By Jenna Falconite, Staff Writer

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many school events that involve large gatherings to be postponed or canceled. Fortunately, the annual Halloween Costume Contest was not one of those events. Despite the inability to gather together in the Commons, students and faculty alike were able to show off their elaborate costumes to the rest of the community. 

Contestants were able to enter any of the five categories offered in previous years: Best Group Costume, Funniest Costume, Most Creative Costume, Scariest Costume and Best Teacher costume. In addition a sixth category was added this year, Student Choice Costume, which gave students the opportunity to vote on the costume they liked best. Three Royal Rumble points were awarded to the winners of each category. 

The competition was extremely competitive, as each contestant worked tirelessly on their costumes. Winners included the senior class’ aquatic theme for Best Group Costume, sophomore Colleen Yurcisin as Willy Wonka for Funniest Costume, senior Bryce Krampert with her “Brice Krispies” costume as Most Creative, senior Gabby Sorentino as an angler fish for Scariest Costume and English teacher Marianna Sierra as the Crystal Ball Emoji for Best Teacher Costume. The Imposters group was picked for the Student Choice Costume Award.  

Many students were eager to enter the contest despite the changes made. “I really felt the Halloween spirit and everyone did a great job…keeping it going even with the circumstances!” Krampert stated. 

Faculty and staff members also participated in this popular school tradition. Every year, the faculty members decide on a theme for their costumes. This year, the theme was emojis, with two teachers entering the Best Teacher Costume category of the contest: Sierra as the Crystal Ball Emoji and Dean of Student Life Melissa Whelan creating a new Socially Distant Emoji. 

“I wanted to enter the contest because I’m competitive when it comes to Halloween. I truly believe that no one loves Halloween more than I do,” said Sierra. “I knew most of my colleagues would go with ‘facial expressions’ emojis, so I went with the crystal ball (and accompanying sparkles) instead, since it was something I could build a costume around. Now, to hang on to my crown next year!”

At lunch, students in the contest went to the Commons to show off their costumes. A Google Slides presentation with all of the entries and categories was shared with the school community so everyone could see the unique and intricate costumes. While the community was not able to watch the contest live, enthusiasm for this popular tradition remained strong. 

“I love figuring out new Halloween costumes every year, and when I saw Willy Wonka trending on TikTok, I knew I wanted to do my own take on it,” said Yurcisin, winner of the Most Creative category. “I’m a competitive person, so when I heard I won, part of me was excited to one-up my freshman self, but I was mostly happy to be part of the tradition.” 

Sorrentino, who took the trophy for Scariest Costume, has participated in the contest every year throughout her time at Trinity Hall. “The costume contest has always been something I look forward to because it gives me the opportunity to create something really unique in a way that I don’t normally get to. I loved winning the scariest costume, but hearing the compliments from my classmates and being proud of what I’ve made out of essentially just paper towels, paint, cotton balls, and latex is the best feeling.”