Every student in the Bridgewater-Raritan School District looks forward to the months between fall and winter.

There’s a chain of days off that have become familiar over the years: Rosh Hashanah, Thanksgiving, and, of course, a week-long break starting every Christmas Eve. This year, however, the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional Board of Education has decided to include two new holidays: Diwali (October 24), as well as the Lunar New Year (January 23).

     Prisha Bagul ,a high school  junior, is one of the many students who celebrate Diwali in the BR district. She told The Prowler she is very excited to have a day of “to enjoy festivities with [her] friends and family” and that this is a step forward to Bridgewater becoming “more culturally inclusive.”

Because there is a large community in Bridgewater who celebrates Diwali, Bagul also said that she wishes the change happened sooner because in the past they “have been accustomed to squeezing in [their] celebrations on a school night.”

The day off will give time to fully appreciate the holiday and its surrounding culture.

     According to Superintendent Robert Beers, a BOE committee decides on the school calendar for upcoming years. In the spring of 2021, they voted on including the two new holidays. The superintendent said that the diversity of our community creates “the feeling…that we should celebrate the members of our community by adding these holidays to our school calendar.”

     He went on further to say that the new holidays create “awareness and [educate] the entire community on the meaning and significance of different holidays and traditions that are celebrated throughout the district.”