The Arcadia Quill wrapped up Finals Day with its annual tradition of Window War on Dec. 17. Reflecting the holiday spirit, three windows along Campus Drive were decorated by different groups within The Quill: freshmen and sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

As in previous years, Arcadia High School principal Dr. Angie Dillman visited A213 to judge the windows, evaluating them based on creativity, message, and connection to the festive season. From each group, one staff member explained to Dr. Dillman the meaning and the process behind each window. In a surprising twist from previous years, which traditionally awarded the win to seniors, the juniors claimed a victory this year.

When announcing the winner, Dr. Dillman said, “I’ll go with the juniors this year. As I’ve said for the past six years, I love the fire,” highlighting all the other details the juniors included that truly stood out. 

However, the win doesn’t overshadow the unique touches each group brought to their window designs. In most of the windows, staff members made intentional connections to The Quill, reflecting their personal involvement.

Freshman & Sophomore Window

The freshmen and sophomores’ window, the first to be presented to Dr. Dillman during the Window War, featured Christmas decorations that were both clear and deliberate in design.

The four freshmen and sophomores explained that they didn’t choose a specific symbol for their window but opted for a simple, modern Christmas design featuring ornaments, stars, and snowflakes.

“It’s really different,” staff writer sophomore Andrew Bai said. “ It might not be the cutest, but it is elegant.”

“In terms of the actual theme, I’d say we don’t have a theme,” added Series Editor sophomore Colette Chen. “Initially, we were going for silver and gold, but we ran out of ornaments, so we decided to use all of the ornaments. ”

To Dr. Dillman, it’s an original vision but achieved with perfection.  “I like the stars. I love the use of negative space,” she said. “They all give handmade touches.”

Junior Window

At the center of the display, a depiction of Santa caught Dr. Dillman’s attention when it was time for this window to be judged. 

The design featured Santa’s circular body filled with cookies, one of which appeared to have been partially eaten by Santa. His feet were represented by Christmas stockings, placed near a fireplace and surrounded by presents, with a fire and each reindeer represents a junior with their name written on it.

Sports Editor junior Lea Wang explained to Dr. Dillman the symbolism behind the window design and its connection to The Quill. According to Wang, the reindeer in the background, each bearing a junior’s name, represented the collective effort that drives The Quill as a team.

“Just like The Quill, when every reindeer joins together, we can see what’s being done,” she said, saying that this meaning extended to other designs as well. “We put cookies inside Santa to emphasize how warm you feel during Christmas and how full your belly feels. The cookies make Santa really happy and warm inside, and writing is what makes us happy and warm inside.” 

Dr. Dillman then identified Santa as carrying another layer of symbolism for The Quill: the cookies he consumed.

“One thing I noticed is that Santa ate the smallest cookies but left the bigger ones for others,” Dr. Dillman said. “That’s something The Quill can relate to—always rushing to meet deadlines.”

Surprisingly, this sentiment was reflected in the juniors’ window-making process as well. Staff writer junior Hazel Wong pointed out that they encountered several obstacles, including the failure to tape holly boughs and the lack of decorative materials for their design.

“The Window allows us to bond with other juniors and think of a creative solution,” she said. “I really like the window making process as we all tried to make different things with the paper.”

Senior Window

To mark their final year participating in this tradition as Quill members, the senior window featured several gingerbread men, gifts, and a snowman that dominated the space, surrounded by numerous decorations in the background. 

Opinion Editor senior Lucia Lim explained that the window symbolized the often-hidden sense of community among Arcadia High School students. Each gingerbread man was meant to represent the unique experience of each Quill member, with every senior’s face attached to a gingerbread figure.

Dr. Dillman was particularly struck by the details of the Birkenstock clogs on two of the gingerbread men. “I love the snowman. I like the details,” she said.

All the gingerbread men held hands and appeared in the same window. To seniors, they emphasize their unity.

“We all need to work together for Quill – no matter what skills you have or who you are,” said Lim. “We have different people having different role distributions, but we still care about meeting others and giving others.”