The last week of school before Christmas is always the second best week of school besides the last one. It’s full of holiday cheer and students non-stop talking, knowing they won’t have school the following week. Cathedral Prep excels in this because the students continue to do their work while talking on the side about their plans for the holidays.

However, this isn’t the only thing that makes Prep special around this time. They also do some holiday festivities on the side, including their “Ugly Sweater Day,” which is held about a week prior. On this day, students are able to wear an ugly Christmas sweater over their uniform free of charge. If they participated in this event, they were also able to stop by various teachers’ rooms and receive Christmas-themed candy for taking part.

“The best part about the festivities we do is getting people ready and putting students in the Christmas spirit,” Senior Class President and Student Council Vice President Andrew Kolodychak said. “There’s no fun when there’s no holiday joy.”

Cathedral Prep’s student council decides which festivities will be the most beneficial to the students and the school. One of their most recent ideas was a Cathedral Prep “door-decorating” contest. The idea is simple: students in their ninth-period classroom decorate that teacher’s door. Then, multiple winners will be picked based off “best winter theme,” “best Christmas theme,” and “overall best.” The students in the winning classrooms then receive Christmas cookies on the last day.

“In my opinion, this was one of student council’s better ideas this year,” Student Council President Michael Vereb said. “It was very similar to the Giving Day idea, where the winning grade received donuts in their classrooms. However, I think this was a better opportunity because the students didn’t have to worry about the rest of their grade not putting in any effort.”

Cathedral Prep has always been known for being strong academically but also being enjoyable. The students at Prep are able to have fun while doing these festivities, not realizing how much it does for the school as well. During the decorating contest, the students decorating the doors don’t realize that it helps to make the school look more festive, ultimately putting everyone else that sees it in a more festive mood.

“I’m glad everyone was able to have fun doing these contests and activities,” Andrew Kolodychak said. “It really just makes the school more fun, and it reflects that to students that are looking to come here as well.”