Central celebrates Christmas, bringing joy during a difficult year
Brady Stramer’s fifth grade class won the door decorating contest with the theme “Christmas Is Among Us.” (Submitted photo)
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear,” so says Buddy from the movie Elf. Nowhere was this embodied quite like at Central, where the teachers literally, and figuratively, sung for all to hear through decking the halls, decorating the doors and delighting the students with carols.
According to student council advisor Christie Burlingame, it was all done with an emphasis on trying to get everyone in the spirit in a different and very difficult school year.
“We wanted some cheer where some kids have none,” she said.
From there, the students took over.
“The 9-12 grade students each took a hallway and picked out their theme of how they wanted to decorate. Then each teacher had the opportunity to decorate their door. We had a great turnout this year. Pretty much each teacher participated,” Burlingame said.
The fact that it was student led is a testament to the Christmas spirit and involvement fostered by Central’s community-centric atmosphere. Not to mention that this year’s student council took on extra responsibilities, such as being in charge of the door decorating portion of the festivities.
It was done to take pressure off some of the teachers, all of whom have a lot on their plates in the unforgettable year of COVID-19.
The students held class meetings and came up with themes, such as this year’s go-to gaming app, “Among Us.” Some students even went into the school on a Sunday to decorate. It was a display of responsibility and creativity, as the students supplied the time, effort and props and took care of the cleanup afterward.
“It was a really good turnout, and there were lots of smiles and a lot of excitement,” Burlingame said.
As for the carols, staff members, including Brandon Douglas, Sarah Glew and Alison Patenaude, regaled the students during the morning prior to the first bell. They sung such classics as “Jingle Bells,” “Rudolph,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “White Christmas.” The audience of elementary students was full of smiles and enjoyment, basking in the sounds of Christmas melodies and overcome by the cheer spread by staff members who were willing to not only teach, but also entertain when the moment called.
“It’s a great way to get into the holiday spirit and bring joy to the students,” Patenaude said.
But the highlight of the week was, of course, picking the winners of the decorating contests. There were plenty of options, as the teachers and students readily jumped into the proceedings.
According to Burlingame, there was one winner for the doors and one for the hallways. Voting for the doors was done via a Google form for the 7-12 grade students, while the K-6 students actually walked around the school, looked at the doors and put a ticket in a bucket outside the door for their favorite. Staff also voted via Google form.
In the end, the freshmen won the hallway contest with a theme of “Winter Wonderland – Gingerbread Houses” and Brady Stramer’s fifth grade class won the door decorating contest with the theme “Christmas Is Among Us.”
Asked about the win, Stramer discussed how the entire concept and layout were student-driven and based on class voting. The decorating was led by student assistant, 12th grader Madison Sylvester, with help from the students each day. Stramer deflected praise, instead transferring it all to the students and Sylvester.
“My only contribution were the words on the door. All other credit goes to my students and Madison, which is what makes winning that much more enjoyable. Seeing the energy on the kids’ faces when they learned we had won was the most enjoyable part for me. I think the contest as a whole creates a great sense of school unity and helps get everyone in the holiday spirit,” he said.
