The annual Halloween door contest is back! The door contest is a fun and competitive way to get people in the Halloween spirit. The tradition was started years ago by Mrs. Cindy Rogna through the Student Council. This year, there were winners across four categories: spookiest, funniest, best em”body”ment of Halloween, and honorable mentions.  

The Spookiest Door:

“Jeepers Creepers” took the crown for the spookiest door, created by Jen Van Skyock and her 8th-period world fiction seniors. The class planned and prepared for over a week to put together the door and it was a great bonding experience for everyone involved.

“It was a collaborative effort, every student had a role in constructing the door,” said Van Skyock.

Van Skyock started with the idea of Jeepers Creepers, Louis Armstrong’s 1939 jazz hit, and the idea evolved from there.

“It goes into the song” Jeepers creepers look at those peepers, so we decided eyeballs were out thing and we just went with it,” said Van Skyock. 

The Funniest Door:

This ‘Mystery Machine” door was inspired by the famous Scooby-Doo franchise and was created by co-teachers Leah Pranke and Joe Harmsen. The creation of the door was a collaborative effort: Ava Davis outlined the mystery machine and each class helped with the rest, adding their own personal touches. 

“It’s a team effort to be winners,” said Pranke.

Pranke and Harmsen matched their Halloween costumes to the door, a yearly tradition.  Pranke dressed as ‘Shaggy’ and Harmsen dressed as Scooby. This is their fifth straight year taking home a win from the door contest and the two are already planning for next year.

The Best Em“body”ment:

The Environmental Club was voted as the best em“body”ment of Halloween, putting together a creative design that incorporated both Halloween themes and environmental issues. The skeletons pictured on the door played into the em“body”ment theme. The door also included candy wrappers, leaves painted like ghosts, a globe, and various statistics. 

“Every year Americans throw about $400 million worth of uneaten sweets away,” said the Environmental Club supervisor, Michelle Glyman. “We tried to get a round picture of Halloween and some em “body”ment.”  

Honorable Mention- The Robotics Club

Honorable Mention- Pop Culture Club

Honorable Mention- Michelene Tomek

Advice From the Judge:

Educational Technologist Jimmy Juliano judged the door contest for the first time this year. Juliano first evaluated if the design fit the category, and then determined how highly it would rank within the category. Juliano loved the creativity and hopes to be able to judge this competition again in the future. 

“Every club and organization really put their own unique spin on it, it was really impressive,” said Juliano. 

As for anyone looking for what to add to their door next year for an extra edge, Juliano recommends incorporating music or sound to the door for extra flare.

“I know that’s difficult, but if there was a way to have multimedia elements I think it would just be the chef’s kiss,” said Juliano.