By RON NEWBERRY, MICHELLE BEAHM
Staff reporters

For a festive occasion such as this, Shane Evans allowed a few exceptions.

Ordinarily, the principal at Oak Harbor Middle School wouldn’t approve of Skittles served at lunch time. But since it’s Marshawn Lynch’s favorite treat and the Seattle Seahawks are back in the Super Bowl, Evans relaxed a few rules Friday.

“They’re not on the menu,” Evans said with a laugh. “They don’t meet the nutritional standards.”

In celebration of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl appearance against the New England Patriots Sunday, many students and staff in the Oak Harbor School District decked themselves out in Seahawks’ colors and let their blue hair down.

At Hillcrest Elementary School, they even went a little cuckoo, dressing up live chickens in blue-and-green knitted sweaters to show their Seahawks spirit.

It was all in the name of fun and pride for an NFL team looking to repeat as champions.

Loraine Goen, the lead cook at Oak Harbor Middle School, planned a Super Bowl-sized and themed lunch for the second year in a row at her school. The cafeteria was blanketed with Seahawk signs, student drawings and No. 12s and even a large wooden cutout of a Seahawks helmet.

Goen went around to community businesses to ask if they’d be interested in donating treats, prizes and other items and was overwhelmed by their support.

“She has a bad shoulder and she’s still doing this,” said Goen’s friend, Dale Turner, who came to help.

She wasn’t the only one laboring, however.

“My husband is a Dallas fan,” Goen said. “You see him in there doing dishes?”

When students came to the cafeteria door at the middle school, they were greeted by their principal in Seahawks garb and with his hair and beard spray-painted blue and green.

Under their trays were tickets that allowed them to get in line for a specific free item such as Skittles or cupcakes.

“We all come together to celebrate our Seahawks,” said Carolina Cacho, who worked in the cafeteria. “We’re going to be champions.”

Noah Hangan, a seventh grader wearing a Russell Wilson jersey, predicted the Seahawks would beat the Patriots, 36-3. Kory Dyer, a member of the Whidbey Island Sea Hawkers booster club, doesn’t see the outcome being that one-sided. Dyer was on hand at his former middle school to help Goen and others.

“I think it’s going to be a lot closer than it was last year,” Dyer said, referring to the Seahawks’ 43-8 victory over Denver. “I think Seattle is going to pull it out.”

If that happens, maybe it’ll be because of the spirited chickens at Hillcrest.

Kathy Hawkes, a paraeducator at Hillcrest, knitted blue-and-green sweaters for the six chickens to wear, each with a “12” on the back. The chickens don’t wear them for long periods of time, but just long enough to bring smiles to students’ faces.

“It’s going to be a blowout for the Seahawks,” Goen said.