Pumpkins glow in front of faculty houses; fake cobwebs stretch across the dorm hallways; and the sound of rustling candy bags fill the air as Webbies gear up for the spooky holiday. But this year’s Halloween wasn’t just on any night—it is the only one to land on a Friday since 2014, and Webb was buzzing with excitement. Between last minute costume ideas, dorm decorations, and campus events, the question isn’t if students are celebrating, it’s how.  

This year’s Webb Halloween events were full of spooky excitement. The thrilling Zombie Apocalypse sent students running across campus, solving clues before the “zombies” caught them. Meanwhile, the dorm prefects hosted the Haunted House, and the student government ran a costume contest that turned Stockdale Community Center into a runway.  

“It’s a tradition for student government to host a costume contest for Halloween to encourage the student body to engage in the festive spirit of Halloween and have some friendly competition,” said Andres Caballero (‘26), vice executive of the student body. 

This year, the student government invited Ms. Billie Guerrero, Science Department Faculty, to be the judge and handed out candy to the winning costumes.  

“I personally really enjoyed hosting the costume contest this year and introducing all of the different costumes. I thought it was a great way to get people to come out and engage in something they might not usually participate in,” Andres said.    

For many underclassmen, it was their first time celebrating Halloween away from home, and the Webb community made it feel special.  

“I went to the zombie apocalypse because I saw the upper-level students do it in the previous years. I started planning to do it from the beginning of the year, and it was exciting running around, stealing items, and trying to win,” Gus Hebert (‘29) said. 

The dorm perfects also played a key role in keeping the Halloween tradition alive, setting up the annual Haunted House where visitors wound through dark hallways and experience jump scares by prefects dressed in costumes. 

“The other dorm prefects and I had a lot of fun setting up the house and scaring people in it. It was overall a really fun experience, and if I had to describe it in one word, I would say joyful,” said Juliet Roher (‘27), a dorm prefect in Jameson. 

Thanks to the dorm perfects’ dedicated planning and elaborate decorations to make the haunted house a thrilling experience filled with screams and laughter. 

“My favorite moment of the haunted house was being the first person to scare everyone and getting ready with all of my friends,” said Zoe Liu (‘27), another dorm prefect in Jameson. 

Beyond the major school events, students and faculty members brought a more lighthearted spirit to campus. Faculty children trick-or-treated through the dorms, guided by upperclassmen dorm prefects who handed out candy.  

“When handing out candy I genuinely enjoyed it because I got to bring the spirit of Halloween alive to Webb,” Zoe said. 

While many students stayed on campus, others ventured off campus to celebrate with friends and family. Some attended local Halloween parties and community events that carried the same festive energy found at Webb.  

“For Halloween, my friends and I went to a party arranged by a mutual friend. Afterwards, we got dinner, and since Halloween falls on a Friday, we stayed out later [and] took an overnight trip to my aunt’s house in Palm Springs,” Kat Lazar (‘28) said.  

For others, the long weekend allowed them to reminisce about childhood traditions.  

“Since it is senior year, I wanted to relive my childhood memories, so I decided to dress up as the terminator and go trick-or-treat with my friends on Friday. I remember doing this when I was in elementary school every Halloween,”Tony Gao (‘26) said. 

Still, not everyone felt the need to go out. Some students chose a more comfortable way to spend Halloween.  

“Since Halloween was on a Friday this year, I didn’t have to worry about waking up early for school the next day. I binge-watched a bunch of scary movies like Annabelle, Halloween and Insidious at home,” Jayden Kuo (‘26) said.  

Whether spending the night running from zombies, handing out candy in dorms, or gathering with friends off campus, Webbies embraced the holiday with enthusiasm and community. With the rare Friday Halloween giving everyone extra time to celebrate, this year’s festivities created memories that will linger far beyond the month of October.