By Mr. Newman
I came across senior Coleman Deviney on the second floor of the upper school, decorating the Christmas tree that overlooks the Keough Concourse. He was in the process of taking ornaments out of a giant red and green Sterilite plastic bin and hanging them on the tree. Many of the ornaments featured the classic Lovett “L.” As for Coleman’s tree-decorating attire, he was wearing an Auburn University quilted quarter-button over his white senior polo and navy blue Vineyard Vines pants. On his feet? Some very well-worn white On Clouds.
So how did you come to be decorating the tree?
Ms. Gilmore asked me to do it for student aid.
Is this sort of a typical kind of thing that you would do as a student aid?
Maybe not the specific thing, but in the category mean the idea of it? Yeah.
What would be the closest to this in terms of sort of a quirky task that you’ve been asked to do?
Oh, last week I had to cut 160 laminated Christmas-themed math problems for the lower school.
Okay. What would be a much more common task that you would do on a daily basis as a student aid?
Like write slips, take attendance, ask people for attendance, and student request forms.
So Christmas trees. Have you decorated Christmas trees before?
I have, yes.
At home?
Yes.
Do you have a method that you prefer to follow?
No, I kind of just throw all the ornaments at it, and as long as they’re spaced out, I hope…it’s cross my fingers.
So there is an aesthetic that you’re following?
I mean, just a lot of chaos, and then hopefully it turns out good. I feel like that’s the whole idea behind Christmas trees. You just put stuff up and then, I mean, it’s just covered in ornaments at the end.
Do you have one up in your house right now?
Yes, I do.
When did you guys put it up?
The week after Thanksgiving, I think.
And do you go along on the trip to pick out the tree?
I do not. I think we just keep one in the basement.
Oh, so it is a plastic one as well?
Yes.
So how tall is it? Is it about this height or bigger?
It’s bigger for sure. I don’t know exactly how tall.
Do you have to stand on something to reach the highest spot?
For sure. Which I would need to do on this one anyway. I’m not tall.
Do we have a star for the thing?
We have a bow, I think.
Were you given any specific instructions from Ms. Gilmore, or did she just give you these boxes and tell you to come up here?
She basically gave me the boxes and said decorate away.
What are some typical ornaments that you have on your tree at your home?
We have a lot of Georgia football ornaments for sure.
Do you have a favorite ornament at home?
We have an ornament of a pickle that I don’t know where we got, but it’s been there forever, and I always liked it. It was always my favorite ornament when I was really young, so I think that’s the only one I have any emotional attachment to.
Now, do pickles go along with Christmas at all? Is that part of the Christmas story?
No, but I don’t remember how it started. Oh, it was in my kindergarten classroom. We had a tree, and if you found the pickle, you could get a piece of candy. And then we ended up with a pickle ornament.
What are you looking forward to for Christmas break?
No school for sure.
And then what about next semester, second semester senior year? What are you looking forward to?
Probably finally graduating. I feel like I’ve been in the upper school for a hundred years. But I mean, yeah, also I’m excited for my classes next semester. I can take some painting. It’s going to be fun.
Any particular traditions that you have seen the seniors go through that you’re looking forward to besides graduating?
Besides graduating, the college shirts I think are cool when everyone gets to sign them.
Are you happy you decided to be a Student Aid?
It’s been pretty fun.
