Ranging from adjacent counties to different continents, students traveled the globe to break away from daily stress and fulfill a more relaxing experience over October Break.
Surf’s up. Freshman Connor Mowatt-Larssen visited Santa Cruz and Capitola to surf because the beaches featured bigger and better waves than did Carmel Beach.
Look how tall you are. Sophomore Carley Wendt traveled to Santa Rosa to visit with family friends whom she had not seen in years. She claims that the trip allowed her to reconnect with both her friends and family.
“My favorite part of the trip was hanging out with our friends and catching up with my family,” Wendt says.
The beach is that way. Freshman Annalise Krueger also vacationed in other parts of California, visiting Newport Beach, Glendora, and Santa Barbara, respectively. She mentions that she experienced a wide variety of activities, from volleyball to paddle boarding.
While in Paris, Oceanna Hain modeled for a bridal company. Here she wears a bridal gown front of the Eiffel Tower.
“We chose to go to Southern California because a lot of our friends live down there and the waves are good!” Krueger exclaims.
Come on in, the water’s fine. Freshman Caroline Ganos spent a few days over the break relaxing in Reno, Nev. Much of the vacation was spent traveling, Ganos comments, but she also spent a day swimming and driving around Lake Tahoe.
“It was nice to not have to be thinking about anything and just have some of my own time,” Ganos recalls.
Bon Voyage. Junior Leonardo Gonzalez-Smith took an exotic cruise to Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. There he snorkeled and zip-lined.
“My parents wanted to try something new because we have never been on a cruise before,” Gonzalez-Smith explains.
The city of love. Senior Oceanna Hain traveled perhaps the furthest, vacationing in both Paris and Italy.
“As my 18th birthday present and as our last family trip together before I leave next year, [my mom] wanted to take me to two of her favorite European cities,” Hain says.
In France, she visited multiple modern art museums and climbed to the second level of the Eiffel Tower. While in France, Hain was offered a modeling job by a bridal company, which she accepted. After a long train ride and some train hopping, she arrived in Italy, where she did some sight-seeing with her mother.
Many students agree that October Break is a perfect opportunity to relieve stress from the first quarter.
“Even though it has only been one quarter of the school year, I think school can easily get overwhelming, especially for juniors, so it is always nice to have a break,” Ganos argues.
Hain adds, “I think I would have gone insane without a break.”
Clearly, October Break is a much-appreciated refuge from school. As students have proved, a mere week holds true value as an opportunity to both relax and venture out into the world.
-Melissa Pavloff
