Holiday music blasted through the speakers in the courtyard while students decorated gingerbread houses, gift-wrapped their grade deans and enjoyed hot chocolate and latkes.

With just one week of school remaining until Winter Break — a week that is often stressful and filled with tests and assessments — the Archer community gathered to celebrate and display their holiday spirit at the annual Winter Wonderland, which took place Friday, Dec. 9, during lunch.

Students could participate in different games and activities that Student Council members planned, such as gift-wrapping their grade dean, pin-the-tail-on-the-Rudolph, a photo booth and gingerbread house-decorating. Students were encouraged to bring their own mugs for hot chocolate to earn spirit points and to wear holiday-themed sweaters and tops to show their enthusiasm. Eighth grade won the gingerbread house-decorating contest, and sixth grade won the gift-wrapping their dean contest.

Student Council Executive Board member Tess Hubbard (’24) has been involved with Student Council since her freshman year, and this is her first year on the Executive Board. Planning and set-up for the activities and competitions were delegated to different Student Council members and committees.

“My role in it is a bit different [than least year] because usually I just focus on my specific event, like if I’m doing gingerbread decorating,” Hubbard said. “But this year, I’ve gotten a chance to look at it more broadly, and I’ve had to think about what works and how we can make everything work smoothly with the facilities and things like that.”

Assistant Librarian Denise Hernandez is the Student Council adviser this year, and she said her favorite part of the Winter Wonderland planning process has been getting to build connections with Student Council members and see how they work together to bring their own energy to events.

“There are a lot of moving parts to any event that happens here on campus…We have to talk to facilities [and] we have to talk to Tech,” Hernandez said. “The StuCo has been really good at delegating tasks within themselves…there’s definitely fun planning, but more planning than people think.”

This year is freshman Caroline Collis’ first time being a class representative, and she said one of her favorite parts in preparing for Winter Wonderland was creating posters to spread holiday joy around the school.

“Working with the other reps in the other grades [has] been fun to learn from what they have done in the past, and since this is my first year as a rep, it’s a great first experience since there’s other ones that have been there before,” Collis said. “I’m looking forward to the gift-wrap your dean [activity] because last year when I witnessed [it], it was it was very funny to see… I’m excited to have it again.” 

As the Archer community celebrates Winter Wonderland in the last few weeks before Winter Break each year, it provides a specific time for students to have fun, connect with one another through spirit and celebrate nearing the end of the fall semester.

“The main purpose of it is just to have fun and celebrate the holidays,” Hubbard said. “There are so many wonderful holidays around this time of year, and it also tends to be a very stressful time for people [when] the end of the semester is nearing, so it’s a nice break and a time to just celebrate.”