Staff Editorial

Last year, the FCPS calendar caused controversy when Dec. 23 was deemed a school day. This year, winter vacation starts on Christmas Eve once again.

The late start to the holiday season does not only drag out studies for students aching to relax and enjoy time off, it causes a real inconvenience for families that are traveling to vacation spots or to visit family.

Instead of ending the year on a weekend, classes go on for another three days, ending on an awkward and basically pointless half-day on  Dec. 23. Many students are either out of town or skip this day anyway.

Who wants to travel out of town to a family gathering to arrive on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Although leaving right after school is an option, it still leaves the inconvenience of hitting afternoon and evening traffic jams, as well as late-night arrival times. Christmas Eve should be spent enjoying stress-free holiday bonding time, not on the road, in the air or jet-lagged from an all-night flight.

In addition, students whose families opt to skip school before the break have to deal with the hassle of making up work, turning in assignments late or early and falling behind on new class material.

This is inconvenient for teachers as well, who often have to grade papers separately, make up new tests and re-teach information as a result.

Most teachers choose not to introduce new material due to the short class period, the long break in between the next class and because, quite frankly, teachers can’t wait to get off for the holidays, either.

By the time Dec. 23 rolls around, students are burned out, bummed out and anxious to sleep in and relax for the rest of the calendar year.

The last weekend before the vacation is one hill that not everyone makes it over. 

Anticipation results in apathy, and the “I-could-care-less-about-school” attitude takes over, resulting in more late-morning arrivals, in-class hibernation and homework left undone.

Neighboring counties don’t have this problem. For Loudoun, Prince William, Alexandria, Culpeper, Fauquier counties and the District of Columbia public schools, Dec. 23 is a full day off.

So what is the point of having school on the day before Christmas Eve? If students wanted to wake up at the crack of dawn to come to school and watch movies and color pictures of Rudolph and Frosty in every class, they could just as well do it at home in the company of loved ones and without the anxiety that comes with just wanting to get the heck out of here.