Spring Break is a time to retreat from school and try something new or fun. PDS students accomplish this by doing different things. Some people stay at home, some vacation, and others go to places of need. It all varies from person to person. Junior Justin Kaplowitz stayed close to home and visited colleges with his family. He traveled to Washington, D.C. and Boston. After visiting colleges, he celebrated his grandfather’s birthday in Las Vegas. Finally, Kaplowitz met his little cousin, who was born just a few months ago, while bowling with his whole family: “I got to go bowling with my family; that was really fun. I have a little cousin—he was born a few months ago. I haven’t seen him until now, so it was nice.” Many other juniors share their experiences of visiting colleges during the break in preparation for the application process.

Freshman Grayson McLaughlin and sophomore Rohan Shah went to Ethiopia through Aerie Africa to assist in a children’s home. There they spend time with children, bringing donations, providing medical treatment, and fixing anything they could while there. They gathered clothes, money, and other necessities to donate to prepare for the trip. There was a lot of preparation necessary for their trip to Ethiopia. McLaughlin says, “We had to pack them [donations and supplies] all into a lot of duffel bags and bring them. Also, we needed to get a few shots and other medical products to be safe.” McLaughlin shares a fun moment he had there when he went swimming with the village’s children: “We used some of the money to take a bus trip to a place where we could go swimming and have a fun lunch.”

Senior Jai Kasera stayed in town during the break, and his sister came home from college: “I most enjoyed the moments when my sister came home, and my entire family was back together again. We went out for lunch, and it was just nice to catch up with my sister.” 

Similar to Kasera, freshman Henry Bobbitt stayed at home during spring break. While he was at home, Bobbitt worked on producing music. He posted Journeys on his SoundCloud—FoYo. Bobbit shared that he also had an excellent breakfast with his mom: “The day before school started again, I went to PJ’s for breakfast. Although it may be a small thing for some, it was very nice for me to spend time with her, as I believe spending time with family is crucial to having a good household dynamic.” Bobbitt had a simple but fruitful spring break. It gave him the relaxation he needed, and he worked on what he was passionate about—his music. 

Overall, PDS students participated in various activities over the break, enjoying a much-needed respite from the school year’s tedious and sometimes stressful work.