Two Dorms Bring Halloween To Life
Halloween spirit has swept through Orton and Westwood this week as students showed off their spooky creativity. Westwood residents transformed their doors with colorful Halloween-themed paper, while Orton took their decorations to the next level covering the floor with webs, paper designs, and even an air-blown ghost that greets anyone who dares to walk by. The festive displays have brought excitement and friendly competition to the halls as Halloween approaches.
Orton: Haunted Halls
(Photo credit: Harrison Yang 29′)
(Photo credit: Harrison Yang 29′)
Prefects Mitch Wu 26′, Joshua Yao 26′, Bill Li 26′, Shawn Tang 26′, Majd Abu Tahoun 26′, and Khalilullah Saidu 26′, of Orton reflected proudly on how the Halloween decorating process brought the dorm community closer together. “It was really helpful to have each person contribute their own ideas,” one prefect shared. “Everyone brought something different to the community, and it really brought our skills to life.”
They explained that what made the experience special wasn’t just how the decorations turned out, but how everyone worked together to make it happen.
“Some people focused on the design, others on setting things up or adding finishing touches like the air-blown ghost. It was amazing to see how every small effort added up to something big,” a prefect added.
In Orton, every corner of the hallway was transformed into a spooky yet welcoming space. Students working late in the evening hanging webs, layering colored paper across the floors, and arranging ghosts so they would catch people’s attention right as they walked in.
The prefect shared that the process felt less like a competition and more like a chance for everyone to express creativity and teamwork.
“For me, seeing the final result filled me with pride and gratitude. When we turned off the lights and saw everything glowing in the dark, it really hit me how much effort everyone had put in,” The prefects said.
The second floor of Orton Hall was rated the best in the whole dorm for this year’s Halloween decorating contest. They transformed their hallway into a creative and spooky masterpiece. From dangling paper and hanging webs to glowing lights and an air-blown ghost that greeted visitors, the floor’s decorations perfectly captured the Halloween spirit.
For Clay Marentette 29′, the experience went beyond spooky aesthetics – it was about joy and connection. He hopes their decorations remind others that “you’re never too old to have fun.” Many people his age, he noted, think it’s “lame to dress up or decorate,” but he believes those moments of fun with friends are worth holding onto. It really were the group’s personality and enthusiasm that truly brought the project to life, creating the second floor’s “fun, energetic vibe”. While every floor had its own style, Clay explained that their shared energy stood out during the decorating process.
Tom Le 28’, another Orton resident, shared that decorating for Halloween has become a tradition that unites everyone. “Each floor has its own decorations, and sometimes we have a little competition to see which one is the best,” he explained. “On our floor, Khalil set up a speaker that played scary music through the hall, it made the vibe feel really spooky.” As an international student, Tom said the experience was both new and meaningful. “It was something interesting to experience,” he said. “We all had to work together to decide where to put things, like the webs and the skeletons. It really taught us how to go from being strangers to working together like partners.”
In the photo, Joshua Xu 28’, Michael Wang 28’ and Khalil Seifullah 28’, three second-floor residents proudly pose with their inflatable ghost as a centerpiece of their Halloween display. The ghost, with its wide grin and waving arms, became a symbol of the floor’s imaginative spirit. Behind them, the hallway is filled with webs, orange streamers, and creepy wall decorations that capture the festive mood. The students said setting up the ghost was one of the funniest parts of the decorating process, bringing lots of laughs and teamwork as they worked to make it stand up right.
The ghost soon became a symbol of Orton’s second-floor community—fun, creative, and full of spirit. It represented the effort and energy that every student put into transforming the hallway into a Halloween haunted house. For many, it wasn’t just about the decorations, but about the shared experience of building something together. “Every time I walked by and saw the ghost, it made me smile,” Joshua said. “It reminded me how much fun we had working as a team.” The inflatable ghost stood as a cheerful guardian for the hallway.
Westwood: Wicked Wonders
Westwood Hall was buzzing with excitement as students transformed their hallway doors into creative Halloween masterpieces. Each door showed off a different idea, some spooky, some funny, and some downright impressive. The hallway glowed with colorful paper, hand-drawn characters, and small details that reflected each resident’s imagination. Laughter and music filled the air as students worked side by side, cutting out shapes, taping decorations, and helping each other bring their visions to life. The atmosphere was cheerful and lively, turning an ordinary evening into a celebration of creativity and teamwork.
Drawing from that influence, Nellie and her roommate, Edam Cho 28′, combined her artistic inspiration with their own creative ideas to design a unique, eye-catching decoration. The result was a playful yet eerie door that captured both the fun and mysterious side of Halloween. “We just mixed my ideas with hers,” Nellie said. “It really showed our teamwork, our friendship, and the strong bond between me and Edam. The whole decoration became something that reflected both of our talents.”
Ella Brown 26’s door, wrapped in vines, webs, and warm autumn colors, stood out for its detailed and thoughtful design. “We started a bit late, but once things got going, everyone came down to help,” Ella said. “People were all over the hallway, drawing their images and cutting them out. It was really cute—and it brought everyone together. We were all bonding over it until everything was done.”
Just a few doors down, Mary Li 28’s design took a whimsical turn. She and her roommate, Haerin Noh28′ filled her door with delicate paper-cut decorations featuring eyes and swirling abstract shapes.
Together, Ella, Mary, and their neighbors turned Westwood’s hallway into a gallery of Halloween creativity, where the mix of spooky vines and playful designs reflected the floor’s strong sense of community and imagination, making this year’s decorations one of Westwood’s most memorable Halloween moments.
Tom’s Message
Tom Hoopes, Orton’s dorm head, explained that Halloween painting and dorm floor decorating is all about creativity and excitement. “I’m really excited because the decorating brought people together well,” shared Tom, “and it’s a collaborative experience where everyone helps decide what the decorations should be”.
At the same time, as Tom pointed out, “there’s a little bit of competition between floors,” which adds more fun into this process. “Every floor tries their best to make their space look cool and interesting, and sometimes we even have a little contest to see which floor comes out on top.”
Tom’s favorite part about decorating for Halloween is that it’s fun and sweet. “There’s kindness in the holiday,” said Tom, “and it’s not only the time for kids to dress up, but also a chance to show spooky fun with ghosts, skeletons, bats, and creepy cats.”
His words reflect the spirit seen across both Orton and Westwood, where residents came together through creativity, collaboration, and friendly competition. Each dorm transformed its hallways into festive and imaginative spaces, blending spooky and playful elements. Overall, the event fostered community, teamwork, and joy—giving boarders a chance to celebrate the season and embrace the holiday spirit.
After all, as Tom reminded us, “life is short, so it’s good to have some fun.”
