As the weather gets warmer, teenagers start heading over to beaches and amusement parks to have a fun time. With the beginning of spring comes an end to the depressing winter season, and seniors especially look forward to relieving stress during spring break. As Bronx Science students make their final decisions for college, they make plans with family and friends to spend as much time with them as possible before the end of the school year.

Senior Abdelkader Achibat ’19 packed his bags and went on a solo trip to Paris. Achibat has experience travelling alone, having visited Morocco and Spain by himself before. He left on April 16th and explored the beautiful city for ten days. He planned ahead and found extremely affordable plane tickets through the travel agency CheapOair. For his living arrangements, he stayed with his cousin, who studies at Sorbonne University in Paris. Achibat had a few attractions in mind that he wanted to see on his visit, such as Louvre Museum, Musée d’Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, and, of course, the Eiffel Tower. He also visited historical sites and landmarks such as the Latin Quarter, Jewish Quarter, Montmartre, and Belleville. With some extra time on his hands, he planned to take a day trip to Brussels, Belgium or to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In Belgium, he wanted to view Flemish architecture and do a chocolate-tasting tour.

“I loved my trip to Maryland with my friends, and I will always remember my walks on the boardwalk at night and the feeling of the fresh breeze at the shore,” said Tasneem Shoubir ’19.

Tasfia Tasnim ’19 waited for months for her chance to go to Canada with her friends. They stayed in Old Montreal and they rented an Airbnb that has six rooms. Old Montreal is very photogenic, with countless cute shops and cafes for tourists. There are also many museums, the Gothic Revival Church, and Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica. Tasnim and her friends visited the Biosphere Environmental Museum and hiked the Mont Royal. They also went to the underground mall, where there are a lot of thrift stores. Tasnim even got to taste the famous bagels and beavertails, delicious pastries shaped like beaver tails. The group also went boating in the Old Port and visited McGill University, because it hosted a lot of music performances.

Many students are looking for a change of scenery, and are even joining friends from outside of Bronx Science on their spring break plans. Tasneem Shoubir ’19 is one of many who made plans with friends from another high school. They headed over to Ocean City, Maryland, where they stayed at a beachfront hotel, which was a nice break from New York City’s gloomy weather. Shoubir was excited to walk on the boardwalk at night and enjoy the fresh breeze at the shore. She and her friends planned many fun activities nearby as well, such as kayaking and going to an amusement park. There are also small museums nearby and lighthouses they visited.

So it was no surprise that the hallways of Bronx Science had been filled with the murmurs of hundreds of students talking about their spring break plans. Students waited impatiently for the bell to ring at the end of the day before break.  The students’ excitement for their spring break plans was palpable in their cheerful buzz.