For decades, Liberty has had holiday traditions. But have you ever wondered why we have these traditions? To some, they might seem annoying or cheesy, but to others, they hold great significance. 

“They’re fun. School is serious and should be challenging and thought-provoking, but we’re also a family. How many hours out of our days do we spend with each other every year? You need to have something fun to do with your family,” English teacher Julie Larsen said. 

Liberty has many different traditions to celebrate, but one specifically targeted to bring teachers together is the White Elephant gift exchange. 

“We do it every year. There’s always these funny traditional gifts that go around. One year, there was a giant portrait of Mr. Benjamin when he had curly hair and a mustache from 25 years ago,” English teacher Steve Valach said. 

However, for the past year, Liberty couldn’t celebrate its traditions due to online learning. 

“We just had an isolation assault on us. And human beings are created to be in a community, it’s where we are our best,” Valach said. “ I’m not my best when I’m alone in my classroom, it’s when I get to be with all my students and surrounded by their youthful optimism and energy,”. 

While Liberty traditions have become crucial in recovering from online learning, a majority of Liberty traditions center around the most celebrated holiday in America: Christmas. 

“There should be more traditions where we learn about more diverse cultures and religions. We’re very familiar with Christmas, but there are so many other things that happen in the world that we should embrace and celebrate,” Larsen said.

While some new Liberty traditions might be created or changed, they will continue to be celebrated annually throughout the school. 

“Snowcoming Monday is always pajama day, and I think that’s the greatest gift ASB could give us. Actually, I think we should have more pajama days,” Larsen said.