The holiday season is looked forward to by many, but for students finals season looms over them. Some teachers around campus have small traditions that make big impacts on their students. To them these traditions were normal, but to their students they were a well needed break.  

World history teacher Danielle Platt writes personal notes to each of her students at the end of the semester and delivers them a candy cane. Platt said, “I think that everyone comes to school with their own story, and your story is not just what your grade is in a class, it is who you are as an individual. So I like to take the time and think of each kid individually.” This tradition is a kind gesture that students from previous years still talk about. Every note is personally written to the student, and this has made students feel seen. 

Honors English 9 and English 12 teacher Alessandra Barth also has a fun holiday tradition. Every year in December she does a secret santa with her students. Secret santa is a game where students will pick a random name and whoever they get is the person that they buy a present for. 

This tradition both connects her students that normally would never talk and it helps her students embrace generosity. Barth said, “While I think the English curriculum is important, I think it’s also important to try and build a classroom community that’s filled with joy and something to look forward to, especially around the December month.” She understands how stressful finals have been for her students, when she does this little tradition it allows them to shift their focus on a fun moment.

This tradition makes students appreciate their teachers more also. Senior Sophia Pankow has Barth as her English teacher. She said, “I think that she’s trying to bring everyone closer together and make us have fun for our last year.” These small traditions have built a much stronger bond between the students. The care that these teachers put into their traditions show how much they love their students.