Earlier this fall, I was forced to make a decision between missing Rosh Hashanah celebrations and missing a day of school. For Jewish people, Rosh Hashanah is one of the most important and holy days of the year. Unfortunately, since this day was not given off at Nobles, I had to decide whether to skip religious services, time with family, and other integral aspects of the holiday, or miss school and be forced to catch up on assignments. The drawbacks of either decision were enormous, but I ultimately decided to attend class and forgo celebrations so that I would not fall behind academically.
I and other Jewish students at Nobles are not alone in this experience. Many students from different religious and cultural backgrounds must also make this impossible choice for their respective holidays, during which school is in session. Adam Malima (Class II), a leader of the Nobles Muslim affinity space, said, “The main holiday we celebrate is Eid. When it lands on a school day, usually people don’t choose to skip [the holiday].” For some people, missing school to fully celebrate a holiday is the obvious decision, regardless of the extra work that is required to catch up. “The two major holidays that are not given off are Good Friday and Ash Wednesday. On Ash Wednesday, a lot of people feel the need to go super early or even miss the morning of school to go get their ashes,” Jack Santry (Class III), a leader of Credo, Nobles’s Catholic affinity group, said.
Other students opt to miss celebrations in order to stay on track with schoolwork. “The reality is that most of us are not able to take the time off because we know we will fall behind,” Rhea Shah (Class I), a member of the South Asian Affinity Group (SAAG) at Nobles, said. Weighing the tradeoffs of either decision, Shah determined that the most practical solution was, unfortunately, to skip celebrations. That said, she offers a potential solution to balancing Diwali and classes. Shah said, “There needs to be more awareness about the fact that there are students who are celebrating during the day and at night, and that needs to be reflected when it comes to tests, work, and expectations.”
An altered homework policy would be a step in the right direction and may be the best solution for certain holidays, depending on factors such as the population of students at Nobles who celebrate. Still, the ideal change would be to ensure that people do not have to choose between their customs and school. This requires more than a homework policy.
Given that Nobles is unable to add numerous additional off days to the schedule, the most pragmatic approach to maintain the correct number of days off while still accommodating student holiday celebrations would be to remove federal memorial days, such as Patriots’ and Presidents’ Day.
While there is no questioning that these federal holidays carry significant meaning and are invaluable for honoring United States veterans, presidents, and more, they are not celebrated by many students in the same way as religious holidays. While memorial days help remind people of important sacrifices and achievements, they are typically not observed with activities throughout the day that would impede a student’s ability to attend school. In fact, many students simply view these days off as long weekends and neglect their meaning as days of reflection and remembrance. The benefit of granting students a long weekend does not outweigh the downsides of forcing them to choose between their holiday customs and schoolwork. Furthermore, the decision to hold classes on Veterans’ Day demonstrates that Nobles is not opposed to having classes on federal holidays. This inconsistency suggests a degree of flexibility that could allow for changes in the holiday schedule.
It is important to intentionally select holidays that have a significant population of celebrants in the Nobles community. This would be conducive to the academic success of the community by ensuring that as many people as possible feel comfortable celebrating their holiday and do not fall behind in school. This spirit of inclusivity and understanding is at the heart of Nobles’ values, which is why this policy must be enacted to help students feel welcome at school and make the most of their Nobles journey.
