As leaders on campus, the seniors uphold traditions that represent the spirit of the school; the Christmas lights are no exception.
After years of rigorous work and support from faculty and community, the seniors give back in any way they can. During the joyous winter holiday season, the act of giving can be seen through the festive and vivid campus.
“I think the lights are a way for the seniors to give back to their community through the labor involved in decorating the campus and also the chance for them to express their creativity,” senior class sponsor Bryan Boucher said.
The options for the customization of decorations stem from the senior holiday decorating chairs: Preston Ghafar, Anderson Selinger and Shantiv Monga. Their role begins in the application process in the spring of their junior year; candidates are decided by the student council leadership. In the early fall, the chairs met with the class sponsors to discuss their goals, the inventory and necessities.
“In the spring of their junior year, we meet with all the seniors and run down all the committee responsibilities that we have for senior year,” Boucher said. “Things like our Lower School buddy program, senior week events, senior retreat and the holiday committee.”
This year, rather than put up the lights on the usual date, the culminating Sunday of Thanksgiving break, the committee chose the returning Monday from the break. Issues like time constraints and interrupting the flow of campus were problems to be overcome in the planning process.
“The usual Sunday has always been a challenging day because it’s during a holiday break. So, we often would get about 25 percent of the class to show up, and it would take a long time to do it,” Boucher said.
The supplies needed – Christmas lights and the large sign atop the Centennial Hall balcony – were all purchased by the chairs. The sign has been a standing tradition for all senior classes. Typically, it shows the roman numeral of the graduating year. Each class chooses their own specific and unique design, expanding on their creativity in decoration.
“The chairs generally will employ someone who’s in wood and metal to craft it, so it looks different every year,” Boucher said. “This year, they chose to make a large wooden sign and then wrapped lights around it.”
