Editor’s note: The staff of hattersherald.com wishes Happy Holidays to all. In a time that many use to reflect, we decided to share with our readers what we are thankful for as 2016 winds down, and 2017 presents fresh possibilities.

Meghan Edwards

The holidays can be a hectic time. We’re running around like madmen trying to find the perfect gifts for the people in their lives, and at the same time life is still happening around us. Homework is still being assigned, extracurriculars are still going on, and you’re in trouble if those chores don’t get done. Let’s face it, we’re all busy, we all have lives, but with the chaos, we lose track of the things that truly matter. Of course many of us are thankful for the families that love and support us. For me, my mom and brother are always there to clean up, and cool down, my messes, without a single complaint. They also buy me iced tea when I feel like giving up, which is so appreciated. But they’re a given, they know I love them and am entirely thankful for every little thing they do for me. What about the other facets of life, though? Where are their thanks? I think it’s time to share the love we have for these things, because after all, there’s no better time to spread cheer than the most wonderful time of the year. For starters, ballet has always been my haven. When I land a turn sequence that I have been working on, or simply sneak a quick glance at myself in the mirror while in class, doing something that just looks right, there is no greater feeling in the world, and I would not trade it for anything. So ballet, I know you’re inanimate and really don’t care, but I thank you for shaping me into the person I am today. Another thing that I’m thankful for is Quizlet. This website has saved so many of my grades, it makes me seem so much more intelligent than I really am, and is overall such a wonderful place to go to when you have really any assignment because all of the answers are most likely on there. God bless you Quizlet, all I know is, without you, I would still be a freshman, reading Romeo and Juliet over and over again until I’m 50, thank you so much. Happy Holidays everyone; may they be jolly and bright.

Jazzlyn Torres

In life, there are millions of things to be thankful for; therefore writing this entry comes at no challenge. There are many essentials in life that we often take advantage of such as a warm place to sleep at night, access to clean water, the ability to eat food whenever I desire. There are many people around the world who do not have access to these simple things in which we take for granted. However, on a more personal level, I am thankful for my family and friends who have been there for me through every situation and helped me realize there is a reason for everything, to always stay positive and to look on the bright side of any situation. No matter how bad an event may be, they always reassure their love for me and help me through it as best as they could. I could not have asked for a better group of people to surround myself with. I am also thankful for the ability to travel around the world and the United States, and to see all these beautiful, different cultures that not many children my age are unable to see. I am also thankful to live in “The Free Land” in which I am entitled to have a free education, freedom of speech, and so on. Many other countries have limited freedoms and are ruled under totalitarian leaders. Lastly, I am thankful for my outlook on life. This had been instilled in me growing up, to surround myself with positive people. I always find the positive in a situation, which helps me be the happy person I am today!

Helena Trofa

In the winter months, it is relatively easy to think about what I am thankful for. However, I find it hard to narrow down my scope and pick out one thing I am the most thankful for. It is easy nowadays to think that technology or modern advances are the things that we should be grateful for this holiday season. It is so ingrained in everyone’s heads that technology is the key to happiness and survival. In contrast, I will forever be grateful for my life and the family surrounding me. Regardless of the holiday season making me grateful for everything, everyday I feel gratitude that I have this life. I have a wonderful family with tons of love, a warm house, and a forever bond between us. Without their love I do not think I would be able to be grateful for anything because I would be missing my true joy in life. Along with my family I am truly thankful for my little dogs. They give me so much happiness and joy. Although, they are now growing old, I am so grateful for their blessings every single day and I treasure their immense joy.

Katie Walsh

It’s easy to get lost within a holiday season, becoming so focused on the gifts, food and decorating that comes with. It’s significant that the true meaning of the holidays doesn’t disappear;  it’s about being thankful for the loved ones that surround you and everything that you have in your life. Personally, I’m thankful for the incredible family and friends I have who are always there for support and continuously have my back. The love that they give and have is shared and received.  My best friends, who are constantly there to listen to rants and pick me back up again, are everything to me. I’m grateful for the ability to lose myself in steps and music, dancing my way to the stage to tell a story. It’s an indescribable feeling being in the moment of the truest art form, expanding my horizons with every move.

Naomi Thomas

I am thankful for all the blessings God has given my family and me. Every year I take a moment to reflect over the year and I come to the conclusion that I am blessed to have the opportunities that are given to my family. I understand that every student in the U.S. has a tremendous privilege regarding the access to a free education. Many children around the world could not even imagine graduating high school or even continuing on to higher level education as a possibility. We are fortunate to live in a country where we are obligated to enter school. I also have so much gratitude for the fact that we live in a country where we are able to protest and create platforms to establish change in our society. There are nations around the world that only have one option for their leader and are forced to stay under that rule for a lifetime. I am truly thankful for the people I am surrounded by. They understand my ambitious drive and support me in all of my endeavors. I am thankful for my health, my home, and the fact I will always be OK because I have faith in my family and my lord and savior Jesus Christ.

Jenna Hope

Expressing gratitude is something I have always found easy to do. Being raised in a family that values optimism and consistently stresses the importance of never holding a grudge, I am thankful for my perseverance. Growing up in a world that has seemed to only go downhill annually has certainly tested my genuine personality at times. As life functions naturally, my disposition has been mocked, tested, and praised. I am learning to use every piece of feedback I get in this life as fuel for my ambition to succeed.

Education is something I will never take for granted; despite its flaws, learning is my favorite thing to do in this life. Acquiring a new piece of knowledge every day has been my goal since I was younger, appealing to my joy of a growing intelligence. Education has sculpted my inherent qualities of mind and character, while teaching me to have a tough skin at the same. Above all subjects, English has been a high focal point in my studies. I am thankful for my abilities and realize that they can only improve when I go on to study for a major in communications in college. I am thankful for every person who has nudged me along the way, despite my stubborn personality and overly enthusiastic personality. I am thankful for my AP English and Language teacher, Mr. Porcelli, who I had to wait until my senior year to meet. He has taught me plenty more than curriculum, and has forced me through realities in the best ways possible. Writing for Mr. Porcelli is something I already know I will genuinely miss when I graduate.

Above all the of the things praised as “normal,” I am thankful for my ability to be divergent throughout such a concrete society. Studying meditation and practices of release has helped my anxious personality soar through strong, trusting friendships that I will be eternally grateful for. Being the most extroverted-introverted person that I know is a trait I will always hold dear to my soul. As a natural homebody, and a natural social butterfly at the same time, I am thankful for myself. I wouldn’t trade my personality for the world, and I am thankful for everybody who has helped me come to this extreme self-realization throughout my childhood/years of education.

My family and friends are not forgotten above all of this, if I seemed egocentric at some point. My mother especially I will always be thankful for-her nurturing qualities for raising five kids as a stay-at-home mom has only further inspired me to do good in the world for other people and not just for myself. My mother has taught me that kindness is best found in being kind outwardly, and applying this trait in the real world is something she has made me excited to do. I am thankful for my big family of seven, my parents, and teachers who have influenced me throughout my endeavors in life-big and small. Becoming a spiritual person has only made me appreciate this more and more as the days pass-I am thankful for the world.

Abby Martinez

Being a senior in high school you tend to look back at the past 3-4 years more often than any other year. I look at the obstacles I’ve faced and the mistakes I’ve made. The people I’ve met, the friends I’ve gained and the few I’ve lost. But the thing that has always been constant in my life has been my family, especially my parents. They have always supported me in everything I have wanted to pursue. And especially now that I am looking at where I will be attending college for the next four years. My parents have been nothing but open minded and supportive. They have not given many boundaries in my life, allowing me to really be myself. I want to thank my parents for everything they have done and the things that I know they will do in the future.

Jordan Rushaidat

To start with, I am thankful for what I have and what I was given during my life including a loving and understanding family that has always been by my side through everything. I am thankful for the friends I have in each place I have lived. I am thankful for being offered valuable opportunities to live abroad, in countries such as Greece, as well as being able to attend the best schools during my stay in each country. I am grateful for being able to learn about new cultures, religions and languages in each of the countries I’ve lived. I am thankful for being a follower of a religion like Islam. I am thankful for being the person I am, and for the life that I am living. Most important, I am thankful for having soccer in my life and especially Manchester City Football Club, which gives me joy whenever I watch them. Finally, I am thankful for journalism class and the people in it, where I feel that I have been a Danbury resident since birth.

Raquel Uchoa

I am thankful for my morning coffee. Couldn’t get started without it. Also, I am grateful for being able to travel freely, and to have had the opportunity to visit such beautiful places. For making memories, on small adventures to the quirky coffee house in Bethel, and to caffeinated snorts and giggles while playing board games. I appreciate really good burritos and short bursts of crazy at midnight on a Saturday. I am thankful for my family, who has always taught me to value the things that I do not have, in each person I meet, so that I could embrace my own differences. Learning from my family, I grew up open-minded, appreciating different cultures and beliefs. Through this I have met so many wonderful people who have enriched my life. For that, and all of the people I love, I am very blessed and very thankful.

Thomas Ross

As Journalism teacher and adviser of hattersherald.com, I am thankful for this staff of student-journalists who hit the ground running this year, producing quality journalism that keeps the DHS campus informed. This is a young, inexperienced staff, and yet it has stepped up to strengthen our digital platform (only in its second year) at hattersherald.com and increase our presence on Twitter. These students — Meghan Edwards, Jenna Hope, Naomi Thomas, Abby Martinez, Jordan Rushaidat, Raquel Uchoa, Katie Walsh, Jazzlyn Torres, Helena Trofa, along with our correspondents Shannon Ahearn, Jenna Coladarci and Joy-Anne Foster — all work hard to pursue and disseminate the news. I don’t think that many on campus realize just how hard they work to keep us informed. They run through the halls to take pictures. They knock on teachers’ doors to set up interviews. They pester secretaries and administrators for their time. They spread out in the library and the cafeteria to interview students. And they stand outside Elmer’s Diner and the gym, selling baked goods to raise money to pay our bills. This semester alone, they have reported on Dan Donovan settling in as principal, Rob Murray’s successful coaching career, the establishment of the Black Lives Matter Club, the departure of a beloved teacher, Rachel Torres-O’Leary, the boys’ soccer team reacting to disqualification, what Muslim students think of a Trump presidency, the winning Robotics team, and examinations of the Advisory program and student-parking policy. In 2017, I expect they will impress me, and you, even more.