Swine Week is finally here, bringing loads of excitement along with it. From eccentric dares to hilarious hypnotism, there are many activities bringing the spirit to the Edmond Memorial High School (EMHS) student body, and the school’s decorations are the cherry on top. The EMHS halls have been decorated to immerse students into the theme, “Around the boarld,” and they did not disappoint.

There are several themed areas in the school; for example, the Upper Commons is the Swine Week airport. The support beams are sporting EMHS boarding passes, and there is a wall with the “flight,” “time” and “status” of all the past Swine Weeks, creatively showcasing their themes and totals. There are airport signs hanging from the ceiling, and one of the entrances to the stairs is now the TSA. A student-favorite part of the airport is the Starbucks, in addition to the logo on the wall, there are Starbucks cups hanging from the ceiling, making for an even more fun area.

The gym lobby and cafeteria are also widely discussed locations this year. The gym lobby has giant postcards hung from the ceiling with past Swine Weeks on them and a meticulously crafted mural made entirely out of chicken wire and tissue paper. The Student Council (StuCo), Swine Week Royalty and National Honor Society students dedicated hours into making this massive, gorgeous mural, and it is the perfect art to see before entering the gym for assemblies. Right next to the gym lobby, the cafeteria is decorated like Bikini Bottom from “SpongeBob.” There are fun sea animals along with “SpongeBob” characters’ houses pictured on the walls, and there is even a large wooden boat with a skeleton in it that was generously donated this year.

The main hallway features purple and blue strung lights with tinted fluorescent light covers, and each wall is dedicated to places and landmarks from around the world. This hall even has easter eggs to past Swine Weeks, like the Hoggywood sign. “Hoggywood” was the Swine Week theme for the class of 2023 when they were freshman, so it is a nice full circle moment for them. Some fan-favorites from this hall include Greece, which is a good colorful backdrop for photos, and the Chicago Bean.

With lots of themed areas, it’s hard to highlight them all. However, the hallway beside the lecture hall is too amazing to not receive a shout out. It is jungle-themed, creating an adventurous and fun atmosphere for students. The whole area is green, and there are cool features like a waterfall and vines hanging from the ceiling. This spot is one of my favorites this year.

Each individual decoration is unique and extremely detailed even down to the glitter. This adds a great touch to many of the decorations, especially because they are places and objects from all around the world. Even if they do not all have sparkles, there are many well-crafted decorations. From Remy the Rat (from Disney’s animated film “Ratatouille”) to the Taj Mahal, each has detailed features that take them to the next level.

Of course no Swine Week could be complete without the blacklight hallway. The hallway in the main building that leads into the freshman academy is transformed every year, and this year did not disappoint. The graffiti messages are unique and fun to look at, and the blacklights make it complete. It is amazing what can be done with cardboard, insane amounts of paint, blacklights and hard work.

From idea to execution, “Around the Boarld” Swine Week decorations are a hit. EMHS is lucky to have StuCo, Royalty and other student volunteers willing to put in loads of time decorating the school late into the night to make the best week of the year better each time.

Contact Kelsi Seltenreich at [email protected]