Winter break is great. It’s two whole weeks of taking life at your own pace, seeing friends and family, celebrating the holidays, maybe going on a vacation, or even just catching up on that much needed (and deserved) beauty sleep. It’s Heaven, but not forever.

This is your quick and friendly reminder of all the things you should get done during break (better to plan ahead, right?):

1: Get Your Homework Done

Here at Whitney M. Young High School where “Academic Excellence Is Standard”, it is more than likely that the majority of students will have some kind of homework to complete over break. If you’re anything like me, you were probably reminded this past Thanksgiving break that it’s better to not leave work to the last minute. The sooner you get it out of the way, the sooner you don’t have to worry about it anymore. Let’s keep those GPAs up!

2: Do Something Nice For Your Family

This past week I’ve seen a couple memes floating around, joking about how students are upset they can’t buy their loved ones the gifts they deserve. There’s no need to feel bad, no one is expecting a minor to be Santa Claus. If you can’t afford a gift, it’s best to do something that shows you care (some ideas are cleaning up the yard or a room the house that is usually dirty, doing their chores for the break, or sending a funny/heartfelt note everyday) because at the end of the day, we all just want to know we’re loved.

3: Start That Personal Project

Whitney Young students are passionate go-getters that always have an idea sitting around about something really great they wish they could do. What better time to begin than two whole weeks off from school? Find a new extra curricular (After School Matters is already accepting applications for the spring semester!), make plans for your productive Summer (the best jobs/activities go early and fast, start looking now!), or make something (an important thing to keep in mind especially if you consider yourself a future engineer, artist, business major, etc.)!

4: Help The People In Need

We are very fortunate to be a part of the Whitney Young community, we always have opportunities at our fingertips. Some people are not as fortunate. At some point during this holiday season, it would be great if everyone could do something with their friends or family to help the needy. For example, every year my family and I help serve a holiday dinner to the homeless through our church.

5: Get Ready For College (you don’t have to be a senior/junior for this to apply to you):

Seniors are obviously worried about their applications for college and scholarships. If you haven’t started, do it now!

Juniors, now is a great time to start planning where you want to go. Lining schools up based on the scores you’re receiving and the grades you’ve gotten. Start thinking about how many activities you’ve completed and what you can write your essays about. Also, make sure to stay on the good side with your teachers this year, you’ll probably want at least one of them to write you a letter of recommendation next year.

Sophomores and Freshman should think about what activities they like to do/can do, what kinds of clubs they should start/join, and how this could maybe be turned into a future career.