Many agree that after a tough first semester it would be nice to have a short term that offers non-traditional classes that could challenge students in different ways.Many students around The Bolles School San Jose Campus support the idea of having a Winter Term. This term would be two weeks long, in between first and second semester, and would offer non-traditional classes like meditation, yoga, culinary classes, and woodshop.

By giving students the opportunities to experiment with classes they would normally not take, the “Winter Term” would enable students to discover new qualities about themselves.

Junior and rower Sai Kancha (’17) believes that “In today’s society, we are forced to conform to the society’s expectations, so if we have this winter term I feel that we will be able to learn more about ourselves and our special talents, more of who we really are.”

The concept of the “Winter Term” has been extremely popular among students. “A term like that would be amazing. I definitely support it. I feel like it could take a lot of stress off students. If we were able to work with wood, or meditate I would really appreciate it.” said Ben Sievert (‘18).

Justin Wolter (‘17) agrees with Sievert “these recreational activities would be very useful in providing an escape from the everyday toil of academic stress.”

The teachers around campus also support the Winter Term. Janice Fluegel says “I would enthusiastically support it! When I was in college we had a ‘minimester’ where we learned all different things. I learned how to sail, and it goes along with what education is about.”

“Currently in school, we are given assignments that determine where we place academically, but instead not everybody lies in the academic world. Some people have other strengths, and the winter term could help one discover them,” said Kancha.