Student Council is considering revising the rules of the Spirit Week lounge decorating competition in an effort to promote creativity and increase the amount of time students get to enjoy their lounges.
Student Council has proposed giving each grade set supplies in order to level the playing field and determine who is most creative with the same resources. “I love the idea of the lounge competition but I think the playing field has to level and the focus should be on creativity. Should the class that spends the most money win?” said Cheryl McLauchlan, III Form Dean.
Many students support the use of set materials and feel it will give all grades an equal opportunity to win and will prevent students from spending excessive amounts of money on decorations. “It’s makes a lot more sense [to use set supplies] because each year, the decorations are pretty expensive and one person usually ends up paying for it all,” said Marian Prim ’12.
However, some students feel that with limited resources, they will not be able to be as original in the decorating process. Carine Megerian ’14 said, “If the use of supplies is restricted, we can’t be as creative or make the lounge as innovative. All of the lounges could end up looking the same.”
Student Council has also suggested changing the time frame of the lounge decorating competition so that students can enjoy the lounge for a full week. McLauchlan said, “The decorations are only up from Wednesday night until Friday. A lot of time and money goes into the lounge but students only get to enjoy it for one day.”
The debate about the rules emerged from the friction between rival grades caused by the competition last year during Spirit Week. “Discussions about the rules of the lounge competition began prior to this year’s Spirit Week. … Mrs. McLauchlan first suggested it because of all the tension [the competition] created last year and because there is no level playing field,” said Mohammed Toure ’12, Co-President of Student Council. “We haven’t had a vote yet but a lot of people are onboard and we have a strong case.”