March Intensive or Spring Break?

Every March, Hanover High School takes a week off to explore and try new hands-on activities that are not available in the regular school week. March Intensive is seen as a spring break for some, but in reality it is a great opportunity to expand your horizons and try new things. The March Intensives range from reading intensives to learning to play hockey to hiking in Spain. March Intensive provides a great opportunity for out-of-the-box and hands on learning but not everyone takes advantage of the special week.

Before this year’s March Intensive week, I interviewed people about what this week meant to them, and I did not get the reactions I anticipated. I interviewed one person who did not want to be named, and she said, “I hate March Intensive and I am not even doing it this year.” This became a common occurrence once I really started interviewing people; I interviewed several more people from different grades and most of them said similar things: they didn’t like March Intensive. This year March Intensive offered twelve different travel courses and as I started talking to juniors and seniors, the opinion changed. The travel intensives are exactly what people want to be a part of and this is really where March Intensive becomes special.

Even though March Intensive becomes  more mundane each year for some Hanover students, it is a special week. I have spoken with several students from other high schools and I hear the same thing over and over. Every student I spoke with said they wish they had a week where life changing experiences were available as a part of school. One person I talked to really exemplified the true spirit and meaning of March Intensive. I spoke with senior, Dom Linehan who was on the Nicaragua trip and he said “I couldn’t have asked for a better march intensive, it truly was a life changing experience.” Even though a small sample size of people opposed March Intensive, it really is a life changing experience and it is a very special week for the Hanover High School community.