December often sees students’ stress levels rising: the marking period is ending; teachers are cramming in tests before break begins; seniors are starting to get news from colleges; and many are working on applications.
Teachers can get overwhelmed as well: deadlines are tight and there is much to grade and much to do. To remedy the anxiety and to counterbalance all the hard work, Tabor Academy has celebrated the holiday season throughout the past couple of weeks.
Normally, the winter concert, featuring Tabor’s Wind Ensemble and String Ensemble, occurs on a Tuesday night the last week before break. This year, however, the concert was moved to Saturday, December 12, as part of a holiday program.
The morning featured Tabor’s favorite annual holiday breakfast. The dining hall was decorated with Christmas decorations and students attended with their advisories, greeted with a buffet of delicious breakfast food.
Afterwards, student musicians performed for the whole school. Pushing this performance to Saturday morning served to “highlight the musicians” as Julie Salit, the associate head of school, said.
Tabor Academy is home to many talented young musicians, but rarely does the whole school get the chance to watch them perform. This annual concert celebrates not only the holiday season, as some selections are holiday songs, but also all the great musicians within Tabor.
Another Tabor tradition to celebrate the holidays is the Festival of Lessons and Carols held in the Wickenden Chapel.
For around 30 years, students, faculty, and locals have gathered to watch the concert and listen to the featured readings. Tabor has five choral groups: the Madrigal Singers, the Nightingales, The Tabor Tones, the Chamber Choirs, and the Mixed Chorus. All five groups performed at Lessons and Carols, with students spanning all grades involved.
David Horne, Tabor’s choral director, composed an original piece as well, called “The Window,” which the Madrigal Singers performed.
“Lessons and Carols is an opportunity for Tabor’s community to come together before the holidays and celebrate what Christmas is all about,” said senior Nicole McLaughlin, who was one of the students who volunteered to read a passage during the festival.
David Horne, contributing even more to the holiday spirit at Tabor Academy, spent the last day of classes in the library, reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens over a three-hour period. Holiday treats and hot chocolate was also available, and many students and faculty stopped in to sit and listen to Mr. Horne read.
Amidst Tabor Academy’s many holiday traditions, a new one this year was born. On the last night of Hanukkah, there was a celebration held in the library with traditional food, desserts and candy, stories, and games associated with the holiday. Students took advantage of this new tradition to celebrate Hanukkah, or to simply learn about a religion and tradition firsthand.
With the dining hall still decorated with fake snow and nutcrackers, and various dorm Christmas parties held throughout the last week of school, students and faculty alike left for winter break feeling festive and excited, enjoying celebrations both old and new.
By Madeleine Gregory