Roundtable: Should schools phase out Halloween parties?
What do you think of the Galesburg School District's decision to phase out Halloween-themed festivities in schools?
We are teaching our kids to exclude
So, we are just going to take away from our kids again? If you follow Jim Jacobs on Facebook, he and Dwight White made valid points. If some of our population is “scared” of Halloween as Dr. Asplund put it, how about teaching others of certain traditions practiced, learn their traditions and celebrate them? Dwight brought up when they stopped May Day at Cooke Elementary School. There was a may pole dance and they put may baskets around the neighborhood. This was something many looked forward to just like Halloween. It’s about dressing up, having fun and getting candy. There’s Día de Los Muertos, which celebrates the dead and is something outside of my own traditions that I’m learning and celebrating each year. I even have an ofrenda. We are teaching our kids to exclude instead of include. Learn about something that makes you uncomfortable, you’ll grow and have more insight. — Courtney Wallace
More: Halloween celebrations phased out at Galesburg schools
Let the kids continue to enjoy Halloween
Halloween is certainly a lot bigger deal than when I was a kid. A trip up Broad Street last Sunday night revealed hundreds, maybe even thousands of kids marching up and down the street from Losey to beyond Dayton.
Dr. Asplund claimed there is a “growing segment of our population that is very fearful of Halloween.” How many, exactly, is a “growing segment.” And what are they “very fearful” of? Was it the hobo and the 5-year-old tiger? Did they think those witches were real? Perhaps they were frightened by all those people in masks? (Oh, wait, those were just people eating in restaurants.)
School systems today are being forced to surrender common sense anytime a group, however small, declares they're offended or aggrieved.
Halloween has been a silly, fun holiday for kids for centuries and we ought to allow them to continue to enjoy it. (Those witches aren’t real.) — Harry Bulkeley
Autumn-themed festivities make sense
Halloween is the eve of All Hallows Day or All Saint’s Day. All Saint’s Day is a based in Christianity although the eve of that day has been corrupted into (allowable) consorting with evil over the centuries. Halloween has become a secular day, not celebrated as a real holiday. There’s no time off from work/school. It has become just a fun thing for kids and a foolish time for adults (?) to engage in the macabre. It’s not my favorite “holiday” although I do enjoy seeing the little kids in their costumes and giving out “treats.”
As far a changing Halloween into a harvest or autumn themed day, the district may find a problem with the harvest idea. How many, especially city kids who’ve never been on a farm, have any familiarity with anything to do with harvest? Autumn, on the other hand might make a lot of sense. — Charlie Gruner
More: LETTER: School made terrible decision against Halloween
Erodes our right to display Marvel heroes
Let’s hear it for the Catholic private school that let kids dress up as a witch and a soldier. Cuz’, I mean let’s face it, us Catholics have become progressive in our acceptance of an ancient Celtic/Hallow’s Eve celebration where full-sized Snickers is the holy food of choice. The Druids have nothing on us.
Look, Halloween is second in money spent with respect to all holidays in the United States. I mean consider how this District 205 Halloween ban probably negatively impacted the overall retail sales in Galesburg! And to think that “there is nothing for the kids to do in Galesburg” mantra is again repeated because little Johnny and Suzy can’t wear a costume to school. The horror. I mean Halloween is a big event for us here. This decision certainly erodes our right to proudly display our fascination with Marvel heroes. Well actually, in 2021 the top Halloween costume was a witch. Then a rabbit? Or was that a bunny (a whole different species of Lagomorph comes to mind). My costume that I wore last Sunday is ranked 10th (Cowboy). I had a badge. And a gun. No caps though. I suppose my costume of choice was poorly timed. My heroes were always cowboys. I couldn’t wear that costume to school back even in my day. The horror. — Stephen Podwojski
More: Roundtable: Best way forward for National Railroad Hall of Fame?
Let kids think school might be fun
We had a dozen young trick or treaters come to our door. Great costumes, great excitement. They liked our candy, but the dress-up was more important.
I can’t imagine getting that kind of response from a fall festival. I understand the worries about mysticism and witchcraft, but Harry Potter’s creator has also been attacked for saying that men don’t menstruate. Harvest festivals are among the medieval survivals of paganism. That’s when they slaughtered the animals that they couldn’t winter over, then had an orgy of eating and drinking. Now we have expensive costumes.
Fantasy and fun help develop children’s imagination. It’s either going to be that or magic mushrooms.
The candy was all chocolate, which has an historical connection with slavery. But what doesn’t? It’s time we worry less about whether children will believe in the tooth fairy and more about allowing them to think that school might be fun. — William Urban
The Community Roundtable runs each Friday and is made up of local writers. Community writers answer one question each week in 150 words or fewer.
This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: What do you think of Galesburg schools phasing out Halloween-themed festivities?
