Getting back into the swing of school

Students at Hewlett High School may have experienced an unexpected hiatus during November, but now school is back in session. This week marks the third consecutive full week of school since the long Thanksgiving Day weekend, and it seems like school couldn’t be any busier.

All sorts of activities and events are constantly occurring both inside and outside the halls of the high school. The SAT, SAT subject tests, and ACT were administered during the first and weekend weeks of December at other nearby high schools. Many juniors experienced the intimidating testing experience for the first time, while for many seniors it was the last. The winter sports season also recently began. Some athletes spend time practicing indoors, but others, such as track and field team members experience the frigidity of winter-like weather. The teams are starting to compete against other local teams. The girls’ and boys’ basketball teams, however, had the privilege of scrimmaging against basketball teams from a high school in Denmark. The sudden influx of extremely tall and blonde teenagers was not a group of new students, but rather basketball players who stopped in Hewlett while traveling through New York. Furthermore, many students, families, and teachers entered the auditorium on the evening of Dec. 7 to watch the annual SADD fashion show. Members of the Students Against Destructive Decisions club enjoyed sporting trendy outfits.

Other clubs have been involved with the greater Hewlett-Woodmere community as well. Students in the World Language Club visited The Center for Adult Life Enrichment after school on Dec. 10. The students’ purpose in making this visit was to celebrate the upcoming holiday season with the senior citizens while promoting their love and appreciation for different languages. The afternoon consisted of singing holiday songs and playing rounds of Bingo in English, Spanish, French, and Italian. Both the students and senior citizens felt that the interaction between the two entities, the high school and center, was very nice. The school newspaper, The Spectrum, was published this week and it reported on relevant school, community, and worldly news. A large portion of the paper was devoted to discussing Superstorm Sandy and its implications on the school and town. In addition to describing the gas shortages and shattering effects on people’s lives, the newspaper explained the district’s decision to abridge the February vacation due to make up for the days lost due to Sandy. The district felt that it was a reasonable decision, but many students and teachers are very disappointed because they had already made their plans for the break. However, the bi-annual trip to the Galapagos Islands, organized through the high school, remains a go.

In other news: Three Hewlett seniors —Jeremy Appelbaum, William Gil and Allen Shin — took first place in the national Siemens competition in Math, Science, and Technology. The entire school is proud of the research team and all its hard work! December is overall an exciting time for seniors as they receive application decisions from colleges and consider where they will be in a year from now.

With Hanukkah being celebrated and the ongoing preparations for the winter concerts, Hewlett students are looking forward to the holiday season and the December vacation. The past few months may have been a bit unique in that there was a dearth of school days, but Hewlett students certainly have the right to look forward to the upcoming break. Whether they are planning to stay home with family or friends or travel elsewhere, students will have the well-deserved time to relax.