Chris Muscatello ’10 and Cecy Cuevas ’12 in a state of marital bliss.
Halloween is a pivotal part of the school year. It marks the beginning of fall, the end of midterms and gives girls an excuse to dress seductively…just kidding, that’s every Thursday and Saturday. Of course there are always the ever-unique costumes like the Playboy bunny, Greek goddess and that girl who wears leg warmers and neon spandex but no one really knows what she is. Although these classic costumes are always a hit, I took the opportunity to find some people with real creativity.
The snow on Saturday got everyone excited for Christmas, including Meaghan McGrath ’14. In honor of the chilly holidays ahead, McGrath was seen walking around dressed as a Christmas present. With her sparkly tights and many bows, she made everyone feel like the holidays were just around the corner.
Sarah Joelson ’15 has a history of inanimate object Halloween costumes. In previous years, she’s been a Reese’s cup, an iPod and “Bop It Extreme 2,” where she kept the theme song on repeat attached to the inside of her costume and people could twist and pull her body parts. This year, she decided on something that, chances are, no one has done before. Joelson wore a trash bag with words like “sad” and “excited” taped to it. What was she? Emotional baggage.
Other students were creating flashbacks to our childhood. Gracie Pearlman ’14 was seen as Zenon from the famous Disney Channel trilogy, “Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century.” Zetus lupetus, she made every person who saw her feel like a kid again.
There was talk of some couples costumes, but unlike the traditional “Jane and Tarzan” or “doctor and nurse,” Gabriel Shlager ’15 and his roommate, Christophe Desorbay ’15, expressed their brotherly bond as Shaggy and Scooby Doo, respectively. Some friends took couples costumes to a whole new level: jokesters Ben Nadell ’15 and Roopa Ramkumar ’15 decided to switch it up with Ramkumar dressed as a pimp, and Nadell as her naughty nurse. Talk about a gender reversal.
Many students ultimately chose group costumes. Hannah Beazley ’15 spent this Halloween as an instrument-less band member. “A couple of friends and I are going to be a hick bluegrass band— which means overalls, straw hats, blacked out teeth and Appalachian accents.” she said.
Leila Teitelman ’15 and a few of her friends could be seen running around campus as the Beanie Babies that we all thought would be worth a fortune one day.
Who loves wearing head-to-toe cheetah print? Not too many people, and especially not Haley Wegner ’13. She decided to be a tacky cheetah for Halloween to imitate the middle-aged moms who think animal print is in style. Wegner sifted through Crystal Mall to find the tackiest clothes possible, like cheetah tights and fingernail decals. Though she admits that cheetah print has the potential to be classy on some occasions, there’s a high possibility of overdose.
There were also several rumored off-the-wall costumes: one person dressed in all pink and topped it off with a sneaker strapped to their head, so they could be gum stuck to the bottom of a shoe. Another dressed up in all black and glued glitter and streamers to herself to be “the life of the party.” A boy wore all black with yellow lines down the middle of his body to imitate a road. One student strutted his stuff in a bright purple morph suit.
These creative concoctions spread across the street, too. Logan Donahey, a cadet at the Coast Guard Academy, gathered a group of friends and dressed up as the Justice League. Danahey said that even at the CGA, they still dress up and have a good time. “This Friday, [there was] a dance in our ballroom—not mandatory, but people wore costumes and generally [had] fun. On Monday we’ll have a dinner with the whole Corps where people wear costumes and then we trick-or-treat on the hill.”
Was there any time where you felt like there wasn’t anything to do on campus, and that maybe the Coasties were having more fun than you? Well, believe it or not, we were having fun too. Knowlton held a spooky haunted house, there was a raucus Cro monster mash and some students even sat outside their rooms giving out candy to anyone who wanted to trick-or-treat. Some students took full advantage of these activities, while others stayed in and made their own fun. For most students, however, it was just a normal night of party-hopping in ridiculous and provocative costumes.
No one can argue that Halloween hasn’t changed dramatically since we were children. Our parents no longer walk us from house to house, and we aren’t laying the candy out at the end of the night and in order to trade with our friends. Regardless of this sad truth, it will always be an exciting day of the year, with many fun costumes and exciting things to do around campus. Just beware of the eerie new scarecrow at the sundial that resembles a creepy sleeping man at one o’clock in the morning. Now that’s a real scare. Happy Halloween! •
