[Photos by Cody Knudson]
The Student Life Office hosted yet another ghoulishly good time at Arapahoe Community College’s annual Halloween Headquarters this year! On the docket for the afternoon was a variety of eerie decorations, delicious pizza and sweet treats, as well as a mix of old-school and modern Halloween classics.
Early on into the event, the Creative Writing Club co-presidents took the stage to announce and present winners of the Ghastly Greetings writing competition. Several student winners shared their pieces before the crowd. With the competition’s theme being Halloween and horror, a hair-raising chill entombed the room. Under the dim, ghoulish lights strewn about the room, the student authors shared themes of death and despair, sending shivers down the audience’s spines. Now those were scary stories to tell in the dark!
The event’s emcee, ACC student and drag queen Paige Turner (aka David Merlano), then turned out a devilishly delightful dance to “Calling All the Monsters” by China Anne McClain. The Summit Room erupted in cheers as Turner strutted across the stage to the Disney classic. Following the enchanting performance, Turner was joined by fellow student leader Ripley Cusinato to discuss ACC’s experiences and offerings.
Next, the highly anticipated costume contest took place halfway through the event at 12pm. Students lined up to show off their creative prowess with the prize of six student awards. Costumes ranged from Powerline from “A Goofy Movie” to fairies of the beloved book series “A Court of Thorns and Roses” and everything in between. Among the winners was a student dressed as both The Other Miss Spink and The Other Miss Forcible of “Coraline” fame. A student donning a clown mask that peeled away to reveal gory SFX makeup won the Scariest Costume award to the terror and delight of the audience. Our Funniest Costume award was doled out to an individual simply dressed as an inflatable banana.
As always, the staff battled it out with some of the most inventive costumes we’ve seen yet. TRIO brought the heat and won 3rd Place with their “Coraline” costume, Financial Aid won 2nd Place as the undead “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” cast, and the Library took home both the 1st Place and Most Creative prizes for their cryptid zoo, with appearances of various entities such as the Jersey Devil, the Loch Ness Monster, and, of course, the Mothman.
The event highlighted the creativity, ingenuity, and passion of our college community. Staff and student leaders diligently planned and executed the event, allowing the fun to be enjoyed by all. Costumes crafted, scary stories drafted, and iconic songs pumping through the sound system – we can’t wait to see what next year brings!
From your Halloween Headquarters sponsors, the Student Life Office and your Student Government Association, we wish you a wonderful start to the fall holiday season.
Happy Halloween!
