Trick-or-treating is the hallmark of Halloween, but by 10th grade, it is no longer as exciting as it once was in childhood. Tenth grade should be the year students say goodbye to trick-or-treating and leave behind their childhood candy tradition. When Halloween rolls around, many students—including myself—would rather hang out with friends or go to Halloween parties.
Halloween is often represented by dressing up in fun or scary costumes, not necessarily trick-or-treating. After a certain point, it becomes repetitive, and students should branch out and try new activities during a fun holiday instead of sticking to the same routine.
“[Trick-or-treating] seems to taper off at the junior high level, and by the time you’re in high school, you might have a costume party that you’re going to rather than trick-or-treating,” said science teacher Michael Lynch.
As a teacher with young kids of his own, Lynch said he takes them trick-or-treating every year on Halloween. He explained that teenagers should find other ways to celebrate once they reach high school.
I feel that parties and hangouts are a part of the high school experience that appeals to many students, meaning teenagers should engage in those activities instead of walking around asking for candy.
“It’s a kid family event,” said Alexandros Pateras, DPHS Social Studies teacher. “As you start getting older, it becomes more rowdy and less about the family event of the night, and becomes more of just kids having a good time messing around, which is still cool, but not necessarily the point.”
By the time people reach high school, students are well on their way to becoming adults, especially in 10th grade, when most are 15 or 16. As students get older, they tend to branch out from their families to just be with their friends, and I’d much rather spend time with my friends on Halloween than stick with my family.
Several DPHS students interviewed said that being 15 or 16 and going trick-or-treating is “weird” because they’re on the older side.
“I would say 10th grade [is the cut off] because I feel like if you’re older and asking for candy, it just looks a little weird,” Aylin Heikman (10) said. “You’re probably old enough to get a job and pay for it yourself anyway.”
Once students are old enough to work, typically 15 or 16, they can buy their own candy and choose exactly what they want.
Many argue that trick-or-treating’s surprise variety of candy is part of the fun; however, when I end up with candy I don’t like or live in a neighborhood that doesn’t offer good candy, it is not worth it. In that case, it’s better to buy your own.
However, not all DPHS students agree that trick-or-treating should have an age limit.
“I think that they should never stop,” Dayanna Leon Castro (11) said. “Free candy is for everybody.”
No matter how you choose to celebrate, the most important thing on Halloween is to stay safe.
Happy Halloween, Chargers!
