April 5, 2024, marked the beginning of spring break for the Petaluma City Schools District. Despite having a week off in February as a result of the “emergency school closure make-up days,” the kids of Petaluma have been waiting for this recent week-long break for a while. With the weather warming up and the sun coming out, many people had plans to hang out with friends and families, both at and away from home.
Senior Jacob Quintua stated he was going to use the break to, “Train to wrestle Freestyle and Greco in the off-season!” Wrestling is an intense sport that high school offers during the winter season, yet goes year-round with clubs and “off-season” tournaments. Though Folkstyle is used during the school season, all of Folkstyle, Freestyle, and Greco are used during club season. Many others, including Jacob’s brother, Caleb Quintua (Casa Sophomore), Bella Woldemar (Casa Freshman), and Keira Jones (Petaluma Sophomore) also put in the work over the break to get better at their sport.
An incoming Freshman, Arielle Zeidler, had many plans, some similar to Quintua’s. “I had two wrestling tournaments, I had to go camping, and I promised three people I would go with them to Six Flags on different days. That’s like three times in a week.” Other people had busy weeks as well, consisting of pre-set plans to conquer, and other ideas to make do with as well. Whether students had fun or ‘boring’ plans for the week, they were thankful not to have to accommodate school right in the middle.
Senior Noah Padecky, prior to the break, said, “I’m just gonna hang out with friends and catch up on sleep.” Many students, and likely school faculty too, used the week to catch up on missed sleep. Classes take up nearly seven hours for students per day, and possible sports or zero periods only add to that duration. This long schedule can cram homework and other obligations into time meant for sleep or relaxation. Aside from sleeping, many people also spent their break walking around downtown, driving, or just generally having fun with their friends.
Joe Demo, a Casa Grande Sophomore, said he was going to, “Go to the baseball game with my family, hang out with my girlfriend, hang out with friends, have sleepovers, and play Xbox.” Many ball games were played over the break, which was great for some and worse for others. However, despite the outcome, the thrill and excitement of watching a baseball game in person can be exhilarating. Hanging out with partners and friends is also an exciting time. Comparatively, video games are also a good way to pass the time while waiting for more plans to arise, or simply trying to fall asleep.
Many kids in Petaluma had different plans over break, with some having similar experiences and others doing things nobody else would have even thought of. However, everyone was grateful to get the week off to relax before jumping back in for the last couple months of school. As AP testing and final exams are coming with the end of the semester, taking a small break beforehand was a good way for students to slow things down for the last few weeks of the 2023-2024 school year.
