Aditi, Sophomore Day Student from Southbury, CT
As the student body found itself in red hall first thing Tuesday morning for assembly, after two weeks of a relaxing break, the excitement was almost tangible. As much as all of us LOVE breaks (who doesn’t?!) it felt great to be back at school. Along with new classes and a new term, we were all thrilled to start preparing for Candlelight.
The Candlelight Service of Lessons & Carols is one of Westover’s biggest traditions, where many students perform in glee, hand bells, or dance, and put on a great show along with the faculty. Some of the songs that are sung are very festive and cheery, while others are a little more serious, but they are all sung (or rung!) beautifully. At the end, we dim all the lights and light up candles. The glow in Chapel is breathtaking and gives you a sense of what a close, beautiful community Westover really is. Along with Candlelight come some other great traditions, like the party afterwards, along with a reading by the one and only Mr. Coffin! His stories are always mesmerizing, and are the one thing many people look forward to all year!
With all this in mind, the student body was ready to start another great term at Westover! One example of this was when I entered my day lounge last week, and saw that my lounge mates had already started putting up holiday decorations around the room (including bright sparkly stockings and pink Christmas trees!), as well as in the nearby hallways. The holiday mood was already in the air!
Even though we have hectic schedules this week to accommodate all the extra rehearsals for candlelight, we as a school like to remind ourselves that although it can be a little stressful now, the end result is truly worth it.
I hope you can join us for the Candlelight service this Saturday or Sunday at Westover’s Chapel, hope to see you there!
