Thanksgiving always marks the beginning of all of our favorite holiday festivities. This year, many of our Eagles took part in so many fun activities to kick off the holiday season. Many packed their bags and traveled to spend time with family and friends, while others stayed right here in Rocky Mount, opening their homes to family and friends and enjoying meals while giving thanks to those who made for yet another wonderful year. Whatever you and your family did, I hope you were able to spend time with those that mean the most to you. Here is what a few of us around campus did over the much-needed break. 

Ms. Knox, our beloved tenth-grade English teacher, shared her Thanksgiving with her mother with a trip to Colonial Williamsburg. One of the most exciting activities on their schedules was the Christmas decorations walking tour, which let them see all of the 100% authentic Christmas decorations the stores and houses set up every year. I had the chance to see several of these decorations, and let me just tell you, I was absolutely blown away by their creativity; just like the residents of Williamsburg did in the 1700s, modern residents use whatever is natural and on hand. They included all kinds of items such as shells, feathers, apples, pineapples, and even chili peppers for color! Ms. Knox did mention the only thing that would have made the Christmas tour just a little bit better was the weather. It was extremely cold, so they had to stay bundled up on their adventure. Ms. Knox and her mother were also able to get a jump on Christmas shopping and are super excited to have one less thing to worry about when looking forward to Christmas break. 

Senior Elle Bartolomeo enjoyed her Thanksgiving by staying home and spending time with her family and friends. She kicked off her break with a bonfire with several friends that were home from college. Her favorite part of the break was waking up bright and early on Thanksgiving morning to start cooking and baking with her mom and finish all of the tasty treats they were making for Thanksgiving dinner. The day after Thanksgiving, Elle and her family followed their yearly tradition and got busy working on putting up all of their favorite Christmas decorations. Overall, Elle said her break was filled with funny moments with friends and family, good food, and lots of sleep as she was finally able to catch up on the sleep she has been so desperately missing the past three months of non-stop schoolwork and college applications.  One thing is for sure: this break made Elle extremely grateful we only have a few more days left until Christmas break begins!