Lifestyle
Oak Ridge HS Looks to Break Record for Largest Homecoming Mum
Conroe ISD is introducing its High School Journalism Network, which will include a roundup of the top features from around the District. Journalism students will also be producing stories, such as the one below, and content from their feeder zones for the District website and to be shared with local media outlets.
Written by Abbey Mason & Avery Burke, Juniors at Oak Ridge High School
Photos by Andrew Stewart, Conroe ISD Communications
CONROE, TX – Homecoming mums, a favorite Texas high school tradition, are back and bigger and better than ever. This year, Oak Ridge High School is going for a Guinness Book World Record with an approximately 125-foot tall homecoming mum.
“Floral teachers all over the state of Texas are making paper ones of their school colors, and I thought it was cool, so I told Mrs. (Theresa) Neman about it, and she said let’s go big or go home, so now we are constructing the World Record Homecoming Mum,” Oak Ridge floral teacher Ashley Wilson said.
The application was submitted earlier this fall and the official measurement and documentation for the Guinness Book of World Records took place at Woodforest Bank Stadium on October 27. The process can take up to 12 weeks for Guinness to review documentation and verify the record.
The mum was displayed before and during the Homecoming game.
Many workdays were planned for this project, and many hours were sacrificed by students and staff of Oak Ridge.
“I want the students to realize that when we all come together, we are capable of getting something big and massive done, it just takes time and dedication, along with effort,” Wilson said.
Wilson and Neman have been working together with their students to make this year-long plan become a reality.
Local crane company, Gabby’s Cranes & Rigging, helped Oak Ridge with the big reveal.
“Finding a crane and getting donations was a challenge that we weren’t expecting,” Neman explained. “There were over 3,000 homecoming mum flowers that needed to be zip-tied to the head of the homecoming mum, on our workdays there was something for everyone, from hot gluing to rolling up ribbon.”
During the process, NHS spent $1,500 on the mum supplies, but had not received that amount in donations to cover the purchase. There was still work to be done to complete the project. Ribbon donations were still needed from clubs and organizations as they tried to finish the mammoth mum in time for Homecoming. In the end, everything came together and the mum was hoisted by crane as planned.
“I want students to take away that we can set really big goals and goals that people think we can’t accomplish, that when we work together and ask for help, we can accomplish it. I hope the mum is inspirational,” Neman said.
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