Middle School Halloween Hallowpalooza!
Written by Evelyn Crowley and Naomi Gee-Burko
Happy Halloween! On the 24th of October, the newly formed Middle School Event Planning Committee hosted their first event–the Halloween Hallowpalooza. We watched Hocus Pocus, ate delicious food, and participated in fun activities. Huge shoutout to the eighth grade Event Planning Committee for planning and orchestrating this event. Additionally, big thanks to Ms. Schafer and Ms. Gurner for making this event a success.
Based on a poll conducted by the Event Planning Committee spokespeople, Evelyn Crowley and Iris Sahni, the middle school community decided to watch Hocus Pocus. Hocus Pocus won because it's a classic Halloween story that everyone loves. This story revolves around Max, Dani, and Allison, three kids who just moved to Salem, Massachusetts, who decide to explore an abandoned house. They accidentally discover and unleash a coven of evil witches who used to reside in the mansion. To defeat the witches, the kids must steal the witches' spell book to stop them from becoming immortal. Many students enjoyed watching the movie, while eating delicious food and chatting with their friends.
Photos: Charles Bonnefoy
According to over half of the middle school, the food was the best part of the event. 7th grader, Lucy Serazio enjoyed that “there was a large variety of snacks and drinks and [that] there were options for everyone.” Earlier in the week, the Event Committee had traveled to Star Market, with Ms. Gurner, to purchase fun snacks and drinks. Based on the poll responses, members Riley Garnett and Milo Shalish, on the food and decorations team, developed a thoughtful list that took into account preferences and allergies. They made sure that everyone was accommodated for. At the event, a variety of chips, candy, and sodas were adored.
We also had activities and games, picked out by members Georgia Brunell, Shawn Jenkins, Riley Garnett, and Naomi Gee-Burko. There were Halloween-themed board games, coloring pages, darts, ring toss, and bean bag toss. The activities team put together the perfect spooky atmosphere in the D’Alelio Room, emphasized by cobweb decorations, fake spiders, and more. Throughout the event, many students enjoyed hanging out with their friends and appreciated the various activities. 7th graders Julia Kowalczyk and Hannah Castano-Muneton appreciated “that there were things to do, even if you [had] watched the movie before, but still wanted to be there” and “[they] got to talk to friends and enjoy playing games all at the same time.”
Photos: Charles Bonnefoy, Naomi Gee-Burko
One of the most popular activities was the photo booth. Complete with a Halloween backdrop and fun props, middle schoolers enjoyed taking silly pictures with their friends, taken by Charles Bonnefoy, Leadership on the Event Planning Committee.
We had a great turnout thanks to Shawn Jenkins and Chiara Guarino-Barbro on the advertising team. The Event Planning Committee partnered with the Bulletin Board Curating Committee to make posters to let the school know of this event, along with emails from spokespeople Evelyn Crowley and Iris Sahni. We hope to see everyone at the next amazing event!
Linked here is the Event Planning Committee website: https://sites.google.com/newmanstudents.org/ms-events/home
