By Ariana Serventi and Emily Shea, both ’15 | Staff Writers

Although spring break is considered a rite of passage for most high schoolers, many downsides recently have been brought to the public’s attention, according to Forbes.

Spring break is a time for high schoolers to leave their stresses at home, Zach Sparkman ‘15 said.

“I think that spring break is a big part of senior year and there is a lot of build up to it,” Sparkman said. “I’m really looking forward to it. The last two weeks just waiting for spring break have been awful, so I believe it will be a good break.”

According to a survey done in the Tower, seventy-three percent of seniors say they do plan on drinking alcohol on spring break.

“I think if someone is mature enough (to drink) then they will be fine on spring break,” Sparkman said.

When most people think of spring break, they associate it with drinking. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), alcohol interferes with the brains communications pathways and disruptions like these can change mood and behavior, and make it harder to think clearly.

This could be especially bad with teenagers who are going with just friends and no parents. According to a survey done in The Tower, 34.3 percent said that they would be going without parents.

“They (my parents) trust me, and they think that since we are all eighteen we will be able to take care of ourselves for a week and hopefully not get into trouble,” Sparkman said.

The effects of alcohol can be damaging when it comes to interacting with other people, staying out of trouble may be hard when it is out of your control. Because alcohol causes the brain to think less clearly, more accidents can be a result, according to the NIAAA.

People become much more confident when intoxicated, leaving them extremely impulsive, according to Forbes. More than 690,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.

While binge drinking and drinking too much in general is bad, there are other dangers of spring break of which students might be less aware.

More than 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape, according to a survey done by Forbes. These are the types of dangers many don’t think will happen to them.

[quote_center]“As long as you’re being smart about the decisions you make and don’t go places alone, you should be okay,” said Abby Monette ‘15. “I plan on being really careful and staying with my friends.”[/quote_center]

While most students will be going off to a warm location, varsity baseball players such as Will Norris ‘15 said he will be spending a few days in Cincinnati.

“It’s mandatory for all baseball players,” Norris said. “For the baseball team, the only danger is not being respectful on the trip and not representing South baseball properly.”

The majority of parents will also going to Cincinnati, Norris said.

Some may look not being to escape the cold temperatures as disappointing, but Norris looks forward to spending time with teammates.

“The weather is the only downfall. I love spending time with my baseball friends on and off the field so that’s not an issue,” Norris said. “The entire team goes and everyone contributes to the team in some type of way.”

As long as South students stay aware of the possible dangers, spring break will be a time to have fun with friends and enjoy the warm weather.