Local Elementary Schools Celebrate Halloween in Unique Ways

In a diverse area like ours, holiday celebrations come in all different forms.  Halloween carries with it a multitude of interpretations from playfully spooky to downright evil. 

Schools have a particular challenge as children from all walks of life show up at their doors ready to celebrate or not.

The Center for Young Children, a preschool and kindergarten located on the University of Maryland’s campus, takes a safe approach by not allowing children to come in costumes or with candy for distribution the week of Halloween. 

As their charges are typically between the ages of 3 and 6, administrators there note that this is a particularly sensitive age and children may find the images associated with Halloween frightening. They also have a large international population at the school, and many families may not be aware of Halloween traditions. As an alternative, many of the classrooms spend time in late October and early November making fall-themed treats as a class, studying and painting gourds, and talking and reading about harvest time.

goes the traditional route when it comes to celebrating Halloween.

Children are invited to come in their Halloween costumes and participate in a and parties in individual classrooms. Parents must give permission for participation in the events, and those children who do not participate go to a designated spot in the school for an alternative activity, or they opt to stay home that day, according to an administrator.

straddles the line with “Character Chaos”, a costume-themed event that is held the Friday before Halloween. 

Children are encouraged to dress up as their favorite character from children’s literature and parade around the school carrying a sign about their book.

According to Donna Arquilla, the reading specialist at the school, past years have featured plenty of Harry Potter’s, Spiderman’s, and Cinderella’s, but the characters represented are endless.

The teachers also get in on the fun and this year they will be dressed as different shapes from the book “The Greedy Triangle” by Marilyn Burns. 

Principal Cheryl Hughes spoke about how the event is consistent with the school’s focus on literacy development. As part of the “Reading Is Fundamental” program at the school, all of the children also receive a free book in conjunction with the event. 

In the past, all children have participated, so no alternate activity is necessary.  Following the parade, the school hosts a large party to celebrate a love of literature and foster students’ excitement about reading.