Halloween 2020

The students & staff of Inuujaq School signed a very large Thank You card made for Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds.  The card had to be big to accommodate 285 signatures & personal messages.  The card was placed inside a large cardboard box and delivered to the post office at the Northern Store.  I wonder what the famous actor will do with the card after he reads it?  It’ll probably be on display in his house.

Halloween was celebrated differently this year due to two things: the 2020 calendar & COVID-19 restrictions.  October 31 happened on a Saturday this year, so the school had to hold its Halloween assembly on Friday, October 30.  Unfortunately, due to the restrictions in place, only students & teachers could attend.  Thankfully, we live in an era of smartphones, internet, and Facebook.  Several attendees used their smartphones to broadcast the assembly on their Facebook accounts for people to see.  More on the assembly coming up.

I searched online & bought my costume a month in advance.  I found the perfect outfit that references the current climate we live in.  It’s a yellow hazmat suit with the words “Biohazard Unit” written across the front.  The biohazard symbol is also prominently displayed on the one-piece suit.  The costume also comes with a fake black gas mask, yellow hood, and black gloves.  The biohazard symbol is one of my favourite symbols.  The radioactive symbol is also on that list.  I purchased the costume from the online store Spirit Halloween.  I also purchased two bleeding machetes for added “scary-ness” and to replace the two bleeding machetes I previously owned.  I had to throw them out because they were leaking out of the plastic.

The pre-school to Grade 9 classes started getting ready for the big day several days in advance by decorating their classroom doors.  The classes were competing in the annual door decorating contest.  The class with the best decorated door would win money to have a pizza party.

Kindergarten door.

Grade 3 door.

October 30 was a fun day.  Even though the assembly was scheduled for the afternoon, not much school work was done in the morning.  The pre-school to Grade 9 classes put the finishing touches on their doors, the high school students turned the science room into a haunted house, and I showed a scary movie in my classroom for the students who didn’t want to scare the younger kids in the haunted house.  My drummers were nervous, but appeared ready to face the student body in the afternoon.  We were the opening act.  Two teachers volunteered to be the door judges.

Grade 7 door.

Grade 9 door.

I raced home during lunchtime to get all my costumes.  Even though lunch was extended by 30 minutes, I needed to be back early.  My drummers & I needed the time to set up the drums in the gym.  I drove slowly to school, making sure the large grey Rubbermaid container didn’t fall off.  All my costumes were inside.

I quickly changed into my Biohazard costume and proceeded to the staff room for lunch.  My costumes from the previous years were available for high school students to wear.  They just needed to return them at the end of the day.  The teachers in the staff room liked my costume, commenting it perfectly explained the world for the last 8 months.

Quick practice before the real concert.

The high school drumline and I set up the drums at the far end of the gym.  A few drummers decided to wear my previous costumes.  They did a quick run through the group pieces.  A long stream of students & teachers made their way down to the gym, wearing their Halloween costumes.  We were waiting outside in the gym lobby.  Many elementary students looked surprised when they saw my costume.  I think some were scared.  I know many tried to guess who I was under the mask.

The Principal & Vice-Principal welcomed everyone and called on the high school drumline to begin the festivities.  My students & I entered the gym and walked directly to the drums.  Now everyone knew who was wearing the Biohazard suit.  I took my position behind a quad tom drum and picked up two drum sticks.  I quickly checked to make sure everyone was ready.  I clicked my sticks loudly 4 times and the concert began.

We played three pieces: Rock You We Will, The Thang, and Earthquake.  I found the pieces on the website: FreeDrumlineMusic.  I had to simplify some of the rhythms because my drummers are beginners.  I hope the original composer doesn’t mind.  I played a quick solo on the quad toms as part of an encore.  The audience enjoyed our six-minute concert.

The next part of the assembly was the costume contest.  Classes lined up at the front and the audience voted for the best dressed student.  There were a lot of very good costumes on display.  The chosen winners were given Co-op gift certificates.  The assembly ended with the announcement of the winner of the door decorating contest. 

It was time to go home when the assembly came to an end.  My drummers & I stayed behind to pack everything up.  We moved the drums & equipment to my classroom.  I packed up all my costumes into the grey Rubbermaid bin and headed home.  Another successful concert completed.

Arctic Bay - October 31, 2020.

I cancelled cadets for Saturday, October 31.  The water in the bay was finally starting to freeze.  People were beginning to haul their boats out of the water.  The bay would be completely frozen in a few days.

The annual community ugliest costume contest was held outside in the parking lot next to the community hall at 3pm.  The event had to be held outside because the community hall wasn’t large enough to accommodate social distancing.  There were still no active cases of COVID-19 in the community and territory, but the Hamlet Office wasn’t taking any chances.  Thankfully, the temperature wasn’t that cold.                 

I walked down to the community hall, warmly dressed, and armed with a digital camera.  A number of grey fold-out chairs were placed in a semi-circle in the parking lot.  These chairs were reserved for the contestants.  Contestants and spectators gradually arrived after 3pm.  The contest began at 3:30pm. 

Contestants are divided into two groups: 12 & Under; and 13 & Over.  Personally, I think a lot of creativity & imagination goes into designing an ugly costume.  It appears as if contestants just put on whatever they can find in their houses, but I think more thought goes on behind the scenes.  I could spend an entire post or two describing the costumes, but instead, I’ll let the uploaded pictures do the talking.  As always, the costumes were strange, bizarre, funny, creative, scary, and original.  One costume was actually worn by two people!

The organizer instructed both groups to walk around the parking lot to let everyone – including the judges - get a good look at the costumes.  The organizer had to use a bullhorn when speaking.  Since most of the contestants’ faces are hidden behind masks, each contestant has a number taped to their costume, making it easier for the judges to pick 3^rd, 2^nd, & 1^st places.  The judges discussed their choices after each walk.

The winners were announced in the order of 3^rd, 2^nd, & 1^st.  If the contestant’s face was obscured, they were asked to remove their mask to reveal their identity.  The prizes were a sum of money, in the form of a cheque, I think.  The contest was finished at 4:00pm.  Night was beginning to settle.

I power walked home.  I only had an hour to get ready for trick-or-treating.  I set out all the candy on the coffee table and changed into my Biohazard costume.  I got out three large bowls and filled them with various candy.  I kept the remaining unopened boxes close.  I didn’t want to keep the trick-or-treaters waiting.  I unlocked my front door at 4:55pm.  I sat in a large chair and waited.         

As if on cue, trick-or-treaters started arriving at 5pm.  Southern teachers are usually the first people to receive visitors.  I handed out 4 pieces of candy to each person.  When there was a lull, I refilled the bowls.  I gave out candy to whoever wanted it.  I don’t discriminate.  I gave some to parents & guardians.  Many appreciated seeing me in costume.  Trick-or-treaters use vehicles to get around town because it’s faster and you don’t have to stay outside in the cold weather for long.

Trick-or-treating finished at 7pm.  I still had a lot of leftover candy.  I should have given out 5 or 6 pieces to each person.  Oh well.  I’m sure I can find ways to get rid of the candy.  I’m already thinking about doing a candy toss for the last day of cadets in December.