The Holiday Festivities at Winter Wonderland

On December 20th, 2024 students of all grades were invited to Winter Wonderland, the beloved Bronx Science tradition that sparks holiday cheer.

Sasha White, Staff Reporter • March 6, 2025

Albiona Leka

Christina Kantlis ’26 holds up her finished cookie design with hearts and glitter.

As the holiday season approached, Bronx Science carried out one of its beloved winter traditions: Winter Wonderland. Organized by the S.O. Cabinet, the event took place in the school’s cafeteria on Friday, December 20th, 2024, during all lunch periods. When students walked through the doors in the morning, they saw the cafeteria filled with holiday decorations: the tables were draped with snowflake tablecloths and at the back of the cafeteria, tables were prepped for the festivities. As soon as the bell rang for lunch, students rushed down to the cafeteria, where stations were opened for cookie decorating, bracelet making, and DIY snow globes. The place was buzzing with excitement. Jinha Kim ’26, an S.O. Cabinet member said, “Winter Wonderland is about celebrating the winter season with a fun event everyone can take part in.”

After the stress of the January Midyears, everyone could finally relax, enjoy a cookie, or take a picture with friends. Many students even came in with Santa hats and holiday sweaters, ready to spread the holiday cheer. The excitement Winter Wonderland evoked and the happiness it spread made it a huge success, and it brought the 2024 season to a perfect close.

About the Contributors

Sasha White, Staff Reporter

Sasha White is a Managing Editor and Advisory Editor for ‘The Science Survey.’ She has published many articles ranging in genre from news to editorial pieces, as well as reviewing and editing articles across a variety of other topics. She believes that articles are a form of exposure to people’s stories and experiences, and each piece published is an opportunity to see the world through a new and unique lens. She finds journalistic photography to be a key to understanding people, as camera’s capture raw emotion and genuine personality; no words need to be said for a story to be told. Sasha is an entrepreneur who loves creating handmade crafts and designs to sell on platforms, but she also loves to read, watch movies, and spend time with her friends. In the future, she sees herself pursuing careers in business or medicine, in the hopes of being able to interact and form bonds with people, and learn more about the area of study that she chooses.

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.

Sofia Fernandez, Staff Reporter

Sofia Fernandez is a Copy Chief and Chief Graphic Designer for ‘The Observatory’ yearbook. She is also a Staff Reporter for ‘The Science Survey’ newspaper. Sofia believes that journalistic writing allows us to take on new and diverse perspectives. She finds this type of writing appealing and informative because it educates the reader in a creative and engaging way, while also highlighting the writer’s overall message. Photography really speaks to her heart since it allows her to capture a moment and cherish it as time goes on. She isn’t afraid to take new photos of things that she finds to be interesting. Whether it is photography or journalism, both fields allow her to demonstrate her own creative skills and that’s what she loves about them. Outside of school, Sofia pursues a variety of hobbies. These include listening to music, playing sports such as soccer and badminton for fun, working on graphic design, taking photographs, and watching television shows and movies. One of her favorite movies is Coraline because it is surrounded by conceptual fan theories and contains a great level of suspense, all of which is supported by its visual elements. In the future, Sofia plans on integrating her writing, graphic design, and photography skills by studying film and marketing in college.

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.

Albiona Leka, Staff Reporter

Albiona Leka is a Chief Graphic Designer and a Managing Editor for ‘The Observatory’ yearbook and a Staff Reporter for ‘The Science Survey’ newspaper. She finds journalistic writing to be enjoyable because she recognizes that it can be used to inform the public about various topics in a fun yet informative way. Photography is another source of entertainment that Albiona indulges in because it gives her a chance to tell a story without the use of words. Outside of school, Albionaloves to draw, listen to music, and play card games with her family and friends. It was always in her nature to help and educate others. Consequently, Albiona has become interested in the medical field and plans to pursue a future in this field when she begins her college career.

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.