Every year the DECA leadership team goes to a local farm to pick out pumpkins for marketing teacher Steve Melzer’s marketing classes to paint for Hawkfest. 

Last Sunday, October 1, 2023, the leadership team and anyone who wanted to come from Melzer’s classes met at Arrowhead at 4:45 pm to head over to (I’ll name the farm) to pick 160 pumpkins that were held at the farm. 

Melzer has a budget set in for these pumpkins every year from the money he makes off of the events put on by his classes, as well as partnering with the farm to receive these pumpkins. 

Students and Melzer brought them to school the next day to be held in the cars and waited for people to pick them up. 

In each of Melzar’s classes, he had students go outside and pick the pumpkin of their choosing from either the grassy areas outside the door or people’s cars. 

If students had their own pumpkin they wanted to use students, they were welcome to do so. 

Students had until Thursday October fifth to paint their pumpkin with any color, or character of their choosing. 

Melzer says he wants the theme of the pumpkins to have to do with DECA, Hawkfest/Halloween, or something creative related. 

Senior Ellie Bognar said she is going to spay paint her pumpkin gold or do a galaxy theme.

Senior Bree Zuzik 

Some pumpkins that students have created in the past were ghost themed, M&M’s, Frankenstien, characters from shows, and logos of local sports teams. 

Melzer requires five things for the pumpkin that he listed on a rubric: that the pumpkin is creative, organized, clean, eye appealing, and made in a timely manner. 

When students are done with their pumpkins, they must take a selfie with them and the pumpkin in the photo and submit it on Canvas. Along with turning in a photo, students must bring it to school where it will go in the front foyer for all students to see entering and leaving school. 

Hawkfest is on Friday, October 6, 2023 from 4-8:30pm and the pumpkins will be displayed there to be entered in a contest of many categories. Some of the categories include, best themed like, halloween, and DECA. 

People attending Hawkfest will have the opportunity to vote on whose pumpkin they think is the best and the votes will be collected by Melzer and counted accordingly. 

Melzer says he has prizes for the winners and they are fun giveaways and gift cards he has to give out. 

When Hawkfest is over,the following Saturday morning, students in Melzer’s classes will take the pumpkins to the local nursing homes for all the residents of the home to have.