Hectic happenings during the holidays

These next few weeks are going to be exciting for the Lawrence High School students. It is hard to believe that 2019 is already drawing to a close, but we are all eagerly anticipating the experiences that the new year will bring us.

Many seniors will be wrapping up their college applications this month and have already begun receiving acceptance letters to some of their top schools. In the meantime, those of us that celebrate the holidays will be scrambling to buy gifts for our loved ones to show them how much we care. Both the students and the teachers have been working hard for the past three months, so everyone is looking forward to relaxing during winter break with their families.

The themes of thankfulness and giving back continue to permeate the halls of Lawrence High through Maria’s Toys for Tots. The program, which was created by alumni Maria Pullela, collects toys from donors to distribute to children in the hospital. Students will be able to bring in brand new toys to contribute to this effort, and the National Honor Society will be donating all of the proceeds from its annual Candy Cane Drive to the purchase of even more toys. Hopefully, this gesture will bring some joy into the lives of the children and their families.

The winter concert is taking place on Dec. 18. The first of two concerts during the school year, the winter concert is when students in band, orchestra and chorus perform for friends and family, showing off the hard work that they’ve been putting in since September to learn new and difficult pieces of music.

As usual, the talented students that take part in the concert are going to do a wonderful job executing their music under the direction of Terence Batts, Brian Stabile and Thomas Riley. Lawrence is proud of its music department and continues to support student efforts to flourish in the arts.

Between academics, extracurriculars and efforts to give back to the community, the halls of Lawrence High School are sure to be bustling with energy as everyone juggles their various responsibilities. These last few weeks of 2019 are sure to be eventful, but with support from friends and faculty, students will be able to avoid the stress that usually occurs during this time of year.