The Howler

History of Holiday Breakfast

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 from page 1

speak with students in English, finding what traditions they celebrated, who would be a confident speaker and who was a Lifer. Lifers are students who have been at AC 12 years total, from Nursery3 -12. Their speeches took a lot of time - meeting individually, then as a group to assess length, to avoid repetition and to make sure that all divisions were equally mentioned.

The programme included presentations on Hanukkah (lighting of the menorah), Diwali (lighting candles), Christmas (Luke Chapter 2: 1-14, half read in English and half read in the language of an exchange student), Islam, Buddhism, Bahi and the Haudenosaunee Harvest celebration. Not all of these were every year, depending on the student body, but most were recurring events.

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The Head would read a story (à la Mr. Rogers). The Kindergarteners would sing “Up on the Rooftop” with all the hand gestures - always a real crowd pleaser. Third and Fourth graders would sing “Must be Santa” again with dance moves. The LS band would perform an instrumental piece. The Girls Ensemble would sing (my favorite was “Carol of the Bells”). The MS and US choruses would sing. The music was a mixture of religious, cultural or simply seasonal songs. The Lifers remembered their days at AC, and were presented with a felt sprig of holly by a couple of Kindergarteners. As the AC community entered and departed, the US brass (often with former students and teachers joining) played Christmas carols.

To begin and end the Breakfast, we invited a Rabbi, an Imam or a Pastor (on a rotating

basis) from the community at large, to offer the Invocation, representing Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

My favorite things about Holiday Breakfast were getting to interact with students I may never have taught, and learning what are important traditions to their families. I love the way it brings the whole AC community together, sending people off to the break with a warm glow.

My best memories are the Kindergarteners, of course, the Lifers, and one image that stays with me still: Rotsiohawi Galban as a sixth grader, sharing with us the tradition of the Harvest celebration of the Haudenosaunee, with only his magnificent Mohawk headdress peeking up over the lectern. •

UPCOMING MOVIES TO WATCH OVER THE BREAK

AUDRIANA WILLIAMS

THE HOWLER

Friday THE 13TH PLAYLIST

JACK DIEHL, ARI HAGELBURG, RYAN DARDUINI

LIL DEMON: Future

This song has a splendid beat that flows well with Futures vibe during this song. This song fits the Friday the 13th vibe because it has a very spooky cadence.

3 headed goat: Lil Durk, Lil Baby, and Polo G

This song has another great beat. With the key of the melody being in minor it gives a scary ominous aura that just truly adds to the great lyricism of all three of the artists. Our favorite part of the song is when Polo G does his verse he just flows so well that you almost want to levitate.

Succubus: Ken Carson

This song is great. Ken has a way with his dark beats. He is always able to elevate it with his voice. This song being named after a demon fits Friday the 13th so well and you are just able to feel his emotion.

Monster: Rihanna feat. Eminem

This song is everything you want. Amazing vocals and a nice rap verse. This song displays how dark the human race can really be and shows that people aren’t always ok. I think the true message of this song is that the real monsters in the world are ourselves.

Skipping class: Nettspend

This beat has a beautiful aura to it and Nett just has a splendid way with words. It’s just the perfect amount of spooky and the 808s make it seem so complicated and mysterious. When I listen to this song I feel a mysterious vibe and it is just beautiful, especially for the “unempluzzed.”

Halloween theme: John Carpenter

This song is the pinnacle of the idea of Friday the 13th. There isn’t much more to say about this song; it is simply a masterpiece. It is made for the idea of haunting the soul and putting fear in people’s hearts.

Like Him: Tyler, The Creator feat. lola Young

This song has a slow start but when the beat really drops you start to fall in love with not only the sound of the song but the message along with it. You can tell Tyler really put all of his feelings into this song and the beat is a little spooky and soft. That’s why I included this banger.

Evil curse: LAZER DIM 700

You can just tell by the name of this song and the melody that it almost feels random. Thrown together but in a good way. The way the human race works we get scared by random anomalies and that’s why this song has a creepy feel. I love how this is a change from normal music that always has to be so perfect. It fits the Friday the 13th vibe great.

Mr inbeetweenit - Yeat

Yeat is described as having low-fi melodies, clever cutting lyrics, and most importantly a distinct mysterious persona, which is what makes this song perfect for this playlist. The creepy synths make it feel futuristic and offputting at the same time, while also delivering lyrics that flow effortlessly.

Nightcrawler: Travis Scott, Swae Lee, and Chief Keef

This song has a vibe of almost a spider crawling all over your eardrums while you listen. It’s creeping around and then when the beat drops it almost makes you want to get on all fours and crawl all around while singing the song. Based on the name it talks about the human race’s inner demons and how they can appear when the sun sets. •

THE HOWLER HOWLARIOUs

WORD SEARCH: JACK BOGUE AND TAYLER PERKINS

QUOTE: MARINA ELLMAKER

Answers

THE HOWLER

WINTER HOLIDAYS

December is a month filled with celebrations, holidays, and traditions across cultures and religions worldwide. Christmas is a holiday that many people are excited for. According to a study, 90 percent of the people in America celebrated Christmas last year! Christmas is usually celebrated on December 25, lights up homes with sparkling trees, heartfelt gift exchanges, and feasts shared with loved ones to honor the birth of Jesus. According to popular folklore, on Christmas, Santa Claus will bring gifts to children during nighttime. Some families have special Christmas traditions. For example, Kate’s family visits her grandparents’ house on Christmas Eve to open gifts and spend time together. I know it is typical for families to make cookies, decorate, and pick out their trees. These traditions sometimes mean more to people than the actual Christmas holiday itself.

For Jewish communities, Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, often falls in December. This eight-day celebration commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Families light the menorah, play dreidel games, and enjoy traditional foods. Also, not to forget, on the last day of December, people celebrate the coming of the new year! It is marked with fun parties, astounding fireworks, and a countdown worldwide. Another holiday celebrated in December is Bodhi Day. This is the Buddhist holiday commemorating the day that Gautama Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, also known as bodhi in Sanskrit and Pali. After Christmas, some families celebrate Boxing Day, a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide. Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part of Christmas festivities, with many people choosing to shop for deals on Boxing Day. After Christmas Kwanzaa is also celebrated as an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually on the sixth day. It was created by activist Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of West, East, as well as Southeast Africa. •

The AUTHOR

I rush over to the toaster, grabbing two slices of toast out of it, burning my hands, as two burnt pieces fly onto the ground.

I sigh, sliding them over with my foot to the dog. “Bear, eat.” I tell Bear as he stares at the two burnt pieces of bread on the floor. I scream in annoyance, rushing over to where my knocked over purse sits where I threw it by the door the other day. I pick it up, papers filled with notes falling out. “Argggg!” I scream, Bear rushing over. “No! You go over on your dog bed and be helpless.” I point over to where a dog bed with cotton falling out of its insides sits by a stain of spaghetti sauce. Bear whimpers, walking over to it, plopping down on it, depressed.

I twist the door handle as it falls off, screaming more, rushing out of the house, throwing the doorknob into my lawn where grass that hasn’t been mowed for a month sits.

I walk to a beaten up car, one light cracked, the bumper hanging down slightly, one window shattered. I make it to the door, pressing the unlock button on my car keys. It only makes the car alarm go off. I tilt my head backwards, closing my eyes, clenching my fists, screaming some more, then looking up to see my neighbor across the street staring at me curiously as her arm is reached halfway into her mailbox.

“Hi, Sandra!” I exclaim, putting on my best fake smile.

“Hi, Alison,” she says confused.

Once I see her head into her house and close the door behind her, I walk around to the other side of the door. Climbing in through the shattered glass window, I move across the arm console into the driver’s seat. “Ah. That’s totally not the thousandth time you had to do that, Alison,” I say to myself, laying my head against the horn of the steering wheel as it goes off, ringing out for the world to hear.

“Okay. So. I just finished editing my manuscript,” I say to my agent, sipping a warm cup of coffee as she sits across from me in the cafe.

“Okay. Give me the rundown then,” she says, bringing her cup of coffee up to her lips.

“It’s about a girl named Helen. She’s smart and bossy. She just completed college and is in law school to become a lawyer,” I say.

My agent takes a sip of coffee.

“Her friends are more the party type and the day after they graduate, they want to go out. Helen has always had a suspicion that they aren’t really her friends. They take her smartness to their advantage. Helen walks or takes a bus everywhere because she’s terrified of cars. This is because once when she was driving she and her sister, Macy, got in a car crash. Helen survived. Macy didn’t. Due to this, Helen has panic attacks,” I say.

My agent nods....

Continued at https://tinyurl.com/theauthorED

PETER NIU AND KATE MAY

ELLE DILORETO

THE HOWLER Upcoming events

CAITLIN SWARTZ

WHAT: Glass Holiday Feast

WHEN: Daily from November 4, 2024 - January 6, 2025, 9am-5pm

WHERE: Corning Museum of Glass, One Museum Way, Corning, NY 14830

DETAILS: Come to the Corning Museum of Glass to view tables filled with holiday meals handcrafted by the Hot Glass Team at Corning. Each table is covered in feast-worthy, glass-food, inspired by the kinship of sharing food around a table during the holidays.

WHAT: Swan Lake Ballet

WHEN: January 16, 2025, at 7:30pm

WHERE: West Herr Auditorium Theater / RBTL, 885 East Main Street, Rochester, NY 14605

DETAILS: Price ranges from $58-$112. Enjoy this ballet, performed alongside Tchaikovsky’s Romantic period music. From stunning costumes and beautiful sets, the State Ballet Theater of Ukraine performance will be sure to impress you.

WHAT: RPO Presents The Wizard of Oz Live to Film

WHEN: January 15, 2025, at 7:00pm

WHERE: West Herr Auditorium Theater / RBTL, 885 East Main Street, Rochester, NY 14605

DETAILS: Price ranges from $39-$115. Sit and watch the classic film, The Wizard of Oz, alongside the RPO, as they perform the score to the movie. Come join Dorothy and her friends as they walk along the yellow brick road to meet the Wizard of Oz.

THE HOWLER

ASK AMORA ADVICE

For the first time this year, I am giving readers advice on this Howler edition! One reader asked,

“What should I do this Christmas break?” Use this break to recharge yourself mentally and physically. You can use this time to binge-watch your favorite show, test out new hobbies, or learn a new skill such as cooking or arts and crafts. It can also be a time for personal growth, such as making a list of New Year’s resolutions.

Another reader asked for advice on test prep. Studying for a test can be challenging if you don’t know how to do it properly. Luckily, there are several different studying methods. The Pomodoro method includes studying for 25 minutes, taking a 5-minute break, doing this 4 times, and then taking a 30-minute break. This is the best way to study if you have trouble focusing or need breaks to recharge your brain. Blurting is a good way to study for a test for memorization. Blurting involves writing down everything you need to know for a test from memory and then studying the material you forgot.

ALLENDALE COLUMBIA SCHOOL

thehowler@allendalecolumbia.org

One person needs advice on saving money. Saving money can be difficult, especially if you are an impulsive buyer. Personally, I divide my money; 2/3 goes into savings, and 1/3 is devoted to spending. It has been working well for me, and I think it is an effective method of saving money.

Last but not least, someone needs help to stay motivated. Motivation can be hard to maintain, especially with the end-of-the-year workload. Whenever I am burnt out, I make a to-do list and split the tasks into groups. Starting the list is the hardest part, but as you complete tasks, you will start to feel accomplished and motivated to do more. Also, remember to reward yourself!

If you want more advice, email us at thehowler@allendalecolumbia.org •

Marina Ellmaker, Caitlin Swartz, Mackenzie Opira, Elle DiLoreto, Tayler Perkins, Jack Bogue, Peter Niu, Jeremiah Strader, Kate May, Amora Thongjang, Bri D’Lallo Audriana Williams, Siena Ardizzone, Jack Diehl, Ari Hagelberg, Evan Krenzer, and Ryan D’Arduini

COPYEDITORS

Vincent Bissonette, Elle DiLoreto DIRECTOR

Amy Oliveri

Amy Oliveri LAYOUT

AMORA THONGJANG