As winter is coming up, everyone is looking forward to the holidays. Despite the hot chocolate, winter break and children playing in the snow, one thing comes into play that seems to dampen everyone’s spirit-flu. As students, the first thing that normally goes through our heads when we’re sick is: “Should I even go to school today?”

The answer is: it really depends. In most cases: yes. Go to school and suck it up. Missing even one day of school could result in an avalanche of work that nobody wants.

People are coughing, sneezing, and nobody feels their best. However, that’s not an excuse to lay in bed all day.

Admit it: you’ve tried to find every excuse possible to get a day off of school. But is it worth it? Even missing one day can drown you in homework, tests, and projects once you come back. Your stress level is shooting through the roof, and you regret taking a day off over a little cold.

“Our primary goal is to keep students in class,” said nurse Kristi Cordle.

If you go to the nurse for whatever reason, they do their best to make sure you feel okay, but that doesn’t mean they’ll let you go home for every pity reason.

“We check their temperature, and if they’re over 100 we send them home,” says Cordle. If you’re vomiting or having trouble breathing, then of course- GO HOME.

However, sophomore Parth Patel refused to do so his freshman year.

“It was towards the end of the year, and I had a really bad case of the stomach flu. I wasn’t contagious so I thought I would suck it up and go to school. I puked in my second period class. I was still good. I went to fourth, puked again and [again in] fifth. I was supposed to go to a mock trial after school, but that is when I realized I should really just go home. I didn’t see the point in missing school because I didn’t want to make up the stuff I didn’t do,” says Patel.

Normally most people wouldn’t recommend even trying to go to school when conditions are that severe. Although, if one student can handle the stomach flu, then why should you stay home if you have a slight cough and headache?

Most students don’t enjoy the workload they already have on a normal day, so staying home because you “didn’t feel like it” is just making your life more stressful. Double the work is not fun for anybody.

“We trust that students know how to handle themselves. They’re in high school now. Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. Also, come to school prepared. Get enough sleep and eat a good breakfast. Manage your health life,” says Cordle.

The more responsibility you take for yourself, the easier everything is. You can have good hygiene and stay on top of things, or you could let nature take its course and make your school life more stressful. You’re not in kindergarten anymore, where your nose is being blown for you.

Now that flu season is coming around the corner, more kids are getting sick and germs are flying everywhere. Take care of yourself so you don’t have to worry about missing that big chapter test, or so that you don’t lose a day of working on that book report.

“What stresses me out the most is the make-up work,” says sophomore Tabitha Koss.

Students aren’t the only ones worrying about their health. The teachers and staff have their own work to do to, and if they called in sick every time they felt a little under the weather, people would be getting fired left and right.

So the next time you are debating if you should skip school, think of how it will affect the rest of your week. It’s like a domino effect- once you miss a day you automatically fall behind.