On Dec. 22, 2023, hundreds of people gathered in Kingsway Regional High School’s main parking lot for its first annual Trunk or Tree event.
Planned by Kingsway’s National Honor Society (NHS), the event was similar to a Halloween Trunk or Treat, at which people decorate their car trunks with spooky decorations and hand out candy. However, this event was completely holiday themed.
Thirty five teams each decked their car and trunks with as many festive decorations as possible to try to win the competition for the title of Kingsway’s Light Fight Champion. Cars used bright lights, holiday decorations, and even life-sized inflatables and gingerbread houses for an advantage in the competition.
The winning team was Santa’s Sassy Sidekicks, and the second-place winner was Land of Sweets.
Prior to the event, the NHS took time to plan out the entire event from start to finish. Committees were organized for each part of the event, from the Marketing Committee to the Car Directing committee.
Several NHS members also participated in caroling to bring holiday cheer to the guests, and others participated by decorating their cars. Guests were also greeted with hot chocolate and sweet treats like cookies and brownies.
Kids at the event enjoyed face painting and games like cornhole and spikeball, both of which were provided by the NHS’s Face Painting Committee and Games Committee, respectively.
The event itself was free, but each guest had to bring at least one non-perishable food or lightly-used clothing item.
The Donations Committee was at the entrance to collect and organize donations. The event’s great turnout led to hundreds of food and clothing donations being collected by the school.
The Voting Stand Committee was responsible for decorating and labeling a box for each car. Once the boxes were done, each team received one to collect their votes in and return at the end of the event.
While walking around, guests placed voting tickets in the boxes corresponding to the car of their choice. The car with the most votes at the end, tallied up by the Voting Stand Committee, won the competition.
Prior to the Trunk or Tree event, Kingsway high school students in all grades participated in the Winter Spirit Week. Each day brought a new theme: Monday was Holiday PJs day, Tuesday was Flannels vs. Puffers Day, Wednesday was Santa’s Helpers Day, Thursday was Ugly Sweater Day, and Friday was Holiday Class Colors Day.
Each grade wore a different festive color, with Freshmen wearing blue, Sophomores wearing white, Juniors wearing green, and Seniors wearing red. Points were awarded each day to the class with the most participation.
On the Friday before winter break, Kingsway had its first Winter Pep Rally. There, the final points were awarded to each class from fun games like Musical Chairs and Tug of War.
The Junior class came out on top with the most points.
Along with the Trunk or Tree event, The Winter Pep Rally and Winter Spirit Week both contributed to the perfect start to winter break.
By Madison McNally, Kingsway Senior
