The
HOWLER 19 DEC 2024
THEHOWLER@ALLENDALECOLUMBIA.ORG
H i s t o ry o f
H o l i d ay B r e a k fa s t
TABLE OF CONTENTS
HISTORY OF HOLIDAY BREAKFAST PAGE 1-2 MOVIES TO WATCH OVER THE BREAK PAGE 2 ENTERTAINMENT: HOWLARIOUS PAGE 3-6 CURRENT EVENTS PAGE 7 ADVICE PAGE 8
BRI D’LALLO
Holiday Breakfast originally started as an Allendale tradition. The activities and celebrations today are much different than back in the day. Back then Holiday Breakfast was viewed differently by younger and older boys. The younger boys saw the day as a fun and exciting celebration, while the older boys saw it as a time to give back and to build a community. Overall the breakfast was seen as a time of peace, fellowship, and rejoicing. The gym would be decorated with lit candles, and a Christmas tree with lights. The students, faculty, alumni, and parents would gather in the gym. They would all join together to sing carols and participate in a prayer. At the end of the day, everyone would gather in the dining room for donuts and coffee. An event that was popular was the making of Christmas Baskets. The baskets were made by the Student Council and consisted of food and toys for families in need. The morning after Holiday Breakfast, the baskets, toys, and dinners were delivered to families in need. It gave much of the profit to poverty due to the war. For this article, I interviewed Mx. Amy Oliveri, current organizer of Holiday Breakfast and Dominique O’Donovan, former organizer and French teacher at AC. AMY OLIVERI Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you are connected to Allendale Columbia? My name is Amy Oliveri, I am the Director of Creativity and Entrepreneurship, and an arts educator at AC. I have worked here for 15 years. What events went on throughout the event? Last year we had speakers from many
different cultures share about their traditions. The music department puts on an incredible show that highlights our program. From the Brass Ensemble, featuring Middle School students, Upper School students, alums, and faculty, to a variety of choral performances and choreographed dances this is a show you don’t want to miss. What was your favorite thing about planning the event? I love helping students figure out what they want to share, building the program, thinking about our community and how to best reflect our amazing people throughout the program. What was your favorite event? I loved last year so much because I felt really proud of what I created but each Holiday Breakfast I have attended has been so memorable. It’s such a powerful way to come together right before the break and spend time with one another celebrating our shared experiences and diversity. What made you want to plan the event? I felt like there wasn’t one person in charge which created some challenges. I was grateful to be a part of it and support my center team so they could focus on the performances while I took on some of the logistics. DOMINIQUE O’DONOVAN I will start by saying how pleased I am that Holiday Breakfast is still sharing family traditions. The whole idea of Holiday Breakfast is to celebrate the Allendale Columbia community’s diversity and commonality through music, song, speeches and ceremony.
I am the product of an English father (French teacher) and French mother. I was raised in London, but spent every summer in the southwest of France. I moved to the States in 1982 and began my 33 year career as the Upper School French teacher at Allendale Columbia, although I also taught some Middle School sections. My total immersion method of teaching, not only in the language, but also the culture, and my ability to recount personal anecdotes, led to lively and stimulating classes. It was so rewarding to watch my students become fluent and true francophiles. Sometime during this incredibly fulfilling career, I inherited Holiday Breakfast from Lorraine Van Meter-Cline. It was a lot of hard work, requiring the coordination of all grades K-12, making sure that religions and cultures within our student body were represented, finding a balance between singing and speeches, reverence and jollity. It was a concerted effort from Lower School teachers, the Music Department (both vocal and instrumental), the Art Department for programme designs selections, and, of course, the willing participation of students. Not forgetting the Kitchen Ladies for doughnuts and coffee after. I would start scouting out potential speakers during lunch, as early as September. I could HISTORY OF HOLIDAY BREAKFAST continued on page 2