Winners of the annual Christmas Door Decorating Contest were announced during the all-school Christmas Chapel on Friday, December 21. Thirty-three doors, including a few bulletin boards and hallway walls, were creatively decorated by students from preschool to the 12th grade, with some assistance from their teachers. Photos of the doors were then posted on the ACS Facebook page and over 2,400 votes were cast from December 10-17 by family and friends, who voted by posting a “like or love” on the photos of their choosing. The winners were selected based on the number of Facebook votes received and points earned from a faculty/staff panel that judged the doors based on the amount of student participation, best spiritual message, and the most original and creative design. The three winning classes were awarded first place blue ribbons to display on their winning doors and will each receive an ice cream party in January.
The first place winner in the Upper School (6th-12th grade) division was Mrs. Melody’s 8A class with a beautiful night scene of the stable in Bethlehem and the shepherds and wise men making their journey to find the Christ child in Bethlehem. The artwork spanned the 8th grade science room door and the adjacent hallway wall. The first place winner in the Elementary division was Miss Price’s kindergarten class (pictured above right), featuring sheep decorated with cotton balls, one for each student in the class. The first place winner in the Early Education division was Mrs. Kelley’s PK4A class (pictured above left), who chose to decorate a bulletin board instead of a door and created an inviting scene with the message “Jesus Warms Our Hearts.” The decorated board has presents under a large Christmas tree next to a fireplace. Mrs. Kelley said the students painted and decorated paper plates to create the 3-D limbs of the Christmas tree and also created personalized paper mittens to hang on the fireplace mantle.
Four Honorable Mention awards were also given to various classes. Mrs. Capito’s 1A class received the “People’s Choice” Award for receiving the most votes on Facebook (489). Mrs. Hoover’s 4A class received the “All In” Award for the most student participation. Mr. Dickson’s 7th grade class received the “Reason for the Season” Award for presenting the best spiritual message on their door. The 11th grade class, with input from faculty members Miss Novack and Miss Callahan, used two doors and an adjacent hallway wall to create a scene entitled “Where’s the Line to See Jesus” that received the “Creative Genius Award.”
A slideshow of the winning first place and honorable mention doors can also be seen on the ACS Facebook page.
