Halloween is a fun, spooky, holiday appealing to people of all ages. Costumes are a major part of Halloween, and creative costumes are a fun way for students to express themselves and connect with other people. Marriotts Ridge has an abundant amount of school spirit, and many students wish to express it by dressing up on Halloween. However, Howard County has a no costume policy in effect, which Marriotts Ridge students express mixed feelings towards.
“I love Halloween. I remember when I used to dress up and go trick or treating. I wish we were allowed to wear costumes to school on Halloween,” said junior Nadia Klementsen.
Halloween is exciting, and the nostalgia and events of the holiday such as going trick-or-treating and dressing as one’s favorite superhero or movie star is an experience many students remember fondly as they grow older. While fewer people go trick or treating as teenagers, Halloween costumes remain a memorable, exciting part of the holiday.
“I like to make my own costumes. The time it takes to put together a costume makes me look forward to Halloween,” said junior Konain Fatima.
The process of designing a costume and taking on a persona can be fun, imaginative, and offer many ways to express oneself. Costumes can make people feel comfortable and confident. Not only that, but students have pointed out that wearing costumes for Halloween is much like dressing up on spirit week.
“Halloween is a time to make memories where we can have fun and destress. I don’t get why we can’t dress up for Halloween when it’s just like dressing up for spirit week,” said junior Shrinidhi Gokulakrishnan.
While many students see the positives to dressing up on Halloween, they also see the reason behind Howard County’s no-costume restriction in high schools.
“I think the no-costume policy is in place mainly because of dress code violations or gore like fake blood. But I don’t think it happens nearly enough to ban wearing costumes to school. I mean, I just wanted to dress up as Garfield,” said junior Tulika Mukhopadhyay.
Students are aware that some costumes can be inappropriate, but feel that those costumes are a small group out of a large student population. There is a good amount of student interest in wearing costumes on Halloween, especially since it is a tradition carried from elementary and middle school.
“I dressed up to school for Halloween every year since I was five. It’s kinda sad we can’t now in highschool,” Klemesten said.
While students understand the restrictions regarding costumes, the majority opinion is that costumes should make a return to high schools. Marriotts Ridge students hope to see Howard County make a policy change in years to come.