February break starts this afternoon, and this is one of the most controversial breaks of the year. The break is too short for students to travel to faraway homes, but too long to stay on campus, so people look for alternative ways to enjoy their break. Lots of people plan to rest over the break, while the Utah Ski LEAP will be skiing in Utah.
Will Carou Jones ’27 will be racing in Mittersill and Proctor and staying at Northwood while he is not racing. He may be going home to New York City. He will only have a three-day break from school and skiing. “I am excited to be able to race while not worrying about missing school, but I wish I had a little more time to enjoy my break and make going home more worthwhile. If I end up staying at Northwood after racing, I will spend time with my day-student friends and go into town to eat. If I go home, I will see hometown friends and spend some time with my family,” Carou Jones said.
Theodore Ghanime ’26 is going to Northwood’s Utah LEAP this year. They left on February 4th and will return on the 13th, so he will be there over some of break. He is looking forward to the park at Park City Mountain and the powder at the other mountains they will ski at. He said, “I have never been to Utah, so I am excited about this new experience. I am hoping Park City has features that will help me hit the park. I am happy to be doing this over the break because if not, I would just be going back home, which would be boring.” The Utah LEAP group held an avalanche training day before they left to ensure they were safe in the unlikely event of an avalanche.
Ethan Nau ’26 will be staying with his varsity hockey friends at Ray Peters’s ’27 house in Thousand Islands, New York. They are planning to have a peaceful break and relax. Since the break was not long, Ethan had to choose between staying at Ray’s house and going back to New Jersey. He wanted to be with his friends for one of his last breaks of senior year, so he chose to go to Ray’s house. Ethan said, “It is hard not to go home because my next break is not until late March, but I would rather just be with my friends from my team and enjoy my time with them. I would have to drive about 6 hours to go home, and Ray’s house is only 90 minutes away. We plan to take it easy over break and hang out with some of Ray’s hometown friends,” Nau added.
Carter Jackson, 26, is staying at school all break because he lives in Arizona, so traveling is not worth it. He hopes there are fun things to do in town and plans to get food, go to the movies, and sleep in. He said, “I unfortunately cannot go home, but at least I do not have to travel, so I will be well-rested once the break is over. I do not think I will wake up before 10:00 AM over the break, so I will enjoy sleeping in. A lot of my friends are also staying on campus over the break, so I will be able to spend time with them playing cards and going into town.”
