This article was written by Amber Bhutta, class of 2019.
Amid fire alarms and Pac-Man displays, parents, students and volunteers gathered in Lot 1 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Halloween for the annual Trunk or Treat event sponsored by the National Honor Society (NHS)
Members of NHS, headed by Trunk or Treat committee chair junior Alyssa Herzbrun, have worked on organizing the event since late September. As Herzbrun explained, putting everything together involved five primary committees: decorations, cars, food, the haunted house and public relations. Each committee had its own chairperson to maintain organization.
Situated in Lot 1 in front of the 9000 building, numerous students, primarily NHS members and representatives of other clubs, decorated the trunks of their cars and handed out candy to Lower School “trunk-or-treaters.” The robotics club also set up a Pac-Man themed, interactive demonstration for the children to watch and partake in amid the festivities.
“I was shocked at how fast everything was put together, and I loved the energy everyone had,” Herzbrun said.
Inside the first floor of the 9000 building, classrooms housed students of Key Club, National Art Honor Society, Harry Potter Club, Spanish Honor Society, Care for the Rare, Student Government and Black, Gold and Green. Each room had activities, ranging from slime making to cookie decorating, themed after the tenets of their respective clubs. Children and their parents had the opportunity to explore each room and engage in each activity. At the end of the hallway, a Haunted House set up by NHS members awaited.
“I got scared in the Haunted House, so that was a good sign that the event was going well,” Herzbrun said.
Amid the festivities, the fire alarm went off due to a fog emitted by a fog machine intended as a part of the decorations, causing many people to leave the building to escape the noise. Eventually, on-site security guards and police officers turned off the alarm, incentivizing people to re-enter the building.
“I felt it was an excellent practice. Security anticipated the alarm going off and put it on test mode to make sure it didn’t,” NHS Advisor Ms. Diana Adams said. “When the alarm went off anyway, we realized there was an actual issue with the alarm and were able to fix it.”
All proceeds from Trunk or Treat will go toward Angel Tree, a fundraiser to purchase Christmas gifts for underprivileged children through the Salvation Army sponsored by NHS.
Photos taken by Bella Ramirez, Angela Lin and Maia Fernandez Baigun.
