For years, teachers and students have decorated the doors of their classrooms in the holiday spirit in a contest that gets everyone together to bring joy to the hallways. This year, however, the door-decorating contest has been canceled. Although many teachers and students are disappointed, there is a reason behind this sudden end to a yearly tradition.
As a school, Cardozo must submit to random spot checks from the fire department, which have often resulted in notices about certain decorations. The school, unfortunately, received a fine from the fire department after an inspection earlier this year due to Halloween decorations that violated certain guidelines. This ultimately led to the cancellation of this year’s door decorating contest for the school.
Principal Colby explained, “We can’t risk decorating again and getting additional tickets from the fire department to the school, that’s why we had to pull the plug on the holiday door decorating.”
This decision has left many in Cardozo with a heavy heart, especially the teachers, who dedicate weeks planning out their designs. Ms. Kim, art teacher, said, “It can take anywhere from two, three days to two weeks.” Some teachers even begin planning in October.
The beloved contest is also enjoyed by students, who not only get to admire the decorations but even help create them. Many teachers will have their students assist them with decorating, the experience a great way to be involved and get into the holiday festivities themselves.
If you passed by a giant gingerbread house decoration in the Annex last year, that would have been the door of social studies and law teacher, Ms. Adezio. She, “Had all [her] students working on some component for it, and they’re so proud of it, so they’d tell their friends ‘I did this’ and ‘I did that.’”
The contest has been a long standing tradition of Cardozo’s, serving as a reminder of holly and cheer. The decorations liven up the hallways of students and teachers alike, bringing the warmth of the holidays into the halls. A few teachers would even opt for humorous decorations, like funny images and graphics, sparking laughs from those who see them.
The staff continue to hope that the contest can be brought back by next year. In the meantime, Principal Colby has been working on finding an alternative to the contest so staff and students can still be involved in the holiday cheer. She proposed. “Assigning each department one of the large bulletin boards to decorate or be in charge of.” Then, the school can still vote and continue on the legacy of the decorating contest.
Currently, teachers are still permitted to decorate their doors, so long as it is in accordance with the guidelines. Although, there is still the risk that custodians will be ordered to take down the decorations. Items that violate FDNY guidelines include decorations that hang from the ceiling, lights with artificial batteries, and hay bales.
As the holiday season is almost at its end, Cardozo can only hope that this contest will be brought back soon. Just seeing the different decorations in the hallways uplift the spirits of students and truly brings spirit into the school. We look forward to seeing what is in store next holiday season.
