As Halloween approaches, NDB celebrates this spooky season with various exciting events to get every grade level into the festive spirit. These fun activities are important NDB traditions, and it is always a fun week to finish off the month of October.
Because Halloween is usually associated with the word “scary,” the Link Crew Board hosted its annual Link-O-Ween Haunted House for the freshmen on October 23. They dedicated their time after school to transforming the basement into an eerie, immersive experience. Filled with unexpected jump-scares at random turns and ghostly decorations, the board poured their hard work and creativity into creating an event that will be remembered by every Jaguar who dares to enter.
This activity is centered around the freshmen class, which allows the Jaguars to make new memories with their new classmates and experience this one-time event.
“Yup, I’m really excited,” said freshman Cathy Dinger about Link-O-Ween and the Halloween events at NDB.
In addition, during the week of October 31, ASB organizes Halloween Spirit Week for each class to get into the festive mood. They have entertaining and competitive contests that everyone is welcome to engage in, such as a costume contest with various categories and a pumpkin carving competition that showcases students’ artistic skills. The days are all themed, with each requiring a different costume and being a spirit point opportunity. This week is highly anticipated and loved by both staffulty members and students, as everyone has the chance to express their school spirit.
“The most challenging part is just trying to make it fun and something that we know people are going to enjoy. So, there is a lot of deliberation that goes behind each day and kind of how it is represented,” said senior and ASB President Emilia Luis.
Although spirit week only lasts for a short time, countless hours are spent on every detail to make it memorable for everyone at NDB. Staffulty members embrace this week and are not afraid to participate, with their costumes and participation in the activities showcasing their creativity and dedication.
Along with Linkoween and Spirit Week, the Ding Bat Rally is an annual tradition that occurs on the actual day of Halloween and features a fan-favorite performance by the NDB Spirit Squad and activities for all grade levels to partake in. All the dancers contributing to the routine spend their hard work, rehearsing during practices to ensure everything runs smoothly and perfectly.
“I love just showing school spirit, and Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. [Also], we get to dress up with the whole team, and we always have a theme. Last year, we did Monsters Inc., which was super fun…[it] normally [takes] like two or three collabs, so maybe like three, four hours,” said junior and Spirit Squad member Isabella Michael.
With the wide variety of planned activities, students and staffulty will have many opportunities to become involved in the Halloween spirit at NDB. Whether it is enjoying the Spirit Squad’s upcoming performance or dressing up for each Spirit Day, the spooky season is sure to be a popular time.
