The smell of fresh paint takes over as CEC members meet together to create their distinct themed playhouses. Throughout the week, the sophomore, junior and senior CEC members have been working on their annual playhouses which will be showcased today in the Homecoming parade and at the Homecoming game.

“We all come together, play music and work on the playhouse,” Pranshu Aryal, junior, said. “Usually people just jump in, start painting and adding designs to the house that fit with the theme we voted on. It is really exciting to see our vision come to life.”

 The freshmen members did not build a playhouse. Instead, they decorated the Commons for pep and school spirit. 

“Making decorations is really fun but it also takes a lot of planning. My favorite part of making posters is painting them. I look forward to CEC every week, and I can’t wait until we get to see our hard work all come together when we hang everything up,” Avalyn Walker, freshman, said.

For the playhouse themes this year, the seniors created a Disney themed house, the juniors did a Gingerbread theme, and the sophomores built a Haunted House themed playhouse. These themes have correlated with the Homecoming themes in the past, but this tradition has changed within the past couple of years.

“When the playhouses first began, they originally correlated with the dance theme,” Ms. Kristen Szafasz, junior CEC sponsor, said. “However, as time has gone on, we wanted our students to express more creativity for their playhouses. Choosing any theme as a class allows for more unique ideas and different houses.” 

These playhouses will go up for bidding in a silent auction to raise money for a charity of each class’ choice. However, there are conversations about whether these playhouses will still continue after this year due to their decreasing popularity. At this time, there has not been a final decision made.

“No one wants playhouses anymore. They have run their course.  It is also good to try new things.The discussion is still ongoing,” Ms.Valerie Pflum, sophomore CEC sponsor, said.