Students at Sanford Middle School transformed the woods at Gowen Park into a Halloween attraction on Tuesday, October 29th, continuing its annual Haunted Woods event.
The event, organized by students in the Jobs for Maine’s Graduates (JMG) program, allows students to experience a real-life example of project planning, leadership, and teamwork.
The kids did a fantastic job prepping for the Area 51 Haunts, and the enthusiasm of the volunteer staff is so appreciated.
Students begin planning over a month before the event, brainstorming different ideas for the theme. From there, students need to work together to plan each section of the woods, roles, costumes, decorations, and more.
The students thought of the idea of a Haunted Walk, and after navigating red tape and a presentation to the school committee, the event was born.
“To see all their work result in something that so many people enjoy, they have said it helps them understand what it really means to work as a team in the ‘real work’ and gives them an idea of what people can accomplish when they work together,” said Tara Houle who is Sanford Middle School’s JMG Specialist.