Texas High Schoolers Create 15-Foot "Mega Mum" For Homecoming

Mum's the word at Stony Point High School in Round Rock, Texas.

Nearly 100 students and four teachers from the Austin area school's Floral Design program created a super-sized 8.5-foot by 15.5-foot mum for homecoming, KEYE-TV reports. The "Mega Mum," as it's known, was displayed in the school last week.

"This has been a learning experience to say the least," the program captioned a photo of the mum hanging from the second story of the school's atrium. "The kids have loved being a part of the process, and it's awesome to see their pride in their school on display. She [the mum] was way prettier before we had to trim her, but we're still proud of what our program accomplished this year!"

According to KEYE-TV, it took nearly a week to make and they used paper, toilet paper, tissue paper, and ribbon to make it.

Homecoming Mums are a beloved high school tradition in Texas. They started out decades ago as a simple corsage made up of one or two chrysanthemums—the classic flower of fall—and maybe a few ribbons to show school pride at homecoming events. These days, however, mums have little to do with the actual flower. Instead, these elaborate floral arrangements have become a rite of passage for Texas teens, and the bigger the better.

Today's mums are usually made up of some combination of oversized silk flowers, ribbons, bows, feathers, sequins, charms, stuffed animals, photographs, and glittery letters all attached to a backing and hung around the neck. Frequently, they're made in school colors and will display the wearer's interests and personality. Boys wear smaller versions called garters on elastic bands on their arms.

The more you know!