is easy to change winter plans and accept it, it isn’t just the timing of when students get out from school but rather the moral essence of it as well. For students like Dean Zhang (’18), the days following up to Christmas is what makes winter break so wonderful. It’s the time to bake cookies with family or snuggle around a fireplace that makes the holiday season precious. “I feel like school should be let out earlier so people can be together with their big families earlier and prepare for the holidays so there’s more buildup for the happy holidays,” Zhang said.Some students, however, such as Lila Krop (’18), are indifferent about the timing of the holiday season.  “I don’t celebrate Christmas so it doesn’t really affect me. But, I find it weird that it’s so late.” Krop said.While this event is no major catastrophe, it is noticed as an inconvenience by most of the student of body who meanwhile, will get an extra week to prepare for finals and an extra week of vacation compared to other schools.