Jeffreys Bay Christmas House

Jeffreys Bay Christmas House

By Kabrea Tyler, The Whetstone

Senior Claudette Richards thinks home is where the heart is during the holiday breaks.

“Holiday breaks are meant to be surrounded by friends and family,” she said.

Students are completing assignments every day of week, so holidays are a time for them to unwind.

“It’s a time for me to close my books, and relax,” Richards said. “I’d rather go home and sleep in my own bed and not having to think about assignments.”

“I go home mainly to get away from the stressful environment, going home always felt like a vacation from school,” sophomore Jordan Dillard said.

For some, the reason for going home during the breaks is pretty obvious.

“I love going home because I miss my family,” senior Elvie Domond said. “That is the time when I can see everyone and we all get to reconnect.”

Most students get to go home during the holiday breaks with no hesitation, but for others it isn’t so easy.

For basketball player Tyrone Craven, staying on campus is the only choice.

“The main reason I stay on campus over the holidays is because of basketball,” he said. “We usually have practice, we might get a couple of days off depending on when the holiday is but we usually stay on campus.”

Craven misses going home, “but being here can be fun sometimes too,” he said.

Dillard also stays, briefly, during break.

“Playing sports affect the amount of times I get to go home,” he said. “During the holidays I have to stay on campus an extra day. But that’s just what comes with being an athlete and my family understands that.”

Football player Tavion Henson gets a little homesick.

“I get homesick fast, so even though we get to get home for one or two days, I feel free. It’s not so bad though when I get to come back to school and live under my own rules.”

While some students stay on campus during the holiday break because of sports, others choose to stay in Dover.

Having your own place around this time has it perks, senior Zaire Scott said.

“I don’t go home because I have my own apartment and I pay bills so there is no point,” he said. “Plus holidays aren’t the same anymore therefore sometimes I would visit my family for a day or two.”

Senior Brian Pantaleon, who grew up in Stamford, Conn., stays for safety.

“I stay in Dover over the breaks because of the violence that goes on back home and not wanting to be involved in it,” he said. “Delaware moves at a much slower pace which is relaxing for a city kid.”

People who have been here longer say there are many reasons students choose to stay during breaks.

“These range from athletic commitments and working in the surrounding area. Others stay to fulfill academic requirements,” residence life Laura Blazewicz said.

If choosing to go home, holiday breaks are about family and friends and getting to reunite with them.

“I would say catching up with family members around the dinner table is what I look forward to the most,” Richards said.