Bryan High School floral design students took Homecoming mum-making to a new level this year as they created a 17-foot-tall mum.
The blue-and-silver “Mega Mum” has been hanging in the Silver Cafeteria this week in honor of Homecoming week. Made primarily of paper, coffee filters and cardboard, the students said they did not know what to expect when their teacher Hannah Hawkins first introduced the idea.
“I honestly didn’t have an exact image in my head of how it would look, but whenever we were actually making it, it was all coming up together,” Cecilia Balderas, a senior floral design student, said.
They assembled each section of the “Mega Mum” separately before using the hallway to assemble it all together. They then had to transport it to the cafeteria using the tops of rolling trash cans and place it on the wall using a lift.
Hawkins said they were quick to inform the administrator helping them about how important it was for the mum to be transported and hung up safely.
Balderas said she almost couldn’t believe it when they first hung it up in the cafeteria.
“It feels amazing, really really good,” Areli Camacho, also a senior floral design practicum student, said. “It feels like we’re inspiring people to make the big mum and to be part of the first mega mum is really amazing.”
Camacho said it is something they can be proud of accomplishing because they did not know how they would put it together at first.
Hawkins said she first got the idea from fellow floral design teachers in the state who were creating oversized mums for Homecoming Week on their campus. So, she decided why not give it a try.
Now, it will become a legacy project with each class of seniors adding something to the “Mega Mum.” Next year’s seniors, she said, already have ideas for what they want to add.
Hawkins said she enjoys seeing her students take control of a project and take on the responsibilities of seeing it through to completion.
“As a teacher, obviously, your goal is for your students to be independent, but then you actually see them be independent, and it’s really a combination of pride, intimidation because they can do that,” she said. “It’s really cool to watch them be young adults.”
Although the “Mega Mum” might not be seen as “adulthood” by some, she said, it is about seeing them take ownership of a project and having the maturity to ask for help and make sure the project is being treated with respect.
Balderas said she enjoys getting to focus on a project and making sure it looks good once it’s complete.
Camacho and Alex Armstrong both said the class has a calming effect on them.
Armstrong said it just clears his mind, while Camacho said she takes pride in being able to present what she creates.
Hawkins said she especially enjoys “mum season” because it is a time for the students to be creative in their own way and express themselves without the fear of being judged.
Their projects did not end with the Mega Mum, though. They then turned their attention to creating 300 mini mums for fourth graders at three elementary schools.
This is the second year Hawkins and her students have created the mini mums for the fourth graders, and in the future she hopes to find enough funding to create mums for all six elementary schools that feed into Bryan High. Hawkins said the mums come with a note that explains the mums.
The students all said the mini mums are easier just because of their smaller size, but it is just as satisfying to create.
“It feels great to do something for the fourth graders,” Camacho said. “It’s really exciting being part of this project and helping the elementaries.”
Balderas added that their project might inspire one of the students to explore floral design when they have the opportunity to join FFA or while in 4-H.
The Mega Mum will be on display through the rest of the week, and the mini mums will be distributed to the fourth graders at Branch, Henderson, and Johnson campuses this week as well.