Senior Halloween in 2020 Provides More Tricks Than Treats

In the most 2020 style possible, this year’s Senior Halloween at Lewis Mills High School featured snow, face masks, and even a brief power outage. 

A freshman’s dream, 2021 seniors after four years finally had the honor of dressing up for Halloween. Only the senior class of Lewis Mills dressed up in costumes and roamed the

halls, causing shenanigans and disrupting the school day as part of the annual tradition. Typically, main hallways are blocked, bulletin boards are slated with relevant signs and props, and the whole day turns into the seniors’ playground. 

All seemed well, but in 2020 ordinary is not a trend. Masks were no longer an added accessory to costumes, but something students had to plan around during a pandemic. This year came with a chilly surprise, with an unexpected snowfall; it was the first in the month of October since 2011. This snow not only affected the condition of the roads, but also briefly plunged the school into darkness due to a power outage. At 10:00 a.m., all the lights suddenly went out, but within 5 seconds, the slow roar of the generator fired up, restoring power.  

“Everyone freaked out a little bit because they wanted an early dismissal,” said Josie Lee, senior at Lewis Mills. But what’s Halloween in 2020 without a little darkness? 

It may have looked more like Christmas outside, but the Halloween spirit was in full effect. Students embodying the solar system rotated through the halls, policemen chased jailbirds, Avengers assembled, the “Loded Diper” band jammed out, and Paul Blart patrolled the corridor from his trusty Segway. Due to one-way hallways, students paraded around the school, decked out in their costumes to show them off to other s

tudents. Fairies covered the school in glitter, dinosaurs ran rampant as their keepers tried to contain them. John Snow descended down the hallways with his long cloak, a true sign that winter is coming. Although spirits were high, the modified celebration didn’t exactly meet the expectations of all students. 

Senior Halloween has become a Lewis Mills tradition, and some students felt that they were missing out. Students spend three years of their high school careers anticipating what it’ll be like for them. But no one could have predicted senior Halloween in 2020 with its newly added, COVID-minded rules and regulations.

Senior Brianna Pelchar shared her disappointment with the day, stating, “We didn’t get to do as much as other seniors.”

In the past, construction workers blocked hallways, interrupting school in the most fun way. This year, cops and robbers weren’t allowed to chase each other, and Spiderman couldn’t use his silly string. 

“It would’ve been nice if we were able to interact with other students and throw stuff like candy,” said senior Cara Casida. 

Despite the complaints, many students, including senior Alyse Pasqualini, were still happy to have any semblance of a senior Halloween.  In the midst of what has been a memorable and unpredictable year, Senior Halloween was a day of welcome chaos that enabled the abnormal year to feel a little more normal.

“It was the first real senior tradition that we’ve had this year,” she said. “I’m glad we had something.”