Features

Spartan Spooktacular Success

Malana Ofchinick and Alyssa Manderach

October 27, 2023

United Spartans officers Alyssa Manderach, Maggie Howard, Peyton Heisler, and Sarah Podkul skipped through the halls as the characters from The Wizard of Oz.

Starting at around 5:45 PM on October 25, ghosts, princesses, a few ninja turtles, and Wednesday Addams were amongst a sea of elementary aged students lined up to register for the second Spartan Spooktacular. An event originated by United Spartans, under the direction of Mrs. Kertoy, and Alpha Omega, under the direction of Mrs. Testa, the Spooktacular now seems as if it will be a staple in future years.

This year’s five dollar fee benefitted Hempfield Area Mini-THON, a student-led organization that raises funds for pediatric cancer research.

The elementary students followed a spooky path down the main hallway where they could trick or treat and engage with students from United Spartans, NHS, SNHS, Student Council, Project 18, ITS, Choir, Mini-THON, ESS, NAHS, NEHS, and Spartan Planning Committee.

An interactive story read by NEHS members in costume had students stomping their feet and yelling “BOO!” with excitement. Next, students arrived at the cafeteria, where they could paint pumpkins, design a ghostly craft, decorate cookies, and participate in games. Outside of the cafeteria, NAHS students, organized by Mrs. Daignault, set up a stunning photo booth, and Spartan Event Planning students, under the direction of Mrs. Fetterman, designed a neon haunted house filled with mad scientists.

Almost 200 elementary students took part in the festivities from 6-8 PM. Senior Malea Nadeo exclaims, “It was nice to see all the young children and families smile and have fun together.”

This event is one that brings everyone in the high school and beyond together for a spooky experience and a united night. We hope, as senior Logan Helman says, “The kids had a great time.”

About the Contributors

Malana Ofchinick, Artistic Director

Born and raised in Greensburg, Malana Ofchinick is a senior at Hempfield Area High School. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her 3 dogs, going to Hempfield games, swimming, and going shopping. Every year, Malana goes to Myrtle Beach with her mom, 2 sisters, friend Carys, and grandparents. A fun fact about her is she has four hamsters and then one day woke up to four hamsters babies. She will be bringing a creative mind, open perspective, and new ideas to the group.

Alyssa Manderach, Editor

Spartan pride runs deep for Alyssa Manderach, who is originally an Ocean City, Maryland native. She has spent the last 7 years working to embrace what it means to be a part of Hempfield Area. The Royal has been a dedicated passion of hers since she started writing for it two years ago during her sophomore year. Her work preserving events and memories for the newspaper has pushed her to pursue a career in journalism after graduating from college. Much of her time is also spent volunteering and working with the school as president of United Spartans. Between her time in these organizations, as well as many other clubs and honor societies, she has seen the opportunities to volunteer with local organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Beverly's Birthdays, and Westmoreland County Food Bank. Her plans for the upcoming years involve attending a four-year university, studying communications with a focus on media, so that hopefully she can enter the journalism field as a writer or editor.