Halloween 2017 at St. George’s
Students and staff are dressed in colourful costumes.
Cultural celebrations are colorful and refreshing additions to the middle of a rigorous school year, especially at St. George’s. On Oct. 31st, 2017, at 12:30 PM, the St. George’s Senior School students (grades 8-12) gathered in the Dixon gym to participate in the a special Grad assembly to celebrate Halloween. The main purpose of the assembly is to continue the annual tradition of Halloween celebration at St. George’s and to give students a short break in the busiest part of the first term.
The much-anticipated costume contest during the assembly allowed students to display their unique outfits in front of the school. There was a wide variety of costumes displayed, such as wild animals, Marvel/DC characters, and characters from literature and movies— you name it. The costumes also had a mix of different styles and cultures, which made the general atmosphere of the assembly festive.
Jaden Bains, the Head Boy for this school year, comments on the goal and purpose of this special grad assembly: “I think that there’s something really cool about the entire student body being together in a special assembly in this time of the year.”
When asked about how the Halloween celebrations contribute to student life, Jaden expresses that “at the school, there’s a serious culture about always working hard,” and that “people have been in classrooms for months already”—the Halloween assembly “gives the chance for everyone to chill out.”
While students are encouraged to share their costume ideas and their enthusiasm with each other, it is also important to set well-defined boundaries on the costumes.
Mr. Gary Kern, the Senior School Principal of St. George’s since 2015, believes that costumes should remain appropriate for the school environment: “We have worked hard over the years to make sure costumes are fun but also respectful of other people and cultures. [Fortunately], I don’t notice anything particularly uncomfortable during Halloween and I’m not aware of any specific challenges presented by the costumes.”
Jaden also elaborates on the appropriateness of the costumes: “The main goal was to have comedy that was out there– but it’s more about constructive comedy that would help us embrace this culture.”
This was a colorful and fruitful Halloween for the student body and the staff at the school, and hopefully, this tradition will continue to be celebrated and cherished in the St. George’s community in the years to come!
Jay began his journey at Saints back in Grade 6, when he was still a fledgling writer that was just starting to understand rudimentary narratives and essays....
