Halloween is an opportunity to display the value expressed in the main themes of the Waldorf Curriculum.
Please exercise cultural sensitivity and respect for the cultures that we are studying in our curriculum.
I AM NOT A COSTUME (Food for Thought)
The #IAmNotACostume campaign aims to draw awareness to the problematic nature of many Halloween costumes. We know that most people do not pick out a costume with bad intentions but regardless of intentions, appropriative costumes still perpetuate harmful stereotypes and contribute to the continuation of the violence and aggression towards marginalized folks. It’s up to everyone to work together to ensure it doesn’t continue among our friend groups, families and communities.
Using identities and cultures as costumes or jokes has become so normalized in our society, i.e. Indigenous folks being used as mascots, native headdresses worn at festivals, or using the trope of a man in a dress to get a laugh.
This annual campaign exists to generate dialogue on campus and in the community about various forms of oppression in a critical and proactive way. Halloweenshould be safe and fun for everyone! This spooky season (and for the rest of the year as well) we invite and encourage fellow students and community members to participate in undoing existing harmful beliefs and practices related to Halloween costumes.
GRADES STUDENTS: Please stay within the following themes in assembling simple, homemade costumes:
- First Grade: Fairy, elf, prince, princess, gnomes or other characters from a fairy tale.
- Second Grade: Animal or noble human being (king, queen, knight, princess, etc.).
- Third Grade: Farmer, builder, gardener, tailor, or baker..
- Fourth Grade: Odin, Thor, Loki, Sif, Idun, blacksmith, god, giant (not scary!), veterinarian, or animal (lion, eagle… etc.).
- Fifth Grade: Specific Greek god or goddess (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Dionysus, Aphrodite, Hephaestus or Hades) or a botanist/ Master Gardener
- Sixth-Eighth Grades: Our Student Council (Middle School Club) creates themes for middle school, which will be announced in the days leading up to Halloween.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Makeup, Hair Dye and Jewelry are acceptable for First though 8th grade students on Halloween. Weapons (real or imitation) are prohibited on our school campus.
KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS: Kindergarten costumes are highly encouraged to be very simple – use what you already have. Here are a few ideas: knights and ladies, fairies, kings and queens, princes and princesses, archetypal characters such as the baker, the farmer, the blacksmith, etc., certainly elves and gnomes, sweet witches, pixies and sprites, with the odd leprechaun thrown in for good measure. Some kindergarten students like to dress up as their own kindergarten symbol or their favorite animal. No masks, dyed hair or heavy makeup please, just sweet, simple, and homemade is best. We would appreciate it if you would save more extensive, store-bought costumes for home; nothing scary or commercialized for school, please. This means no Disney princesses, no Marvel super heroes, no Transformers, no Mario Bros or Pokemon characters, and no ninjas please!
