District Office welcomes great pumpkin, courtesy of Creekside High School students

This jack-o-lantern, which greets visitors at the District Office, was carved by Creekside High School students from a hefty pumpkin that sprouted from the school's community garden. Creekside Principal Daniel Morris, who is also IUSD's director of alternative education, tells us that students in the Creekside Leadership Academy planted pumpkin seeds in the garden before the summer break -- and those seeds grew up. Returning students eventually harvested about 20 pumpkins, which were decorated and put on display at Creekside for a contest. Morris asked the students to carve an extra one for the district. "It was just a goodwill gesture," he said. "The kids came up with the design." The Creekside Leadership Academy is led by teacher Mat Pace and counselor Melissa Gibson. Update: Now that a contest to guess the pumpkin's weight is over, we can reveal that it checks in at a whopping 66 pounds.