Alexander Barrera

Children pose under a jack-o-lantern inflatable on Halloween

Morton East students are not too old to trick-or-treat

According to Google AI (which you may not know), the whole discussion about whether high school students should still go trick-or-treating is a big topic. People have a ton of different opinions, and it comes down to a few main factors: social vibes, staying safe, and believe it or not local rules. In a random survey of 100 Morton East High School students, 82% said yes—they went trick-or-treating.

Due to the ICE outbreak, kids are not just choosing to skip trick-or-treating because they find it boring, but also out of fear. We then asked some Morton students if we would see them out this year.

“I don’t think so, as ICE behavior has been escalating recently, and people aren’t able to go out safely anymore. Many people need to stay cautious,” said senior Emmanuel Reyes-Soberanis.

Students are concerned about their safety going out trick-or-treating because of ICE.

“I am concerned because back then, we didn’t have the looming threat of ICE taking kids away from their families,” said senior Adolfo Burciaga.

Students and families are afraid of being separated from their loved ones due to recent ICE presence and behavior.

“I believe it was safer this year because there was more parental supervision to take care of their kids so nothing bad happens to them,” said junior Imanol Salazar.

While one student credits greater supervision for a safer environment, another notes a shift from outdoor freedom to more indoor celebrations.

“My personal experience—I do feel like a lot more things happen inside places and not out in the streets. Like, when I was still 10 or 11, there were parties happening, so I was just able to stay outside and be alright,” said sophomore Delilah Abigail Puentes.

While this student recalls a time when being outside still felt safe, another student points out how modern trends have made that safety harder to find.

“It is not safe due to kids doing recent internet trends. This encourages kids to be less safe for example, the ‘Try to Get Run Over’ challenge,” said senior Jeremiah Calleros.

“I think there’s always some level of danger when going out, but given concerns in the community, I do think that this year caused more worries and fears with people going trick-or-treating,” said civic teacher Brenda Lopez.

As this civic teacher’s experience shows, Halloween is evolving as we grow up. What was once all about fun and candy has slowly—but surely—become more about responsibility and awareness.

“When I was younger, I’d look forward to dressing up and having Halloween parties at school. As I got older, I realized it’s become work to organize Halloween treats for neighborhood kids and my own students. I still dress up, but as an adult, now I’m the one buying the candy and organizing,” said civic teacher Brenda Lopez.

She recognizes how perspectives on Halloween shift with age. What was once about having fun and knocking door-to-door for candy has now become more about guiding the younger generation.

“I think that people should be allowed to trick-or-treat through the end of their high school experience. While you’re still in school, it should be okay to trick-or-treat. But after that, I don’t think it’s fair to the kids. For example, I don’t think 20-year-olds should be trick-or-treating—go buy your own bag of candy,” said civic teacher Brenda Lopez.