October 28th-31st, 2020, Panther Creek Students participate in the school’s virtual pumpkin carving competition to bring about festivity for the holiday of Halloween. Students carved and designed pumpkins to the best of their abilities and then submitted photos of the pumpkins to the school. Other students were then given the opportunity to vote on their favorite pumpkin. The winner receives a 25$ gift voucher to a local restaurant.

While interviewing some of the contestants, Ananya Varahabhatla explains that she participate in the competition because she had painted one and later saw the contest so she said “why not,” and believes PCHS students should vote for her “if they like Jack Skellington,” which is who she designed her pumpkin after. Furthermore, another interviewee, Chloe Cernoch, a yearly pumpkin carver, stated her design was “the face of Scarecrow, the Batman villain. Chloe, a big fan of Batman, believes PCHS students should vote for her “because it’s pretty cool.” She went on to explain that her father usually helps her with her pumpkins, but this year she carved it herself and that she was “really proud of it.”

Through the difficult times of COVID-19 with students unable to attend in-person classes, Panther Creek High School has made a great effort to involve students in fun activities that make them involved with the school environment. The pumpkin carving contest not only achieves this but brings joy to the thought of Halloween.

Voting for the contest is available until the end of the day on October 30, 2020, as the winner is announced on Haloween Day, October 31st. Chole and Ananya are just two of the many contests to submitted their pumpkin for the contest. Click here to vote for your favorite pumpkin before it’s too late.

A fun fact about the tradition of the carving of pumpkins is that it originated from our European Ancestors based on an old Irish myth about a man named “Stingy Jack.” Apparently, Jack was a man who outsmarted the devil by convincing him to morph into a silver coin, and Jack then trapped the devil inside by placing the coin next to a cross. He released the devil when he promised to not take his soul or bother him. When Jack eventually got old and died, God forbid him in Heaven and the Devil would not accept him into Hell so Jack was left roaming the earth for eternity holding a lump of coal inside of a carved turnip. As a tradition, individuals started carving turnips and pumpkins to ward away any ghosts.