Every year in October, students fill the campus with excitement and laughter, turning an ordinary school day into either a festival with vendors lining the front entrance with treats and activities or hundreds of kids march through the halls with their costumes for their annual Halloween event, collecting candies and even sweeter memories. For once, the campus isn’t for studying and was only for celebration.
“It was founded years ago,” Peer Assistance and Leadership sponsor Allison Potters said. “Because of us, Plano West and Plano Senior are starting it this year. It brings the whole east side of Plano together.”
As the doors open to local elementary students, children gather around to celebrate “Paloween”, an event performed by numerous organizations at the school that provides the experiences for kids to have a fun celebration of Halloween while east students participate by helping the tradition grow each year. This event in school offers local kids a chance to experience a fun and safe Halloween trick-or-treating rather than going at night instead.
“We have to print stuff, create documents, count a lot of invitations,” Potters said. “We sent out invitations to all the elementary schools [and] 7,000 kids have been invited to this.”
Many of the club and athletes booths go all out, dressing up in themed costumes as groups to add to the festive atmosphere. Along with handing out candies, they provide engaging activities for the kids such as pin the face on the pumpkin, knockdown cans, arm wrestling, keeping the Halloween afloat and many more games. Each booth offers a unique experience that keeps the hallways lively and entertaining. By participating in costumes and activities, the clubs not only entertain the children but also strengthen the school spirit throughout the event.
“The basketball boys usually have a little game where kids come and shoot basketballs,” Potters said. “We also have face painting, everyone usually comes in with their own ideas.”
Beyond just handing out candies, students play an active role in making Halloween a memorable experience. Club members contribute in creative ways in engaging in volunteering hours. Every year, the majority of the organizations host a donation drive for candies for students to donate candy bags in return for service hours. Other clubs also host in-person volunteering on the day of the event such as the LASER, Learning About Science and Engineering Research, a club where they guided children in making their own slime, adding a hands-on twist to the festivities, another service hour event that an organization hosted was the IBSA, International Baccalaureate Student Association, built monster box towers for decorations. Other clubs donated candy, decorated classrooms and hallways, volunteered throughout the event, helping ensure that the celebration was fun, safe, and full of excitement for everyone.
“It’s a blessing to have kids come to our school,” Potters said. “You think about when you were little, that’s kinda scary to go to a high school with big kids where you get to be exposed to see where you’re going and see what’s going to be like, I think it’s super positive.”
In another popular event, students fill the front entrance with laughter and music mixing. From tasty bites to lively beats, one of the students’ annual favorite events turns an ordinary lunch break into a celebration of school spirit and student-activities engagements.
“Whatever we do is to serve the student body faculty of Plano East and our community,” Student Senate sponsor David South said. “We also need to act as a representative of the student body for student’s experiences and “how would they have fun with this?”
Stay Day is a school-wide event at campus to encourage students to stay on campus during lunch while providing a variety of food trucks, music and outdoor games. Stay Day is organized by Student Senate, a student-led government body that advocates for students’and faculty interests by connecting them with events and activities involved on campus.
“One of the greatest things about organizations on campus is it’s not only something that does good for other people,” South said. “It’s also something for students to practice those real world skills.”
The goal for Stay Day is to provide a fun break for students and a chance for them to support school organizations and boosters. One of the most important factors of this event is that it is held because of the increase of carbon dioxide, methane nitrous oxide and other gasses into the surroundings. During lunch time, the majority of students love to go outside of campus for lunch but some don’t realize the release of emissions is increasing everyday. The goal with Stay Day is to reduce the amount of carbon emissions and help keep students safe on campus. Although this event is more traditional and brings out school culture, it also helps students be more environmentally cautious.
“The volleyball nets have been a big hit in the past,” South said. “To go beyond the food, even if someone doesn’t want to purchase food out there, they can still go and hang out.”
Despite the advocacy, the tradition of Stay Day also brings a touch of seasonal excitement to campus. Each year, the event is typically held in late October, closely on around Halloween. As Student Senate is in charge of Stay Day, they also organize spirit days for students and staff to dress up according to the theme on the specific day. In October, Student Senate organizes “Red Ribbon Week”, a campaign for the prevention of drug use. Students often arrive in costumes, adding a playful and spirited atmosphere. Many booths come in with halloween themes or student officers dress up as groups for their own booth. Not only are there food trucks provided but also club organizations attend with their own activities. In the past, Hope squad made friendship brackets, Letters of Light, a non-profit organization that spread awareness towards cancer patients, had students come and write heartfelt messages and a game of ping pong provided, and there are also club boosters supporting different sports. It’s a cool opportunity to offer various options for students.
“Two organizations have been a part of collaborating with us at every stay day,” South said. “Culinary art students like to create affordable snacks and bites for students because they get to make it all themselves. It’s a great experience for them and students appreciate it. PTA, Parent Teacher Administration, usually do pizza and sometimes sell spirit wear too. They sell pizza not necessarily as a big money maker but try to make affordable options for students since the food trucks are usually expensive.”
Events like Stay Day and Halloween show how unique annual events go beyond the classroom to create memorable experiences for students and the community. From supporting clubs, volunteering and engaging with their peers, students help make these traditions a success year after year, leaving a lasting impact on the school.
“It isn’t something we make money out of,” South said. “We want to give students that experience of making memories together. We try to create a holistic experience for everyone.”
