By Natalie De La Garza
Staff Writer
CASWELL, Maine — The Dawn F. Barnes Elementary School is known for its warm atmosphere, but the school is going to take on a different air on Saturday, Oct. 19 when they host a very scary Haunted House from 6-8 p.m. that spans the school. About 20 students are volunteering to help make the school as creepy as possible: sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders, as well as graduates now in high school coming back to pitch in.
Their jobs, according to sixth-grader Megan Morgan, are to help design the haunted house and put up decorations — and once the horrific scene is complete, Morgan plans to be as creepy as possible.
“Like, walk up behind people when they’re not looking, touch them and run away,” she said.
Nathan LaBreck, a fellow sixth-grader, is hoping to be more scary than creepy. In his opinion, the night will be a success if everyone runs away. He went through last year’s haunted house at the school, and thinks that this year’s will be better.
“I went through the one we had last year and it was OK, but I think it was because it was only through the gym. I think it will be cool to have the whole school because some people here think it’s haunted, so with all the lights off people will be pretty freaked out just by entering,” LaBreck said.
Organizing the fun activity for students is Nancy Martin, an ed tech at the school, and she said that kids have been coming up to her all week with ideas about how to make the haunted house look great.
“We don’t plan on making too much money from it – it’s more just for the kids to come out and have fun,” she said. “It’s nice to see someone go through [the haunted house] and then want to go back through several times.”
Everyone is welcome to walk through the haunted house, but Martin does caution parents of young children as students are aiming to make it pretty scary and a little bit gory.
“Enter if you dare …” Morgan cautioned in a spooky tone.
“But you will make it out alive,” Martin said, explaining that the student volunteers will be following basic haunted house etiquette like no grabbing people while trying to scare them.
While Halloween is a favorite of Martin, Morgan and LaBreck, the holiday is extra special for LaBreck as it’s the birthday of his mother, Evelyn Tarr.
