February break, formally known as Presidents’ Week or ski week, falls on President’s Day and extends for the whole week. Many students took the recent time off to travel, relax, and take a break from school.
The break stands alone in between winter break and spring break, offering students a timely period of rest after a hectic first semester. Because it’s a tradition that is almost exclusive to the West Coast, many families also take time off to spend the time together.
“I went up to Sonoma with my family so that my mom could go to a winery she wanted to try,” sophomore Leila Sawicki said. “I also took the time off to celebrate a friend’s birthday,”
Presidents’ Day is celebrated on George Washington’s birthday Feb. 17, and is a federal holiday that is celebrated with the closure of schools, the stock market, and all government offices. Rather than just the remembrance of Washington, the holiday now encompasses the celebration of all presidents of the United States.
Presidents’ Day occurs during peak ski season, so many San Francisco families take the week to go up to Tahoe and other snowy places to take advantage of the optimal conditions. Popular ski resorts in Tahoe include Palisades and Heavenly Mountain.
“I usually ski at North Star during ski week but this year I went to the east coast to see family,” sophomore Alexandra Herrmann said. “I saw a lot of snow and did some sledding with my brother,”
Some students and faculty also attended its annual Cor Unum service trip to the Philippines during this February break. They traveled to Sophie’s Farm and spent multiple days travelling in between cities and experiencing local traditions.
“It was so much fun and I learned so many new things,” sophomore Sabrina Chua said. “There were many eye-opening experiences seeing different parts of the Philippines and we were very immersed in the culture,”
In the Bay Area, not all schools recognize ski week, including public schools. Most of the schools that get time off are private, independent schools that add days to the end of their school year to accommodate for the breaks.
There has recently been debate over whether or not ski week is a sign of the wealth gap in San Francisco because it is only available in wealthy private schools. In addition to many other economical issues plaguing the city, ski week seems trivial to some parents and adults, according to SkiTalk.
“While ski week, a colloquial term for our February break, is termed and can be interpreted for a particularly expensive sport, it is just a break that our students take this time of year,” student life chair Michael Buckley said. “SFUSD just takes their time off at different times we do,”
Nonetheless, ski week is a beloved break to many who take it as an opportunity to recuperate and get ready for the last half of the school year.
“I enjoy ski week because it’s placed right before what I consider the hardest stretch of the school year,” Sawicki said. “It allows me to take a break before heading into that period.”
