Belgreen students step up to challenge

What started as a small friendly competition turned into an elementary-wide event at Belgreen.

Third-grade teacher Suzanne Pickett came up with the idea for the teachers to have a pumpkin decorating contest amongst themselves. Well, one thing led to another, and the students became involved.

“It was originally just for the teachers, but when the students became involved, it just became that much more fun,” Pickett said.

Each class chose a different theme – some were related to books they were discussing in class or that the children liked, and others were just plain fun.

Completed pumpkins were put on display. On a table outside each classroom sits a large pumpkin that teachers decorated, and surrounding that pumpkin are the individual small pumpkins students decorated.

Pickett’s table displays a large Krispy Kreme coffee pumpkin. Doughnut boxes around it are filled with the students’ tiny doughnut pumpkins of all different colors.

“I tried to think of something that they would like, and doughnuts just came to mind,” Pickett said.

Other tables sport emoji pumpkins, spider pumpkins and even alien pumpkins.

“When I came down this morning, I was so shocked, and I just thought it was the cutest thing,” Principal Ann Scott said.

Kindergarten teacher Karen Jones said she had to help her students a little bit with the decorating, but for the most part she let them handle it themselves.

“All of the students have had so much fun with it,” Jones said.

Pickett said she didn’t expect this much involvement from all of the students, but it turned into a great way to get their creativity flowing.