Teachers at Aliso Niguel High School decorate their classrooms to enjoy and spread the holiday spirit.
Festive decorations bring joy and a sense of togetherness to most. It creates a festive environment and makes people excited for the holiday season. Decorations like trees, lights, garlands and ornaments play an important role in holiday traditions and celebrations.
Students look forward to the winter season due to break, the new year, a wrap up on first semester and receiving presents from family on Christmas Day. Festive activities or decorations can make students more excited and motivated to finish off the semester.
The dim lights in classrooms can provide a warm environment for students and teachers and provide more of a visual appeal unlike the typical harsh lighting students are used to.
Sana Hakimi (12) says, “ Personally, I love when teachers decorate their classrooms with lights because it’s nice to look at and makes me look forward to the holidays.”
Ms. Erhard, an English teacher here at ANHS, has a miniature Christmas tree and strings of lights in her classroom. Along with snowflakes and snowmen drawn on her whiteboards.
Mrs. Alvarez has numerous lights hung along her walls and has lights ranging from orange to white to multicolor throughout her classroom. Mrs. Newkirk has multicolored lights all around her classroom.
College math teacher Mrs. McCann has student drawings of snowflakes, snowmen and Santa hats on her whiteboards. It is very simple and students engage in creativity and freedom with their artwork.
The significance of holiday decorations in a classroom is meant for students and teachers to be inspired and excited. It can create a safe and creative learning environment for students. Having that visual appeal can make them driven or feel more comfortable in the classroom.
“I like when teachers put decorations up or let students draw on their whiteboards because it brings everyone together and makes class more fun.” adds Denver Baldwin (11).
Students can see their own Holiday celebrations reflected in classrooms such as Hanukkah, Christmas, Diwali or Lunar New Year. Holiday decorations don’t aim at one specific celebration and it can bring peers together regardless of their celebrations. It provides a sense of community and understanding in everyone.
