A Haunted Hallowe’en in Garneau’s Halls

On the week of 27 to 31 October, numerous Hallowe’en events were held in MGCI’s cafeteria. Events ranged from a photobooth and a haunted house, to a fashion show featuring creative Hallowe’en costumes. In combination, the events created an air of festivity unprecedented for Hallowe’en celebrations at Garneau.

Activities were organized by clubs Garneau in Motion and Habitat for Humanity, and the school’s Student Activity Council (SAC).

A haunted house was held from 28 October to 30 October on the stage. Run by Grade 12 student Shazde Mir, who represented Garneau In Motion, participants were charged $1 to enter. The haunted house raised a total of $80 for the club.

Teacher supervisor Ms. McGregor commented about the event. “It’s a fun opportunity to enjoy Hallowe’en festivities but at the same time raise money for a good cause.” Participants concurred; Grade 10 student Gabeena Ahmad said that she enjoyed the haunted house, but it “could’ve been scarier if they had masks on”.

On Hallowe’en, a fashion show was hosted by the collaborative effort of SAC and Garneau in Motion. It featured twenty-four contestants who dressed up in Hallowe’en costumes. Participants could sign up in advance, but last-minute entries were allowed.

The top four contestants were selected by the hosts, Shazde Mir and Mahad Khokar, based on the creativity of the costumes. The overall winner was then determined from the finalists by the cheering they received from the crowd.

Ultimately, Michelle Nyamekye, dressed as Lil’ Wayne, was the winner; she received gift cards and a feature on Humans of Garneau. She said that the show was “a lot bigger than it has ever been”, and that “hopefully it continues this way”.

Other events were held in the cafeteria as well. Habitat for Humanity sold cupcakes, organized games, and held a Henna station at various times of the week to raise more funds.

Overall, the student response to this Hallowe’en’s events was positive. Fundraisers reported an unexpectedly large turnout; this was especially remarkable given that Habitat for Humanity, and Garneau in Motion were only founded this year.

On the other hand, students felt that the week’s events could have been advertised more. Grade 11 student Vicky Xu said, “There could have been more publicity, I actually had no idea these events were going on.”

Other students echoed this sentiment, stating that they were not aware of any events other than the costume parade. Addressing this issue, Shazde agreed that more announcements should have been made.

Looking toward the future, Spirit Convenor Mara Gagiu said that the lessons learned from this Hallowe’en’s events would go towards improving the Christmas show, remarking that “the challenges that arise here gives me an understanding of precautions I should take when reaching out to people about other events to come.”

Want more pictures? SAC and The Reckoner have posted albums here and here.