After enduring an intense and stressful finals week, BHS students embraced winter break through a range of fun-filled activities, whether in or outside Burlingame.

Incoming ASB President Johnny Kershner took care of horses and did farm work at his Grandpa’s farm in Arizona. He noticed the giant culture shock between the fast-paced, bustling Burlingame environment of Starbucks and Wi-Fi and the calm, tranquil farm environment.

“I found the farming to be surprisingly rewarding and I wouldn’t mind going back there every year,” Johnny Kershner noted. “I also got to spend some quality time with my grandparents which was awesome considering I see them rarely and they don’t travel much. They showed me some drawing I made for them when I was around five years old which was the last time I’d visited.”

As a bonus, Kershner stopped by Santa Fe, where he experienced his first snowy Christmas.

Current ASB Secretary Elliot Kane was one of the first movie-goers to watch Star Wars The Force Awakens. As a huge Star Wars fan, Kane had been eagerly anticipating the blockbuster sequel, which had exceeded his expectations.

“The movie was incredible and for a hardcore fan it was really powerful to see the new installation in the Star Wars Universe,” Kane proclaimed.

Watching The Nutcracker at the San Francisco Opera House was similarly a moving experience for him, since this was the first ballet he had ever seen. He instantly recognized Tchaikovsky’s music since he always listens to it during the holiday season.

“It was wonderful to finally be able to see the whole production and relate the music to the ballet,” Kane noted. “It was without doubt an amazing experience which I will always look back upon fondly.”

Sophomore Vivian Yuen traveled to Hong Kong to visit her relatives and reunite with her grandparents, aunt, and uncle during Christmas and New Year’s Day.

“I ate really good Cantonese style food with my family and was immersed in the Hong Kong culture,” Yuen remarked.

Senior Class Coordinator Nidhi Bandrapalli and her friends went ice skating in the pouring rain in San Francisco’s Union Square. Nevertheless, the day was packed with fun and excitement as they viewed the Union Square Christmas tree, gazed at the shinning holiday lights, and ate yummy food.

“This day was so great because we were the only people crazy enough to continue ice skating when it was raining like crazy and our clothes were sopping wet,” Bandrapalli described. “It was late and bit chilly after we finished ice skating so we decided to run to Macy’s and get some hot chocolate. This event was memorable because it felt like we were little kids again, able to run around and dance in the rain, yet grown up enough to make decisions for ourselves. We shared a lot of laughs that night and even though our clothes were slightly ruined and we looked like the joker (because our mascara was running down our faces), it was honestly the most fun I’ve had in a while.”

Another Senior Class Coordinator Stephanie Mark reunited with her close friend Anna Kurzrock, whom Mark had not seen since she left for college in the early fall.

“We ran a long overdue trail run together (she’s my running buddy) in which we shared life updates and stories, and afterwards we met up with our friend Tessa Filipczyk to eat Anna’s traditional and quite delicious Hanukkah latkes,” Mark recalled. “Although a simple thing, it was a thing I had missed since she was gone, and it was a thing that made me remember how thankful I am for my lifelong friends.”

Junior Class Vice President Andrew Chai hung out with his younger cousins.

“It gave me chance to relax and have fun with them, as I rarely see them during the year,” Chai stated.