While the second advisory at Wilson is often associated with loss of school, consequent grade decline, and looming midterms, it is also marked by the abundance of holidays filling up the DCPS calendar. While most clubs do not stray from their usual agenda during the winter season, some have taken it upon themselves to celebrate the holidays. So while most students are counting down the days until the next break, clubs like Best Buddies, Jewish Student Union, and French Club will be celebrating the holidays. 

Best Buddies strives to create a more accepting world for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by hosting fun activities with Wilson’s special education students. This year, the members of Best Buddies celebrated their second annual “Friendsgiving.” The event consisted of a potluck dinner followed by “making hand turkeys, a scavenger hunt, and charades,” described co-leader Olivia Bock. With the hope the tradition will carry on for many years, Bock regards Friendsgiving as one of the most fun Best Buddies events, explaining that “it’s just as important to celebrate and be thankful for your friends as with your family.” 

In addition to Best Buddies, the Jewish Student Union (JSU) is demonstrating their holiday spirit with their second annual Hanukkah party. The club welcomes anyone to the party, but it is usually populated by club members. Co-leader Zoe Zitner said that it is a great experience for non-Jewish partiers. “They learn more about the holiday and what it’s all about,” she said. Those who attend enjoy dreidel, latkes, Kahoot, donuts, festive music, and other small competitions. Overall, Zitner feels the event allows “a fun space to celebrate with friends at school which otherwise wouldn’t necessarily happen.”

The French club takes another spin at the holiday festivities with a special meeting catered towards the festive season. In a normal meeting, members of the club eat snacks such as bread, nutella, or muffins while watching a movie or occasionally playing French games. But for the first annual holiday session, attendees enjoyed a fun and festive meeting filled with movies and holiday-themed snacks. Perhaps the most anticipated component of the celebration was French teacher Lynn Palmer’s Nutella and lemon sugar crepes. With delicious crepes, Twister, Bananagrams, Scrabble and more, club members had a great celebration.

Wilson’s student-run clubs have ensured that there are a number of lively holiday traditions and opportunities to celebrate in the second advisory. Inevitably, the holiday season will pass, the picturesque snowflakes will turn into miserable slush that will soon saturate your socks. The feeling of hope, gratitude, and joy will evolve into dread of the impending midterms. Fortunately, clubs like Best Buddies, JSU, and the French Club, choose to celebrate the present instead.