Photo courtesy of “Mnemosyne” Yearbook

Freshmen Jaycee Kramer, Tes Weber, Raylee Penner, Olivia Thomas and Peyton Rowe competed in the group costume category as characters from “The Lorax.”

As the month of October drew to an end, the Student Council hosted its annual Halloween costume contest to bring smiles to students’ faces. The Student Council has put on this contest for many years, even before 2015. This year, the contest was held at 10:40 a.m. on Thursday, October 31, the day of Halloween. Ghouls, princesses and everything in between gathered in front of the main office for administration to judge.

In previous years, many students have participated in the contest, and some look forward to showing off their costumes.

“This is definitely one of the more popular events to participate in,” Student Council President Allison Spindler said. “I like to think that since it’s not just a school activity, and coincides with a popular holiday, more people are inclined to participate.”

The contest has stayed virtually the same over the years but with some minor changes.

“The contest has been tweaked over the last couple of years to run more smoothly,” said Student Council member and two-year Halloween costume contest coordinator Jenna Schleter.

For the contest each year there are five different categories in which students compete. These categories include Best Solo, Best Duo, Best Group, Most Original and Best Makeup/Practical Effect. 

“The most popular category would be group costume,” Spindler said. “I would like to guess that because people like to dress up with their friends.”

Some school corporations do not allow students to dress up for multiple reasons, with the main one being safety. With the support of Gibson Southern’s school resource officers and vigilant teachers, students are not in harm’s way.

“That is a decision totally made by the admin,” Spindler said. “I like to think our school leaders are amazing for letting us do this. They like to be serious of course but also give their students a chance to express themselves and celebrate special occasions.”

The contest is now judged by the Gibson Southern front office ladies. They usually have a hard time picking winners due to the number of students who dress up. After they decide on the winners for each category, the Student Council will award a $10 gift card to each winner in their respective categories. 

The number of students who dress up varies each year, but the competition is always there.

There are many participants in each category, but the multiple-category options give students more freedom to choose how they want to dress up.

Teachers can also dress up and be a part of the competition if they would like. Some teachers even dress up in group costumes, making it a department-wide costume. 

“Gibson Southern wants to help promote a culture of togetherness and school unity with holiday activities,” Student Council advisor Ian Gamroth said. 

The Student Council wants everyone to feel like they can be whoever they want to be and enjoy the breaks from normalcy in school.

“You’re only in high school once, just go for it, no one will judge,” Schleter said. “It’s to put smiles on students’ faces.”