It’s been a year of late nights, weekends full of homework and constant deadlines. But, for the Class of 2012 IB Diploma Candidates, they finally received an opportunity to relax and enjoy the holiday season together. On Dec. 12, IB Coordinator Shirley Campbell hosted all of the remaining candidates for a Cultural Dinner in the culinary room. Last school year when the process began, the program had over 40 diploma candidates. Due to scheduling conflicts and the difficulty of the program, it is down to 31 students.

Each candidate was instructed to bring a cuisine that represented their culture and heritage. The room was filled with food ranging from dumplings to hamburgers. When the dinner began, all of the candidates stood up and introduced themselves and the food they brought. There were also some faculty guests, including Principal Vince Randazzo, Theory of Knowledge (TOK) teachers John Hawes and Tim Kelly and extended essay coordinator Maryanne Richardson.

“It’s so nice to see you all here with smiles on your faces, not stressing about some assignment due tomorrow,” Campbell said to the students.

Many of the candidates appreciated the time to relax and have fun, given they have many deadlines coming up. Extended essays are supposed to be completed by Dec. 22 and even the CAS program, which requires the students to complete a number of extra-curricular activities, is beginning to rap up for many.

“The dinner was fun because we got to spend time with our fellow candidates without the stress of school or classwork,” senior Danielle Turner said.

Even though there are far fewer candidates than in their junior year, Turner still thinks the process of getting the diploma is not impossible.

“Thus far, it hasn’t been too terrible. It’s definitely doable,” Turner said. “There are a lot of people willing to help and support you, and if you don’t procrastinate then there’s no reason that you shouldn’t be able to sleep adequately and have a life.”

At the end of the night, students were rewarded with their own Class of 2012 Diploma candidate t-shirts, which were a gift from Randazzo for all of their hard work.