Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another Horizon Highlights- a general recap of everything that has happened on campus this month. The colder weather brought a newfound motivation and excitement on campus for the upcoming winter break. With midterms on the horizon, students prepared for the final stretch before the recess. Let’s take a look at everything that happened on campus this month!
December began on a Monday, welcoming in the new month with a fresh week. Tuesday, December 2nd was Giving Tuesday, a global generosity movement on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving that encourages people to give back to their community. This can also be a good reminder to us to give back to our community, no matter how small of a donation. As said by the Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him): “Every good deed is charity. Verily, it is a good deed to meet your brother with a smiling face…” Giving charity can mean smiling, giving a compliment, holding the door open for someone, or even just picking up trash from the road. All in all, doing these acts of kindness shows that you care about your community and the people around you.
The next two weeks passed by energetically, with the final days of the semester on the horizon. Students prepared for the upcoming midterm exams on Wednesday, December 17th and Thursday, December 18th, with the exception of the middle school students with excellent behavioral and academic standings that were able to be exempt from the midterm exams, with strict criteria on the amounts of absences, demerits, and low grades the student can have. However, BHA policy states that high school students must take all of their midterm exams, with exemption only being an option for final exams in May. However, the number of exams varies from student to student, depending on how many honors, AP (advanced placement), and Dual Credit classes they have decided to take. You can read more about the BHA exemption policy here.
Finally, the week everyone has been waiting for: finals week. Midterms came and went smoothly, with all students taking their prospective exams and, inshaAllah, doing well. The last day of school for the week was on Thursday, December 18th, with Friday, December 19th being the first day of winter break. During this break, it is common for students to relax, recharge, and prepare for the upcoming year ahead. Many students choose to write down new years resolutions. Personally, one of my resolutions is to spend more time outside in nature. It is also common for students in high school to research summer opportunities to apply for, in order to strengthen their experiences and extracurricular activities for college. And, don’t worry; if you think this winter break was spent rotting in bed, you can read more about how to spend it productivity next year.
Finally, the end of December welcomed the new year. With just a few days of break remaining, students prepared for the year ahead. Full of opportunity, 2026 can be a fresh start for many. That is all for this month. Thank you for reading, and see you in January!
