Costumes for All?

Everyone knows Halloween is an exhilarating day full of spirit mixed with wild costumes and kids' hands sticky with candy. Most people enjoy Halloween and celebrate it with candy and wearing orange and black clothing. However, it seems like just another day at Jamesville-DeWitt High School.

During Spirit Week, the school accepts the reasonably silly costumes that come with Tacky Day or Tie-Dye Day. So, why is it that on the day Halloween is celebrated at J-DHS, seniors parade around in their crazy costumes, while the underclassmen just cheer?

Principal Paul Gasparini says that while underclassmen are not prevented from dressing up on Halloween, they also are not encouraged. They also cannot participate in the Halloween parade.

According to Assistant Principal Will Dowdell, the parade is a senior privilege. He says it's probably the last time the seniors will "do" Halloween. Mr. Gasparini also says that the senior parade is "a ritual that has been around a long time. It predates me."

Michael Keenan, a biology teacher at J-DHS for 20 years, has been the adviser to the senior class and organizer of the senior parade for 15 years. He says that before the parade begins members of the faculty judge the senior class participants in many different categories such as "best costume."
During the parade, seniors strut around the gym showing off their costumes, and then the winners are announced and awarded a lollipop.

Mr. Keenan agrees with Mr. Gasparini and Mr. Dowdell that the parade is a senior privilege earned during their preceding years in high school. And as with Mr. Gasparini, the tradition has existed longer than he has taught here at the high school.

For the most part, underclassmen have said they didn't know they had the choice to dress up. But they do understand that seniors dress up because it's their right.

"They've earned the right because they've been here for four years. And personally, I wouldn't want to dress up," says freshman Nick Harron.
Jake LaRussa, a sophomore, agrees. "Seniors have been in high school longer so they have more advantages." However, he admits he would like to dress up.
Junior Diana Casinella says that she wouldn't want to dress up and seniors like to because it's "a day to goof off."

Many freshmen, like Laura Heinrich, Carlie Willson, and Lindsey Wood, have said that they would like to dress up with a group of friends but don't because they believe that the seniors would be angry. But is this theory actually true?

Senior Joe Emmi says that he thinks he would get upset because it's a ritual for seniors. Senior Justin West, on the other hand, says that he wouldn't get mad because he's not going to dress up.
So, why do seniors love to dress up on Halloween? Senior Nicole Ortega believes seniors dress up because it's "tradition."
Mike Paul, also a senior, jokes, "It's an excuse for me to dress up as a girl."