I’m starting to count the days and there is no answer in sight. The stress is building, and I find myself increasingly anxious. I go to bed at night thinking about it, and I wake up no closer to a solution. Where can I find that spark of innovation? What am I going to do? What am I going to wear for Halloween?
That’s right, it’s almost Halloween, and I find myself in my perennial, semi-panic about what I am going to wear. Every year, I start thinking about this in July, and yet, year after year, I find myself struggling to come up with a suitably inspiring effort for the big day. Fortunately, I’ve always found a solution in time. Some have been truly memorable – dressing up as Papa Smurf while other employees joined as other members of the Smurfs was a favorite, as was the time that my son, Jackson, and I did our own version of Freaky Friday and switched places for the day. Others have been, in all honesty, just good enough. And, yet, I’ve always managed to come up with something. And, on the big day, I am reminded quickly that the costume itself is beside the point.
Yes, despite the annual costume conundrum, Halloween is undoubtedly one of my favorite traditions at Hillbrook. It represents so much that is at the heart of the Hillbrook experience. For one, it is an event that radiates enthusiasm and joy, with students young and old joining in the playfulness of dressing up. Teachers, staff members, and administrators, and even some parents, join in the fun, reflecting our collective spirit as a community.
Halloween also creates a space for individuals to highlight their own unique personality and sense of style, knowing that they will be appreciated and celebrated for taking a risk and showing a different side of themselves. Amidst many traditional costumes – ghosts, royals, and superheroes – we always have some true originals. My favorites are often designed and crafted by students and teachers themselves, and there are inevitably some clever costumes (often some type of pun) that take a minute to decipher. The extra effort is always worth it.
And, perhaps more than anything, I appreciate that our Middle School students are every bit as enthusiastic as our Lower Schoolers. Unlike many Middle School settings where dressing up is decidedly uncool, at Hillbrook joining in the Halloween fun is embraced by all. I often remind parents that one of the greatest gifts of a JK-8 school for Middle School families is that your children are allowed to be children just a little bit longer. Our Halloween parade and celebration is a living example of that gift each and every year.
So, as I do every year, I will show up on Halloween Day dressed up and ready to participate in one of Hillbrook’s finest traditions. I won’t promise that this year’s costume will be the best ever or that it will even be all that original, and yet I do promise that I will gather those JK and Kindergarten students at the start of the parade with the same enthusiasm and joy that I have felt since I first had the privilege of leading the way more than 10 years ago. And, at the end of the parade, as we gather in the amphitheater, I will celebrate along with the rest of the community as every child has an opportunity to walk across the stage and show us what they came up with. Some costumes will be scary, some will be original, some will be funny, all will be met with a cheer and a smile. I hope you will be there to join in the fun.