Halloween is a holiday that many anxiously await for the entire month of October. Often, schools host events to celebrate this holiday. With the annual ASB-run Haunted House in the Big Gym, the Student Art Show, and the Choir Cabaret, Quartz Hill High School has its own way of showing its spooky spirit.

The Halloween themed Choir Cabaret, performed by the Quartz Hill Choir, consisting of both the choir class and Vocal Association, is orchestrated by Ms. Lindy and the cabinet members. The club and the class go hand in hand, with the meetings usually held during class time. The event consisted of several members, each performing their chosen song as a solo or in pairs. Some were accompanied by other students and their respective instruments, such as the piano, guitar, or ukulele.

A few fun facts about the performer were shared before they sang on stage, which added more fun to the acts. The stage was sprinkled with Halloween decorations such as cobwebs, and the waiters had costumes and makeup on as they served food. There was a variety of songs that were performed, from movie soundtrack songs to songs from YouTube artists such as Dodie Clark to pop to classics. Student Jackson James had even performed a rap song he had written himself. He wondered why there were not any rap songs without vulgar words, so he simply made his own! The show ended with the whole Quartz Hill Choir going on stage and singing together.

Zachary Sullivan, the president of Vocal Association, was extremely proud of the event’s outcome, as all of his friends performed well. He shares the hardships of performing on stage saying, “… It’s a lot harder than it looks to go up there and sing. Even if it’s in front of three people or three hundred people. No matter what, you’re sharing a part of you that you don’t usually share.” However, he does wish they had a larger audience to perform for so more people could have experienced the work his classmates had put into their performances.

Halloween is not the only holiday celebrated this time of year. There is also Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a two-day Mexican holiday honoring the lives of deceased loved ones. The art students of Quartz Hill High School put up an art exhibit in the student art gallery. The walls were filled with illustrations made by individual students and a few tables were set up to showcase more three-dimensional objects, such as skulls and food. One eager visitor of the gallery was Señora Rocca, a Spanish teacher here at QHHS, who appreciated how the exhibit incorporated both traditions from Halloween and Día de Los Muertos through the various forms of art. She was also extremely pleased with the realistic outcome of the ofrenda and papel picado.

Eme Larsen, a student at Quartz Hill High School, had her own artwork on display at the exhibit. The illustration was the product of a class assignment where students were required to include eight different Halloween items in their work, such as candies and pumpkins. Larson says since it is an art class, they were given many creative liberties on the assignment. For example, she replaced an actual pumpkin with a pumpkin-shaped candy bucket. Larson always illustrates her pieces with a story to go along with it. For this particular project, a little boy is dressed up as a skeleton and is greeted by a skeleton while out trick-or-treating. She really enjoys art with a “complex story behind it.”  Since one of the required items to include was a skeleton, Larson shares that her mind “just started wandering and [it] led to the final product.”

These school events are often only attended by parents helping their students attain extra credit offered by their teachers. However, events such as the choir performance and art gallery are interesting ways to get to know more about and support fellow classmates whom you may not have previously known. Through these opportunities, students were able to express themselves artistically in a fun, Halloween-themed manner. Holidays are often a time to bring people together, and students and staff at Quartz Hill High School put in their own effort to do the same this frightful season.