At Danbury High School, teachers and staff participated in a door decoration contest to celebrate the holiday season. Staff members came up with creative ideas and themes for their classroom doors, and the winners of the contest received a free Hatter’s buffet breakfast.
“All participants had to do a Grinch-themed door,” said Megan Espinoza, an English teacher.
“The students [and I] who helped me get to go to the Hatters Cafe and have a free breakfast buffet,” said Espinoza.
Walking through the halls of Danbury High School, students and staff could see the festive door decorations created by the teachers. It was clear they put a lot of thought and effort into their designs.
“I enjoyed seeing everybody’s faces walking by my door,” said Michelle Cole, an ISS teacher.
Teachers and staff got creative with their doors, using decorations such as Grinch characters, fireplaces, bulletin board paper, real ornaments, gingerbread houses, and more. These doors stood out due to the detailed and imaginative materials used.
“ Carol Stavola drew the gingerbread houses and Max, the Grinch’s dog, without tracing the image,” said Cole.
“We used a fireplace, real ornaments, cotton balls, and paint,” Espinoza said.
However, Espinoza and Cole did not create their doors alone. They received help from their YPPs, art classes, and students, all of whom they praised for their contributions.
“Our YPPs are a big part of the ISS team and help us operate everything,” Cole said.
Cole’s decorated door especially stood out. Walking on D2 on the left side of the hallway, students could see how Cole created her display using the Grinch, large and small purple hearts for Bella, fringe, and gingerbread designs.
“The purple heart on the Grinch is for Bella, keeping her spirit alive,” Cole said.
Cole also incorporated the school’s food pantry, Shelly Shells, which Cole runs, into her door. The display included cereal boxes, bags of chips, bottles, crackers, juice boxes, and more to represent the pantry’s mission.
“I think that our decorated door honors the Danbury High School food pantry, [and encourages] everyone to give in and help,” Cole said.
While creating their doors with help from students and YPPs, ideas continued to develop throughout the process. Espinoza and Cole collaborated closely with their helpers to decide what designs would work best.
“My class [and I] researched ideas and put our brains together,” Espinoza said.
Before putting her door together, Espinoza chose to keep her design a secret. She wanted to avoid others copying her ideas.
“We decided to keep our door a secret [so] nobody could be like, ‘Oh wow, look at those things they have on their door,” Espinoza said.
Cole aimed to confuse viewers by making it look like the Grinch was stealing from the food pantry, when that was not the case.
“People think the Grinch is stealing from the food pantry, but he’s really not,” Cole said.
“We tried to throw people with the gingerbread houses,” Cole added.
Overall, both teachers enjoyed participating in the holiday door decorating contest and creating lasting memories with their students and YPPs.
“It was just a fun thing to do in school,” Espinoza said.
“[It put] a lot of happiness and excitement into the kids and staff.”
