T he L og thelog@taboracademy.org
Tabor Academy’s Student Newspaper Volume 93, Number 4
January 2019
Why was break so late this year? Later departure, later return, same number of days by Ben Ackerman Gary Chen and Mr. DaSilva loading up the bus that will go to Logan on December 20. Photo courtesy Tracy Fang
At first glance of this year’s academic calendar, many students have been confused to see that Winter Break did not commence until later than they are accustomed. This year, classes finished on December 20, while last year, they ended on December 15. While it was a bit surprising to see the break start later than in years past, on closer examination, students did not return to class until January 7, five days later than the usual. The truth is that the break’s overall length, 18 days, remains unchanged. So, why the shift? According to Mrs. Salit, Tabor’s Associate Head for Faculty and School Affairs, the scheduling of Winter Break is decided by two variables: the day of the week that both Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on, and suggestions from the Calendar Group. The placement of Christmas and New Year’s Day in the week is pivotal. The primary purpose of the Winter Break schedule is to relax, recharge, and return to school on a “meaningful note.” Most would agree that the value of the return week correlates directly with the length of that week, because a longer week allows students to settle in and refocus on academics. Last year, as Christmas and New Year’s Day fell on a Monday, the break began on Friday, December 15, 2017, and ran through January 2. This allowed the school to conduct a meaningful, albeit shortened, three-day return week of class. However, the same format would not work this year. If we had returned on Wednesday, January 2, classes would have begun on Thursday with only two academic days before the weekend. Therefore, from the concern of efficiency, it made more sense to return on January 7, enabling students to begin the academic week upon return after a weekend of rest. The concept of a “meaningful return week,” in relation to the date of New Year’s Day, was the central issue that the Calendar Group considered.
The Calendar Group consists of senior administrators, administrative assistants from all offices across the campus, and faculty, including Mrs. Salit, who meet to provide feedback on prior schedules, and to consider options for each upcoming academic year. This year, the group weighed the two potential end points for the break, January 2 and January 7. The seventh had greater appeal to the group for academic, cultural, travel and even financial reasons. Mrs. Salit explained that “it is more expensive
Please recycle this paper.
Clubs on p. 2 Featured Artist on p. 4
for students traveling by air to come back on the second versus the seventh” because flight costs decrease the farther the return date is from the holidays. She also added that members of the community “felt rushed” last year, as we returned almost immediately after the New Year’s Day. The group felt as though pushing the return date back allowed Tabor families to enjoy the break without an imminent return to academia looming. Overall, there are clear benefits to the 2018-19 winter break schedule. It provided an ideal relaxation period after a busy holiday season. It did not impact on athletics, because several, although not all, ISL schools took the same approach as Tabor. After considering feedback from last year’s schedule and the placement of New Year’s Day, this year’s schedule will act as a test run for schedules in years to come.