The annual State High door decorating competition concluded with the judging of doors just before winter break on Dec. 20.
Teachers could sign up to enter the competition with one of their classes. The students and teachers in each classroom collaborated on how they should decorate their door and what types of themes would represent their class. The door designs were guided by this year’s slogan, “Explore more in 2023-2024.”
Jennifer Evans, a teacher and part of the door decorating commission, expanded on how classes work with this theme.
“Our students and staff have a wealth of creativity, and just like the homecoming parade floats, they take that theme and make it their own and try to give it their own creative spin and interpretation,” Evans said.
Principal Laura Tobias talked about the types of decorations that were used during the contest.
“I’ve seen anything from props, like sleds, I’ve seen lights, snowflakes, pretty much everything that you can think of. I think right now there is one particular group that I can think of that’s doing the polar express, so a train. I’ll be curious to see what that looks like,” Tobias said.
Some rooms, shared rooms included, used utility closet doors outside of their classroom. These larger doors allowed for more elaborate designs and room to move around. Other doors were 3D, while some used real props and balloons. Open classrooms got innovative with their designs, and in some instances, multiple doors were used.
On Dec. 20, the judging began. The judging panel was made up of the school’s administrative team. They decided which door designs were the best and declared the winners after break.
The winners included D014 (math), Ms. Mukavetz and Mr. Speight, A136, Mr. Klebacha, D126, Dr. Schwab and Ms. Kohler, C223 (chemistry), Ms. Bevilacqua, and G209, a collaboration between Ms. Cole, Kurzinger, Eaton, Shakley, Territo, and Lesher. The winning classes will enjoy complimentary hot chocolate and donuts as school eases back into the routine after winter break.
The decorated doors from State High will be entered in a larger competition hosted by Jostens Renaissance. Jostens, an organization that is used for the yearbook, hosted a region-wide door decorating contest. The winning school will be rewarded with $500.
By participating in the contest, students will not only be showing support to their school, but also to the people around them.
The door decorating contest was a way for the school to connect. With the initiative to create more school spirit, Principal Tobias wanted to build more community within the school and provide bonding opportunities to classes.
“It has always been something to do with classrooms to celebrate spirit, to celebrate the holidays, just to make things look fun, build community in classrooms with their teachers that tie in with our theme of the year,” Evans said.
In addition to creating a fun environment, Tobias emphasizes the importance of a united high school experience.
“This is your home away from home, right. When you’re in high school, there are so many positive things that you do and are part of and this gives us a chance to connect with one another, connect with teachers going into winter break and enjoy each other’s company,” Tobias said.
