Halloween is fast approaching, with extravagant decorations on front lawns to scary costumes back on the shelves. NDB is also starting to prepare for the festivities with Spirit Week and spooky bulletin boards. Another crucial part of the Halloween culture is undoubtedly the candy. Large retail stores such as Target, CVS Pharmacy and Walmart are starting to bring back sizable candy packages and great deals for this chilling season.
As the students of NDB already know, candy is a critical necessity for powering through the day. To get into the season of candy and Halloween, I conducted research to determine which faculty member had the most preeminent candy. Students were sent a Google form to vote on a scale from one to five, five being the best, based on the accessibility, availability and variety between three candidates. The three nominees were Student Services Coordinator Barbra Tauskey, Spanish Teacher Kathryn Blanchard and Administrative Assistant Mirna Yao.
After watching the polls change over the few days, it was obvious that there was one clear winner: Tauskey. She had the highest points for accessibility and availability; however, the highest score for variety was given to Yao. Sadly, Blanchard suffered a major defeat yet had an achievement of placing second for availability.
“Based on your feedback, I will work on improving the variety in my candy jar. Unfortunately–though I hate to be a loser–I have no plans to increase accessibility or availability of my candy. I want students to have to work for the candy a little, so it will taste especially delicious when they finally win,” said Blanchard.
After an interview with second place winner, Yao, she explained that she still finds her highest score on a variety a win. Following Yao’s interview, I conversed with Tauskey about the exciting news.
“What? I am shocked out of my shoes! Could it be that the lotions play a role in five stars? I appreciate the compliment, and will continue to be the ‘candy lady,’” said Tauskey.
In all, the research was successful with a multitude of diverse responses and fascinating conversations with NDB students. The experiment also gave an opportunity for students to get excited about the upcoming Halloween season, which is sure to be filled with candy.
