THUNDER BAY – It was a C.D. howling Halloween.
Students at C.D. Howe school on Thursday paraded around the school gymnasium in full costume, an annual tradition that continues to delight parents, teachers and students alike.
Cooper Scott, a 13-year-old Grade 8 student, said it’s fun seeing all his fellow students and all the staff at the school dressed up in costume.
“We do movies, we do haunted costumes. It’s really fun,” said the teen, who chose to dress up as Mario this year.
“I was playing a lot of Mario Odyssey and was like, I’ll just be Mario for Halloween.”
It might not have been his first choice.
Little sister Beatrice Scott, 9, wore a Willy Wonka costume to school.
“My brother gave me the idea. He was originally supposed to be Willy Wonka, but then I took his idea,” she said.
Ava Wallick, an 11-year-old sixth grader, said the creativity of her fellow students is what stood out for her.
“Seeing everybody else’s costumes was great,” she said.
It’s a big day all around, Ava added.
“I like going trick-or-treating with my friends and getting to find the most fun costumes.”
Trying to decide what to be excites Ellie Routhier, a 10-year-old Grade 5 student.
“I like going costume shopping and also trick-or-treating,” she said.
The parade is always a highlight of the school year, especially for the younger students at C.D. Howe, Ava said.
“Yeah, I think it means a lot to them, getting to see their parents all lined up to see their costumes.”
It’s just a fun event, said special education facilitator Jacqui Wheatley, who has been at the school for six years.
“This is something we’ve been doing at C.D. Howe long before I came here as a teacher. It’s just really fun to get the school community together, all ages, all abilities and have a great time together,” said Wheatley, who chose a scarecrow costume.
“It’s Halloween. Who doesn’t love Halloween? It’s always lots of fun and we’re always excited to see all the costumes and for them to show off all the cool creations that they’ve come up with.”
It’s a chance for the kids and their parents to let their imaginations run wild.
“It is pretty neat,” Wheatley said. “It’s lots of fun to see all the creative things they come up with. I have to ask sometimes what they are because I’m not up on all the YouTube things and all the adorable costumes. But they’re really great and they’re really proud of what they’ve come up with to show off on Halloween.”
