On October 29 students hit snooze on the alarm, while teachers got up for the day. 

Elementary, fifth and sixth grades use this day to host parent-teacher conferences, while high schools, seventh and eighth grade use these days to meet with other teachers, gather departments, and speak with the whole faculty. 

At NAHS teachers discussed grading practices and went over upcoming testing details as a full faculty. With their departments, teachers continued the grading discussion and worked on curriculum. 

Spanish teacher and World Language Department Coach Melissa Badger says she spent her additional time working on lesson plans. 

“The goal is to improve instruction and increase student learning,” said Badger. 

Elsewhere, students had a day off.  Sophomore Kylie Mumaw says that she takes the time to take care of herself and prioritize her mental health. 

“Coming back [to school] after going two weeks with doing little to no school work is so hard especially on your stress levels,” Mumaw said. “ You’re going from 0 to 100 really quick. I know that having that one day off can really help us gain the energy that we need to keep going.” 

Just a few days before, on October 26, more than half of the school was testing. Sophomores, juniors and some freshmen took the PSAT, while some seniors took the ASVAB.

“I would also like to add that breaks are okay,” Mumaw said. “When life gets so crazy it’s okay to take a break and a step back. Of course, you still do your best, but sometimes it takes a break to be able to do your very best.” 

As the early college application deadline approached,November 1, many seniors used the day off to work on applications. 

Senior Megan Meadows said she relaxed a little, but she caught up on all of her work. 

“A lot of college applications are due very soon, so this day off really helps to take the pressure of homework off of me,” Meadows said. 

“Even though we have just come back from break, I have already accumulated homework, projects, and applications that I have to get finished,” Meadows said. “Because of this really busy week, I appreciate having a whole day to be able to get caught up on this and sleep.” 

“I will get myself on track for a bit of peace of mind,” said Meadows.