Imagine a campus covered in Christmas lights, decked with halls of holly and laced with soft holiday tunes in the background ever December. It’s an impossible tradition, but that doesn’t mean the staff and students can’t get a bit festive as winter break draws near—here are some nifty little class and club traditions from around our campus.
Psychology Club
“PSYCHIATRIC HELP FIVE CENTS,” may be from the Charlie Brown series, but the text can also be spotted next to Psychology Club during Club Day.
During their last meeting before winter break, Psychology Club has a meeting where attendees can enjoy a mini party and the movie, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The background to the small tradition is that the character Lucy has a small booth reading “Psychiatric Help Five Cents” in the series, which Psychology Club references throughout the year.
Foreign Language Caroling
Stepping into the Media Center on Dec. 19, students shouldn’t be shocked to hear the tunes of Christmas caroling.
Every year, the foreign language classes gather together during each period for joint caroling sessions on the minimum day before break begins. Song selections range from popular choices like “Jingle Bells,” to traditional verses in another language or even “Tong Hua” in Chinese.
Department Chair Ms. Judy Graunke started the tradition about 30 years ago. The singing, though fun, helps pronunciation as well as make students aware of customs and practices outside their own lives.
“It exposes students to different cultures,” Spanish Teacher Ms. Monica Rodriguez said. “I think music unifies and that’s one of the things I like the most about this.”
White Elephant Gift Exchange
White Elephant in English Teacher Ms. Sarah Penalora’s classes has all the necessary components: victory screams, stealing and silly gifts wrapped to deceive.
The minimum day before break, students will take part in a White Elephant gift exchange, complete with a decorated classroom and snacks.
In White Elephant, the idea is that students will pitch in gifts within a price range. They will then take turns picking a gift or stealing one from another person, with each gift having a limit of three steals. Ms. Penalora puts in extra gifts so that everyone can participate.
Ms. Penalora loosely connects this tradition to the ESLR and Common Core, in that she believes social interactions promote teamwork and bring the class closer.
“For me, I find that I get the best work out of my students if they enjoy coming to class,” Ms. Penalora said. “I think when I ask them to work hard for me, they’re more responsive because they know I care about making the experience positive in the classroom.”