With Halloween one night away, autumn leaves in the air, and Pennsylvania’s annual drastic temperature drop, many students at NASH are excited to celebrate the spooky season. 

To some, Halloween may not be “cool” to high schoolers anymore. Teenagers may grow out of dressing up and getting candy, but surprisingly, students at NASH are making many preparations to carry on the tradition. 

“My Halloween costume is going to be Cat Woman from the Batman comics,” junior Layla Khalid said. 

Ava Martinec, a junior, is going with a movie character.

“I am being The Narrator from Fight Club,” she said. 

NASH senior Adithi Senthilkumar may also continue with theme of movie characters.

“I’m going as either Patrick Bateman [from American Psycho] or a frat boy,” she said.

But when it comes to trick-or-treating, how old is too old?

“I believe it is good to keep traditions that mean having fun, such as trick-or-treating,” said junior Sara Ascasíbar Fuentes. “It is a fun activity that is all about getting together with friends or family and doing something that can only be done one time of the year.”

The debate over age-limits for trick-or-treating even made The Today Show.

Here at NA, opinions are mixed.

“I think that our grade is too old to go trick-or-treating, but I wouldn’t judge anyone who goes,” said junior Audrey Evancho.

Another junior, Shreeya Kulkarni, disagreed.

“Trick-or-treating is for everyone,” she said. “Dressing up and roaming around with your friends isn’t restricted to anyone. And who can say ‘no’ to free stuff?”

Regardless of one’s beliefs about trick-or-treating limitations, there are many ways high schoolers can celebrate Halloween. 

For horror fans, a popular local attraction is Zombies of the Corn, a seasonal attraction featuring a haunted house, a paintball hayride, and a 3D funhouse. Another scary attraction is Kennywood’s Phantom Fall Fest, which includes a haunted house and scare actors.

For those who like the fall aspect leading up to Halloween, other activities like pumpkin carving, having parties, or watching movies can be enjoyable. 

“A Halloween movie I like is Coraline. I think my favorite fall movie is Fantastic Mr. Fox,” said junior Maya Shaw. “I’m also watching Gilmore Girls with my mom and sister right now, which is a nice show for fall.”

 Yet even for NASH juniors and seniors who no longer trick-or-treat, the costume aspect of Halloween has not gone away. 

Each year, the senior class hosts a Halloween Costume contest in which seniors wear their best costumes to school and the winner gets a free ticket to the Senior Banquet aboard the Gateway Clipper in May.