On Friday, October 24, Day Creek Intermediate School turned into the ultimate Halloween hotspot just minutes after the final bell rang. The hardcourts buzzed with carnival games, candy, and laughter, while Mr. Brubaker’s dark labyrinth twisted through the Fitness Lab, a haunted maze that sent plenty of students screaming. Parents gave up their afternoons to assist teachers and administrators with a variety of fun carnival games. Students came dressed as everything from inflatable dinosaurs to fuzzy onesies and painted Minions.

But the real magic came from Day Creek’s own 8th grade Leadership team. About thirty members of Mrs. Kaneshina’s class became the crew behind Day Creek’s Halloween theater, playing multiple roles in this year’s fright fest.

The Leadership team had been preparing for weeks. “Tonight we are going to rehearse until four P.M., and then tomorrow we’re being pulled out of class at 1:30 to continue rehearsing,” said Shelby P. “A lot goes into just making sure we all know what we’re doing — makeup, costumes, and getting the bash ready — because all that stuff doesn’t get put in until the last minute.”

Just 24 hours before the event, the team was feeling the pressure. “Oh my gosh, it is so stressful!” said Abby A. “There’s just so much to do — we have the maze, we make posters for the maze, we have a bunch of posters to do. We’re also responsible for the carnival games, so we have to string the donuts, unwrap the Hershey’s Kisses, get all the candy, and make the posters. We also have lunchtime activities we have to run. It’s just a really big mess! Then we have to go through the maze and help set up. It’s been a lot.”

While students competed for prizes on the hardcourts, the indoor maze brought endless screams. Mr. Brubaker and his group of Leadership students had one mission: to terrify.

“The main goal for the maze is to scare people. Like, really scare them, so you guys chicken out, but don’t chicken out,” said Abby A.

Students waiting in line outside the maze stood with nervous anticipation, listening to the screams from inside. Abby and other Leadership students joined Mr. Henry, a PE teacher, in the darkness, ready to startle anyone brave enough to enter.

“I’m going to be a kid, but not on the playground,” Abby said. “I’m going to be hidden, and Mr. Henry is Freddy Krueger, so he’s going to come up and scare me. I’m going to jump out at them. It’s going to be so funny; I’m gonna start laughing.”

Most of the props and decorations inside the labyrinth were designed to scare students, but they even managed to spook the Leadership crew themselves.

“My favorite prop is actually by your feet at one point in the maze, a little animatronic baby head on a plate,” said Shelby. “It’s my favorite because it scared me so bad when I walked through. I didn’t think anything was on. I nearly broke a stand because I fell.”

Scaring, however, is no easy task. Leadership student Lily C. shared her secret for a good fright: “Scare them when they’re least expecting it. So if it’s a group of four, I’ll scare the people in the middle, not just the first person, because that way you get the whole group.”

By the end of the afternoon, the Halloween Bash was more than just a carnival or haunted maze. It was a carefully organized mix of creativity, teamwork, and school spirit led by Day Creek’s Leadership group. From the screams in the maze to the laughter on the hardcourts, the event captured the perfect balance of fright and fun. Thanks to the dedication of the Leadership team, this year’s bash turned an ordinary Friday afternoon into an unforgettable Halloween celebration.