With Easter (April 21) and Passover (April 19-27) coming right around the corner, Williston students are preparing for the egg hunts, matzo, and the family meals that await them this long weekend.  

Due to the diverse background of the student body, many students have interesting traditions for the holidays. 

Junior day student Sabrina Serricchio says she and her family, from nearby Westfield, Mass., will be having brunch at a well-known restaurant in the next town over. 

“My family likes to do something fun and easy, so instead of dealing with the cooking and clean up, we are going to do a brunch at Hotel Northampton,” she said. 

Sabrina spoke highly of the food at the hotel, as well as the convenience of eating there as opposed to having a large family get together at home.  

Sabrina expects four people to be at her Easter brunch, keeping it small with her immediate family.  

In lieu of going out, Jamie O’Malley, from Fairfield, Connecticut, and some of her family will be doing brunch at home. This allows the get together to remain relaxed.  

“We don’t take it overly seriously,” Jamie said, “we just do the basics and try to keep it easy. My mom and I will probably do a bit of cooking, nothing overly planned out though.” 

Jamie isn’t sure whether they will be attending any religious service or not. “Yeah, some years we go, my family is Catholic, so we usually go on holidays and Sundays.” 

Senior Reilly Gluz 19’, from Syracuse, New York, says he and his family will be staying at home for this Passover, where his mother and other family members will prepare and enjoy traditional Passover foods, including chicken, matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, and tzimmes, a stew made with carrots, dried fruit, yams, and often flavored with honey, sugar, or cinnamon.

“I’m looking forward to going home and spending some time with my family,” Reilly said. “The food is pretty good, and sometimes I get to see relatives I wouldn’t normally see.”  

Reilly also spoke very highly of the relaxed way his family goes about this holiday, “Sometimes we go to temple, sometimes we take it easy and enjoy the holiday and the food.”