Halloween: tradition or waste of school time?

With its witches, skeletons, ghosts and ghouls, Halloween has become a tricky subject at some schools. Teachers have to keep an eye out for gory masks and dangerous pirate swords while at the same time trying to run a regular school day.

Is an afternoon devoted each October to orange-frosted cupcakes, fizzy punch and costume parades an unnecessary, even offensive, waste of time, or is it an entertaining tradition that binds together a community?

This is the question left to principals around the Mat-Su Borough School District, and while most have chosen to keep the classroom parties and evening carnivals, at least one has ditched the holiday in exchange for a "multicultural day."

At Sherrod Elementary in Palmer, children may dress up in the attire of other countries and cultures, such as sombreros from Mexico or Native Alaskan regalia. But as for the ghost and goblin outfits, they are to stay at home.

Principal Mark Hoffman said he instituted the change four years ago after observing how the holiday disrupted the educational schedule and disturbed some parents.

"The first time I lived through a Halloween here, a number of things occurred," he said. "The staff had a problem with the fact that it was basically a wasted day for academics. And a number of parents were very concerned about devil costumes and other nonreligious-oriented kinds of things. I thought, 'That's a pretty valid concern.'"

A multicultural day addressed these concerns, Hoffman said. Teachers find speakers from various cultures and countries to come to their classroom and children rotate through the various classes to learn about everything from German food to Athabascan dress.

"It's about respecting other cultures and learning about other cultures," Hoffman said.

This new approach to Halloween has been widely accepted by Sherrod parents, staff and students, the principal said.

Each year, a few parents call to complain that the school doesn't celebrate Halloween. But Hoffman said in most of these cases parents didn't receive handouts from their children explaining the multicultural theme and so families end up having to purchase or make two costumes.

Despite these occasional objections, Hoffman said the multicultural day works for his school and has become a tradition in its own right.

Next door at Swanson Elementary, the staff has decided to hang on to a much older custom, however.

"Swanson has a 30-year tradition of having a Halloween carnival," said principal Mary Kate Mayer. Each year on Halloween night, children, parents and school staff gather for an evening of cakewalks, pond fishing and other games.

Mayer said the carnival provides a safe option for little ghosts and pumpkins who might otherwise be on the streets trick-or-treating. The principal joins in the fun, too, transforming herself into a scarecrow, ballerina or bumblebee and operating the carnival's "tattoo" parlor.

"It's been a really fun tradition," Mayer said.

During the school day, children at Swanson are allowed to dress up but the staff tries to make sure the costumes are safe and appropriate.

"We discourage kids from wearing really spooky costumes . . . or replica weapons or anything like that," Mayer said.

Some classes have afternoon parties with treats, and some teachers choose to do a theme, such as fall harvest or a circus. Mayer said the staff works with parents to take into consideration their concerns.

"Parents can opt out and we just respect that," Mayer said.

When he was principal at Pioneer Peak Elementary, John J. Miller said some parents, because of religious reasons, would take their children home for the day or ask that the students be sent to a quiet reading room during the Halloween festivities.

While Miller said he was happy to accommodate these different viewpoints, he had no intention of ending Halloween altogether.

"I don't want to run scared from different groups because it interferes with their religious beliefs," Miller said. "We can accommodate them . . . but we also have to respect the kids. There's nothing evil or bad going on."

And while the Halloween holiday isn't quite as exciting for older students, Miller said as principal of Colony Middle he doesn't want to take all the fun out of it for them, either.

"We will discourage any clothing that interferes with the learning environment, and we're not going to go out and encourage parties or costume parades. But I don't want to stifle the kids' excitement. It's still a big day for them," he said.

Miller said he has noticed that some classes at the middle school have incorporated the Halloween theme into their work by having students write scary stories or poems. And on Oct. 31, Miller said he will wear a costume to school just as he did at Pioneer Peak.

"I think kids need fun role models," he said.

Whether principals decide to leave Halloween out of the school day or join in the festivities themselves, the choice isn't governed by districtwide policy.

"Schools start their own traditions and they become practice," said Kim Floyd, information specialist with the district. "If a principal gets a lot of feedback from parents, that would pretty much drive the decision."

While Sherrod Elementary has chosen an entirely different approach to Halloween, others have simply tried to play down the holiday.

At Finger Lake, a Halloween carnival has been exchanged for a Harvest Festival in November. On Oct. 31, students and teachers may wear costumes and have classroom parties, but there are no schoolwide celebrations.

Not everyone is prepared to let Halloween fade away, however. At schools such as Swanson and Butte Elementary, the traditions of cakewalks, candy, costume parades and jack-o-lanterns are alive and well.

"It's a big thing here," Butte Elementary principal Lebron McPhail said of the school's Halloween festivities.

"If parents went to school here, they remember it. It's more about the community," McPhail said.