Earlier today, students took part in the fourth annual “Season’s Readings,” an event focused on Townsend Harris’s literacy focus, cross-cultural unity, and the holiday spirit. While previous celebrations took place on a half-day, this year’s Season’s Readings took place during a full school day and added a new component run by over thirty different clubs.
Organized by the THHS Reading Initiative, Season’s Readings asks teachers to incorporate reading into their lessons, no matter the department. Some teachers offered students independent reading periods, some teachers performed read alouds, and English teachers shared international readings curated by student leaders of the school’s upcoming Festival of Nations (FON) dance show. In addition to reading lessons, the Nightingale Theatre Company performed various holiday readings across two performances that teachers could bring classes to view in the auditorium. Members of the school’s music program also played festive music in the auditorium for classes durings bands one and two.
“I actually love it,” said Physical Education teacher Gabriela Pedreros of the day. “I think it’s a great opportunity to integrate a structured and academic day on literacy, while also [offering] flexibility in the schedule.”
The day also offered students a chance to eat food from around the world by participating in the FON Holiday Market. Throughout all lunch bands, leaders of various FON dance teams sold food from the culture of their FON.
Senior Skylinn Huang said, “the holiday market embraces amazing cultures that are presented in our school, and I think it gives the chance for people to get to see new cultural food that they haven’t had the chance to see on their own.” She also said that for a relatively small price the market offered students a chance to try a wide variety of foods and praised students who sold homemade dishes.
For the FON groups, the market offered a chance to raise money for their upcoming performances.
Senior Claire Weng, who was selling food for Chinese Silk FON, said, “Our costumes are very costly, so if we can hit high sales, it can help lower our costs a bit.”
“I just went and bought a mango lassi from Bengali Fon, and it’s delicious,” said social studies teacher Siobhan Brand. There were fourteen overall tables selling food. Ms. Brand said she would like to see even more FON groups joining in. “It would be nice to see all of the FON groups participating across the whole floor,” she said.
“This year, it feels like it’s a lot more diverse and people actually have the opportunity to stop by each stall,” said senior Natalie Tamma, who was selling food for Jewish FON.
During the last two bands of the day, students watched performances by the Nightingale Theatre Company. The program included readings from holiday poems and stories, an original student-made stop motion animated holiday film, interactive contests for audience members like “spin the dreidel,” and more. There was also a performance of Lemony Snicket’s The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming, adapted for the stage by members of the Nightingale Theatre Company.
After band 9, extracurricular clubs hosted a wide range of events and sales. Student Union Club Liaison Aki Benjamin said, “The club event was a great success. We had over 30 participating clubs across three floors and were able to spread holiday cheer and joy to all our visitors.”
The offerings included both holiday-themed activities and regular club sessions. The Philosophy Club invited students to join a discussions on topics like “Is it morally acceptable to lie to children about Santa Claus?” Big Sib Little Sib invited students to “customize a tote bag using paint and iron-on patches while warming up with hot chocolate.”
As the event ended, students and faculty began this year’s winter break. Classes will resume on January 5.
