he sun is shining brightly and the rays warm your body as you lay out on a brightly colored towel. People are laughing and sipping lemonade on the warm yellow sand as the waves roll beside you.  Spring break is coming around and this is where students let loose for a week of freedom. Spring break is normally known as a party week, where college kids forget all the stress and go out and party, but high school spring break is a little different.

When we were younger, it seemed that spring break was a 24/7 party. At least that’s what was showcased on every channel. 20-year-old kids partying, drinking, and having the “time of their lives” is what high school students grew up on. As kids grow older all the mentions of “parting” were strictly forbidden by our parents, which normally landed us to the question: What are we going to do during break now?

Even though the expectation of spring break and the limitations that come with it sticks with us, we have to find affordable and fun ways to waste time during the break.

Many of the students spend their time working so they can make some extra cash during this time.

Sophomore Rylan Baxter said, “I will be working for our cattle company, working on my truck, and going to a bull sale…hopefully getting a Schuler composite bull.”

Some students like to spend their spring break traveling around with their family and seeing parts of the world together.

Sophomore Ben Hellem said, “Some places that I’ve been during cruises include St. Martin, St. Thomas, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Princess Cays, and the Bahamas.”

Some students like to skip the beach and stay with friends and family, and activities in Colorado can include hiking, hammocking in the mountains or even going skateboarding with some friends.  Sophomore Corey Hafer adds, “I like to skate with my friends.”

If students aren’t really interested in nature-focused activities, there are other alternatives such as mini-golfing, bowling, movies and much more. These alternatives allow for a fun day without too much costs as well as being weather-proof.

Spring break isn’t always about partying and letting loose; sometimes it’s just about spending time with loved ones. Either you’re spending break here working on a ranch or going on an extravagant cruise, each spring break is what you make of it.

Hellem said, “Spring breaks potential is up to the student, it can be as fun as you make it be.”

The most important part about spring break is that there is finally freedom from school and for seven days you can forget about everything, its kinda like a condensed summer. For Air Academy students spring break is coming up on March 20th. In about three weeks sun chairs will come out and smiles will be put on.