Highlights of the World Languages Holiday Singing Contest at Bronx Science

Each year, the Bronx Science World Languages department hosts a holiday singing contest for students. This year’s contest was particularly festive and fun for both students and faculty alike!

Marissa Talushllari, Staff Reporter • March 6, 2025

Bridget Galwey

Students in A.P. French sing along to a French song, enjoying the performance.

The winter holidays carry various means of celebration: as festivities commence, people rejoice with food, song, and dance, enjoying each other’s company and the nature of the holiday season. Even a school like Bronx Science is not immune to this celebratory mood; each year, winter-themed activities and games for students (not to mention the Winter Wonderland party) take place in the days leading up to winter break. A notable aspect of this holiday cheer is the World Languages Department’s annual holiday singing contest. This contest invites students from various World Languages classes to sing songs in world languages — either as a class or individually. It gives students the opportunity to showcase their singing and language skills alike, all the while celebrating the holiday season.

This school year’s holiday singing contest was no exception. It featured students from all grade levels, language classes offered at Bronx Science, and skill levels. Some students chose to dress up in holiday-themed costumes, such as Ms. Olmedo’s A.P. Spanish Language and Culture class, many of whom donned red Santa hats. One class dressed entirely in black to complement their song, and another group wore outfits of red and white clothing to match the season. Even students who chose not to dress up for the occasion brought their holiday spirit to the contest by singing with spirit and joy. Regardless of whether they won or not, each performance at the holiday singing contest this year was incredible!

About the Contributors

Marissa Talushllari, Staff Reporter

Marissa Talushllari is an Editor-in-Chief for ‘The Science Survey.’ In addition to writing her own articles on a variety of topics, she edits her peers’ articles to ensure that they are ready for publication. She enjoys journalistic writing and how it is necessary to establish a foundation for one’s writing with evidence, data, and quotes in order to create a cohesive narrative that presents a topic in an interesting way. In her free time, Marissa enjoys reading, listening to music, and watching movies.

Bridget Galwey, Staff Reporter

Bridget Galwey is an Editor-in-Chief and a Chief Graphic Designer for ‘The Observatory’ yearbook. She is also a Staff Reporter for ‘The Science Survey’ newspaper. Bridget has always loved reading and telling stories. She believes that journalism is a great way to inform people of ideas in a creative and compelling way. She has a passion for photography that tells a story. Bridget has a deep appreciation for the impact that photography has on the world of journalism. She loves the challenge of looking for a photo that will make a statement. Bridget loves to read dystopian fiction, taking walks in Central Park, and enjoys going to museums with her friends. Bridget would love to pursue graphic design in the future. She wants to go into the field of marketing and improve her photography skills.

Nora Gupta, Staff Reporter

Nora Gupta is an Editor-in-Chief and a Chief Graphic Designer for ‘The Observatory’ yearbook as well as a Staff Reporter for ‘The Science Survey.’ She is also an awarded and published student poet and the author of the upcoming chapbook Decipher the Smoke. She advocates for artistic expression and writing sovereignty while stressing the importance of “painting a picture with words,” a mantra that she follows with a disciple’s devotion. Nora loves to use imagery and refined rhetoric in her writing, along with giving character to the people, objects, or events that she writes about. She views journalism as a healthy (and vital) part of a community — allowing greater community transparency and personality. Nora aspires to pursue writing as a future career.

Kaitlyn Toy, Staff Reporter

Kaitlyn Toy is a Graphic Designer and a Student Life Section Editor for ‘The Observatory’ yearbook, as well as a Staff Reporter for ‘The Science Survey’ newspaper. Kaitlyn finds that the most appealing aspect of journalistic writing is its ability to provide a platform for writers to articulate their thoughts and to communicate a wide range of messages to a large audience. She believes that journalism encourages the sharing of diverse thoughts and experiences, allowing similar ideas to unite and differing perspectives to inspire. Kaitlyn has a strong passion for photography. She perceives journalistic photography as a powerful means to convey and evoke deep emotions, capturing moments in time that people can look back on fondly. Similar to writing, photography serves as a medium of expression for Kaitlyn, allowing her to express herself and how she views the world through her lens. During her pastime, Kaitlyn enjoys reading, listening to K-pop, playing games, and spending time with friends and family. Driven by a keen interest for the biological sciences, she strives to enter the medical field and become a pediatrician. Regardless of the path she takes, she hopes to integrate her passions for journalism and photography with her career.

Kathryn Wu, Staff Reporter

Kathryn Wu is a Graphic Designer and Copy Chief for ‘The Observatory’ yearbook. She is also a Staff Reporter for ‘The Science Survey.’ Kathryn finds journalistic writing to be very expressive and enjoys how she can learn a lot about many different types of people through each of their unique stories. In addition to writing, Kathryn finds journalistic photography to be an amazing medium that captures stories visually. Kathryn is known to be very artsy and creative. Outside of school, you can find her spending most of her free time watching K-dramas, learning K-pop choreography, and singing karaoke with friends. Kathryn’s plans for the future aren’t set in stone and she is currently unsure of a specific career path. However, she would love to have a future career in a business or artistic field whether that is architecture, digital marketing, or some sort of graphic design.