Halloween is a time for candy, costumes, and celebration. As the transition from childhood to adulthood occurs, the way students celebrate Halloween also evolves.

“Me and my good group of friends would all meet up and go trick or treating in my neighborhood when we were kids. It was the best. My go-to joke was ‘What is an astronaut’s favorite type of board game?’ and the answer to that was ‘Moon-opoly’ instead of Monopoly ,” senior Daniel Bickert said.

The idea of tradition is perpetual even though the pair possesses different customs. These memories were shaped by their favorite past moments of the spooky holiday.

“So a group of 8 of my friends in fifth grade were trick or treating in one of my friend’s neighborhood and there was a well-known older kid, somewhat of a bully. We decided to mess around a little bit at his house and cause some havoc, and the bully decided to chase us around the neighborhood and down a hill. It was so scary but so funny all the same,” Bickert said.

Memories made at a young age have stuck with Bickert and Romero the longest, especially when recalling past favorite Halloween memories.

“I just remember my mom dressing me up when I was really, really  young and putting makeup on me, which I never did normally so it was really cool. I also remember going to the Halloween store and picking costumes out,” Romero said.

Not as commonly known or broadcasted, several students celebrated Halloween differently in the past for cultural, religious, or other reasons.

“I used to go trick or treating but then I stopped around age six for religious reasons; I’m Christian. In Mexico you don’t trick or treat, but you celebrate the Day of the Dead, which is where they dress up like skeletons and celebrate family members who are no longer living, not dressing up in costumes. Since I’m not technically allowed to celebrate Halloween, I don’t really take part in anything besides the dressing up, I don’t decorate my house or carve pumpkins. But it seems like most teens dress up, so I’d say what I do is the same as other kids. Even though I don’t do all the other typical Halloween traditions, I’d say Halloween is one of my favorite holidays,” senior Johana Romero said.

But today, both Bickert and Romero are drawn to the social aspect of Halloween: parties.

“For Halloween I met up with some friends and drove a golf cart around Brook Hill yelling and shouting to raise some Halloween spirit. I also dressed up in a Santa Claus suit and went to a Halloween party with a bunch of my friends, who were also dressed up in costumes,” Bickert said.

The transition from kid to teen has changed from silly to social, but continues to include the Halloween celebration of fun costumes. For Romero, costumes are a new and welcomed addition.

“This year I went to a Halloween party with all my friends, not trick or treating. I love Halloween parties more than other parties during the year because of the costumes instead of just a cute outfit,” Romero said.

When asked about the future, both Bickert and Romero quickly confirmed that they will carry on their traditions and favorite moments.

“I will definitely continue with the culture, like I would love to dress up in some way, maybe not as extravagant as when I was a kid but I would totally love to go and take my kids around and encourage them to get out and socialize just as I have,” Bickert said.

Add a transition about how Johanna intends to keep her kids involved in her heritage by giving them a different kind of Halloween experience

“I’ve put a lot of thought into it actually, and I don’t think I will let my kids go trick or treating because that’s what I grew up with, but I will let my kids do what I did, dress up in costumes and have the social experience,” Romero said.