“Trick or Treat? Trick-or-Treat…” The sounds of children’s laughter echoed in the quiet neighborhoods, giving the chilly autumn air a rather cheerful ambiance. Fallen leaves pile on the ground in multicolored cascades, ever so ready to be stepped on with a loud “crunch.” As we progress into the month of October, many have already begun thinking about their Halloween costumes this year. Will they go with their costume from last year? DIY the attire themselves? Or perhaps not even dress up? Anticipation is in the air, and we are convinced that you are all eager to learn about the costume plans of your teachers and peers. As reporters for The Quill, we have taken it upon ourselves to answer your burning questions. After hours of grueling searches, we have compiled a detailed list of what the BISV community has planned to dress up as this year. Through our meticulous investigation and comprehensive interview list, we are sure to answer any and all your questions about this year’s BISV Halloween costumes. 

Students

Xinyue (Class of ‘25) has been planning her Halloween costume since the past summer! She plans to dress up as Pumpkin Pie Cookie from the popular role-playing gacha game, Cookie Run: Kingdom. “It was the first absolutely good character I got in the game,” Xinyue recounts excitedly. Being the artistic person she is, she has decided to hand-make all the accessories for her costume. An important part of her costume is Pumpkin Pie Cookie’s doll, Pompom. Since cotton dolls have been trending recently on Chinese media, she simply chose a template, modified it, and sewed the doll herself. Though it was her first time sewing, Xinyue described the two-week process as “both tiring and fun.” As avid fans of Cookie Run Kingdom ourselves, we think her costume will turn out wonderfully and will definitely be one of the costumes to look out for.

Although uncertain at first, Anishka D. (Class of ‘25) agreed to be interviewed after careful consideration. She plans to dress up as Taylor Swift in her Evermore era, and her dear friend, Margaret L. (‘25), will also be Taylor Swift, but in her Folklore era. The Quill must say that they are definitely two die-hard Swifties! Anishka reveals that Evermore is her favorite album and that after watching the July 28th concert in Santa Clara, she felt especially inspired. “Dorothea” is one of the songs in this album, and Anishka, who delves well beneath the surface meaning, views Margaret as her Dorothea and model. Such a pure and wholesome friendship! While laughing, Anishka imitates Taylor Swift by singing the song lyrics to Right Where You Left Me: “But I, I’m right where you left me…help, I’m still at a restaurant.” The Quill must admit that Anishka has the potential of a professional singer! 

Next, we proceeded to ask our good friend Angela Wang (‘25), who seemed rather tentative about her costume choices. She mentioned three costumes she was considering: a Shrek-themed costume for a group costume, Scarlet Overkill from Despicable Me for a group costume, or a Hershey Kiss chocolate. Well, she certainly has vastly diverse options to choose from. When asked about her opinion on each choice, she bluntly stated, “I hate Shrek,” but expressed much satisfaction with the other two choices. She especially mentioned her preference for the Kisses costume, which would include a silver dress and a headpiece of the iconic Hershey’s Kiss plume. Personally, I’m rooting for the Kisses costume. Who doesn’t enjoy seeing a giant, shiny, walking chocolate Kiss? 

After searching for interviewees in the cafeteria, Alina H. (‘24) was generous enough to step out and be interviewed. Without much hesitation, she revealed her Halloween costume this year—Tricky from Subway Surfers. Subway Surfers is a traditional all-time favorite. In fact, she is matching with her bestie, Twisha K. (‘26), who will be Jake. Matching Halloween outfits will definitely be a highlight of the day, and The Quill can’t wait to see this! Like many others, Alina’s costume will be primarily made up of clothes from daily life—jeans, red boxers, a red beanie, and a white tank top. As for the Halloween costume that she’d wear for the rest of her life, Alina certainly answered “Bobcat.” As part of the BISV community, Alina stays true to her bobcat identity. “You know…once a bobcat, always a bobcat.” Alina declares this with a smile on her face. The Quill is proud to say that the Bobcat pride is greater than ever! 

Teachers

Ms. Mujic is the first to reveal the Super Mario-themed group costume that all admin members plan to wear. Despite our curiosities, she refused to talk about the exact character that she would be dressing up as; however, when asked about the reason behind her costume, she answered that it was merely “for the group spirit.” The admins are definitely setting an example for our students by bringing forth a powerful feeling of togetherness! After further elaboration, she ended with the statement that she would be willing to wear a black cat-themed costume for the rest of her Halloweens. As cat people, we support this idea!

Ms. Graves, like all the other admins, will also be going along with the Super Mario theme except…she is the original creator of this idea. Believe it or not, she had this idea since last year! She must have been extremely passionate about this idea…In particular, she is dressing as the “blue shell”—the precious and valuable power-up item that can be launched toward a player. When asked about the inspiration, Ms. Graves carefully contemplated her answer. To future victims of Quill interviews, I mean…interviewees, take Ms. Graves’ relaxed yet thoughtful responses as an example! After a short duration of time, Ms. Graves finally stated her opinion on her costume: “I think the blue shell is the most feared and prized object in Mario Kart. [It has] a lot of power. I love being feared; not really…but in that retrospect. You know, rare but feared by all.” Later, she confessed: “I will run into all the cars during parking lot duty…you know…of course jokingly.” The Quill thinks that a red carpet is necessary to pave the way for her majestic entrance. It wouldn’t hurt to also have her carried in one of those royal and ornate carriages, and the next thing you know is that you’re surrounded by an overwhelming crowd of photographers and bystanders, all trying to get a slight glimpse of the elegant blue shell! Just a fair warning: you might want to watch out! Oh, also make sure to bring a pair of sunglasses or else you will surely be blinded by her Godly beauty! Aside from that, she, as a Mario Kart fan, also believes that this Mario Kart theme provides a wide range of options for all the admins to choose from! When asked about her approach to this costume, Ms. Graves told us that she might use a blue backpack as a shell or make her shell out of cardboard. Whatever option she chooses, the Quill can deduce that she is definitely a creative, DIY person! As for her prediction of our Bobcats’ response, Ms. Graves thinks that she will either be “a crowd favorite” or a nobody, and “no one really knows who [she is].” Obviously, she need not worry as she is, undoubtedly, one of The Quill’s favorites! Lastly, we ended our wonderful interview by asking her what costume she’d wear if she had to for the rest of her Halloweens. Then, a dramatic pause…and Ms. Graves scrolls through her photos looking for the perfect costume. Finally, she decided on a referee, as she can “blow whistles and raise flags” and that the “props of referees are endless.” After hearing her detailed response, The Quill is certainly excited to witness the blue shell squeezing its gigantic, circular body through the BISV halls! 

At the front desk, we were greeted by Ms. Lai and Ms. Sullivan, who were eager to be interviewed (The Quill is, after all, a name known far and wide!) by us. Both were planning on wearing Mario-themed costumes this year to match with the others in the admin team. Ms. Lai and Ms. Sullivan both mentioned their pastimes playing the Mario games, and we presume that dressing up this year as Mario characters must’ve reminded them of all those memories. Ms. Suillivan expressed her excitement in being able to dress up as a character she had known since she was young, mentioning her emotional attachment to the franchise, and Ms. Lai pointed out the fun in being able to “dress up as a character you’ve known and played in the past.” Although we attempted to find out exactly what characters they were dressing up as, they succeeded in keeping their identities a secret– a secret we will only find out on the actual day of Halloween. As journalists however, we must make up for this loss, thus after much thought and pondering, both Ms. Lai and Ms. Sullivan thought of costumes they would wear if forced to wear one costume for every following Halloween: Ms. Lai decided on a past costume of a simple, but on-theme witch, and Ms. Sullivan chose a fairy for the pretty sparkles and glitter. 

Sometimes, it’s the memories associated with our costume that make it so special for us. This is the case for Mr. Ross, who plans to dress up as The Highwayman from Over the Garden Wall. Mr. Ross recalled memories from his years in college, describing in great detail a friend in college who had many cups with this character on them, each with a silly face. Inevitably, this costume must bring back feelings of immense nostalgia for Mr. Ross, who claims that this costume would make him “think about his time in college fondly with his friend and all the cups.” Indeed a cherished memory to have! When asked what Halloween costume he would wear if he had to wear it for every following Halloween, Mr. Ross gave us an interesting answer. “Identity theft,” he said, “wear what I normally do but with a ‘Hello, my name is’ sticker with a friend’s name.” Creative, yet comfortable at the same time– we second this idea!

As we passed the Honors Biology room, we saw, unsurprisingly, Dr. Allendoerfer, working diligently on a task. As we explained our intentions to her, she responded: “Ohhhh, for the Quill, that sounds…fun. Well…It is still undecided.” Given that Halloween is still somewhere in the near future, it is, indeed, not uncommon for there to be uncertainties (as you will see in later responses). Upon further inquiry and much hesitation, Dr. A reveals that she might be doing “something bio-related.” With an analysis of Dr. A’s past costumes, we had predicted this very outcome. But, as the professional and stunning interviewers we are, we managed to obtain even more details. (You’re very welcome; you can thank us later!) Unlike previous years where she had been Platelet from Cells at Work, or a tiger, at other times, due to the astounding quantities of tiger merch from her “tiger-mascot” college, Dr. A has decided to change it up this year, perhaps, by matching with her beloved, Honors Biology room. She elaborates: “I will probably buy some parts of my costume and then scrounge around my house for the other parts.” When asked about the one single costume she would wear for the rest of her life, she debated between a real, furry tiger outfit or a Star Trek uniform, in particular, a spaceship. You might have known Dr. A’s dedication to biology, but you might not have known that she has the heart of a true tiger—confident and bold!

Dr. Noble plans to be Peter B. Parker (a.k.a Spider-Man), mostly due to the fact that he loves Parker’s “cute little red-headed daughter.” When asked about his feelings on this costume, he responds: “Well…I’m pretty stoked about it.” The Quill is excited to see this as well! A huge part of his costume he already has—a Spiderman shirt and a pink fluffy robe. When asked about how he thought students would respond, he answered “Positively, I hope? Yes, I think they would like it.” It seems like Dr. Noble is pretty confident that his costume will steal the show on Halloween, but we shall see!

Mr. Archambult, like Dr. Noble and the whole Physics Department, is going with the Spiderman-themed costumes! He provides more background to their decision on such a theme: “Last year, after the new Spider-verse movie came out, Mr. Schindler suggested that the physics department go as various Spider-people.” Whereas most people think of their Halloween costumes a month early, The Quill can already tell that the Physics Department consists of very self-disciplined people as they planned a year ahead! Specifically, as a science teacher, Mr. A will be dressed up as Peter B. Parker in Amazing Fantasy #15, who is also “a science teacher for a while, starting in Amazing Spider-man #473 by J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr.” Mr. A elaborates further: “I often wear costumes that require explanations (mostly because I usually pick niche things that only I find interesting or funny), and this costume isn’t really an exception.” Well, be sure to ask him about his costume on Halloween if you wish for an even more in-depth explanation! If you don’t know him, he will be wearing, as he tells The Quill, “a white button-down, tie, and black sweater vest,” with “a rubber spider attached to [his] hand, to represent the spider-bite.” Mr. A will certainly be pleased to answer your questions, so don’t be afraid to go up to him! 

Despite much prying, Dr. Mo managed to avoid our snooping questions about the exact details of his costume. However, being the talented investigators we are, we’ve managed to procure several clues. Firstly, Dr. Mo mentioned he would be matching costumes with the Chemistry Department. Then, when asked what he thought others would think of it, he responded, “I don’t think they are going to be frightened…it is not frightening.” Suspicious. He also seemed excited to wear this costume and mentioned it would be a very comfortable one. As a side note, Dr. Mo is a big fan of mashup costumes, and he even dressed up in a Freddie Mercury combined with the element Mercury (he is a chemistry teacher after all!) mashup costume before. I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly excited to see his costume on Halloween. 

As we entered Ms. Saeturn’s cozy office, she greeted us with a smile. Again, to no surprise, her Halloween costume is also following in the footsteps of the other admins—a Super Mario-themed outfit. In particular, she will be dressing up as the mystery box. I mean…who doesn’t love mystery boxes? The Quill is in full support of this idea! In an even deeper sense, Ms. Saeturn reveals that the mystery box is supposed to represent her pregnancy and, ultimately, a “mystery” baby! The Quill definitely did not see this coming…it seems like we need more literature analysis classes! Anyway, let’s wish her a smooth delivery! Originally, she wished to be a plant, but she figured that it would be too difficult to make and ended up with this mystery box. Finally, Ms. Saeturn expresses her love for animal onesie costumes, as she’d be willing to wear one for the rest of her Halloweens. Comfort is definitely key! When in doubt, just wear a onesie. It won’t disappoint! 

We approached Mr. Walser at the very end of his office hours and, in a hurry, he told us that he did not plan a costume for this Halloween. The Quill expresses a definite disappointment, but wait! Our interview could not stop here! Mr. Walser further elaborates that only because his kids are older now, he doesn’t dress up as much, but, “before when the kids were younger, [his] wife dressed [him] up as a vampire.” At least that’s something; just a wise piece of advice from The Quill: age shouldn’t limit one’s potential! Well…be sure to dress up for the next Halloween! The Quill will absolutely be there to remind you. Bet 🙂

As the French teacher at BISV, it seems fitting that Madame Pilot is planning to dress up as a French mime for Halloween this year. She mentioned her inspiration was from a famous and brilliant mime, Marcel Marceau, saying that he “could make you see the invisible with his talent and poses.” Putting it that way, he must’ve been someone truly formidable and inspiring! She then goes on to describe the contents of her costume: a striped shirt, a red beret, black suspenders, white gloves, and red sunglasses for a fun twist. Although mimes usually have white paint covering their faces, Madame Pilot will be omitting this aspect due to her allergy to most of the paints on the market. Even so, we think Madame Pilot will still portray for us an amazing and accurate depiction of a French mime. Madame Pilot hopes that upon seeing her costume, students may become interested in the topic of mimes: “Hopefully students will ask me about it so I can share my passion for mimes.” When you see Madame Pilot in her mime costume, be sure to ask her about it, as she will definitely give you a fascinating and well-informed response.

Another one of our language teachers was generous enough to provide details on her costume—Mx. Barnett, a Latin magistrix (teacher). This Halloween, she plans to be a witch. A perfect costume to match the spooky vibes of Halloween! Let’s just hope that she was prosecuted during the Salem Witch Trial…or else it would be a tragedy. Mx. Barnett elaborates on the creation of her costume: “I typically make/assemble my own costumes now, either buying separate pieces or making them myself. This year, the costume is made from clothes I already own with accessories I’ve accumulated.” It seems like she is not only a magistrix with extensive Latin knowledge, but also a fashion designer with superb crafting skills! Undoubtedly, BISV bobcats all have hidden talents besides their high academic achievements. This costume aligns with Mx. Barnett’s “usual aesthetics, but with an excuse to turn everything up to the max.” From the sounds of it, Mx. Barnett is planning to go all out! Halloween is definitely your time to shine, so don’t be afraid to show off your true personality through your costumes! The Quill can’t wait to see it! 

Of course, we couldn’t forget to ask the amazing club advisor of The Quill, Ms. Shapiro herself. Like many of the other admins, Ms. Shapiro also planned to wear a Mario-themed costume– the banana! However, due to the uniqueness of such a costume, Ms. Shapiro went through quite the ordeal to procure the perfect banana costume. Because the first banana costume she bought wasn’t to her liking, as a true quality connoisseur, Ms. Shapiro went above and beyond, ordering a SECOND banana costume: “[It was] something I never thought I would do in my whole life,” she commented thoughtfully. Luckily, she ended up liking her second banana costume very much, proudly proclaiming it “the finest banana costume she could find.” Though many may find it embarrassing to wear a bright yellow banana one-piece, Ms. Shapiro begs to differ. “I get to do traffic as a banana!” she exclaims. I can barely hold my laughter at the thought of a human-sized banana monitoring the hectic BISV traffic—truly a bizarre sight!

Looking at all the choices, we can say for certain that our staff and students have impeccable taste when it comes to their costume choices. Whether the costume was from a franchise, part of a group costume, or a classic choice, all the costumes had their own unique traits and stories behind them. Costumes are an important part of Halloween tradition and seeing everyone dressed up is sure to boost the Halloween spirit. If you aren’t planning to dress up, we hope reading this has inspired you to do so. If you are, then we look forward to seeing it this Halloween! Happy Spooky Season!