Halloween has concluded, and many State High students have wrapped up their costumes. Whether they match costumes with friends, create their own custom costumes or buy a last-minute costume, students carry on the tradition of trick-or-treating and enjoy themselves for a night out full of fun, and, of course, candy. Among these students are sophomores Yuna Suh, Angel Cody and Elena Stevens.
One key aspect of Halloween for many students is going out with their friends and having a night of fun. To most, trick or treating is much more enjoyable when you do it with people they know. Trick or treaters can also gather more candy and cover more ground when they go with their friends, making for a more extensive and exciting experience that they can enjoy for a much longer portion of the night.
Suh has only been trick or treating once before, and attended trick or treating festivities this year for the first time since she was 6 years old. Many students who attended trick or treating when they were younger are picking up the tradition once again, going along with their friends to enjoy the Halloween season.
“I’ve only went trick or treating once in my life, but I guess before it was more about, like, hoarding candy, but now I think it’s about spending time with friends,” Suh said. This year, Suh dressed up as a taco.
Many students have been planning their costumes for weeks in advance. Those who make their costumes take much longer to complete them, emphasizing the fun and careful consideration that they have crafting the perfect costume for Halloween. With so many different costume options and different techniques used to make costumes, students spend a lot of time planning their costumes and even longer creating them.
Cody will trick-or-treat with their friends this year. They decided to create their own costume, which they have been dedicated to working on for a long while before Halloween. Their costume took a longer amount of time, considering Cody will be matching with others, who will also be making their costumes to correspond with one another.
“I homemade it. [It took me] like a month and I’m still working on it,” Cody said. Cody went trick-or-treating as Jinx, a character from the Netflix series Arcane.
Many other elements must go along with students’ Halloween costumes. Angel had to craft their own accessories in addition to their costume, a time-consuming but worthwhile project. These smaller elements of their costume are what Angel loves the most, showing that even the slightest details on a Halloween costume can make the difference for trick-or-treaters.
Not all students who participate in trick-or-treating match their costumes, and it isn’t even about having the perfect matching costume. Stevens planned to trick or treat with her friend in both of their neighborhoods. The costumes they wore had opposing themes, but both showcased their unique styles and costume preferences. Stevens’ costume was bright, with many patterns and accessories, while her friend’s featured scarier elements and darker colors.
“I’m going to go as a hippie. I’m going with my best friend, he lives in the neighborhood over from me, so we’re just going to go in both of our neighborhoods,” Stevens said before Halloween.
Students who may not want to create all aspects of their costume assemble different pieces together to create one cohesive costume. Stevens has worn the same hippie costume for two years in a row, bringing together different items from past years and blending store-bought clothes with hand-crafted accessories. This annual costume can serve as a reminder of past years and show the additions Stevens has added to her costume each year she has attended trick or treating.
“I made like half of it, I did not like make [the other] half of it. Because I have a leather vest and peace, like, hippie pants, which I did not make, but then I made the crown, and I like compiled it from different places,” she said.
Overall, Halloween is an ongoing tradition that many State High students can look forward to. No matter what costume students choose to wear, how they make their costume, or who they go trick-or-treating with, students are able to enjoy themselves on Halloween night and make memories they won’t forget. Halloween is a time for creativity and community, one that continues to bring State High students together year after year.
