Students, staff get into Halloween spirit with costumes, decorations, games

The Halloween Spirit came alive throughout Red Hook school buildings Thursday, as students and staff dressed up and engaged in costumed activities to celebrate the holiday.

At Mill Road, children hopped off buses wearing costumes that ranged from witches and princesses; to Ninja Turtles, Jedi and Pokemon; to woodland creatures and gymnasts. As they made their way into the school they were greeted by an equally eclectic bunch of school leaders and teachers: Principal Dr. Brian Boyd and Assistant Principal Kristen Strothmann were both sharks, multiple staff members wore Minions costumes, and others were skeletons, witches and pirates. As students on the grades 3-5 side walked into the cafeteria for lunch, they were greeted by a chef dressed as the Muppets' Swedish Chef.

All around Mill Road, doors and bulletin boards were decorated for the days leading up to Halloween. An enormous pumpkin display takes up much of a first-floor hallway nearby a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater. The school capped the holiday with a parade in the afternoon, in which the youngest students walked down the newly opened Paul Menz pathway, as the rest of the school lined the path and cheered them on.

A mid-morning fire drill at Linden Avenue Middle School gave the students a chance to show off their costumes, some more elaborate than others. While some opted to simply wear a sports jersey, others wore full animal onesies and some dressed as children’s book characters, such as Max from “Where the Wild Things Are.” The LAMS staff likewise got into the spirit; Principal Stacie Smith, Assistant Principal Paul Brown and others from the main office coordinated on “Spongebob Squarepants” costumes.

The middle school also got into the Halloween spirit with a pair of games. For several weeks staff has been taking photos of themselves as ghosts covered in white sheets in various school settings, which were collected into a bulletin board outside the cafeteria for students to guess whom each ghost was. Smith noted once staff members saw the standard set by the first few photos submitted, it became a challenge for some to escalate the creativity. Four office staff members, for example, ended up posing in a police car – which proved to be one of the tougher photos for the students to identify who was under the sheets.

There were also signs posted around the school asking students to find “Waldo,” the red-and-white-stripped-sweater-wearing literary character. Six staff members – and one student – came to school wearing the costume.

While fewer students and staff came to the high school clad in costumes, several memorable looks drew attention. Mary Shannon was a “Thesaurus” – a tyrannosaurus rex with words and synonyms pinned around its body – “English teacher humor!” she laughed. Student costumes included Walter White, of “Breaking Bad” fame, Forrest Gump and even a Shrek.

The high school got into the spirit in different ways, too. Earlier this month in Cori Witkiewicz’s applied math class, students learned about parabolas by building mini pumpkin launchers and hurling candy pumpkins.

The school on Friday is also planning a Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, celebration during lunch periods. Mill Road likewise had educational displays for Day of the Dead in both its lobbies. The two-day Mexican holiday, which this year is Nov. 1-2, is commonly thought of as a day when the living and the dead are reunited, giving family members and friends a chance to honor those who have departed.