In case you have not checked the calendar, Spring Break is March 12-18.

The Administrative Offices will be closed March 15-18. Classes will resume on Monday, March 19.

Standard destinations for Spring Break 2001 are the Texas beaches. South Padre Island,

Mustang Island, Port Aransas, Galveston and Corpus Christi will be filled with vacationing students.

“I am also thinking about going to South Padre. All of my friends are going, and it sounds like a lot of fun,” said Frank Castillo, a freshman here at Palo Alto.

State parks are a common place for camping out. There are many campsites in the area, such as Medina Lake, Canyon Lake and Garner State Park. There are also parks along the Guadalupe River.

Freshman Engineering major Amanda Radicke is headed to the Texas Hill Country for her Spring Break vacation. “I’m going to Chalk Bluff this year. It’s a great park,” Radicke said.

An important part of Spring Break is safety.

Jason Gentry, a dispatcher with the Medina County Sheriff’s Department, said that the number of drunk driving accidents always goes up during the week of Spring Break.

“During Spring Break, I take twice as many calls for car accidents that are related to drunk driving,” Gentry said. “People just aren’t as careful as they should be. At the same time, reckless driving is just as bad as drunk driving. The faster you drive, the slower your response time is. In the past, that has caused fatal accidents.”

One thing that can bring down a great Spring Break is car trouble. Fina Roadside Assistance is a company that you can call anywhere inside of Texas. Their telephone number is 1-800-642-1987. Another useful number, not just during Spring Break, is The Rape Crisis Center’s 24-hour hot line. Their telephone number is 349-7273. For those who have had too much to drink and need a ride home, there is always the TaxiCabService at 222-2222.

Have an enjoyable and safe break!