December has arrived and that can only mean one thing, Christmas! Currently students and teachers are gearing up for Lakeview High Schools annual Christmas door decorating competition. Sixth-period classes are putting their heads together to create the most festive and eye-catching designs in hopes of winning one of three award categories.
The rules are simple: the contest kicked off on Monday, December 1st and is set to end on Friday, December 12th. Teachers, along with their sixth period class come up with awesome door designs to try and win in one of 3 categories that are judged by the Senior Executive Committee and the whole student body. Two of the categories will be judged by Senior Exec – Most creative and best 3D elements – while the whole student body will vote on most holiday spirit.
Voting will take place on Monday, December 15th and winners will be announced the next day. So make sure to think about what doors you like best!
Run by the Senior Executive Committee this contest is a favorite among students, some like to decorate while others like to just vote. Senior Lauren Brown says, “The door decorating tradition is a great way for students to reduce stress and have fun before midterms/finals.”
The hallways across the school are full of color. glitter, and Christmas cheer. From snowmen and gingerbread houses to books on Christmas trees, each classroom door has its own festive decoration. While some groups went for the more traditional decorations others went all out with lights and crazy 3D effects. Students and teachers alike have poured their creativity into transforming the halls into a winter wonderland.
When asked about the most challenging part of the contest, Senior Lillian Haines said, “I think the most challenging part of the contest was trying to figure out how to execute our design and still make it look presentable and pretty.”
Haines was also asked what she thinks makes a door stand out in the competition, she quickly replied, “I think the doors with a lot of color or have a funny meaning to them.”
When Brown was asked about her door design she replied, “I’m decorating Mr. Piper’s door where he gave us the guidelines of something ski related because he’s the Ski Club director.”
Brown added, “We have a ski lift with carts on it and there are Christmas lights going across the door which represents the line. It stands out on the door which should get lots of attention.” She is really excited to see the final product and hopes her door will win in one of the categories.
Lakeview’s Art teacher, Jeff Piper, was asked how he encourages creativity among the students decorating his door. He responded by stating, “I will make suggestions for concepts in the beginning stages just to get my students thinking about various possibilities, however I like the final idea to be that of the students. Once they have nailed down an idea and sketched it out we usually talk about approaches, materials, and techniques. After that I let the students tackle the work, but make myself available for problem solving if they need me.”
Piper excitedly answered when he was asked about his favorite part of the competition, exclaiming, “My favorite part of this competition is seeing the creativity of the staff. There are quite a few teachers that really lead their students with impressive designs, construction, and craftsmanship.”
With midterms and finals fast approaching, this contest offers a cheerful break and a reminder of the fun and community spirit that define the holiday season. Make sure to vote for your favorite doors!
Good luck on finals and have an amazing winter break!
