Long gone are the days of MTV Spring Break in Daytona Beach where students from around the country came down to enjoy a week-long party. However, that did not mean that local residents should stop safely enjoying themselves.
To illustrate, bikers stormed the coast and speedway for a week, a brand-new Buc-ee’s store opened, and restaurants are now allowed 100% capacity.
All DSC campus sites were closed during our week off, including the writing center. A peer-tutor there, Davrin van Wyk, described his time away from work as a routine that consisted of “Sleep, eating, laying on the couch, and then repeating.”
Indeed, this past spring break was one spent mostly indoors, but hopefully it will be the last as conditions are starting to improve.
For Dr. Ben Graydon, who serves as the chair of the Quanta-Honors program, he spent his time with his family and “went kayaking at Central Park, in Ormond Beach.”
Moreover, when asked if this year was any different for him, Graydon said, “This Spring Break wasn’t a whole lot different for me than in years past, as having kids in school keeps me close to home. Still, we likely would have taken a weekend trip to somewhere in Florida and opted not to do that this year for health/safety reasons.”
He went on to recommend a few pieces of advice for students on how students should have spent their free time before the second half of the semester began. “My recommendation to students: unplug, relax, and try to have some fun,” Graydon said. “The weather was terrific for most of the week, perfect for low-key, socially distanced activities.”
If a student feels like school is a struggle right now or can not find the right motivation to push through the semester, Graydon said that he would “encourage them to make time for conversations with their peers and professors. That might be harder than usual to do right now, but it’s still important.” He continued, “You probably won’t remember your GPA or the papers you wrote long after you graduate, but you will remember the people you had meaningful conversations with. Don’t waste your chance to build those relationships.”
A final tip that guarantees a healthy attitude comes from Davrin Van Wyk, a tutor at the DSC Writing Center. “Remember that expansive planner you bought at the beginning of the semester,” he said. “Go back and try to plan the rest of the semester with that.”
So, Spring Break may have been a bit of letdown compared to previous years of partying. However, as Graydon suggested, “A semester is a marathon, and resting up in the middle helps everyone get to the finish line.” Let’s go, Falcons!