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Each year, Halloween festivities take place on October 31. 

While kids might benefit the most, they’re certainly not the only individuals who can enjoy festivities. 

On Friday, Nov. 1, the staff of Baker Intermediate School held an annual costume contest, with several teams competing to determine the overall winner. 

“It was a fun day…and it’s a tradition,” said Baker Intermediate School Principal Josh Mounts. “This is our 11th year…we even did it the year that we had virtual [classes].” 

Gathering early in the morning at the school’s gymnasiums, Baker students were led inside by teachers dressed in numerous costumes for the event. 

Not to be overlooked, many of the students themselves were also decked out in Halloween costumes, as it was less than 24 hours after they’d gone trick-or-treating the night before. 

Among the fun and enlightening costumes were characters from films such as Spider-Man and Harry Potter, a NASA astronaut, and several original costumes—one featuring a student dressed as a bottle of tomato ketchup. 

Before long, with hundreds inside the gymnasium, it was time to start the costume contest. 

Numerous well-known local citizens, including City Commissioner Shannon Cox and The Engine House Pizza & Pub co-owner Chad Walker, served as judges. 

Six different teams, featuring school staff, performed. They were judged on criteria including performance, originality, and how loud they could make the student crowd cheer. 

The first team—calling themselves “Team Inspire”—reenacted a scene from the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, with the well-known “Oompa Loompa” theme song playing in the background. 

Jessica Pedigo, a health and physical education teacher, played the character of Violet Beauregarde. 

“This is one of my favorite days of the year. I love when the audience gets into it, and I love the team camaraderie,” she said. “I just feel like it brings us all together and I love to see the creativity of our teachers.” 

Among the six other teams, one featured teachers dressed as different characters from the film “Shrek” – including the likewise-named Ogre, Princess Fiona, Pinocchio, and more. 

Administrators even got into the holiday spirit, with Assistant Principal Renee Ware dressed as a vampire and fellow Assistant Principal Robert Hammonds dressed as a “Grill Master,” complete with a spatula, apron, and more. 

Yet the team that received the most hype from the crowd—and thus was named the winner of the competition—went by the name of Team Achieve. 

They entered the gym, danced, and performed as the character of Gru and their minions from the film “Despicable Me.” 

Thus, another strong  Halloween season was a wrap at Baker Intermediate School. 

“It’s just been a whole hodgepodge of great costumes and good memories over the course of the last decade,” Mounts said.