MC art program hosts scary pumpkin-carving contest, students carve IXL logo after diagnostics

This trimester students were required to take diagnostics on the learning platform iXL in order to gather data on their current level of math and language arts skills. Despite the belief that Mount Carmel students read at a third-grade level, the Caravan managed to prove their fellow South Side Catholic schools wrong, reading on average at a first grade level and mathing at a 2 ½ grade level.

On average these diagnostics took about two hours to complete for each subject, which in MC student time is one football game. Students grew restless and cranky as the tests went on, and soon after many began to have symptoms of PTSD. 

“When I went to sleep all I could see was the progress bar slowly going up,” said junior Marty Fiske. “I’d rather continue learning the ABC’s in my English Class.”

Looking to spark interest in the MC art program during Halloween festivities, Assistant Dean of Students and art teacher Mrs. Julie Chappetto came up with a scary pumpkin carving contest for students. Unfortunately this fun competition took a turn for the worse. More than five students carved out the logo of IXL.

During the contest in students’ lunch periods, teachers began to notice either the IXL logo letters drawn or carved out in the pumpkin. The staff have held contests like this in the past, and they haven’t gone nearly as bad as the Halloween contest did. Teachers quickly shut down the contest because of the frightful screams students were letting out upon seeing the logo. Other students claimed to have felt a cold shiver go down their spine even just hearing those three letters in the aftermath of the situation.

“It was nothing like I have ever experienced before,” said senior Anthony Aguilar. “Taking those tests was almost as scary as seeing Dean O’Connor in the hallway.” 

“I was just carving out the scariest thing that came to mind,” said junior Julian Rojugbokan in response to why he carved out the website's logo. “That test took me over an hour and I just guessed on every question.”

Until further notice competitions in the lunchroom have been disbanded. These competitions include, “Are You Smarter than a First Grader?” in which the Mount Carmel students are the first graders, and the most popular competition, “Debate Mr. Baffoe on Whether the McRib is Good or Not.”