Byram Intermediate students create 12-part series in ‘Countdown to Winter Break’

Because the school and the holiday season looked a bit different this year, the Climate and Culture Committee at Byram Intermediate School spread cheer by creating a series of 12 activities for its “Countdown to Winter Break.”

During the students’ morning meeting for the 12 days leading up to the break, teachers and students took on a new assigned activity each day, to break up the monotony and take the place of some of the fun activities they traditionally enjoy throughout the year.

The countdown kicked off with virtual gingerbread house decorating. Some students worked on this individually, and some worked in small groups. During some morning meetings they worked on the project as one big class. It was a nice replacement for the door decorating contest the students usually do.

“The countdown to winter break has been exciting,” said Rylee P. “I loved making the gingerbread house.”

Completed gingerbread houses were added to their virtual gingerbread house village. Although students and staff may not be walking through the halls and seeing festive doors, they were able to peruse their virtual gingerbread house village to see the wonderful creativity of students in grades five through eight. Students both in the school and at home could enjoy this activity, then came together to make one village for everyone to enjoy.

Virtual snowball fight

Some activities were about competition. With several school days left until winter break, students participated in a virtual snowball fight — a great warm-up for their actual first snow day a few days later.

Using Google Slides, students worked in teams to color the white snowballs to their team color instead. The excited energy in the room (or in the Google Meet) was obvious as students frantically worked to make sure at the end of one minute, their team was the winner.

“The Countdown to Winter Break is actually pretty fun,” said student Adrianna G. “I liked the snowball activity the best.”

The activities were meant to be varied so that even if a student did not have an interest in one on a particular day, there was still something he or she truly enjoyed. This helped build community within the morning meeting groups when students and teachers have felt distant at times in the hybrid style of learning this year.

Some other activities throughout the countdown included coding a snowflake with Elsa and Anna, learning to draw a mug of hot chocolate with personality, and some Jan Brett stories.

In the Jan Brett virtual library was also an extra video on how to make gingerbread cookies. Sydney A. shared she and her grandmother used this tutorial to make their own gingerbread cookies together.

“As soon as I took my first bite... Mmmm. It was just the best taste ever!” she said.

Although this is not what the staff or students were used to, the committee is grateful that it brought some cheer and maybe even created a new tradition.