As the cold weather sets in, it seems the students of Bayside continued to move in what seems to be a never-ending cycle of balancing school work, sports, clubs, afterschool activities and the pressure of the first set of midterm exams!

While all of the middle- and upper school students began the process of cramming four months’ learning into a few nights of studying for these massive, cumulative grades, they continued with their busy extra-curricular schedules!

On the other side of the spectrum, the lower-school and intermediate-level students are ecstatic with the thought of the looming Christmas holiday.

The fourth-graders were hard at work preparing a special Christmas presentation for their parents. Their annual Christmas musical — “The Twelve Days of Christmas” — was a perfect way to get in the spirit of the holidays.

The fifth- and sixth-grade Builders Club celebrated the holidays too, but in a different way. The club gathered all of their “spare change” to donate to the Thomas Hospital Children’s Floor. They also helped make “boredom baskets” for the children that will be in the hospital during Christmas. So far, the group has raised $300.

Along with the Builder’s Club, the Boys & Girls Clubs have chosen a large number of angels from EMI’s Angel Tree Program. Both clubs hope to provide magical Christmas celebrations to families throughout our area.

Bayside academic programs have certainly been bustling in the lead up to the holidays.

The seventh-grade history class, taught by Mr. Brazil, had newly elected state Sen. Trip Pittman speak to them on the internal workings of state government.

The fourth-graders, when not singing about Christmas, continued their study on the Native Americans and the areas in which they inhabited.

Not to be outdone, the lower-school art department and students have been making a large, decorative banner for Santa-America. This is a program that Bayside students of all ages take part in, whether it is the student counselors who volunteer as “elves,” or students designing art for the organization.

Despite the whirl of constant activity, Bayside students worked hard to reach their goal of Dec. 14, the last day of school on which the entire school, as well as alumni members, came together to celebrate the annual “Christmas Together” ceremony.

Merry Christmas to everyone!