Holidays are almost here

The holiday season! Yes, it is already here. Most of us at River Valley High School have enjoyed Thanksgiving and can't wait for Christmas Day, the beginning of the winter break from school and welcoming the new year with big smiles and open arms. Whether it is meeting up relatives, having a party, hanging out with friends, opening presents, decorating the Christmas tree or just having some quiet time at home, everybody looks forward to the break and a lessening — if not total relief — of the school workload or other worries.

But the celebrations and the festivities have to wait because RVHS students must first weather through the last six days of school and take — hopefully pass — their finals. Finals will take place on the last two days of school, Dec. 16 and 17. And although students may feel the holiday fever coursing through their veins and prompting them not to be diligent in their studies, this is doubly true for the seniors because seniors not only suffer the proximity of holidays but also from the dreaded senioritis.

Along with finals, the weeks before the break also bring other worries to high school seniors. One of these is submitting college applications; the deadline for both University of California and California State University campuses was Nov. 30. Also, Saturday marked the last day that seniors could take the SAT.

When asked about her feelings about the upcoming break, Sandeep Singh, a senior at RVHS, remarked, " I am relieved that the break is here and am looking forward to spending the holidays with my family. And although I'm nervous about college admission results, it is a good thing that I've submitted my college applications because now I can better enjoy my holidays."

While the coming break may seem like a remedy from school and school-related activities, let's not forget the winter assignments that some students, like those in advanced-placement courses, will have to do. Their binders may need to be reopened to review the old stuff, like Biology 1 notes, so that the students can do better on the higher level, Biology 2, of the same subject.

And as for seniors, there's still the task of applying for financial aid for college in the form of scholarships and grants. The seniors who hope to attend a private school will most likely also work on their applications during the winter break.

Negativity aside, the days before break do offer many events and opportunities that may help students' stress. One such event is the RVHS Winter Dance, otherwise known as the Sadie Hawkins Dance, which will be on Friday. On Saturday, RVHS students can also participate in the Christmas parade. Students can also help their community through events like our canned-food and the coat drives.

So, only six days of classes remain 'til the much-awaited break arrives. Happy holidays!

Sukhpreet Kaur is a senior at River Valley High School. Her column appears every six weeks in Education.