RBES Decks the Halls!

From THV11:

Teachers and staff at Rosebud Elementary School have been making spirits bright as they deck the halls and participate in a bit of friendly holiday competition.

ROSE BUD, Ark. — To get in the holiday spirit, one school in Central Arkansas made a competition out of decking the halls...literally!
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The inside of Rose Bud Elementary School is unrecognizable.
"They took their pictures, smashed up against a window, so it actually looked like they were looking out the window. I thought that was so creative," explained Meghan McMahan, who is a second-grade teacher.

Some friendly festive competition has been taking place inside the elementary school.
While it's fun to look at, it's important to remember that there's no touching allowed! 
"We were very scared that the kids, when they came in, would be pulling things down, touching things, messing with everything, but they've been so great about I think it's because they're so excited to see what we're doing, and they knew we were in a competition," McMahan said.
That brings us to the third-place winners — the third-grade hallway. 
"Their theme was the gingerbread man, and so they made gingerbread houses all down the wall, the lollipops, peppermints, and candy. We love the lights that they did with Solo cups," she described.



She also said it means a lot to the kids because these are the only Christmas decorations some of them will see this holiday season.
"I think that's what kind of kept us going, because it was hard. It was difficult, as many, many late nights, but it was always so rewarding when we would see them come in and just be in awe," said McMahan.
How can you not be when you're in the North Pole? 
While the activity teachers took home second place, it was McMahan's hallway that got the win.
"Our idea was Candy Cane Lane, but then my co-teacher absolutely loves pink. She wears pink all the time. So we threw that in there and incorporated that," McMahan described.
Community members judged the hallways and the kids, well...they wanted the candy decorations.
"We had to kind of guard it a little bit, because they thought, Oh, we can take one, you know. And so I told them, when we rip it down, you can have some candy canes and some peppermints," she added.
It was a reward worth waiting for, for both the students and the teachers.
"Our prize is that the principals come in and take over our class for half a day, and we get to leave," said McMahan.

While it was the first, it's certainly not the last Christmas decorating contest that will take place there.
"It's been a blessing to see how excited they are. Some kids may not get this at home, and you know, this is their only chance to see Christmas, so it's exciting," she added.

​Author: Brooke Buckner
Published: 4:13 PM CST December 16, 2025
Updated: 4:13 PM CST December 16, 2025