Spring Break
Philly students trick-or-treat
Ari Melman
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Halloween is a time when most people eat lots of candy, dress up in costumes, party harder than usual, and watch horror movies. But for 30 Drexel students, this year's Halloween involved community service. The Center for Civic Engagement and the Pennoni Honors College brought 50 sixth graders from West Philadelphia schools to Race Street Hall to celebrate Halloween in style. They got face-painted, mummified, and got the chance to trick-or-treat through the residence hall.
These students, known collectively as Lindy Scholars, are part of a Saturday tutoring program at Drexel. Twice a month, they come to Drexel's campus, where Drexel students enrich their mathematics and writing skills, and instill in them a desire to go to college and break the poverty barriers they face. However, this week, the Lindy's were surprised with a Halloween party in their honor. They were greeted with pizza, Wawa donated drinks, eager face-painting volunteers, and a slew of Halloween games. The kids entered the Race Street Dorm multipurpose room quietly but quickly got into the day's activities. Students became Spider-Man, a robot, a butterfly, and more in just a few minutes.
Soon, the kids divided into groups and were handed two rolls of toilet paper. Before long, each group had covered a student head to toe in toilet paper in order to win an intense mummy-making derby. They then participated in mummy beautification, where, with the power of markers, they transformed their fairly identical mummies into a pirate, a one-eyed demon, a cowgirl, and more. Finally, these mummified kids participated in a dance-off, with the winner getting chocolate graciously donated by Trader Joes. One of the Lindy Advisors, Genymphas Higgs, noted "Honestly, I wish there was a program like this for me when I was in sixth grade. I had just as much fun as the Lindy Scholars did, if not more."
Following the mummy games, the students went up to the ninth floor of Race to go trick-or-treating. The hall was decked out with strobe lights, black lights, bats, webs and fake spiders. The floor's residents handed out candy by the droves, leaving each kid with a large sack of various candy. Gianna Borgia, a volunteer, remarked, "I think that the kids really enjoyed the trick-or-treating part. The ninth floor did a great job creating an atmosphere in the hallway. The group I took up was really excited. The mummies were the best part, especially when they were all dancing."
When the time had come to go home, the students were not so quick to leave. Several stayed around for a final face-paint session. The floor residents loved interacting with the kids, and the kids loved seeing college as more than just a place to learn. They left with paint on their faces, smiles on their mouths, candy in their stomachs, and good times in their hearts.
These students, known collectively as Lindy Scholars, are part of a Saturday tutoring program at Drexel. Twice a month, they come to Drexel's campus, where Drexel students enrich their mathematics and writing skills, and instill in them a desire to go to college and break the poverty barriers they face. However, this week, the Lindy's were surprised with a Halloween party in their honor. They were greeted with pizza, Wawa donated drinks, eager face-painting volunteers, and a slew of Halloween games. The kids entered the Race Street Dorm multipurpose room quietly but quickly got into the day's activities. Students became Spider-Man, a robot, a butterfly, and more in just a few minutes.
Soon, the kids divided into groups and were handed two rolls of toilet paper. Before long, each group had covered a student head to toe in toilet paper in order to win an intense mummy-making derby. They then participated in mummy beautification, where, with the power of markers, they transformed their fairly identical mummies into a pirate, a one-eyed demon, a cowgirl, and more. Finally, these mummified kids participated in a dance-off, with the winner getting chocolate graciously donated by Trader Joes. One of the Lindy Advisors, Genymphas Higgs, noted "Honestly, I wish there was a program like this for me when I was in sixth grade. I had just as much fun as the Lindy Scholars did, if not more."
Following the mummy games, the students went up to the ninth floor of Race to go trick-or-treating. The hall was decked out with strobe lights, black lights, bats, webs and fake spiders. The floor's residents handed out candy by the droves, leaving each kid with a large sack of various candy. Gianna Borgia, a volunteer, remarked, "I think that the kids really enjoyed the trick-or-treating part. The ninth floor did a great job creating an atmosphere in the hallway. The group I took up was really excited. The mummies were the best part, especially when they were all dancing."
When the time had come to go home, the students were not so quick to leave. Several stayed around for a final face-paint session. The floor residents loved interacting with the kids, and the kids loved seeing college as more than just a place to learn. They left with paint on their faces, smiles on their mouths, candy in their stomachs, and good times in their hearts.
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