When I consider my most valued memories as a kid, holiday parties at school are always at the top of my list. Christmas, Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day were all fun festivities to celebrate at the time, however memories of my elementary school Halloween parties have stuck with me the most. From the spooky decorations that would fill the hallways and the delicious candy that I would get to eat at night, it was the only day out of the year I anticipated more than my birthday.
However, as I moved into high school, wearing a costume to school and trick or treating at night became lame and “childish.” And as I go into my third year of not celebrating the holiday at school, I become more and more disappointed that the root of Halloween’s negligence has come from unspoken social expectations that are held above high schooler’s heads to be more “adult-like.” Although I have experienced the pressure of these expectations first hand, I still firmly believe that being in high school does not mean that childhood traditions have to come to an end.
As more high schools begin to put pressure on students to become more mature and prepared for their lives after graduation, student interest in festive participation with holidays such as Halloween decreases, causing childhood to fade away too fast. The most contributing factor to this decline is the fact that many schools are no longer allowing students to dress up when they come to school. A recent study from Education Week shows that 41 percent of high schools in the United States do not even allow students to participate in classic Halloween traditions, let alone wear costumes to school.
The more restrictions that are placed on students, the more that they will feel that they have to transition into being an adult quicker. Dressing up for Halloween is a timeless tradition that should not be cut short because of endless social pressure and expectations. At the end of the day, high school students are still just kids, and not adults that need to “grow up” out of their old traditions.
High schoolers should feel comfortable wearing costumes to school and trick-or-treating on Halloween. Although the pressure to grow up remains constant, it is important to maintain so-called “immature” customs and express interests no matter how irrelevant they may seem to others.
