As COVID-19 numbers are decreasing at the Upper School and school spirit is being revived, friendly advisory competitions are coming back at full force. 

During the month of October, it has been a tradition at the Upper School to hold a Halloween door contest amongst advisories. 

In an email sent out by Upper School Dean of Students Mr. Kevin Jacobsen, he mentioned that one advisory from each grade level would be crowned the champion as well as receive the Class Cup. 

Senior advisor and English teacher Ms. Mary Ditaranto accessorized her Halloween advisory door with a large makeshift pumpkin and garland on the borders. Her advisory had a miniature pumpkin patch outside of her door with plastic trick-or-treating pumpkins and an LED strip light for effect. 

Additionally, she printed out photos of her advisee students as well as additional students of hers and placed them each individually on popsicle sticks with an orange background and placed them around her door.

Sophomore advisees of English teacher Dr. John Peruggia decorated his “Doc Door” as a humorous homage. The door was covered in blue chrome wrapping paper along with a makeshift lab coat and stethoscope. Red poster paper was also cut out to mimic blood dripping down from the door. A spooky photograph of Dr. Peruggia was hung up in the door’s window.

On Thursday, Oct. 28, Upper School administrators went the Upper School advisories to judge the decorated doors. 

It was announced on Friday during assembly that Ms. Ditaranto’s advisory earned first place for the seniors, Engineering teacher Mrs. Debra Peretta’s advisory for the juniors, French and Spanish teacher Ms. Beverly Gustafson’s advisory for the sophomores, and lastly, math teacher Mrs. Rachelle Mays’ group for the freshmen. 

Senior Oliver DeFerrari, who is part of Ms. Ditaranto’s advisory, said, “I feel really proud [of our triumph]. I mean, obviously, we are the best advisory in the senior grade. We’re just winners not losers. We never lose.” 

Senior Advisor winner Ms. Ditaranto after her advisors’ win said, “I have a very creative supportive advisory group and they were my pumpkins that surrounded the door frame. I feel like every year we win some kind of competition because they’re such a great group of kids. Whether or not we enter the competition, I think we always win”. 

Advisee of Ms. Ditaranto’s and senior Ali Brown spoke on behalf of her advisory saying, “ We felt victorious and proud.”

Mrs. Peretta enhanced her Halloween door with ghosts, orange ribbon, and spiders. She also added a fog machine and fake cobwebs to promote visits to her door.

Sophomore advisees of Madame Gustafson came in first place for their grade level. Gustafson embellished her door with Spanish caution tape and Halloween-themed signs. In addition, she added spooky cutout characters from Halloween cartoon movies and shows. 

Mathematics teacher and advisor Ms. Mays and her advisees took the lead against the freshman class, followed by art teachers Ms. Duran and Ms. Clark. Ms. Mays attached fake cobwebs and felt cutouts of bats with glittery strip lights and ghosts hanging from ledges of the ceiling to make it feel like you’re entering a haunted house. Beside her door, she included a small sized dog cage with a green skull plaque, and cobweb drooping over.

The Halloween door contest was a very popular event this year as majority of the advisories went all out, some even tying for second and third place with one another.