Sitting around a wooden table, laughing with rarely-seen relatives, indulging in warm, gooey mashed potatoes or thick slices of apple pie. The holiday season is more than just a break from school: it’s a treasured tradition centered around connecting with those who matter most. Currently, the Tigard-Tualatin School District only gives the student body a three-day Thanksgiving break. To better support students and their families, Tualatin High School should extend it to a full week. Doing so would allow more students to spend time with their families and would promote academic success for all.

A longer holiday will give students more time with their loved ones. For many classmates, the short break makes reconnecting with distant family virtually impossible. For those whose relatives live far away or out of state, it’s unrealistic to travel for only a few days, especially as air fares continue to rise. Airplane tickets in the United States are up 17 percent compared to a year ago, meaning a round trip for a family of four could cost hundreds – if not thousands – of dollars. A vacation priced at that much isn’t worthwhile for many if it only lasts a long weekend. An extended holiday would result in more students being able to spend meaningful time with their families.

A week-long Thanksgiving break would also support students academically. As previously mentioned, many students have family out of state. The established inequity of holiday vacations may lead many families, including my own, to pull their student out of school for a few days to make the trip financially viable. Missing school isn’t good for anybody in the long run. It causes students to miss tests and assignments that they may struggle to make up, and lesson planning around the holidays is consequently difficult for teachers. In an Average Daily Participation brief done across 15 Oregon Elementary schools, it was found that there were 19 students missing school per day in the month of November. A longer, structured break could significantly reduce these absences, which would benefit everyone – students and teachers alike.

For these reasons, Tualatin High School should extend Thanksgiving break to a full week. A longer holiday will strengthen family connections, make travel more reasonable and create a better academic experience for students and staff. By adjusting the school calendar slightly, the district can solve a multitude of problems and ensure a productive holiday season for everyone.