In commemoration of the holiday season, students and staff alike prepared their entrances for the annual Door Decorating contest from Nov. 29-Dec. 8. As the day of judging arrived, it was evident that making the final decision would not be one of simple actions due to the theme: “All I want for Christmas…”
In third place came Ms. Vivian Durkee’s fourth period ceramics class. In order to add a bit of originality, the group of students decided to make individual cards depicting what they wanted for Christmas. Among the variety, students talked about wanting electronics, time with their family, and even something as broad as world peace.
“Out of all the gifts I could’ve picked as what I wanted,” Durkee said, “ I decided to ask for something the earth in general would benefit from: world peace.”
Another difference between theirs and the other doors was their hand made tree. Each part of the decoration was made with traces of the student’s handprint. In the end, the door was a reflection of what each student wanted for Christmas.
In second place was English teacher Ms. Cara Cleek. Attempting to embrace a different desire for the seasons, her and her fourth period class decided to use “All I want for Christmas is a Nightmare” as their slogan. Ghouls and ghastly figures could be seen all across the layout. Horrific images of bitten gingerbread men and skeletons were evenly balanced in order to add a twist to what people expect for the holidays. Even then, another greeting was placed, wishing everyone a “very scary Christmas.” Rather than embracing the individual, this entrance took on a rather appealing sort of being.
“When I first saw the door,” senior Valentina Thompson said, “I didn’t expect it to have a Halloween-like theme. Just the fact that they did that was kind of like an added bonus for originality.”
First place winner Ms. Jennifer Romero was a bit surprised when she was notified of her win. Being a second year teacher, Romero decided to participate for the first time in her career. Similar to Durkee’s idea, the door reflected on what a few of the students wanted for Christmas. Eye catching slogans such as “All I Want for Christmas is to Quack You Up” and “All I want for Christmas is to Make You Smile” surrounded the beautifully decorated tree. Adding a “homey” feeling, the class implemented a red chimney with stockings along the outside wall. To finish it off, a huge silver star was placed at the very top of the tree, giving the sense of a finishing touch.
“At first it seemed like a lot of work since we took a whole period to put it up,” Romero said. “After everything though it was a good working experience since all of the students worked together.”
Now that the competition came to an end, teachers and students can begin preparing for the highly anticipated winter vacation.
