Although there is no snow on the ground, the Spartans are have officially started their winter break.
This means different things for different people. While some will celebrate various religious holidays such as Christmas and Hanukkah, others will use this vacation to do a multitude of things such as relax, spend time with family, and perhaps even get some work done.
While these things may not deviate from the norm, some Spartans have more unique plans to fill their break. For example, there are Spartans traveling near and far this holiday season.
Senior Haleema Waheed is traveling to New York City with her family and is staying there from Dec. 24 to Jan. 2. Her family has planned many exciting outings and sightseeing trips for their stay.
They will be shopping, appreciating the New York skyline from the Empire State Building, visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Arts and other museums/historical sights, and may even gather in Times Square to see the famous ball drop at midnight on New Years Eve. “Although it is a pain to wait in the cold for many hours to see the ball drop, it is a once in a lifetime experience.”
Waheed also hopes to attend art school in the fall, so parts of her winter plans also include exploring the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Like many other seniors, Waheed’s fall plans are not finalized, so she will be spending part of her break figuring out what she wants to do next year.
Senior Kaitlyn Ryan said, “This break I am going to decide which colleges best fit my future plans and apply to them.” While some seniors have already applied to and been accepted to the colleges of their choice, many are still working hard to finish their applications by the Jan. 1 deadline that many colleges have set.
While people may be rushing to finish their applications and do other assignments, they still have opportunities to enjoy their holiday breaks. This is demonstrated by junior Maria Vaaler.
For the first time ever, the entirety of her dad’s side of the family will be meeting up. Not only will they be spending Christmas together, but the day after, they will all be traveling to Minnesota to volunteer at organization called Feed my Starving Children. Here, they will be working in assembly line to package food that will be shipped off to various places around the world.
Vaaler’s family uses this as an opportunity to give back to the community and spread holiday joy. “The entire family really enjoys doing volunteer work, so it is cool to do it as a big group when we get together. Also, the last time all our family was together for Christmas we did the same thing, and it was a really fun time,” she said.
Many Spartans have a busy but fun-filled vacation ahead of them. Regardless of their winter plans, all can agree the time is sure to fly by.
