Over the past two weeks, most Quad-Cities schools have celebrated the holidays in some fashion to keep their students engaged before winter break. Several schools host annual concerts or Christmas recitals during this time, while many teachers or clubs sponsor themed parties. Others, however, took a more novel approach to pre-winter break engagement.
From life-like Elves on the Shelf to elusive gingerbread men, here's a look at how QC public school districts celebrated the 2024 holiday season. Bettendorf Last week, Mark Twain Elementary School students had an unexpected visitor around the halls: an adult-sized Elf on the Shelf named “Sugar Plum Giggleshoes.” Mark Twain Elf on the Shelf Jenny Lavelle, secretary at Mark Twain Elementary School in Bettendorf, perches in the school gymnasium dressed as an Elf on the Shelf the week before winter break, December 2024.
Students spotted Giggleshoes, who looked eerily similar to Mark Twain's secretary Jenny Lavelle, perched at various spots in and around the school throughout the week — a solid reminder that Santa has eyes everywhere. Bettendorf High School’s Computer-Aided Drafting class had 36 students participate in a holiday ornament competition. The students designed and 3D printed their unique ornaments for a panel of 12 judges, ranking the following top designs: * 1st place: "Bulb with Deer" by Ishika Motwani * 2nd place: "Gnome H" by Dayvanee Buikema * 3rd place: "Cup with Cane N Mallows" by Connor Purcell * 4th place .
