Interviews
Celebrating the Joy of Winter: Holiday Traditions and Memories
Written by Manav Ghosh
When winter gets cold and the holiday season rolls around, it's all about tradition, warm vibes, music, and cheerfulness. If there is one thing a person can do during this season, it is to come up with ways of relieving the year's magic. Let's see some of those ways with these students from Manhattan Hunter Science High School now.
For Nasiya Lewis, a sophomore at Hunter, there is nothing that feels quite like winter as hot chocolate with marshmallows. "It's such a simple treat, but it just brings so much joy," she says. She also loves the tradition of making a gingerbread house with her family. The fun of being creative together and laughing makes it a special part of the season. Holiday music can show the feeling of the season, and for Sophia Chang, one song is special: Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” The chorus, especially, means a lot to her. "It makes me feel like it's the end of a time, which it is because it's the end of the year. It makes me very nostalgic and emotional," she says. Every year in November, she looks forward to her and her friends singing the famous song together, the start of fun during the holidays.
The holidays are a time when families usually come together, and Faheem, another sophomore at Hunter really values the memories of Christmases he spent with his cousins. "Every Christmas, my cousins would either stay overnight at my house or I would go to theirs. It was always very fun, as we would have the sleepover consecutively for about 3 days, trying our best to extend the fun each day by asking our parents.” From making gingerbread houses to playing tricks on their parents, those times were full of laughter and happiness for Faheem. Even though he said they don’t happen as much, it is important to hear that he cherishes these memories.
But in the end, whether it is drinking hot chocolate, singing holiday songs, or remembering family traditions, it's all about coming together, celebrating, and making memories that will last. This time is about fun shared with others, reminding each other of the joy that winter brings, even on the coldest days.
HO HO HO, What do you do during the winter season?
Written by Gavin Li
With winter break approaching, albeit slowed by waves of exams and projects, people have started to mentally ready themselves for another winter season, ending the year 2024. But what activities do people nowadays partake in during the winter season? More importantly, how do students of the extremely diverse, MHSHS, celebrate their now-extended, 12-day break?
The first interviewee was fellow chef, Ellis Teano (‘27), who enjoys eating, cooking, and playing badminton. When asked about his adventures over the break, he began, “I have dinner plans on Christmas Eve with my mother and sister.” He followed up by stating how they may eat either Korean BBQ, Mexican, or Japanese food. Truly, these cuisines have some of the most complex yet delicious, mouth-watering dishes, combining various ingredients. After Christmas Eve, Ellis plans to travel to Los Angeles to visit his paternal family, lasting from Christmas to the New Year. He intends to eat A LOT of food there, which makes sense as Los Angeles is one of America’s most diverse cities, suiting Ellis’ desire for Korean, Mexican, and/or Japanese cuisines.
Next up we have Evangelyne Afranie (‘27), who has niche ways of celebrating this season of snow and laughter. She starts by stating that her favorite thing to do during this season is to watch movies on Discord with her “e-kittens” and drink hot cocoa. I do agree, that this season is quite perfect for spending time with others and enjoying hot drinks like hot cocoa while staying indoors. Eva also discussed how she likes to sleep, which is reasonable, as this time is a good time to rest for the new year to come. Lastly, she exclaimed about her passion for debating with friends, particularly about the games, block blast, and brawl stars. She is not a fan of such games, although her friends, as she described, are “addicts.” She hopes people will hear her out on why Block Blasts and Brawl Stars are bad games.
The final interviewee, Olivier (‘25), prefers the outdoors compared to the indoors for this extremely cold (or brick as some may say) season. He started by talking about his usual winter activities, including skiing yearly or traveling to different places. He shared how he went to Montreal last year, where he had visited universities like McGill and Concordia, and ate some delicious foods. This year, he plans to go to Quebec City and when asked what he will do there, he explained that he will visit around the area but also is not entirely sure if he will end up going as it will be extremely cold this year. If he does not end up going, he will visit some of the colleges that he had applied to.
What Are Students’ Thoughts On Spirit Week?
Written by Sofia Pyasta
Spirit week is almost like a tradition at this point. Almost everyone knows when it’s going to come, and it’s a week where everyone can have fun creating themed outfits. But how are students feeling about this year’s winter spirit week?
This spirit week contains the following 5 themes: Pajama day, Elf vs. Reindeer, Ugly Sweater Day, Candy Cane Wonderland, and Flannel Friday. These themes are all very circulated around the holidays, which, according to one STUCO member, made it very difficult to think of themes and decide on them. They stated, “It’s, like, we’re supposed to make it holiday-ee, but also not because not everyone celebrates any holidays. And, some of us that do celebrate a holiday, when thinking about themes, certain things can come to mind that we cannot use, since we want to include everyone. It was really hard to try and think of things that were just winterry, when so many popular things during this season circulate around different holidays and traditions.”
One of the most controversial days during this spirit week is Pajama Day. It’s a classic spirit week day that almost everyone has experienced every single year before winter break. It’s not the theme that so many students have been talking about, but the choice of day itself. Pajama day is on Monday, December 16, the first day of spirit week. Traditionally, at least for many students, it has always been the day before the break starts, which, in this case, would be Friday, December 20. One student stated: “I mean, that’s the way it always is. It’s almost like a cozy way to end off before a long break, especially since it’s also going to be an SEL day. Like what’s better than spending an SEL day cozy in pajamas all day long? I get that ‘Flannel Friday’ sounds better, I guess, but it just honestly feels wrong to do it that way.”
But even though some days are getting some questioning responses, spirit week is something everyone’s ready for. I mean, it’s a week without uniforms, something that, at one point, we all get tired of. It’s a nice way to end off school before going on the much needed break that we’ve all been waiting for.
What’s In Store Before The Holidays?
Written by Elene Dvali
Winter break is almost upon us! The week before the long-awaited break, Manhattan Hunter Science has many plans for its students. One that most are likely already familiar with is Spirit Week, which is essentially a whole week off from having to wear school uniforms. This quarter’s festive Spirit Days, including Pajama Day, Ugly Sweater Day, Candy Cane Wonderland, etc, are sure to get students in the holiday spirit! Furthermore, on the fourth day of the Spirit Week, the school will be having its annual Winterfest Celebration. This is taking place on Thursday, December nineteenth, during lunch. For the party, the school will be abundantly decorated with winter motifs. There will also be tasty snacks and treats, such as holiday-themed cookies, that the students can enjoy while lounging about with their peers. Additionally, during this lunch period, there will be a concert! Shocking as it may seem, our school’s very own orchestra students, organized by Mr. Gallardo, will be the ones putting on the show. This concert is expected to include a handful of festive and cheery songs to mark the end of 2024 and the beginning of the holidays.
A concert and the fun ambience of the Winterfest will allow students to relax a bit, but the real rest day is Friday. On Friday, December twentieth, is our SEL day. Manhattan Hunter Science plans SEL days once in a while in order to ensure that students are able to get their well-needed breaks from schoolwork as well as so that they can have time to meaningfully connect with peers. Essentially, the whole week has been planned so that students get to have some fun before going into the holidays. Hopefully the many activities planned will allow students the opportunity to wind down and go into the break with high spirits and some festive cheer!