By Peyton Phelan, staff writer

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest events in American sports and one of the most-watched television events in the United States with millions of viewers tuning in to watch the game, the halftime show, and even the commercials. The excitement and revelry around the Super Bowl begins days before the big event and doesn’t end that Sunday evening, either. Although many students argue that we should not have school on the Monday following the Super Bowl, there is a quiet minority who offer a different perspective.

One student (who asked to remain anonymous) commented, “I don’t understand the argument that students are stressed about having homework that would get in the way of watching the game. The game doesn’t even start until 6 p.m. on Sunday, so it’s not like there isn’t plenty of time to get your work done before the game even starts!” The Super Bowl has long been played on the first or second Sunday in February, so there’s plenty of time to plan ahead to get work done without sacrificing one’s enjoyment of the game.

Lynn Retterer, Director of Admissions at Trinity Hall, agreed, “Although it is always nice to have an extra day off, especially on a Monday after the Super Bowl, we did recently have a snow day, and coming up we have a four-day weekend. Since we are all healthy now after all of the illnesses going around, I think it is important for everyone to be in school so we can stay on target academically and finish the school year strong.”

Retterer added, “If we have off on Monday, we would have to cancel any sports or winter activities. This is especially difficult because we are at the end of the winter athletic season so we need to continue practicing to prepare for playoffs coming up, and with the arts, we need to make sure we have enough practice for the spring musical next month.”

For as long as sports have existed, there has always been a unique way for friends, families, and even strangers to bond over a game. While friends and family gather together in their living rooms to watch, the friendly rivalry extends onto social media and over the phone as we collectively yell at our television screens, sing along with the halftime entertainment, cheer for the pool winners, and laugh at the great –and the not so great– commercials.

While you can’t always be with all of your friends on Super Bowl Sunday, seeing each other in the halls again on Monday gives us another chance to share stories and laughter. While the Super Bowl is often considered to be an unofficial national holiday, what better way to keep the festivities going than by gathering with more friends to relive some of the best moments?

Almost everyone agrees that the Super Bowl is a special occasion that feels almost like a holiday itself, but that doesn’t mean that the Trinity Hall community can’t fully enjoy this annual event just because they have school the next day. The high caliber of our students means that we should have no problem planning for schoolwork and studying well in advance so that it doesn’t interfere with our enjoyment of the day. Knowing that we will have an opportunity to see even more of our friends the following day at school allows us to continue the celebration and laughs while recounting our favorite moments of the Super Bowl.

Perhaps a compromise is the best approach…a pledge by our faculty to avoid scheduling tests or big assignments due that Monday and consideration for a delayed opening as well? That way, we can all enjoy Super Bowl Sunday with no tests or homework hanging over our heads and knowing that we all get to sleep in a little later, especially if the game goes into overtime!