The school week before Halloween weekend, spirit rushes through the hallways of Freedom High School. Teachers and students are dressing up and talking about halloween traditions, and are all counting down the days until Oct. 31.
Psychology teacher Beth Visna says her family starts preparing for the holiday as soon as October begins. She added that her younger son especially, is very passionate about halloween decorations.
“We’ve got purple and orange lights, skeletons, ghosts—everything,” Visna said “When the kids were little, we used to do family costumes. Now they pick their own, but we still go trick-or-treating and carve pumpkins.”
Students also look forward to the celebration each year – trick-or-treating, watching scary stories, or pumpkin carving. Junior Sritha Maganti said she and her friends plan group costumes before going trick-or-treating.
“We usually watch a scary movie, depending on who I’m with,” Maganti said. “Sometimes we even have sleepovers. It’s just a really fun night.”
For senior Kayleigh Wang, Halloween means creativity, connection, and spending time with family as she creatively matches costumes with her cousins.
“I love Halloween!” Wang said. “I celebrate with family friends, and we wear matching costumes. Last year, we did ‘Mean Girls.’ This year, we’re doing ‘DCU.’”
Freshman Mikey Dunne keeps the celebrations classic, and sticks to more low-key traditions.
“They have a Halloween party with food and pizza, and then we go trick-or-treating,” Dunne said.
Whether it’s by carving pumpkins, watching horror movies, or spending time with family, Freedom High School students and staff celebrate Halloween in their own unique ways.
