WEB EXCLUSIVE With finals having come to a close, students and faculty celebrated the end of the semester with a half-day Christmas-themed assembly and PAWS activities, organized by the sophomore class representatives and Student Life Director Devin DeMartini Cooke.  

“The sophomores did a wonderful job organizing the various festivities,” sophomore Nyxa Aquino-Thomas said. “It’s great to see students taking initiative and organizing events while still focusing on their finals.”

The festivities began at 8:30 a.m. with donuts and Christmas-themed crafts in the Center. Students split up into PAWS advisory groups at 9 a.m. and participated in a White Elephant gift exchange.

“I loved the gift exchange — it’s like a Christmas morning away from home,” freshman Dagny Wallace said. “There’s a mutual understanding that the gifts shouldn’t be too extravagant, so the time spent with your friends is really what matters.”

After the gift exchange, students gathered in the Little Theatre for assembly, which included an adviser costume contest, Christmas movie and other festive activities.

“I enjoyed the gift exchange, but the assembly was my favorite part of the day,” sophomore Sofia Telfer said. “The advisor costume contest was hilarious. It’s been awhile since I laughed that hard.”

The Christmas festivities closed off the semester with an early dismissal. Students will be on Christmas break until Jan. 3.

“This was a much needed day for me,” freshman Olivia Meere said. “After the stress of finals, I needed a boost of festive joy to get me back into the Christmas spirit.”