Students work hard there is no arguing that. They have schoolwork, homework, extracurricular and maybe work, all these things make a students life stressful so it is important that they get a break every once in a while. I believe that students should get a long summer break, instead of a year-round school year, because, firstly, there are other activities that can be done during the summer that keep students minds active, secondly their health is at risk and lastly, summer break is beneficial to school staff as well.  From time to time, people need to get a break from their day-today life they need to take a moment to relax and enjoy their life and maybe discover an interest that they may have. Although school is important and necessary for success later on in life, so are outside experiences that can contribute to the development of a student's 'real life skills'. During summer break there are multiple activities that can be done in order to keep a student's mind active, whether it may be sports, summer camps, summer jobs etc. All these activities allow for their minds and bodies to stay active. Eventhough, they are not keeping their brains engaged in terms of school work and studying they are exposing themselves to new activities that might require them to think critically, open-mindedly and collaboratively; which I feel is essential for real life. For example, a student might be at summer camp and they are put in a group with four strangers and are given a challenging task that requires them to collaborate with the other member of the group, critically analyzing the situation and coming up with solutions and be open-minded to listening and trying to understand the perspectives of their peers. This also reflects their environment in school therefore, it can be said that they are keeping their minds active while outside of school.  Although, not all students might be involved in activities outside of school, some are taking a break from the stress of life itself. Due to all the demands in their life during the school year summer break is a good way to take a breather and take care of themselves mentally. Depression has been very common in teenagers in recent years, and although it may not be entirely due to the stress of school, school does contribute to the detirriation of their mental health. In addition, over-working ones self has negative impacts overall whether they are depressed or not. Too much stress in ones life can have negative effects on their health overall. High blood pressure, hypertension, severe weight loss are a few examples of the effects stress. Furthermore, when stressed our body releases a neurotransmitter called Cortisol, this neurotransmitter in excess can impair a persons thinking and reaction time; which is very important for students as they are required to think in order to complete school work and homework, therefore, if they dont take breaks their grades are probably going to drop due to their inability to think effectively, further contributing to their detirriating mental health.  Lastly, summer break is and essential time for everyone that is involved in schools, such as teachers, administrators, councilors etc. Although schools are intended to educate students, its the school staff that make this possible. This is why we need to give our school staff a break because all the points I stated above also applies to them. I