Dawson hosted a multitude of festivities on Halloween last week including feats of strength, dizzy izzy, and the costume contest to celebrate the holiday. The festivities brought the upper school community together to have fun and were well-received and enjoyed. The feats of strength activity entailed three people working together to slingshot a pumpkin as far as possible.

The senior team won, with the winning shot by Peter Ernst. His pumpkin went the farthest, so the whole team won the competition. He said of the win, “It felt great, I got a Stanley Cup out of it.” His strategy was to “pull the pumpkin back as far as I can.”

The costume contest was a close call. The judges included Ms. Hebebrand, Ms. Scheer, and Dr. Denton. Judge Ms. Romano said of deciding the results, “We all came together and shared our initial thoughts, and the consensus ruled.” Freshman Birdie Cardinal and Anna Heimburger participated in the costume contest, dressed as Sophia Grace and Rosie, and think that student judges should be included next year. They believe teachers misunderstood some of the costumes. 

Many people enjoyed participating in and watching the activities, like senior Maddie Abel who said she thought “they were incredible, I thought it was great community building.” There was also, of course, the infamous dizzy izzy competition. Participants got in groups of ten of their classmates and competed against other grades in a relay with a pumpkin on their heads. Players would run to the end of the quad with a pumpkin helmet on, then spin ten times with their heads on a pole, and then run back. 

The senior class was upset when they realized halfway through that they did not have ten players, and had to rush to fill the rest of the spots. The sophomores ended up taking the victory, with swift teamwork and unbeatable speed. All in all, the Halloween activities at Dawson were a hit that brought the upper school community closer together. Hopefully, next year will be a similar success!