On Wednesday the 23rd of October, Father Bernard Court held the Halloween Boo Bash for children of school faculty and staff to play games and go trick-or-treating in the upper area of campus. According to Justin DiLoreto, the Area Coordinator of Father Bernard Courts, Holy Cross and St. Mary’s, the purpose of this event is to “provide a space for the families of the faculty and staff, as well as alumni, to come to campus, interact with current students, and have a good time celebrating the Halloween Season.” However, this event is not just for Saint Anselm staff, because DiLoreto says it is a “great chance to decorate your apartment, try on your best costume, and help give back to these faculty/staff families who do so much for this college.” DiLoreto was the main organizer for the Boo Bash and coordinated with campus groups such as Dining Services, Resident Assistants, and Athletics to provide fun activities and Halloween cheer for all. Hope Jensen, a senior RA on the FBC staff who did face paint for the event, said that she was grateful for the support in organizing and putting on this event. The Boo Bash is a time when the college community comes together in a fun act of service by giving back to the faculty and staff that help to shape their adult lives and future careers. Of course, the event is also just plain fun because Jensen says that “seeing everyone’s costumes, [is] always the best part of Halloween.” A significant amount of work goes into hosting a large-scale event like this. Both Jensen and DiLoreto mentioned that there were challenges associated with planning the event this year. “There are so many groups coming together,” Jensen said. Ensuring that “everyone is on the same page is the most important thing” to plan a large event, according to the senior RA. DiLoreto shared the same sentiments that Jensen shared. He mentioned that “coordinating with multiple campus partners to plan out activities and purchasing all items for the event” can be a lot to keep track of, especially because you’re relying on other groups on campus to collaborate with you. What makes an event like this successful is great teamwork, as DiLoreto says, “It helps that we had so much support from the campus community!” The celebration had food, games and trick-or-treating, and welcomed guests such as students, faculty and staff of the college, as well as alumni families.

         DiLoreto commented that the dining staff “provided a great obstacle course with eye-catching inflatables.” The Athletics group helped to supply fall treats like apple cider and donuts and station volunteers at the obstacle course. The “Uppers” area was decked out with spooky decor, and frightfully good fun for the Boo Bash. Aside from the obstacle course provided by dining, there were alternative activities like “face painting, a ring toss for some Halloween prizes, popcorn and cotton candy, and of course the trick or treating where we had almost 30 apartments handing out candy!” as DiLoreto noted. DiLoreto declared that the Boo Bash is not just an event for alumni, faculty or staff, but also FBC residents. DiLoreto spoke of an activity that was exclusive to FBC residents, where people who lived in an “Uppers” apartment were invited to participate in a door decorating contest to help with the Halloween spirit. The Area Coordinator said that there were “a little over 10 apartments [who went] all out on decorating their apartment entrances for a chance to win some awesome prizes donated by Alumni Relations!” DiLoreto expressed immense gratitude to all of those who helped out with or attended the Boo Bash. For his first time managing this event, he was incredibly excited to see it offered to the campus, and just as proud to see everyone coming together for a night of frights and fun. As the Area Coordinator for “Uppers” DiLoreto sees the works that residents put into the event, and is proud of the initiative they collectively took to make the event a success. He said “from putting up some amazing decorations to the massive turn out of apartments to handing out candy, they made this event something really special and I’m so thankful for that turnout!” The Boo Bash is the perfect time for the campus to “come together to create a great experience for the families that do so much to help keep Saint A’s running” as DiLoreto noted. In his final comments, DiLoreto said that “Whether you went all out on decorating your apartment, or you put together some great costumes, or you just came outside and helped hand out candy, your involvement made this event as special as it was and I can’t say enough how proud I am of FBC!”