Another Dover-Phila Rivalry Week has been added to the history books. It’s Dover tradition to decorate the halls with fun themes that support our amazing team. The seniors get the gym lobby, juniors get the hallway outside of the library, sophomores get the main lobby, and last, but not least, the freshman get the cafeteria. Freshman chose to do a construction theme. They made back-loaders, excavators, and other machines out of cardboard and duct tape. To intensify the theme, freshman decorated the walls with brown paper to symbolize dirt mounds. They hung traffic cones from the ceiling with caution tape; this took first place.
The sophomores chose to do an area 51/space theme. They painted a huge sheet of black plastic with glow in the dark paint and hung it across the whole wall. The staff then turned off the hall lights and used UV lights which allowed the paint to illuminate. It doesn’t stop there; the sophomores also created “alienistic” creations such as tentacles rising out of a radioactive barrel. Football players’ heads were put into astronaut cut-outs and appeared to be fighting off quaker aliens. However, hands down, the best part of the hall was the rocket. This huge rocket was constructed entirely of cardboard and had the faces of sophomore football players peeking out the windows. Unfortunately, the sophomores received last place.
Then there was the junior hallway. The class of 2021 is notorious for their amazing hallway decorations. Once again they pulled through with a cool theme, Candyland. The floor was covered with green paper to make the ground look like a grassy plain. The juniors then used construction paper to make candy tiles like the ones in the game. Cutouts of the game characters were put on the wall and decorated with candy made from felt and pipe cleaners. A huge gingerbread man was set up and had Coach Ifft’s face on it. As one followed the tiles, they would come across “Licorice Forest” which is where the bad things go. This is where they hung up pictures of the Phila players. The junior class was awarded second place for their spectacular hallway (no bias here…).
Last, but certainly not least, the seniors decorated their hall with an “End Game” theme, or in other words, a Marvel superhero theme. The entrance to the hall was decorated with streamers that were on every locker and cut-outs of Coach Ifft, Captain Marvel, and Spiderman. Further down the hall, huge letters that spelled out “AVENGERS” hung from the ceiling. Just around the corner, a scene with the Hulk smashing Phila was set up. The rest of their decorating consisted of signs that said “TORNADOES ASSEMBLE” and “THIS IS THE FIGHT OF OUR LIVES, WE WILL WIN WHATEVER IT TAKES” as well as cut-outs of more superheroes. They took third place this year.
Overall, all of the hallways had a strong sense of their theme and looked amazing\; however, students must begin thinking of next year’s theme, but no worries because I’ve got you covered. Some possible themes include: under the sea, progression of the decades, luau, and U.S.A. Under the sea is an easy theme that could easily wow the judges. Students could use clear plastic bowls that are wrapped with streamers to imitate jellyfish and hang them from the ceiling. Students could also use crumbled blue tissue paper and staple it to the bulletin boards. This would look like waves and make all who walk through the hall feel as if they were below the sea. Inflated fish, which can be bought at most stores, would add to the ocean theme. For the final touches, students can construct kelp and coral from foam and construction paper.
The next theme is the progression of decades. This idea would work best for long hallways. At the start of the hallway, the students would pick a decade like the 60s, and as they continued down the hall they would start the next decade, in this case, the 70s. This progression would continue until the hallway is filled. This fun theme would be easy to do for so much happens in a decade. The 60’s part of the hall could be decorated with floral patterns, peace signs, and tye-dye patterns. For the 70s, students could decorate the walls with the new technological advances it brought such as the digital camera, Atari, and Walkman. The 80’s would be the easiest, for the students would just create a dance floor and disco ball. With the 90’s, students could decorate the hall with iconic rock and roll bands.
Furthermore, another great theme is a luau. Students could use cardboard and styrofoam to construct and volcano in which they could paint with red and brown paint. A limbo line could be set up with meter sticks or wooden poles. The bulletin background could be decorated with luau dancers and floral necklaces. Tikis could be placed around the hall to fill in blank places. Fake fruit could also be placed around the hall. Flamingos, as well as monkeys, could be bought at the stores and used to further decorate the hall. Cardboard could be used to construct coconut trees or palm trees. A walkway made of black crumpled up paper could be made to portray a hot coal walkway.
The last theme that could really wow the judges is U.S.A. Students could buy small or even big American flags that could decorate the hall. An eagle could be sketched on cardboard and cut out. This cutout could be hung from the ceiling and appear to be flying. Once again, cardboard could be used to construct the Statue of Liberty. Students could paint the Liberty cutout with green paint and place it in the hall. Football players’ heads could be placed over the founding fathers’ heads and made to look like Mount Rushmore. A grill and fake hamburgers could be used to make a cookout scene. Fireworks could be painted on the walls or ceiling to imitate the 4th of July. The students could also bring in a speaker and play the national anthem throughout the hall.
With these ideas, I look forward to seeing how the students choose to decorate their halls in the new Dover High School next year. It is my hope these themes allow students in any grade to receive a win. I wish you the best of luck!