On October 31, students at St. Mary’s International School celebrated Halloween during the school day. The halls were filled with children proudly clad in their costumes, consumed with laughter and excitement as both students and teachers joined in the fun. Even though Halloween is not a big event in Japan, it has become a special tradition at St. Mary’s. “I think the unique aspect about it [Halloween in St. Mary’s] is that it is celebrated in the school in the first place, even though we’re in Japan and they don’t really celebrate it,” said freshman, Kai Bethune.
While some dressed in inflatable sumo suits and other hilarious Halloween costumes, the teachers collaborated to all wear sushi and soy sauce costumes. Kai Bethune, a new 9th grade student at St. Mary expressed that while the event felt smaller than Halloween at his old school in Houston, Texas, he still enjoyed seeing everyone participate. “I think they take Halloween much less seriously than they did in my previous school, but it’s still fun to see everyone participate,” he said.
Unfortunately, there was no costume contest this year, breaking the school tradition, but students still showed off their costumes throughout the day. After school, some students even went trick-or-treating around their homes together to display school unity. Even though fewer people joined this year, everyone who did seemed to enjoy it. “It might be smaller every year, but it’s still fun to dress up and hang out with friends,” one student said.
Teachers also helped make the day special. Mr Chan, a middle and high school teacher, said he loves how Halloween brings people together. “For any celebration at St. Mary’s, that’s the real key: does it build community? Does it include people and help them feel connected?” he said. He continued that events like Halloween let students show their creativity in a fun and controlled way, which they cannot do regularly in schools and other academic facilities.
Although Halloween at St. Mary’s may not be as big as before, it still brings students, teachers, and parents together. “If you ever said to me, Shall we cancel Halloween? I would say no way,” said Mr. Chan. With sushi teachers and sumo wrestlers walking the halls, peacefully co-existing, Halloween at St. Mary’s remains a fun tradition that celebrates creativity and community.
