After a mild fall, on October 30th, the weather welcomed Halloween with a gust of wind and frosty windshields. Students, teachers, and volunteers were quick to adapt as they gathered to decorate their “trunk-or-treat” booths in the high school commons. The room, usually bustling with hungry teens, was about to be open to all the little princesses and Marios, ready to fill their bags with candy. The night began at 6 o’clock with a line out the door. The chilly front wasn’t about to deter these trick-or-treaters. From honors clubs to Girl Scouts to the Central Office, there were a total of 21 booths representing different aspects of our Osage community. Nonstop, families filed through to receive goodies for two hours. Five hundred twenty-seven excited littles turned to tired faces and sugar highs, ready for bed by the end of the night.
The leader behind this operation would be Mrs. Tina Murphy. As the High School Media Specialist, she is no stranger to organized chaos. In August, she began brainstorming with the organization she sponsors, SOTO Educators Rising, to plan a family oriented Halloween event. The students involved in the club contacted local companies to provide candy, gift cards, and hot chocolate. They then publicized it and set about gathering trunks. In the end, the student-driven event was an astounding success. If anything, having an indoor Halloween event invited parents wanting to avoid cold noses and little sniffles.
Under the spooky tones of Halloween lies the start of the holiday season. Before the lights turn on and the music starts, neighbors come together. Kids go from house to house, or booth to booth, to accept candy and kindness from strangers. And after all the tables were put away Monday night, that kindness lingered. Mrs. Murphy would like to thank all participants from Monday's event, all the candy and treat donors, and school staff for being willing to help prepare for and put on an amazing event. She looks forward to seeing everyone next year at Osage High School's second annual Trunk-or-Treat.
*SOTO Student Insiders is a weekly feature created by Osage High School seniors (Gratian Adams, Karli Kinnison, Riley Kinnison & Jada Smith) to highlight events, people & topics at School of the Osage.