The annual Sage Hill faculty costume contest brought In-N-Out employees, Minions and a lumberjack crew to Wilkins Town Square in a dazzling display during lunch on Halloween.
This year, the history department dressed up as lumberjacks, sporting plaid shirts and overalls. One history teacher held up an inflatable tree as a prop. The College Counseling Team dressed up as monster cereal characters, while Director of College Counseling Frank Smith sported a Count Chocula costume and handed out cereal amongst the judges. The other college counselors were dressed as Boo Berry, Carmella Creeper, Frankenberry and Frute Brute. Smith said the idea came from college counselors’ tradition. “Every year during Halloween, the college counseling department keeps the monster cereals in their office to hand out to students,” he said. “[I’m] impressed by the effort and work that other groups put into it, like adding music and choreography.”
Dance faculty members dressed as a disco queen and her disco ball. As a part of their showcase, they also performed a disco-themed choreographed dance with accompanying background music.
One of the groups that tied for best group and best department, Athletics and Physical Health dressed up as In-N-Out workers, with Physical Health and Wellness Department Chair Amy Ray taking the orders of each of the judges and other department members delivering double-doubles.
Tied with them for first place, the Science Department made a surprising entrance dressed as minions. Each of the costumes was hand-made, using chicken wire for the skeleton, thin cardboard to smooth the outside, and yellow felt with jean fabric for the color. Science Department Chair Anie Robinson said it was “a huge engineering project” that required brainstorming and multiple attempts to nail the babbling creatures’ signature yellow profile and googly eyes.”
Science faculty members rallied, spending two to five hours each day for a week to finish their costumes while each taught six courses to fill in for their colleague Megan Rutherford while she’s on maternity leave this semester. Despite tying for first place, Science Teacher Justin Johnson said they “were just happy to put the costumes together in a team-bonding atmosphere.”
Students have enjoyed this tradition over the years, as junior Isabella Nguyen said how she enjoys “how the science department goes all out every year,” while junior Joy Qu said she likes “seeing the thoughtfulness put into the costumes, as they get more original as the years progress” and is looking forward to what next year’s Halloween costume contest has in store.
