Princeton ISD students build giant Homecoming mum

Towering above students in the cafeteria stood a source of pride for Princeton High School - a giant Homecoming mum standing 18 feet tall.

"It was huge," said junior Maddie Anguiano.

"I loved it. I was so proud of it. It was so worth it," said junior Upkar Kaur. "Worth all the hot glue gun burns."

It took nearly a month for students in the advanced floral class to create ribbons out of butcher paper and to paint each club's logo. There were a few setbacks, including supply chain issues with Panther maroon butcher paper.

"This mum project went through a whole rollercoaster ride," said Kaur.

While some students worked on the design, ag students welded a steel frame big enough to hold it.

"I learned about my peers and the people I was with, and I learned building a big mum was really hard," said junior Jewell Hott.

"It was stressful," said junior Anthony Munoz. "I was 100% confident in my welds, but it was a little bit stressful."

The biggest challenge came when students had to haul the heavy finished frame inside, but the payoff came seeing students and teachers taking photos in front of the finished product.

"The whole point of the mum was to show school spirit, and clearly it worked because we won the Homecoming game," Upneet Kaur.

Unfortunately, the mum did not fare so well during the Homecoming game after rain left it wet and soggy.

"It's in the dumpster now," said senior Shelby Williams. "It's so sad."

Students are already thinking of improving the project next year, including making it taller.

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