Hallway decoration gave freshmen an opportunity to connect with Hoffman culture and tradition.

“It made me feel like a part of the school, and I felt connected to Hoffman’s school culture,” said Hannah Ku, freshman.

Decorating hallways is a longstanding tradition at HEHS. It is important to connect freshmen to school traditions and cultures, so they can quickly and easily assimilate into the high school and feel more like a Hawk.

Even if freshmen did not participate in hallway decorating, it still has an impact on their view of the school. 

“It made my school days more interesting,” said Tiffany Burghelea, freshman. “In the mornings I tend to walk around and look at all of the decorations, and it made my morning better.” 

A student’s environment in school can have a strong impact on their mood throughout the day. When students build a positive connotation with school, they will be inclined to join extracurricular activities in school, which is a good foundation for freshmen.

But, some freshmen had different expectations of the decoration which was not accurate to the decorating process. “Decorating wasn’t as  organized as I thought it would be,” said Nikki Genosa, freshman. “After we finished and got our decorations finished to our vision, it felt really fulfilling.”

Freshmen are still learning the ropes of high school. Getting the opportunity to be directly involved in school culture helps freshmen enjoy high school more.