Students at many boarding school often find themselves missing home during the holiday seasons, but Kent teachers and students have worked hard to combat these holiday blues. Between enjoying a holiday-themed movie and building gingerbread houses on a crisp December evening, Kent students can enjoy the holiday spirit as they await the fast approaching winter break.

Ashley McDonald ‘18 and Trey Walsh ‘18, heads of Blue Key, plan activities during holiday seasons with something more in mind. “When we’re at home, everyone decorates their house and does all these activities centered holidays,” says Mcdonald, “We want to bring that to Kent so that it feels more like home.”

Walsh agrees that these festivities play an important role in easing the stress of being away from home. “One of the hardest parts of Kent is making sure that it feels like home,” says Walsh, “I feel like fostering the holiday spirit is a good way to do that.”

With those ideals in mind, Blue Key hosted the movie Elf on Saturday, filling Dickinson Auditorium with laughter. And after the movie, they hosted a holiday-themed dance in the Student Center for students to get into the holiday spirit, clothes and all.

On Sunday, gingerbread house-building, tree decorating, and an open art studio kept the holiday spirit alive. Ms. Jenna Lynch, head of the Art department, opened the art studio for students to express their holiday spirit. She comments, “Some students came to paint Hanukkah images, winter landscapes, make Christmas cards, and some made jewelry pieces.” She also adds that the open studio activity has been going on for many years and has been met with great success each time: “Students get so involved in the creative flow, that they do not want to stop at 10pm!”