Arts & Entertainment

Third annual Halloween “read-a-thon” encourages a sold out crowd to read and hang out all night

Uma Tevlin, Staff Writer

November 4, 2024

Students reading during one of the independent reading sessions at the Witching Hour.

Tabassum Ahmed

FOUR HUNDRED STUDENTS STRIVE TO PULL A SCHOOL-SANCTIONED ALL NIGHTER AT “THE WITCHING HOUR”

Last month, for the Halloween season, students lined the outside of the school buzzing with anticipation for the annual “Witching Hour Readathon.” This year, the event welcomed a record-breaking 400 participants. From 7pm to 7am, students participated in a variety of activities, including arts and crafts, horror movies, and trivia, interspersed with a total of four hours of dedicated reading sessions, all while battling to stay awake.

Students show their reading choices during one of the independent reading sessions at the Witching Hour. (Tabassum Ahmed)

The view as you enter “The Witching Hour.” Before 7pm, students got in line outside of the school building, carrying with them food, water, and a variety of bedding options: some brought sleeping bags, some brought inflatable mattresses, and one group even brought an inflatable pool. To enter, those who had a ticket, needed to bring just one other thing: a book.

The decorated entryway to The Witching Hour. (Ryan Chen)

Students by the fire in the courtyard at the Witching Hour. As the sun rose, students in the courtyard listened to an excerpt from Stephen King's scary stories.

The event aimed to promote reading in an age of “screenagers,” where books often take a backseat. English teacher and Classic advisor Brian Sweeney, the main organizer of the event, said, “The point of events like this is that you create a culture where [reading is] part of a conversation even in an indirect way. It’s pretty incredible that at 1am it’s silent in the gym with 400 kids [reading].”

After initially selling out 300 tickets, Mr. Sweeney said he worked with Mrs. Laverde and the school administration to get enough chaperones to allow 400 students to come. They capped the attendance after that.

Assistant Principal of Organization Ellen Fee, who helped chaperone the event, said, “We just have to all push ourselves to put down our devices and pick up a book. If we can do it with our friends it’s way more accessible than doing it at home.”

While students were expected to read their own books at various points throughout the night, at other points, students could go to the courtyard where a fire pit let them toast marshmallows and (later in the evening) listen to scary stories be read to them by chaperones.

Students by the fire in the courtyard at the Witching Hour. As the sun rose, students in the courtyard listened to an excerpt from Stephen King’s scary stories. (Shaw Williams)

Students gathered in the courtyard to hear excerpts from horror stories by Stephen King as the sun rose.

Junior Sonia Ghanny said, “It was my first year doing Witching Hour, and I was really surprised by how many students took the reading portion seriously. It’s really amazing how this event incorporates the fun of staying [in school overnight] with reading.”

During the intervals of reading, chaperones monitored students, ensuring that they stayed engaged and focused on reading.

Sophomore Rebecca Castrillon said, “When we had to start reading, and I realized how long the [reading] sessions were I definitely wasn’t excited, but once we got comfortable with snacks it went by pretty quickly, and I actually enjoyed it.”

Students gathered in the courtyard to hear excerpts from horror stories by Stephen King as the sun rose. (Tabassum Ahmed)

Last month, the third annual Witching Hour was held at THHS, where students stayed overnight, and were challenged to stay up for the whole night to complete the reading challenge, filled with fun and activities. (Aidan Ng)

While the event maintained its core structure, a significant addition this year was the introduction of hangout rooms. Mr. Sweeney said, “For Season’s Readings last year, we had the hangout rooms on the fourth floor and students really liked it, so we decided to add it in [to Witching Hour].”

Senior Zuzia Smolga said, “The private [hangout] rooms made [the event] so much more fun. My friends and I played games and did karaoke which wouldn’t be possible if we were in the gym. It made Witching Hour so much more fun.”

Students listening to readings from Edgar Allen Poe's classic stories at midnight in the auditorium.

Along with the hangout rooms, students were also able to enjoy showings of Coraline, Stranger Things, A Quiet Place: Day One, and Truth or Dare throughout the night.

Freshman David Papajanis said, “Me and my friends signed up for A Quiet Place and we thought it was great. The environment of watching a horror movie with your friends, at night, in school is really hard to beat.”

Students also gathered in the auditorium at midnight — the witching hour itself — to collectively listen to read alouds of classic stories by Edgar Allen Poe.

Students who were still awake and reading after the final 5am-7am reading session won 500 points towards the THHS Reading Initiative’s yearlong contest.

Students listening to readings from Edgar Allen Poe’s classic stories at midnight in the auditorium. (Tabassum Ahmed)

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