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The Halloween and holiday miasma
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A high school principal (who shall remain anonymous) woke up Saturday morning, November 1st, last year to find his house “toilet papered,” his Jack o’Lanterns smashed on the sidewalk, and the predictable rotten eggs burst in his mailbox. The Halloween tricksters would not have been denied any treats at the man’s home had they chosen to ring the doorbell, but their antics were a different sort of mischief.
Because the principal and other staff at the students’ school had banned wearing any costumes that Friday during the school day, students decided to rebel. Fridays are often a bit nutty, as any educator can attest, but students are particularly wound up before holidays and vacations, understandably. Since Halloween fell on a Friday last year, the buzz in this particular middle school was in full throttle. Being allowed to wear costumes was deemed “more of a distraction” and thus banned, and certainly no one needed to bring in candy stashes ahead of time. Many teachers sighed in relief and hoped the sugar buzz would be worn off by the following Monday.
Instead, students were greeted at the start of the next week with a mandatory assembly. Anyone caught with candy or toys outside of the cafeteria would be disciplined. And if anyone had information about the interesting array of decorations that magically appeared at Mr. So-and-So’s house over the weekend, please come forward. Amid the titters and stifled grins, the elbowing and pinching, not one student stood up to claim his talented exhibition.
As most impish kids do, the bragging started innocently enough and eventually the four youths who were responsible for the Halloween vandalism were discovered. A letter of apology to the principal’s family ensued, and the students served a week of afternoon detention.
But this year students were still not allowed to dress up at school, though some teachers allowed treats and mini-celebrations in their classrooms. A Spanish teacher resolutely decorated her room and hallway with Dia de los Muertos items and a math teacher is already making sure his surround sound and DVD equipment are ready for December. “I go all out,” he said. “Colored lights, a battery operated menorah, Charlie Brown’s Christmas video in the background plays all day, and lots of games that involve math and statistics about celebrations around the world.” Having proved that his holiday celebration techniques do, in fact, embrace the curriculum, he continued, “Besides, I think that rather than offending anyone, I might actually be helping them to open their minds a little.” He winked and hinted that he didn’t just mean for the students.
