As Halloween approaches, so too does the Annual Tate Library Pumpkin Decorating Contest. Excitement grows as the Fieldston community and advisory groups start strategizing how they will decorate their pumpkins in order to win one of the many categories of the contest.
The contest pits advisories against each other, bringing groups closer together every year. The librarians started the contest many years ago for anyone who wanted to participate, and in 2016 it became an advisory competition. Advisories gather by cohort and execute their ideas in a limited amount of time. The judges line up the pumpkins and pick a winner for each category. The winning categories of the contest last year were the Special Effect Award, Best Hair Award, Kerri ASAP Award, Scared the Bejesus Out of Me Award, I Don’t Have a Skull or Bones Award, Most Menacing award, “Punk-kin” Award, Best Example of Genetic Engineering Award, and many more. The grand prize is a pizza party during lunch. Unlike past years, the seventh grade art majors also participated in the contest and each won a category.
The contest fosters a sense of belonging for students and teachers, while having fun in a friendly competition. One of the administrators of the contest, Ms. Mottola, commented, “What I love about the contest is the way in which it lets advisors come together. This year, for example, I’m a ninth grade advisor, and while our ideas are pretty silly and I have no idea if we will execute any of them, it’s fun to collaborate and get a little ridiculous.” Carving pumpkins and using teamwork to strive towards a prize fosters solidarity by injecting fun back into the school year.
While it can be difficult to engage students in collaboration in an advisory competition with so much on their minds, the pumpkin contests spreads excitement and incites friendly disputes between advisories. Aiden Eisenberg (Form IV), says he looks forward to “ bonding with [his] advisory. Last year it was our first year in high school with all of the new kids, but this year now that we all know each other better, it is going to be a good experience.” As a student, Eisenberg is ready to participate and wants to work with the same group again towards the success of winning.
Some advisories seem to prepare more than others. Before the contest, Hayden Cushing (Form IV) explained, “my advisory has already started discussing our ideas for this year’s competition and is taking steps to prepare in advance.” Cushing’s advisory executed their plan and won “the Best Use of Knives Award.” Students find relief in having a break from their usual academic day where they can get creative with their peers.
The contest is especially significant for new students. Meeting new people and trying to make friends when starting high school can be difficult, and the pumpkin carving contest naturally encourages students to get to know one another. Solie Gargano (Form III) and new to the Upper School, hopes that “carving a pumpkin together will help [new students] develop team building skills and further bond our advisory as we go into high school.” The pumpkin carving contest helps ninth graders like Gargano to meet new people through a community activity that encourages positivity from both students and teachers.
Decorating pumpkins gathers the community together in a silly way. Since we are still carefully learning how to come back together following the COVID-19 pandemic, moments like the Tate Library Pumpkin contest give students something to look forward to at the start of the school year. Memories like these remind students and teachers that school is more than just being in class, and that building relationships and stepping out of your comfort zone matters just as much.
