Lights hang from the ceiling, and colorful paper shreds and crafts in the shapes of gingerbread and peppermints cover the walls. The sound of a familiar Christmas song echoes throughout the hall as the spirit of Christmas takes over. In hallway 6, a Christmas wonderland materializes.
This year, Texas High faculty started what they hope is a new tradition: a competition between all the hallways to see who could have the most festive Christmas decorations.
“The year we all came back from COVID and did something similar to this,” teacher Brittni Huggins said. “It was fun, and it was something that everybody could do because you couldn’t do anything else.”
Teachers in hallway six earned the first trophy for the contest with a combination of nutcrackers, Christmas music broadcast over a Bluetooth speaker, and hundreds of lights hanging from the ceiling.
“On Monday, the lighthouse student class and I will go around,” Huggins said. “They have made a rubric, and they’ll judge the hallways based on creativity, cohesiveness, and design.”
Hallway six, the first decked out in the holiday decor, took the student body by storm with their theme.
“We tried to decide on a common theme,” teacher Holly Mooneyham said. “We all had different ideas, so we decided to do our own thing and call it ‘All Things Christmas.’ That way, there would be several themes in the hall.”
The decorating process also proved a large undertaking, with some obstacles and hardships.
“We struggled with acquiring material like paper and paint,” Mooneyham said. “We have also struggled with finding the right adhesive to keep the paper and things on the walls. We’ve come in several mornings to see things on the ground. “
The lighthouse team announced the contest winners during the Dec. 19 faculty meeting.
“We just have a trophy,” Huggins said. “Just bragging rights and a really gaudy and ugly over-the-top trophy.”
The teachers who participated in the contest enjoyed bringing some seasonal cheer to what can be a stressful time of the semester.
“When students walk into the hall, their reaction is priceless, which has made it worthwhile,” Mooneyham said. “Every scene tells a story and is amazing. We all worked really hard to make this just right for all of us and to have the time to really enjoy it before taking it down.”
