It’s no secret that Halloween celebrations have vanished from elementary schools in the district. No more spooky parties with ghost cake pops and zombie cookies. No more costume parades or face painting stations. As a kid, it was a special day, but now, it’s a semi-normal day of school.
Looking back, it might make you sad that current students will not get to have fun at those class parties. But the kids who couldn’t participate in the first place were probably much more devastated. I have a lot of good childhood memories tied to those events, and I felt pity that other kids would not be able to experience the joy that came from them.
I used to love having my mom come and help me get dressed up in my Halloween costume for school and picking out a treat to bring for the class party. But now that I’m older, I look back and can see how these traditions were a nightmare for students whose families couldn’t afford to participate in these activities.
When Superintendent Dori Leyko was a principal at Marble Elementary, she always noticed how anxious and upset kids would get if they didn’t have a Halloween costume like everyone else.
“Some students wanted to go home so they didn’t feel out of place,” Leyko said.
Halloween is supposed to be a time for fun and games with friends, not a time to be worried about whether your costume looks too “cheap” or if you’ll get teased for it. There are many places in the world where people will feel like “have” and “have nots,” and school should never create that atmosphere.
According to Leyko, the biggest push to get rid of Halloween celebrations came from the elementary school principals after listening to the observations of teachers. They felt that the celebrations excluded some students and highlighted the inequities among others.
Celebrating Halloween in schools can also be viewed as unnecessary, as there are so many other places in the community that offer a multitude of festivities.
Sororities and Fraternities hold a “safe Halloween” on MAC Ave. where they pass out candy, host games, and paint faces. Local churches have trunk-or-treats, the malls have trick-or-treating and on the night of Halloween, kids can walk around their own neighborhood to collect candy with friends.
That is a lot of celebration in one community, and school no longer needs to be added to that list when it can make so many kids feel left out. So, if your biggest problem in life is the absence of a Halloween party you might want to ask yourself if it’s really worth it when it can cause so much pain to others.