Story by Catherine Hutinett
Halloween has quickly approached, and with it all the horrors and hauntings. In reality, we have become so used to Halloween, that sometimes we forget that our normal is different than someone else’s.
Drew Cox is a senior here at West, and 17. He is also one of the very few kids that goes to this school, who will be trick-or-treating, this Friday.
“It is the last year that I am going to be living at home. I asked my girlfriend if she wanted to go, and she said sure,” explained Cox. “The past few years we have just hung out, or the Chiefs were playing. It is just different this year.”
Obviously it is out of the ordinary for a senior in high school, to be going trick or treating.
“People will probably look at me strange, but I will just smile and wave, and say, ‘Do not mind me. I am just a 17 year old going trick or treating’… My parents did not react, at all. They just said to go for it.”
Although, some plans he has made may be tentative.
“I have not figured out what I will go as, yet. I probably need to do that soon.”
Some people never been able to experience Halloween. Sophomore Terese Lowery, has been trick or treating once in her life.
“I have never liked Halloween in general. I never like the scary costumes, commercials, and tv shows.”
“I went once in seventh grade, but by that time I was almost too old,” said Lowery.
Instead of trick or treating, her family went to a church down the road, that held a carnival. Kids could earn candy by winning carnival games, set up.
“It was mostly a party with kids, whose parents did not want to go door to door. It was exciting when I was five, but I grew out of it.”
As she got older trips to the carnival became less frequent. “When I was seven or eight, we stopped going to the church carnival all together, and I sat at home and handed out candy.”
But she did not miss out on Halloween entirely. “The elementary Halloween parties were the only celebration I got, some years. I loved dressing up, mostly.”
Despite not being able to participate in Halloween she loves the idea of the holiday.
“I love how people give random stranger’s kids a childhood. It is becoming more common for parents to not let their kids go. I think it is great while it lasts.”
Lowery has the opportunity to change this when she has her own kids. “I am going to take them out and then let them decide, since I did not have a say in my own Halloween experience. For me, I think I kind of missed out.”
Phil Alvarado, is the dad of Sophomore Samantha Alvarado. He was protective of his daughter, when she trick or treated.
“For security and safety reasons, of course we were,” Phil, who never let her stray far, said. “ She never went just with friends and we always took her and stayed within our street.”
The Alvarados had Specific reasons as to why their daughter had to stay in reach. “No child should go unaccompanied to go trick or treating, due to it being at night, and not knowing all the neighbors that are being visited,” Phil said.
The Alvarados are also strict when it comes to teens trick or treating. “If they show up, we tell them no, [we are] saving it for the younger kids, or if they are collecting canned goods, we will give them candy then.”
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