With Halloween around the corner and the spirits high, Loretto Academy kicked off the spooky season with its annual pumpkin decorating tradition.

Each grade level had its own theme, and each homeroom within each grade had its own character to recreate in pumpkin form.

The freshmen were filled with childhood nostalgia for Winnie the Pooh, the sophomores took out their toy boxes with Toy Story and the juniors challenged their emotions with Inside Out.

Last but definitely not least, the seniors had their first glimpse at their future college lives with the theme of Monsters University.

The last period of the day on October 18th was saved for long homeroom, where the decorating would take place from the moment the bell rang.

As each homeroom took the task of decorating the pumpkin, those who enjoyed the competition entertained themselves with Halloween-themed trivia.

Each correct question earned some snacks for the homeroom, courtesy of the student council.

But if we discuss the student council, the class presidents cannot be forgotten.

Senior class president, Mia White said, “The experience was stressful, mostly because not only did my homeroom have to do the pumpkin decorating, but I also had to make the banner.

But even if it was stressful, it was still a lot of fun to make something for senior representation.

Especially because we’re such a big class, I was really glad all of the girls were participating.

It was definitely more fun than other years, and now I’m really looking forward to the other traditions.”

Freshman, Aurora Ramirez said, “My first pumpkin decorating experience was good because I got to bond with my classmates and feel the adrenaline when they would ask the questions through the intercom.”

Halloween spirit, spooky-season hit songs playing on the intercom, fun competition, and reinforced bonds between homeroom members are what make pumpkin decorating one of the most beloved seasonal traditions at Loretto Academy.