As the holiday season approaches, Becton staff and students spent the weeks leading up to winter break preparing for a festive time filled with traditions, celebrations, and acts of kindness. From Christmas trees to twinkling lights, the spirit of the season came alive within the halls of Becton.
Students eagerly anticipated the break, looking forward to spending time with family and friends. Senior Sophia Offreda plans to make the most of her winter break with ice skating and gift exchanges, while seniors Michael Lenoy and Andersen DeKoyer are excited for skiing and snowboarding.
For many students and staff, the holiday season is also a time to reflect on their hopes, traditions, and wishes. Junior Leah Kozil dedicates an entire weekend to baking cookies with her aunt, making an impressive 2,500 cookies! Similarly, Mrs. Kathryn Scalera shared that her greatest holiday wish is to spend time with her family. She also enjoys her unique tradition of celebrating Christmas in the morning and her birthday in the evening, as she was born on Christmas day. On the other hand, sophomore Grant Padovano reflected on his family’s early holiday preparations, which included setting up all nine of their trees by Sept. 1, 2024. Talk about getting a head start on the holiday magic!
Additionally, senior Adrianna Alvarez and Ms. Daniella Polmann reminisced about holidays spent away from home. Alvarez’s favorite memories were from winter breaks spent in Puerto Rico with her family, while Ms. Polmann recalled celebrating Christmas in destinations like the Bahamas and Aruba. “It was the best! Christmas and a tan!” Ms. Polmann joked.
Some students, like senior Abigail Large, participated in the school’s musical “Annie Jr.”, which had performances on Dec. 20 and 21, 2024. On Friday, Dec. 20th at 3:30 PM, festive children’s activities were enjoyed before the show, including face painting, hot chocolate, making reindeer food, and a special visit from Santa from 1:30 to 3:15 PM. That evening, the school’s musical “Annie Jr.” had its first performance, directed by Gregory Liosi and assistant directed by Ms. Olivia Wilson. On Saturday, Dec. 21st at 6:30 PM, the evening began with a delightful performance by the Becton Music Department, led by Music Director Ms. Olivia Fiore, followed by the second performance of “Annie Jr.”.
In the final days of school, Becton celebrated with various events and spirit days, culminating in the Annual Winter Pep Rally on Dec. 20, 2024. The spirit days included:
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Students and staff getting into the holiday spirit during Spirit Week! Monday, Dec. 16: Mean One Monday – Grinch Edition. Students embraced their inner Grinch or showed off their Whoville style.
- Tuesday, Dec. 17: Festive Face-Off: Holiday Color Wars! Each grade wore their designated holiday colors.
- Wednesday, Dec. 18: Holiday Pajama Day. Everyone wore their coziest holiday pajamas.
- Thursday, Dec. 19: North Pole Showdown. Students dressed as their favorite holiday characters like Santa, Frosty, or Rudolph.
- Friday, Dec. 20: Ugly Sweater Day. The week ended with an ugly sweater contest!
The holiday season also brought a spirit of generosity to Becton. Students and staff organized fundraisers to help those in need:
- PAW Club collected donations for the Teterboro Bergen County Animal Shelter, including dog/cat toys, blankets, towels, and treats.
- Operation Holiday gathered donations for families in need through an initiative led by Mrs. DeSantis.
- The Matthew Dickman and Thomas “Tiny” Haines Scholarship fundraiser, supported by Mrs. Trause, included a holiday raffle for a gift basket and a $200 Amazon gift card. Thanks to the generosity of those who contributed, after this year’s scholarships are awarded to our students, both scholarship funds have been successfully built up to support the next ten years of scholarships!
- English Honor Society & Rho Kappa – History Honor Society sold stocking stuffers, such as bookmarks, candles, holiday treats, and jewelry.
- Math Honor Society hosted holiday bake sales.
- National Honor Society sold candy cane Grinch-Grams to raise funds for community service projects. Grinch-Grams are festive messages paired with a small treat, a fun way to spread holiday cheer!
- Environmental Club held an eco-friendly Holiday Thrift Shop, offering brand-new clothing items, with one-hundred percent of the proceeds donated to the Bergen County Human Services Center.
- Unified Club hosted a Cozy Coffee Cart for staff, featuring holiday-themed creamers and gingerbread cookies baked by Unified members. The delicious gingerbread cookies made by Unified members were thanks to Chef Damelio, who had taught the students the skills to knead, flatten, roll, and cut out the cookies!
With so many opportunities to give back, the Becton community fully embraced the holiday season’s spirit of generosity. Whether through donations, volunteering, or simply spreading Wildcat joy, students and staff made a meaningful impact on their school and local community.
You can continue to embrace the holiday spirit by supporting any of the fundraisers listed below, or by making a donation online through the provided links.
