2016 Winter Break

By:  Saadia Akhtar

Western Kentucky University offers a three week period in the month of January in which students are given the option of taking a class. However, Gatton requires all of its students to do something during this period, as high schoolers regularly just have a two week winter break, not five. Gatton provides funding for winter term, which can be used during winter term or during the summer in between junior and senior year to help pay for the Harlaxton study abroad program. Academy students are allowed to take classes on campus (and stay at Gatton), take an online class from home, do a service project to get volunteer hours, or study abroad.

This year, Gatton offered two study abroad opportunities- Costa Rica and Italy. Costa Rica is a fun option for those interested in Biology, as the trip is a research course that is held in the forests of Costa Rica. Italy has no credit-bearing option and allows students to have a nice and relaxing time to explore sites such as the Coliseum and Galleria dell’Accademia.

Winter term is a good opportunity for students to fulfill a class requirement (like U.S. History), get service hours that Gatton requires (to graduate with honors), or expand their horizons through traveling.