Pittsburgh-area students preparing to return to class following winter break
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- With the holiday winding down, thousands of kids in the Pittsburgh region will return to school on Thursday.
It's the calm before the storm.
On Thursday, many school parking lots will be bustling with students getting off busses and being dropped off by parents, whether ready or not.
Returning to school after the holiday break is tough.
Going from all the downtime in the world to your typically busy schedule lacks the excitement of the beginning of the school year in the fall.
Following festive activities, extended family time, and flexible schedules, many kids are reluctant to return to school's structure.
"A lot of school work is going to start back up and tests and everything," said Canon-McMillan High School student Alanna Bevan.
"[I have to] wake up early again and then I [have to] work after. It just kind of sucks because I'm just tired all the time," fellow Cannon-Mac student Mickey Banas said.
When the second back-to-school rolls around in January, everyone is sluggish. Now, kids have unwanted alarms getting them out of their beds on cold, dark winter mornings.
"I think they should give us until next week to go back to school because I think it's kind of bad we have to go back on a Thursday and Friday when it's just two days," said Sydney Smith, a North Hills High School student.
"It was just the new year yesterday, and I feel like I need to adjust still. A lot," said Anna Kroll, another North Hills High School student.
With the winter break behind them, these students say they're already looking forward to the next much-needed rest from academic pressure, which comes in the spring.
Some have even started a countdown.
"We get spring break off. I'm excited for that. Got [the days] marked down on my calendar," Bevan added.
Not everyone is sad about going back to school.
One little girl KDKA-TV spoke with couldn't contain her excitement because she loves school and her teacher.
