The holiday season has come and gone, and soon it will be replaced by the dreary days of winter. But that does not mean that the activity at Freedom is slowing down anytime soon.

Back in the fall, Freedom’s impressive football team made headlines throughout the Lehigh Valley. The Patriots ultimately fell to the eventual state champion, St. Joseph’s Prep, but the team captured its first District XI Championship title and finished the season with a 12-2 record, capping off the best showing in school history.

With no more football to watch, Freedom students turn their attention to the winter sports: basketball, rifle, swimming and wrestling. Basketball is consistently one of the more popular winter sports. This season, the boys’ varsity basketball team started with a bang, defeating the Parkland Trojans 61-55 Dec. 7. The Mims twins (both juniors) were the stars of the show, as Caleb Mims led all scorers with 25 points and Malek Mims put up 19 points.

As of Dec. 21, the team holds a 3-3 record heading into their rivalry game against Liberty Dec. 27. Tomorrow evening (Jan. 3), the Patriots will travel to Allentown to face the Central Catholic Vikings. Games against Stroudsburg (Jan. 5), Southern Lehigh (Jan. 7), and Northampton (Jan. 8) complete a busy week for the team.

While student athletes will have no problem keeping themselves occupied this month, the rest of Freedom won’t exactly be sitting quietly. As all ninth and 10th grade students know, the notorious Keystone exams are back. To earn a diploma from the Bethlehem Area School District, all students are required to pass the state-mandated assessments in algebra, biology and literature.

In previous years, those taking the Keystone exams reported to school at 7:30 a.m., while everyone else arrived at 10:30. This abbreviated schedule lasted six school days, causing confusion among staff members and angering parents. Understanding the chaos caused by Keystone testing, district administrators acted to put an end to the delays and confusions. This semester, all test takers will report to school on Tuesday, Jan. 8. Students who have already passed the exams are able to enjoy the day off.

“I don’t understand why the Keystone schedule was changed. I feel like it puts more pressure and stress on students taking them. [Keystones especially put pressure on] me because I have three exams to take,” said Alexis Swoyer, FHS sophomore.

In addition to the revamped Keystone schedule, students experienced a new procedure regarding safety. On the morning of Dec. 18, students and teachers participated in the new ‘enhanced lockdown’ drill. Designed to save lives in a potential school shooting, the drill called for an aggressive stance against any intruder. Rather than sit passively in the back corner of a classroom, students were taught to barricade doors and throw objects to distract the intruder.

“I spent a lot of time this summer walking room to room and looking at exterior doors. [Administrators] used research from prior school shootings, and the amount of injuries and fatalities are much less when using an enhanced lockdown versus a traditional lockdown,” Assistant Principal Laurie Sage told The Freedom Forum in October.

On a lighter note, the weeks leading up to the winter break gave students plenty to keep themselves entertained. From Nov. 29 until Dec. 2, the Freedom Theatre Company (FHSTC) performed its fall play, “A Christmas Carol.” As the first FHSTC production without director Jennifer Wescoe in almost two decades, the show was well-received and set the stage beautifully for this spring’s musical, “Anything Goes.” “A Christmas Carol” was made possible by numerous new actors who stepped up into key roles.

“My first experience with extended monologues, especially with such complex vocabulary, was an amazingly fun time.” said David Shively-Ertas, FHS junior who played the role of Jacob Marley. “Having a really involved costume is something I’m used to from [dancing ballet in the past].”

Several weeks later, Freedom’s talented orchestra students put on a show of their own. The holiday orchestra concert took place Dec. 14 and featured performances from the wind ensemble and the string ensemble.

“My favorite piece was one we played in string ensemble called ‘A Celtic Carol’ because it was challenging. I like having a challenge when I play music,” said Riley Sweitzer, FHS senior violin player and the vice president of the school’s orchestra.

The end of 2018 was thrilling for both students and teachers at Freedom. Only time will tell if 2019 can live up to the same hype.