The fall season brings with it many fun and exciting activities for families and friends to enjoy together. While Halloween has always been a favorite holiday of most children (because of the free candy, of course), some parents don’t get the time to spend the holiday with their kids.

To fix this situation, Massapequa High School students decorate the high school’s hallways with fun and colorful decorations to create a safe Halloween experience for children of all ages. This year it was held on Sunday, October 28 and all involved felt it was a massive success.

MHS students went all out this year and some of the decorated sections included a “Harry Potter”: Hufflepuff v. Slytherin theme, “Baby Shark” , the “Peanuts Classics”, and even an Italian setting featuring famous songs by Italian singers.

The costumes children came in were impressive as well. All participants were amazed to see an inflatable triceratops stomp down the main hallway, and even parents got in on the action. Many families came dressed in matching family costumes to make the day even more special for their kids.

Such an extravagant event didn’t come easy. Participating students spent the day before making sure that the hallways were filled with colorful decorations and unrecognizable . Sunday morning was spent fixing anything that fell and adding some last minute magic touches to the impressive setups.

“Some of the challenges were coordinating with each group of students and accommodating all of their needs,” event coordinator Mrs. Angela Gallucci said. “Also, wanting to ensure that we coordinate with the wonderful community members- Brownies, Daisies, Girl Scouts, Boys Scouts, local businesses and incorporating them into our event.”

Local community groups volunteered their free time to help out the MHS students. Girl and Boy Scouts helped out with the cleaning process after the event ended at 4:30 p.m.

This year also happened to be one of the largest that MHS has accommodated so far. Over 700 students handed out free candy.

“What set this apart from past years was the amount of students that participated, along with the professionalism and the motivation from the students,” Mrs. Gallucci said.

However, one of the few problems people had was the heat. The school was hotter than usual since far more people attended the event this year..

Besides the minor issues, Safe Halloween was a success. “Many people complimented the event on their way out, and there were also multiple emails that were sent after the event highlighting just how wonderful it was,” she said.

Safe Halloween has always been a highlight of the fall season for MHS students, parents and their kids. It is a safe and warm way for families to enjoy the holiday while creating memories to last a lifetime.