What do a rockin’ Santa Claus, a tree of bones and a long math equation spelling out ‘Merry Christmas’ have in common? They were all elements on the prize-winning doors of the door decorating contest. Sponsored by the National Honors Society, students were given the opportunity to sign up for their favorite teacher’s door to decorate in the spirit of Christmas. The doors revealed Freedom’s Christmas cheer and were themed to that teacher’s interests or classes they teach. The mastermind behind this contest was Junior NHS member Alexis Potts. Potts felt the event as a whole had a “great turnout,” including student participation and door decorations. “The goal was to give the school more of a Christmas-spirited feel and encourage the spread of Christmas cheer,” Potts said. The goal in mind was met with many students and teachers moved by the participation and creativity stemming from the door decorating contest. “I thought it was pretty cool. I liked how festive [the doors] were,” Freshman Collin Gilarno said. Out of the 24 doors decorated, three were picked by impartial judges for first, second and third prize. Mrs. Burger’s door, decorated by Seniors Nichelle Bauernfeind, Sarah Brasko and Stephanie Stewart won first place with a unique Christmas tree made of bones with test tubes and beakers under the tree resembling little presents. The three students each received a $25 gift card to Wal-Mart. “I am ecstatic about my win. Although all the other doors were a decent effort, my door was above and beyond,” Mrs. Burger joked. Mr. Fitzpatrick’s door, decorated by Seniors Melanie Socash and Costa Barlamas, won second place. Mr. Fitzpatrick’s door adorned a rock and roll Santa Claus jamming on an electric guitar, sheet music snowflakes and a CD player playing rock Christmas songs. “I’m going to have to say that Burger got lucky. I just thought that Santa might spread a little more Christmas cheer than a pile of bones,” Mr. Fitzpatrick quipped. In third place, Mrs. Hastings’s door was decorated by Jacob Potts, Danielle Lindsay and Yanhui Wang. The door was decorated as a winter wonderland of math. The equation, in the shape of a Christmas tree, opened like an accordion when closing the door and was a very long, very complicated equation for how to graph Merry Christmas. To incorporate her geometry classes, it was decorated with geometry snowman.