On Thursday, Oct. 31, Archie Williams students and faculty gathered in the Student Center during lunch to celebrate and judge students’ costumes in the Associated Student Body’s (ASB) annual costume contest. Participants walked and danced across the stage as a panel of judges rated their costumes and seasonal music played in the background. The event drew a large crowd of staff and students, filling the Student Center with seated attendees.
ASB placed a runway in the middle of the crowd seating, where six student judges sat at the head. The panel consisted of a variety of leadership students who used whiteboards to rate costumes from zero to 10. Judges based their ratings on several different standards, including individuality and stage presence.
Junior class president Ben Gross was one of the six judges, and he believed that he had a strong scoring formula.
“It takes a lot of courage going up on that stage so I think that gives them at least a five. Then from there, I judged off their costume, energy, the whole vibe they got going on, and all the little accessories,” Ben said.
Nearly every participant had their own way of tallying points, through costuming and dance moves, creating a vibrant and unique atmosphere. A couple of students opted to dance their way along the stage in hopes of elevating the audience’s energy. Other participants focused on the appearance of their costumes or formed groups that followed a theme.
Seniors Zara Wolf and Linnea Nowlen put together a Founding Fathers costume. Linnea first came up with her outfit, George Washington, which Zara complimented with a Paul Revere duo costume.
“I wanted to be George Washington a couple months back, and then I asked if any of my friends wanted to be Founding Fathers… and [Zara decided to be] Paul Revere,” Linnea said.
The two of them gathered an array of support from the crowd and high scores from the judges, despite initial nerves.
“I was a little nervous, but since I was with my friend I could do it,” Zara said.
Other costumes included Scooby Doo, an Archie Williams-themed Peregrine Falcon, and even a ChatGPT costume featuring the prompt “Ask me to tell you a Halloween joke.”
Near the end of the contest, senior Ford Cocciolo wowed the crowd with his large and complex skeleton costume. Entering through a larger door in the student center, to accommodate the size of his costume, Ford took to the runway with an applauding crowd. With his costume, Ford secured the most judge points and won first place, with Zara and Linea taking second, and senior Madi Levi taking third.
The contest lasted nearly the whole lunch period and kept a steady crowd the entire time, entertaining staff and students alike. Students anticipate the next Archie Williams costume contest which will take place Oct. 31, 2025, giving students a long time to plan their next costumes.
