Around Halloween time each year, you might hear small explosions or see smoke and lights from the edges of the door of room 1212. You might wonder what goes on inside. This is the product of Chemistry Teacher Joel Anderson’s Halloween Show.

“It’s so scary, I try not to think about it,” Anderson said to describe his Halloween Show. “It’s actually just a series of chemistry demonstrations that all follow a spooky theme.”

Even though he puts the Halloween Show on each year, it stays the same each time because of how long he has done it.

“This is the 17th year that I will have put it on. I added a few things the first five or six years, but now I have it down to where I like it,” Anderson said.

However, to be able to put on a spectacular show for his students each year, Anderson takes almost the entire month of October to prepare.

“I have to get lots of chemicals prepared, which takes almost the entire month, as well as laser alignment for the laser show at the end of it,” Anderson said.

Anderson has put on a total of 95 Halloween Shows in his teaching career. Forty of which, Biology Teacher Chris Azar has heard.

“I’ve taught across the hall from him for eight years, nine counting this year. He has done the Halloween Show every single year,” Azar said. “And it’s not a disturbance at all.”

Even amongst the dozens of chemical reactions and a class III laser show, Anderson is still able to include learning by explaining what the chemical reactions do and the products that are created.

“The first time I saw the Halloween Show was four years ago and I thought it was great. It was fun and interesting scientifically at the same time,” Azar said.

Though other teachers enjoy Anderson’s show, it is, after all, meant for student entertainment.

“I had Anderson my junior year for his honors chemistry class, and I loved his Halloween Show. It was fantastic. The coming of IUPAC [International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry] was the most intense thing I’ve ever had a teacher do for student entertainment,” senior Matt Soehngen said.

Even though he does it for student entertainment, his students are not the only ones who enjoy putting it on.

“I’ve always liked Halloween, and teaching gave me the opportunity to do something cool with it,” Anderson said. “The coolest thing is that all of my students find it entertaining and I always am able sneak some education into the fun; so they’re learning whether they like it or not.”