Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail, nor gloom of day will keep a... Winter Carnival from happening?
That was the feeling during the 2007 Winter Carnival at Calais High School. Even with the cancellation of school on Wednesday, students stayed past 10:00 P.M. Thursday to put final touches on banners and hallways, all coinciding with a 'world cities' theme. Students scurried around town looking for canned goods, towels, can tabs, and books to assist with the community service projects coordinated by the National Honor Society, for which points were awarded.
There were enough grapes and olive leaves adorning the Roman sculptures in the freshmen hallway to secure their class with a third place victory. Sophomores brought friends to New York through street signs, paintings, and The Apprentice, but felt fired when they received fourth place. French music played in the junior wing, as a beautiful café overlooked the Eiffel Tower and a French school, but was only good enough for second. Once again, the seniors won the hallway decorating competition with an amazing wedding chapel, Showgirls stage, and Elvis himself to bring Las Vegas alive. Faculty members, parents, and friends were very impressed with the hard work put into the hallways. In the words of one longtime CHS friend, “I almost brought my passport.”
Despite the dedication of all the classes, the senior class of 2007 finished the week as the winners of the $100 prize awarded by the CHS Student Council. “I just want to thank everyone…You guys are amazing,” stated senior class President Brooke Winchester in an emotional acceptance speech. Following the senior class were the sophomores and freshmen, respectively, with the class of 2008 finishing last for the third year. “We’ll get ‘em next year. We’ve already got a plan,” Dale Wunder remarked while leaving the annual dance, where Keegan McCormick and Lindsey Mingo were crowned Winter Carnival king and queen.
In addition to the community service projects, hallways, and banners, classes also gain points in activities such as crab soccer and human foosball. Specialty days, including Super Hero Day and Fashion Disaster Day also give students a chance to compete for best costume, which yields a $10 prize to the daily winner. This competitive point system, along with an enormous fun factor makes students look forward to this event all year and saddens those seniors who have competed in their last Winter Carnival.
“How is this event successful year after year?” is a question often asked by teachers and students from other schools. The answer: With 100% teacher and faculty participation, a dedicated student council who works long before and long after the event to assure everything flows smoothly, an administration who believes in fun, and the most remarkable student body in the world. With that combination, perhaps the question should be. “How can this not be a success?”