Cats and unicorns and witches! Oh my! With an abundance of Halloween spirit, the Academy high school girls channeled their creativity with  costumes into helping those in need. In order to raise money for the students in Lesotho who attend schools run by Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, the Student Council sponsored a Halloween-themed fundraiser for which the students donated two dollars to wear costume decorations over their uniforms.

Girls went all out with crazy wigs, funky hats, and outrageous make-up. The seniors organized a class costume by donning cute cat ears and whiskers. The teachers even got into the spirit by dressing up in costumes ranging from witches to princesses.

Celebrated every year on October 31, Halloween is a cherished holiday of Americans, as well as people around the globe. However, many of the most dedicated trick-or-treaters are unaware of the origins of this ghoulish tradition.

Historians view Celtic tradition as the first major influence on Halloween as we know it. The Celts held a major celebration near the end of our month of October, which they called “Samhain.” Although this celebration officially recognized the end of summer, the people also believed it was a time when the veil between the living and the dead became permeable. To protect themselves from the dead, Celts would disguise themselves in crude costumes and would go from door to door in collection of food for their deities. Thus, began the door-to-door idea of costumes and trick-or-treating of Halloween.