When I say “holidays at Bancroft”, what do you think of?

Maybe you think of our extensive Halloween celebrations or the candles set out for Diwali. Maybe you think of how the holidays observed by the school don’t coincide with the ones you observe at home. Or maybe, you’re thinking about the infamous non-denominational attitude our school adopts in the winter.

See, Bancroft used to celebrate all sorts of different holidays during the wintertime. Juniors and seniors would decorate the Hub, and recognition would be given not only to Christmas and Hanukkah, but Kwanzaa and other lesser-known holidays. But now, faculty and students are compelled to embrace a non-denominational atmosphere. This means no specific holiday references and no decorations that can be tied to a specific holiday. The problem? Our school becomes devoid of festivity for any holiday, and snowflakes seem to be the only acceptable decorations.

Reflecting on Bancroft’s choice to celebrate holidays like Diwali and Halloween, I wonder why we ignore others. What about Kwanzaa? Eid Mubarak? The problem isn’t with these holidays specifically, it’s about the odd choice to recognize some and not others. Surely we can’t just pick and choose which holidays deserve our recognition.

I know it might seem overwhelming to consider how to celebrate every major holiday, but I think a lot of this can be left up to the students. If we had the option to decorate, we would stay mindful of honoring different holidays. It would be a group effort, and AB could keep us accountable. 

Instead of simply ignoring every holiday in the winter, let’s embrace the wealth of culture and diversity that each one has to offer – let’s honor them, if not at home, then by celebrating in spirit at school.