The Hesperia campus got its ghoul on for Halloween
As the sky darkened on October 26th, the Hesperia campus’ doors creaked open to hundreds of kids and family members of students, staff and faculty looking for a Spooktacular time. They were not disappointed.
The downstairs area of the campus reflected toddler-friendly Halloween themes and fun crafts, photo booths, a bounce house, along with lots of goodies for trick-or-treat bags. Excited kids ran between the First Contact’s witches and Campus Director’s Fall Harvest to the Medical Department’s Monsters, Inc., and a Haunted House in the Business Department.
Medical Office Administration student Alyssa Edgerle and her young daughter fit right into the scary themes. “I dressed as Coraline’s other evil mother,” says Alyssa. “I got the idea because my daughter wanted to be Coraline, and we both love the movie. The highlight was the reaction of everyone when they saw the buttons glued to my eyes.”
Upstairs, things got even scarier. “This area was for the big kids,” says Doug Patch, Business Administration instructor. “They had fun with scary clowns and some frightening ghouls. It might have been spooky, but that didn’t stop hundreds of brave souls from trick-or-treating in all of the scary areas of the campus.”
Some devious minds created full-on fright moments for those who dared to climb the stairs to the second floor. “The upstairs areas were developed by the Medical, Pharmacy, Facilities and Criminal Justice teams,” says Doug.
When visitors were all screamed out, they found a place to calm down and refuel at tables set up at the front of the building. “The Facilities team, led by Mike Shuster, fed everybody with an ample supply of hot dogs, chips and drinks,” says Doug. “Mike and his security team served almost 500 hot dogs to everyone that was hungry.”
The event was also a great time for the families of students to meet each other, and for proud introductions to instructors. Students’ parents, siblings and children got to see the campus inside and out and get a feel for where someone they love spends so much time, effort and energy.
“I enjoy these types of events because it gave me a chance to show my make-up skills and the chance for my daughter to see where mommy is all day,” says Alyssa. “My daughter had a really good time.”
Transformation of the campus into a Halloween Fun House was organized by Christie Johnson, Dean of Student Services. “She assembles a team of creative instructors, students and staff for our largest public event of the year,” says Doug.
It is important to the Hesperia campus to create occasions that bring families together on campus while allowing students to showcase their efforts toward education and a better future.
“It’s always important to show our Core Values and to maintain our Institutional Learning Objectives,” says Doug. “Higher learning is more than education; it also involves giving back and participating in our communities. By including Community Service and Active Citizenship into education, SJVC’s Hesperia campus will continue to be an asset to the community.”