The holidays can be a stressful time for students, with schoolwork and family pressures. But Haven provides traditions and conducts food and toy drives to bring joy and community back to the halls.
The traditions held at the high school, like the toy and food drives, second-floor decorations, and the second-floor concert, provide students with inclusivity and holiday spirit to help students and staff celebrate the holidays while still in school.
Bringing fun back to our halls
The holidays are a time for joy and celebration. However, studies show that this might not be true for all students.
A poll conducted on behalf of the American Psychiatric Association found that younger adults were more likely to experience elevated stress due to the holidays, “particularly about social and family dynamics.”
Although Haven provides supportive resources, students may have more difficulties in finding mental health assistance when not in school.
On top of that, schools can add stress with major tests before the holidays.
However, as Graphic Design Teacher Ms. Regina Iannello notes, school doesn’t have to induce more stress and can instead be a source of spirit itself. When she first arrived at Haven, she recalls having underestimated how all out the second-floor hallway would go for their annual decorating tradition.
“Ever since [then], we’ve been trying to get it more elaborate and more exciting and just make it fun for the kids,” she said. “Because if it’s fun for us, then it’s fun for everybody. Then, it seems to be contagious. People want to get involved and add their own little bit to it, too. It’s just something fun and keeps people interested the last couple of weeks of school.”
Decorating the hallway like “The Polar Express” and the new tradition of the symphony orchestra playing related holiday-themed music hold a special place in Iannello’s heart. In kindergarten, “The Polar Express” book was read aloud to her.
That single holiday moment would change Iannello’s life. Her eyes lit up as she recalled how the book inspired her future.
“I thought the illustrations were so beautiful that I just instantly wanted to be an artist when I grew up. So when the movie came out, I think I was in high school, and I knew I had to see it because they really followed that same snowy, mystical vibe to it,” she said.
Her passion for “The Polar Express” allows her to be one of the many teachers transforming the second-floor hallway into a magical train ride, complete with glowing silhouettes in train windows and intricate snowflakes dangling from the ceiling.
So how can the holidays be converted from a stressful time back to a more fun time? The answer may lie in the traditions we’ve lost.
Importance of having traditions
Holiday traditions are significant facets of both the winter season and various holidays. Not only are they an excuse to spend time with family, but also something to look forward to when they come up.
Each school and grade level in the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District celebrates holiday traditions differently. According to first-grade teacher Mrs. Marty Martorelli at Nether Providence Elementary School (NPE), in the past, the kindergarten curriculum has prioritized the happiness that comes with the holiday season, regardless of personal traditions or beliefs.
“In the kindergarten center, we did fairy tales to try to keep it fun and engaging for the kids with excitement, whatever they believed in and whatever holiday they celebrated,” Martorelli said.
In first grade, students learn about the tale of “The Gingerbread Man,” a common story heard around the holidays. Walking through the first-grade hallway, students can catch a glimpse of various gingerbread cutouts and sweet treats along the walls. Martorelli finds that this school-based tradition gives students something to look forward to.
“I have the biggest collection of gingerbread books; sometimes the animals have clothes, he runs away from construction workers, musicians, he’s in the city, a cowboy one. The kids all have their favorites,” Martorelli said.
When it comes to celebrating holidays in a diverse school environment, inclusivity is a priority.
“Diversity and culture [are important], so everyone understands different reasons why we have different holidays throughout the years,” middle school health and physical education teacher Ms. Pixie Roane said. “I tell everybody they say the same thing: goodwill, joy, sharing, and caring. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Yule, or Kwanzaa, be kind to each other and look out for one another.”
Parents are also part of the holiday traditions that come to life inside and outside school.
“I love when you can contact parents and have parents bring traditions in, come in and share with us,” Martorelli said.
Baking is also a common holiday tradition. Whether that is Christmas cookies, latkes, or any other holiday treat, the smell of warm, sugary sweets in a snowman tin is always appetizing. This holiday commonality is something that Martorelli and her colleagues try to replicate in the classroom.
“We do a recipe that is a little gingerbread man with applesauce and cinnamon, and it’s a little decoration,” Martorelli said.
At the high school level, classes surround themselves in holiday decor. Particularly on the second floor, it is a student-involved tradition to decorate the second floor with a holiday movie theme. This year, the halls were decked out in Polar Express decorations. This holiday tradition allows students to let loose, connect with others, and experience holiday joy, even when they are stressed.
“I always think when we’re doing [decorating the second floor], I feel more like an elementary teacher because typically, that’s something you would see in elementary school,” Iannello said. “I feel like the high school kids enjoy it just as much, and they’re always adding their own little takes on it. Even when one class stops, it’s fun to see another class working on it. It really builds a sense of camaraderie between all the people that pass through this floor.”
These variations of holiday traditions all share a common theme: bringing happiness to the winter season. They bring the anticipation of celebrating traditions and enjoying them with loved ones. Even a simple craft or learning about cultural holiday traditions can unite students to celebrate the importance of having and passing on traditions.
Carrying on traditions
There are many different ways that students can continue to carry out holiday traditions as they grow older. They may even create or incorporate new ones into their lives.
At Swarthmore Rutledge School (SRS), students have carried multiple traditions from elementary to secondary. One such tradition of making gingerbread houses has been incorporated into student-taught wintertime activities in the childhood classrooms at Haven.
“What really united you and what brought you joy years ago can also bring you joy in the future,” SRS principal Dr. Angela Tuck said. “Just like with the gingerbread houses you did here as a kindergarten student, you also brought that same joy into those in your high school class with the preschoolers.”
Maintaining and continuing traditions is a way for high-school students to still get into the holiday spirit and joy, which can encourage those younger than them to have the cheery holiday season they once had.
“You want to help others to also experience that same joy, love, passion, and compassion that you had as a child, that someone instilled in your lives. Now, you want to bring that same experience to others,” Tuck said. “It’s like sowing seeds. You’re sowing seeds into someone’s life, and then pretty soon, they’ll grow into a flower or a larger plant. You have input [yourself] into others’ lives to make it a better place and experience.”
Traditions also present a way to reminisce, especially as you become an adult. This is the case for Roane, who grew up in New York City, where holiday traditions are abundant.
“It brings back all the memories that I had as a child,” Roane said. “It also gives me a reason to go back to New York City every year to watch the lighting of the [Rockefeller] Christmas tree.”
Passing on traditions has a societal impact, too—it can be a way to give back and make a difference during the big and small holidays.
“I’m thinking about all of the wonderful children that have gone through SRS and what they’re doing now,” Tuck said. “Not only are they going to Ivy League colleges, but they’re also making a difference where they are. It’s not just the end goal of trying to get into Yale or Harvard or Princeton, but it’s really, ‘What am I doing to help the world? What am I doing to help my community? What am I doing to help people outside of my community?’”
Giving back to the community
Many students also celebrate the holidays by participating in fundraisers and drives to help others in need during the winter season.
“I remember many of our students just wanting to do something, whether it’s a food drive or a COVID drive,” Tuck said. “Right now, we’re collecting pajamas and books for children who are in foster care, and they may not necessarily have the warmth of a family and warm pajamas and books to read and so forth.”
At the middle school, the three grades also participate in drives. This year, they pitched in to donate canned goods to those in need.
“The canned food drive was amazing. This time, one class alone had over 200 cans. All three grades participated, and this was one of a few years [where] all of the classes had something to put into the donation basket,” Roane said.
This holiday season, the Student Council is doing its part at the high school to give back to the community through a toy drive. They are making it a schoolwide competition to bring engagement to this project.
“Whichever grade brings in the most toys gets pretzels, just to make the incentive for people to give toys,” student council officer Anna Warley said. “This is for families and children who can’t afford or aren’t able to get their kids presents.”
By working as a team to put this drive into action, the student council is bringing joy into the lives of community members while creating a heightened sense of holiday spirit within the Strath Haven halls.
“I just think it’s really great to help people give a broader outreach,” Warley said. “We do a lot for the school and work to help the community, and our leaders are doing a really great job of planning all of these fundraisers.”
Helping others during the holiday season is a significant way many community members can connect and unify with others to spread joy.
“When you’re helping others, you’re actually helping yourself,” Tuck said. “There’s a greater purpose. It’s not just about meeting my needs, but when you meet the needs of others, it’ll definitely give you that purpose.”
