Upper Division Students Taking Extracurriculars To the Next Level

Annually, Casady Upper Division challenges each class to decorate their building for the holiday season. The victor receives an additional out-of-uniform day. Although the prize is nothing out of the ordinary, students enjoy taking their decorations to the next level. The festive decor keeps spirits up as students finish their last few weeks of school before Winter break. Some students are kind enough to share lights and artificial Christmas trees they have used from the previous years. Not only does this activity embrace creative thinking, but it allows students to work together and create a cohesive theme throughout their building - often bonding students from their hard work. The Freshman class has gone above and beyond this year to decorate Hightower, Casady’s English and History building. Ellie Bohanon ('20) commented, “It was fun to see the boys really work hard on this all week! They loved it!” Despite the small space, students embellished every practical wall or ceiling with lights, and hand-made decorations. The freshman class designated their theme as “Winter Wonderland.” The colorful design composes a whimsical aura throughout. One is greeted by the door with snowman wrapping paper as he or she enters Hightower. The covering not only causes one to question what might come next, but also allows the lights to shine brighter in a darker environment. Multi-colored and gold lights hang from the ceiling, and hand-cut snowflakes are pasted along the hallway’s walls. Students were especially creative by implementing a popular innovation to the traditional stringed Christmas lights, commonly described as “holographic.” A small projector was hid in the corner of their locker room to project green and red light specks onto their lockers. The students used several projectors to cover the majority of the locker room’s surface area. The Sophomores capitalized on detail when decorating Johnston, Casady’s Math building. The Majority of students were intrigued by the new Netflix series, “Stranger Things.” Thus, that became the building’s theme. Classic white lights were strung through light fixtures and around wall columns, elegantly covering the entryway. Juliet Moncho ('19) pasted an alphabet on one of the walls with gold lights fastened along the letter system. A similar design is featured on the set of the show. Students also printed out lost boy signs, that portrayed yet another element from the popular series. Sahanya Bhaktaram ('19) described the scene to be “eery,” but also, “unexpected and different, just like how our grade is [as people].” The Juniors kept things traditional and humble in the Gaylord Student Center. Students created a cozy environment, using their fireplace as a decorative feature. An artificial Christmas tree was placed in an entryway corner, revolving above Infant Crisis donations. Students embellished the tree with gold lights, ornaments advertising the charity, and a snowflake tree-topper. The collective atmosphere resembled a Christmas Eve spent with family. There was no definite idea established as their theme, leaving their audience to decide for themselves. The Seniors described Records’ theme as an “electric Christmas.” Students displayed various decor styles throughout the large Science and Art building. In their locker room, multi-colored lights hung down from the ceiling and tinted saran wrap enclosed the windows to cast shades of red and green light in the space. Above the booths, more saran wrap covered a wall of windows peering into one of the labs. Emma Richmond ('17) and Kiki Green('17) pasted a snow igloo with sheets of white printing paper on the window as well. Hand-cut snowflakes line the sitting area’s walls, and a large artificial Christmas tree stands in the middle of the building “tying it all together,” described Lauren Platt ('17). The senior student felt that the decor embodied their grade and general mentality. “We’re all over the place, but there’s always something that brings us together,” Platt lovingly explained.The Upper Division competition is a great way to bring students together. The decor often portrays a reflection of each class as a whole, and is an artistic opportunity for students to express themselves and work as a team.Happy Holidays!