Jillian Augustine, Reporter
@JillAugCourant
Most NCHS students will be spending their spring breaks hanging out with family and friends— maybe lounging by a hotel pool, going out to fancy dinners, or touring through hidden beach-front towns and shopping for trinkets in little gift shops.
However, junior Lyndsey Duane and sophomore Sammi Smith decide to take a different approach to those much needed ten days off in the middle of April. Lyndsey and Sammi will be spending their free time learning about the Caribbean coral reefs of the Grand Cayman Island.
The program will take the girls on various educational adventures, led by revered snorkeler Jean-Michel Cousteau out of the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. According to the program’s Ocean Future’s website, the Ambassadors of the Environment program, “takes advantage of the island’s gorgeous coral reefs, coastal mangroves, and inland habitats to give participants a well-rounded perspective on this tropical paradise.”
This year Sammi expects her trip to be slightly different from ones in the past. “Each year, the reefs change and evolve. I can’t wait to see how the underwater life has transformed,” she said.
Lyndsey is also looking forward to accompanying Sammi on this trip, and getting a better look into the aquatic world. “I am super excited to go to Grand Cayman,” she said. “It looks so beautiful and interesting, and I can’t wait to experience and learn about it for myself.”
Senior Charlotte and sophomore Lily Decker will also be spending their vacation time in a unique way, as their family will be flying down to the San Juan, Puerto Rico and working alongside other volunteers to serve a Sunday breakfast to the homeless and less fortunate locals. “I am really excited for the trip because not only is it a nice change of scenery, but we also get to help the people while we are there”, Lily said.
The Deckers got involved in this volunteer work while planning a typical spring vacation to the Caribbean. While charity work was not in the original plan, they came across an advertisement for the church asking for volunteers, and they were inspired to help. The Deckers have never been to this region of the Caribbean Islands before, let alone volunteered in a local church as a family, so it is a new experience for all of them.
“I think it’s a fun and productive way to be spending our days off,” Charlotte said, “I look forward to learning more about the people and the culture of Puerto Rico while also offering support.”
However, some students are not able to venture far from home, as they are held back by other commitments, namely: sports and school.
Sophomore and two-year varsity lacrosse player Braeden Dial has her spring vacation fully scheduled with practices and games. “Of the ten days of spring break, I have lacrosse on every day but two of them,” she said.
Her team has four games scheduled, the biggest of which are against Greenwich and Middle Country, and two to three hour practices in between.
Despite not being able to lounge on a beach somewhere warm and get a tan, Braeden is excited to stay home and keep the eye goggles on and lacrosse stick in motion. “While it is a big commitment and can be hard at points, I look forward to spending my free time this break working on a sport that I’m passionate about with a great team.”
Junior Kimmie Dyrvik will also be spending her break productively, but on the college tours. Kimmie has plans to travel south to the North Carolina and Virginia area to visit schools. “Visiting colleges obviously isn’t the most fun thing to do, but since I do a sport I can’t go on vacation anyway, so it’s not the worst way to spend my time,” she said.
However, just because Kimmie and Braeden aren’t snorkeling the reefs of the Caribbean Sea or mingling with the locals of Puerto Rico doesn’t mean that their vacations don’t have upsides. “I’m excited to get to really see the colleges and what college life is like,” Kimmie said.
Braeden elaborated on the perks of her vacation as well, “I’m pumped that I get the chance to stay physically active this break.”
As Sammi, Lyndsey, the Deckers, Braeden, and Kimmie all pointed out: no matter how you are spending your break, whether it’s an exciting adventure, a trip of service, playing a sport, or visiting some schools, there’s always something to look forward to, Have a great spring break NCHS!
