Most people think of Halloween as a time to eat candy and hang out with friends or family, but COVID-19 really threw the spooky festivities for a loop this year.

However, the Raven Report knew that Sequioa students would still find ways to celebrate, even during a global pandemic, so we asked students how they celebrated.

Mac Brennan, a Sequioa senior, said “We usually have a slumber party, but we couldn’t do that this year, so we hung out in my friend’s back yard.”

Brennan went on to say that most people didn’t follow COVID-19 protocol, but most parties were lower key than normal. However, that does not mean that there won’t be a second rise in COVID-19 levels. Brennan said, “I think there’s going to be another COVID spike within the next two weeks. They should have mandated that we stayed inside in the two weeks leading up to Halloween, and that would have lowered the risk.”

Brennan said that most high school students don’t trick-or-treat for Halloween, but it felt like there were more little kids than last year.

However, Sarah Martin, another senior at Sequoia, said that she knows many people who still trick-or-treat including herself.

She said ”Trick-or-treating is usually one of my favorite parts of Halloween, but this year, COVID ruined the social aspect of it. My parents also have a Halloween party every year, but that couldn’t happen this year either.”

Martin went on to say that she just had a gathering of about 10 people in her backyard, and was following COVID-19 protocol, but she saw other parties that will likely cause a small COVID spike. “I think there’s going to be a spike in the teen age group, because that’s who’s having the most parties.”

Both Sarah and Mac said that dressing up was a big part of Halloween for them, but for different reasons.

Sarah said “Dressing up is my favorite part because it helps me get a deeper understanding of that part of history. I really enjoy the Crusades and the Holy Grail, and I’m bummed that we don’t get to learn about it in history.”

However, Brennan chose her costume because of it’s timeliness. She said “There’s a cool line from Avatar that I think really relates to everyrthing that’s going on in the world right now, especially the racial justice protests.

In the show, Avatar Kayoshi says, ‘There won’t be peace without justice,’ Which I think really hits home, what with all the racial justice stuff that is going on. I also learned fan form of martial arts, which is the form that Kayoshi uses in Avatar.”

Even though COVID-19 heavily affected Halloween, Sequoia teens still found ways to celebrate, whether it was hanging out while socailly distant, or staying at home. Stuednts and teachers alike managed to have fun, even during a pandemic. Hopefully, people will find ways to celebrate the future holidays while still being safe.