Halloween in the John McCrae Community

It’s finally that spooky time of year again, JMSS! Besides the unusually warm autumn weather that we’ve all been experiencing this October, one thing’s for certain; Halloween is eerily creeping nearer and nearer every single day! As the spooky season begins once again this year, the JMSS community has a multitude of plans for how they’re going to celebrate this pandemic-stricken Halloween. As a positive, the Ontario provincial government has recently announced that trick or treating is allowed this year! However, it is extremely important to be mindful of additional safety measures as there is an ongoing pandemic. Now, without further ado, let's take a look at some of the spookiest and best aspects of Halloween here in the JMSS community…..

JMSS students have a lot going on this year, since this Halloween will be the most normal one since October 2019. That’s two years without real Halloween fun. JMSS’s student senator, Yanni Dai told Paw Print Staff about some of her favorite memories before the pandemic, “One of my (Yanni) favorite memories from Halloween was featuring awesome costumes in the yearbook and JMSS’s haunted house that took place annually”. For the grade 9’s and 10s that weren’t aware, JMSS’s haunted house was a classic hit that brought students and staff together for Halloween fun. It’s one of the big traditions here at John McCrae, pictures from this event were often posted on social media and included in the yearbook. Students and staff were pumping with adrenaline after the jump scares in the haunted house,and it was a fun break for everyone. Speaking of spooky pranks, Maram El-Sharif, Co-President of Student Council told Paw Print staff that she plans to, “pull pranks on my younger siblings for a good laugh and watch scary horror movies like “The Shining” or “Scream” this Halloween.

Horror movies are especially popular amongst students at JMSS. Some of the most popular films here at John McCrae include “The Conjuring”, “Annabelle”, “The Nun”, “It” and “Halloween”. One highly anticipated horror movie recently released on Oct. 15th, 2021 goes by the ominous name of “Halloween Kills”. This movie starts off at the end of “Halloween (2018)”; a movie that revolves around a woman named Laurie Strode who narrowly survived the serial killer Michael Myers 40 years prior, and her present-day struggle to put an end to the masked murderer once-and-for-all after he escaped during a maximum security prison-transfer. “Halloween Kills” is the next movie in the franchise, and follows Laurie Strode, her daughter (Karen), her granddaughter (Allyson) and the citizens of Haddonfield as they relive old traumas and attempt to kill the murderous Michael Myers after he survived Laurie Strode’s plan of trapping, and burning him alive in her home near the end of “Halloween (2018)”. “Let it burn!” pleads Laurie in the trailer of “Halloween Kills”, as the unknowing firefighters rush towards what they believe to be the rescue of a burning property, but what ensues to be the end of their once heroic lives at the hands of Haddonfield’s most dangerous fugitive; Michael Myers…... Stay tuned with the Paw Print, and maybe, just maybe, “Halloween Kills” will be reviewed in an upcoming issue.

Halloween decorations make up an enormous part of the Halloween spirit here at JMSS. The Paw Print staff heard various reports of students mentioning that they’ve already begun decorating for Halloween! For example, an eleventh grader named Abby Godwin explained that “I (Abby) like to decorate the walls and ceiling of my room with skeletons, ghosts, and “BOO” signs”. What a great idea, Abby! Another student, Justin Smith (Grade 11), mentioned that he will “fill-up a pair of jeans with newspapers, cover it with fake blood, and attach shoes to the legs to make it look like someone was cut in half” Awesome plan! Some other excellent ideas for decorating include setting up a graveyard in your front yard! You could easily go to Dollarama and purchase some cheap tombstone decorations which you can then stake wherever you please. To add to the effect, you could sprinkle some plastic skeleton pieces (skulls, hands, etc.) next to your tombstones to give the effect that the dead are rising! Lighting is another aspect of Halloween decorating that is crucial! You could set up some spooky spring lights or spotlights to give your house an eerie effect that will go unmatched by your neighbours. One absolutely awesome way of sprucing up your home for the Halloween season is by projecting ghosts onto a screen taped up behind your window. This gives trick-or-treaters the impression that your home truly is home to the paranormal, and the downright spooky! Finally, Halloween animatronics are one of the best ways to terrify anyone who decides to trick-or-treat at your house on October 31st. Halloween animatronics are essentially life-sized decorations that can move and sometimes even recite terrifying phrases! These grisly decorations can come in the form of a creepy clown, evil spirit, skeleton, ghost and so many more options to choose from! Ultimately, Halloween decorations are hugely popular amongst the students here at JMSS, and a super cool way of showcasing your Halloween spirit in your own neighborhood.

The Paw Print staff wanted to hear from more students about their plans for Halloween, JMSS has many talented individuals who love carving pumpkins. One of those individuals is a student in eleventh grade, Deea Saha. She told Paw Print staff, “I'll (Deea) be entering pumpkin carving competitions this halloween”. Another student, Mariam Salah tells the Paw Print , “I'll (Mariam) be going to Saunders Farm with my friends and watching horror movies, as well as eating candy with my family” this halloween. Saunders Farm is always a popular Halloween spot, especially their Fright Fest events going on leading up to halloween. They have many activities for Fright Fest between September 25th- October 31st. These activities include The Haunted Hayride, The Barn of Terror, The Shambles, The Coven, The Circus of the Macabre, and The Cemetary Scare Zone. Saunders Farm is one of Canada’s most terrifying haunted experiences.

Sounds like the student’s of John McCrae got Halloween covered this year, with some planning to watch scary movies like the popular new release “Halloween Kills” and eat tons of candy. Others plan on attending Canada’s most terrifying haunted experience at Saunders Farm and playing pranks. The JMSS community has tons of great decoration ideas and are all looking forward to making new memories this halloween. Bulldogs, make sure to stay safe and have fun this Halloween!