Editor’s Note: Student Union is written by students at Hampden Academy, Brewer High School, Old Town High School and Schenck High School in East Millinocket. The weekly column is a joint effort among the schools, the Bangor Daily News and Acadia Hospital. This week’s column was written by Schenck High School students. Their adviser is Eric Steeves.

Every year at Schenck High School an event takes place that has the entire Katahdin region talking. This event is the winter carnival, and it is unique to the towns in northern Penobscot County. Instead of having a prom or homecoming, Schenck has a winter carnival. The first winter carnival was in 1943 and was organized under the direction of Margaret H. Gillis, who was a business and physical education teacher at Schenck High School. The 2003 Winter Carnival will be the 60th anniversary of this special event that consists of games, Spirit Week, a coronation and a formal dance.

Winter carnival takes place in March, a particularly gloomy and muddy time of the year in northern Maine. For athletes, March is a perfect time to have the winter carnival because it is between the sports seasons and students have less to do. Peter Fisher, the art teacher at Schenck and the student council adviser, said, “The spring is such a busy time of year for everyone that having a prom would just add to the chaos of spring. I think that March is a convenient time for everyone.” Also, many adults and school officials believe that the cold weather associated with the month of March discourages students from drinking and partying in the surrounding local sandpits after the coronation and dance. Other adults hold a different opinion and say that the cold weather has little impact on the party situation. For instance, Kim Glidden, a chemistry teacher at Schenck said, “I think the parties still happen regardless of the time of year.”

The week leading up to the winter carnival has students in every grade competing against one another in sports such as volleyball, soccer and basketball. The goals are to increase school morale and give all students multiple opportunities to participate in fun and exciting activities. After school hours, the students participate in various sports and contests, which have teachers acting as judges and officials. By Thursday of winter carnival week a winner in each sport is announced. On Thursday, half of the school day is devoted to the “Winter Carnival Games,” which pit all four high school classes against one another in a battle for school champion.

The games include water balloon tossing, wheelbarrow racing, a tug of war, three-legged races, pie eating and Jell-O eating contests, as well as special talent contests such as karaoke. Students attempt to gain as many points as possible for their grade to become the Spirit Week champion. Also, points that were earned from the after school sporting competitions during the week are added to the final tally. The winner is announced at the Winter Carnival coronation the next Saturday, and the student council representative from the winning grade receives the Spirit Week trophy for his or her class. In addition, every day of school during winter carnival week has a specific theme such as beach day, hat day and twin dress-up day. Teachers also take part in the festivities and the whole atmosphere of the school is enhanced significantly.

On Saturday evening, the Winter Carnival coronation, or school prom, and a talent show take place. The Schenck High School gym is magically transformed with decorations and artistic backdrops and is packed to capacity on this special night. Hundreds of people from the entire Katahdin region come to enjoy the performances, and to see who will take home the coronation crowns. At the 2002 Winter Carnival the entertainment ranged from the guitar talent of James Pelkey and Mark Hannington, to the classical piano playing of Valerie Harris, to the singing talent of Callie Page.

Going along with school tradition, the winter carnival has a king and queen, prince and princess, and a duke and duchess. The senior class votes on candidates for king and queen, while the entire student body votes for the winners in each category. Beginning this year, new policies were set concerning the conduct of the candidates. Candidates are now required to meet the same academic and disciplinary standards for extracurricular participation as all other students who participate on teams, or are involved in co-curricular activities. These new policies have met with much opposition from the student body. For instance, the smoking restriction still applies to candidates who are 18 years old, which is the legal smoking age. Jared Desantis, a Schenck junior said, “The policies of being a candidate are very unreasonable now.” Many other students share this opinion. Kara Pelkey, a Schenck senior said, “This is not an academic event, it’s more of a popularity contest. Being a candidate should not be based on grades.”

Controversy or no controversy, the winter carnival at Schenck High School is something that a lot of people look forward to. Winter Carnival is an ongoing tradition that is enjoyed by adults and students alike and will continue for many more years to come. It is a yearly event that brings students and teachers together in a unique way and improves the entire atmosphere of the school.