Dozens of costumed elementary school students paraded across Stadium Drive to fill their trick-or-treat bags with candy.
Students from Starpoint School and KinderFrogs School went trick-or-treating in Daniel-Meyer Coliseum Friday in the annual Starpoint Halloween Parade. The parade was put on by Staff Assembly, parade coordinator Terri Cain said.
Staff Assembly is a group of university staff representatives that meets monthly to discuss issues affecting staff members, according to its website.
Terri Cain, administrative assistant in the athletics administration office, said staff members stood in the hallway around the gymnasium and passed out candy to the children. Students could also be photographed in their costumes with SuperFrog in front of a purple backdrop.
TJ Howard, a junior kinesiology major, said members of his fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi, also volunteered in the event by helping guide students from KinderFrogs School to the coliseum.
Howard said he also walked with the students through the coliseum and helped them collect candy from each staff member. Members of the fraternity volunteer at StarPoint and KinderFrogs every week.
New members are required to fulfill a weekly service requirement of one hour per week at KinderFrogs School, but members often continue their service to the school even after their initiation, he said.
Howard said he found out about the parade through his fraternity’s involvement with the schools.
The kids were most excited by the candy, but wearing Halloween costumes was also a treat, he said.
Magdalene Evans, a second-level student at Starpoint School, dressed as a vampire complete with black lipstick and a burgundy dress. She agreed that the candy was the most exciting part of the parade.
Howard said, “It was a fun day for [the children], so it made it a fun day for us.”
Doris Wallace, the administrative assistant for the Schieffer School of Journalism, also helped to coordinate the event. Wallace said she appreciated the opportunity to see the enthusiasm of the children while they were in their costumes.
Wallace said she thought parents of the students appreciated having a safe environment, like the parade, for their children to trick-or-treat.
Cain said staff members from all areas of campus participated in the event. Staff members had been preparing for the event by collecting candy for the past month, she said.
The Community Service Committee within Staff Assembly was responsible for the parade, but staff members did not have to be in Staff Assembly or on the committee to participate in the parade or collect candy, she said.
Tiffany Wendt, a member of the community service committee, said about 20 staff members attended the event to help hand out candy.
The Community Service Committee will be hosting a coat drive this month and toy drive in December as its next service projects, according to its website.
