As Thanksgiving break rolls around the corner, students at Seminole High School will get their first break of the school year. The days off before this break was canceled due to the school year starting a week later in an effort to handle the situation with COVID-19 and the reopening of schools. After a stressful school year, adjusting to new learning modes, with those learning from home eager to see friends, and caution because of the virus, every student might have a different plan for the break than they intended. A break for the students, however, isn’t the only thing going on next week.

Himashi Liyanarachchi, an IB senior at Seminole High School, shares “Usually I hang out with my friends and catch up on any sleep I lost. On Thanksgiving, I make dinner and then I go online shopping.” 

As Liyanarachchi mentioned, online shopping is a good way to spend Thanksgiving break, if your bank account permits, during COVID -19, since there are no risks of spreading the virus.

As of mid-November, the United States has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases indicating the third spike since the initial outbreak. Due to this, Thanksgiving plans with a large group of people are not advisable. Some students would meet with their families to carry on Thanksgiving traditions, while some students may opt to stay at home to curb the virus. The chances of students choosing to meet with friends and family are large since gatherings of small groups of people are permissible and masks in most places are mandatory. A gathering with a few friends can still happen Thanksgiving traditions of dinner, even if family members from miles away and may not be able to attend. With coronavirus cases rising, as well as a need for some time off, let’s see how students at Seminole High School plan to spend their break.

Liyanarachchi explains further that “My plans are definitely are going to be different this year with the coronavirus. I will still be making dinner and possibly online shopping if I find anything. I’m also going to be working on college applications, unfortunately. I think my break will be pretty consistent to how the rest of the year has been, filled with zoom calls and late nights, but with an added holiday spirit.” 

IB senior Rohan Cherivirala shares his usual plans, “Generally during Thanksgiving break, since it’s only a week or so, I usually don’t do anything special. Every once in a while, I go visit some relatives in Chicago or New York, but I usually just stay at home for the entire day during break.”

Some other students at SHS have had their plans changed by COVID-19, but are still choosing a safe plan of action.

Due to COVID-19, Cherivirala’s plans have slightly changed as well, as he shares “This year, my family and I did not have any previous plans, but since it is my senior year, we may have planned to visit out relatives, but we are unable to do so because of the pandemic. Due to the recent increases in COVID-19 cases, I am probably going to end up staying at home for the break mainly to avoid contact with the outside world and the subsequent risk of the contraction that comes from it.

Even though cases are on the rise, the students at Seminole High School that have had their plans affected still are managing to plan for a relaxing break. Some may visit relatives, and some may choose to stay home. Either way, Thanksgiving break for the SHS students still means a break from the school stress.