Terror in the Towers 2013

This October, our Phillips Elementary New Artists class went on a spooky excursion to Duquesne University. The event is called Terror in the Towers, a special evening when the University students open their dorms to host a big party and trick-or-treating extravaganza.

After riding a school bus to Duquesne, we were invited to have snacks in a festive party room. Our hosts provided a popcorn cart and a cotton candy machine. We also had a choice of fresh fruit, cookies and punch.

Many of our students came in costume. We had a tiger, monkey, bunny, ninja, Chinese acrobat, skeleton jester, the Grim Reaper, a Dia de los Muertos skeleton, Harry Potter, and the color Pink, just to name a few.

After eating, we embarked on our trick-or-treat tour of the towers. Each group was lead by two student guides. My group was managed by an unflappable Superman and Pizza Guy. The Duquesne students did a marvelous job decorating their common rooms. The first room was the scariest, as it featured flesh-eating zombies. Each dorm had a theme... some were spidery, some were filled with ghosts and ghouls. My personal favorite was the Wizard of Oz dorm, complete with the yellow Brick road and Emerald City.

By the end of our twistings and turnings through the towers, our kids collapsed with exhaustion. They had to refuel on candy. The Duquesne students were generous by giving us lots of trick-or-treat goodies.

Ring pops were a popular staple, but some of the Trick-or-Treats were pencils and even play-dough. While winding down after the trip through the tours, we made Halloween play-dough sculptures and colored pictures of witches riding motorcycles.

Our time at Duquesne was a wonderful start to Halloween. Our students' personalities sparkled, and we definitely experienced class bonding from packing together in all those elevators. Thanks Duquesne University and Happy Halloween!

-Laura