Every Friday during October, history teacher Maurice Holland at Pembroke Pines Charter High School (PPCHS) spices up the spooky season by arriving at school in a new costume. From Halloween classics to creepy creatures, his weekly outfits quickly became something students all over the school looked forward to seeing as they walked past in the halls. Many students and even staff hope this new tradition will mark the beginning of something that will be carried on for years to come.
Holland had a motive for starting this tradition. He wanted to bring the spooky Halloween spirit into his class. His costumes weren’t just for the fun of it; he would also find a way to tie them to what he was teaching in class that very week. Holland comments, “I used the plague doctor because we were talking about the bubonic plague in the Black Death.”
When asked if there was a message he wanted his students to get from this new tradition, Holland says, “School is what you make it to be. If you’re engaged and come in with a positive mindset, you’ll have a really nice time. And I hope that the little goofy things that I do from time to time add to it.”
Holland explains that dressing up helps make his material come alive in a way that students remember. He hopes that his costumes help keep his students intrigued throughout his lessons, and that’s exactly what happens. Student Noah Reynolds says, “He always finds a creative way for us to do work, which makes me learn the content better than in my other classes.”
Dressing up in these costumes every week didn’t just impact the students in his class but also spread across the school. Students who don’t have Holland as a teacher found themselves stopping by his classroom or talking to him in the halls to see what he would wear next.
“Last year in his class, I’d always talk to him about different things in pop culture, and he really likes to be that outgoing, fun teacher, so he’s like the perfect candidate to be dressing up in those costumes,” says Junior Henry Bartkowicz. “Especially the scarecrow-like costume. I think that costume was my favorite of all the ones I saw.”
As for the future, Holland doesn’t plan on stopping this anytime soon. He hopes to keep up his costume tradition for many Octobers to come, adding more creative twists each year. It’s safe to say that PPCHS can look forward to seeing what surprises he’ll bring to the halls next Halloween season.
