A holiday from books, but not from boredom

You might have heard it in recent days -- a collective sigh or snore from bored school kids with yet another day of free time to fill during winter break.

Maybe they'll head to the beach or mall. Or maybe they'll simply stay in bed and imitate Rip Van Winkle, getting up only to change a video game.

"Yeah, I'm getting bored. There's nothing to do around here," said Andrea Roberts, 14, a Calvary Christian Academy eighth-grader, as she left an Ormond Beach park. "I'm looking forward to going back to school."

But Zeke Lemos, a 15-year-old Seabreeze High School freshman, is in no rush to break out the books again.

"No, I'm good with this," he said of this year's almost three-week break, longer than usual by two days. "I've been sleeping in, catching up on my Z's and playing basketball."

Public school calendars are set two years in advance and shaped by many factors, including the mandate of 180 days of instruction, said Nancy Wait, Volusia County's school district spokeswoman. Because no inclement weather days were needed during hurricane season, she said Tuesday was tacked on to the end of winter break.

So, Volusia students return to school Wednesday. In Flagler, classes will start again Thursday.

As for other mini-breaks, Wait said some calendar juggling occurred this year to ensure a full week would be available in the spring for state mandated end-of-course exams. So April 30 also was added as a student holiday to break up the period between spring break and the end of the school year.

But that's then, and this is now -- winter break 2011/2012.

Van Truong, a Spruce Creek High School junior, said being able to drive a car this year opened up many options that lessened the tedium. One of the highlights was a replica of da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa painting she made of seaweed on the beach with a friend. The beach has been almost a daily stop during the break, offering a place for reflection and relaxation.

And artistic inspiration and expression for the young artist.

"Most people see seaweed as hideous. I wanted to make it enjoyable," she said. "The idea came completely out of the blue."

So she called up a copy of the painting on her iPhone and went to work with a friend. An hour later, people were stopping and gawking at the temporary piece of art.

"People were pretty amazed," she said. "One couple from Ohio told me they'd never seen so much seaweed."

There were no encores, given the incoming seaweed diminished in the days that followed.

"I do look forward to going back and finishing my junior year," Van said. "But at the same time, I wish there was more time off. But of course, it's a break for the kids, not the adults."

Rod MacIntyre, a Daytona Beach dentist and father of four, knows that long winter and summer breaks can impact a family's routine, especially when both parents work.

His oldest daughter is grown and his two sons attend Father Lopez Catholic High School, where one is a senior and the other is a freshman. They can be left on their own, unlike his 11-year-old daughter.

"Luckily, we can shuttle her between grandparents," MacIntyre said. "Otherwise, she'd have to come to work with us."

Hogan, his youngest son, said he's been spending a lot of time at home, watching TV or playing outside.

"I'm looking forward to going back to school," he said of the private school that reopens Tuesday. "There's nothing to do around the house."

But some high-school students are appreciative of the long break, and the additional hours and money that it brings during the holidays.

Sarah Liebman, a Seabreeze High School senior, works as a cashier at a Winn-Dixie grocery store in Ormond Beach.

"It's not too long. It's never too long. It's not taking away from anything," she said of the extended vacation this year. "I get most of my hours during the break."

In addition, Sarah said she was able to catch up on sleep and hang out with friends, especially Sophia Maia, 17, who visited for a few days from Rockville, Md.