Mesa Middle School Pods Shine With Holiday Movie Creativity

Mesa Middle School students and staff turned their learning pods into scenes from classic holiday movies this December, creating a festive, schoolwide décor contest centered on creativity, collaboration and fun.

Mesa’s building is organized into grade-level and subject-matter pods, and 12 of them chose a different holiday movie and then spent about three weeks designing decorations inspired by their selection. The work took place during advisement class time throughout December.

Principal Jarod Nicholson said the idea grew out of the school’s enthusiasm for earlier celebrations.

“Our kids had a blast. Our staff had a blast,” Nicholson said. “What could we do that would bring just our kids and staff fun for the holiday season?”

Pods selected their movies through a draft system, then transformed their spaces to reflect key themes, scenes and characters.

“We would do a draft, and every team or pod would be able to draft a movie,” Nicholson said. “Once that movie was picked, they had the month during their advisement time to design their pod area as a symbol of the movie.”

Parent volunteers served as judges, touring each pod and scoring the displays using a rubric

that evaluated movie connection, creativity and originality, visual impact and holiday spirit.

The competition came down to a close finish, with The Santa Clause earning first place and The Polar Express placing second by just one point.

Nicholson said parents were impressed by the experience as they toured the school.

“So many parents were like, ‘We have got to get a video of this. It is so cool,’” he said.

Nicholson also noted that the decorations remained untouched throughout the contest, reflecting a strong sense of pride and ownership among students.

The project gave students and staff an opportunity to collaborate creatively during the school day, transforming everyday learning spaces into shared holiday experiences. A video montage offers a look inside each movie-themed pod.