Lake Shore Central School District

Lake Shore High School’s annual classroom door-decorating contest is taking place this week, and while students and staff prepare their entries, one person in the building continues a tradition all her own.

High School Building Secretary Kim Himes has transformed her desk area into a fully themed holiday display every year since 2022. What began as a creative idea during the office remodel has become one of the building’s favorite seasonal highlights.

Kim recalls looking at her desk and imagining it as a gingerbread house. With leftover cardboard from the faculty room and help from her husband — who she says is cheerfully recruited each year against his will — she built her first large-scale display. The response was immediate, and a new tradition was born.

Her designs over the years:

This year’s “Mele Kalikimaka” scene brings a warm, beach-themed twist to the main office. It features handmade coconut trees, a beach backdrop, a sand snowman, surfboards wrapped in holiday paper, a tiki hut, and even a cardboard Bing Crosby. Kim greets visitors in an aloha shirt and lei, adding to the welcoming atmosphere.

Although she remains outside the official contest to keep the focus on classroom displays, her work has become part of what makes the season special at Lake Shore. Many staff and students make a point to stop by the main office to see the new design each year, and Kim is always ready with a friendly greeting — sometimes even a lei — to share a bit of holiday cheer.

Lake Shore High School extends a warm thank-you to Kim for bringing creativity, joy, and a sense of fun to the building every December.