On a normal day, you will find teachers and students smiling as they move through their day. These smiles come in spite of, and in many cases, because of, the hard work they are putting forth. But during the holiday season, there are festivities galore that make these smiles even brighter.
有些很小, 基层努力, like the Ugly Holiday Sweater contest organized by the Community Council or the decorating of a student lounge by a group of students. These reflect the love that students have for the school’s spirit and campus. 他们对两者都很关心，并付出努力来培养它们. To those who would call today’s teenagers apathetic, I simply shake my head in wonder.
Then there are the events that involve larger segments of the school community. There are holiday celebrations and gift exchanges in the dorms and the Hanukkah party my family hosts every year so students who aren’t home for this holiday can celebrate (my wife’s latkes are legendary!). There is a Solebury teacher who has been organizing our community’s participation in the Adopt-a-Child program where Solebury families, faculty, students, and advisor groups join together to help children in our area have a happy holiday season.
也有一些活动将整个社区聚集在一起. 其中之一是《韦德娱乐苹果手机版下载》, 学生之夜, families, and faculty to celebrate and learn about the various traditions of the season—Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, 农历新年, and Solstice. Each has food made by students and/or their families (there was some amazing cooking done by students this year!)及有关传统的资料. Our Solsingers lead us in a community sing-along with some songs from each tradition. I find something really powerful about singing with other people. 这让我觉得自己和他们是有联系的，很少有事情能做到这一点. I’m also a Jewish man who really loves “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole, 但那是另一个故事了.
One of the highlights of the season for me is our annual holiday dinner for boarding students and faculty. This is a wonderful evening where we all dress up a bit more and enjoy a family-style meal prepared with love by our incredible team of chefs. The administrators serve dinner and everyone shares a wonderful evening together before we leave for break. Who knew my experience when I waited tables at Bob’s Big Boy as a teenager in Roslyn, 作为招生办主任，纽约会派上用场的?
These few weeks between Thanksgiving and winter break are always a little bit hectic, but these events help make it a part of the year I always look forward to. While I don’t need anyone to remind me how lucky I am to be part of a community that is so connected and finds so many ways to make joy and cheer a part of life, this season always helps me appreciate it even more than I normally do.