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As Christmas nears, new traditions come to life at NS. One classic tradition for many families is a Christmas tree, and the joy that comes with it will now be coming to students and clubs as they compete to decorate the best one.
“This year as we [SBO’s and I] talked about Christmas, we wanted to do some new things we hadn’t done before,” leadership teacher Austin Ison said. “We wanted clubs, teams and groups to have something to do that would bring them together, and build some school and holiday spirit.”
The unique idea to decorate trees came from brainstorming ideas for staff and students to feel more happiness this Christmas season.
“We decided that a festival of trees would be a fun way to get groups feeling the spirit, and be a fun friendly competition,” Ison said. “It’s something fun that every single student and faculty member can participate in.”
The festival will occur on December 19th, in the gym where everyone will vote on the finished products.
“We are encouraging everyone to get their trees up and have them on display in their classrooms over the next couple weeks,” Ison said. “Then on December 19th we will have everyone bring their trees down, and set them up in the main gym. Then during flex everyone can walk through and vote.”
To decide what tree was the best, it will be broken down into different brackets.
“We will have a voting box, and students and faculty can vote on the tree they liked the best,” Ison said. “We may have it broken down into categories like prettiest, most creative etc.”
For some extra excitement and motivation, a reward awaits for the winning group.
“The prize for winning is $100 transferred to your program, team or club,” Ison said.
Holidays are a way peers can come together, and express gratitude for each other.
“Christmas is always a time of year where people come together, and are more willing to provide service to others,” student vice president Alivia Madsen said. “Christmas activities are a way for students to spend time with those they go to school with. There’s always someone new to meet, and a new friend to make.”
Participating in simple activities around the school can help students have a positive high school experience, and it may be something that gives students purpose.
“We never know the impact we have on someone,” Madsen said. “Hopefully these activities can be an environment for positive interactions to happen.”
Bringing unity and joy is the main goal of the festival of trees.
“We mostly hope that it brings a sense of spirit and fun to the faculty and students of NSH,” Ison said.
