Witches and pirates and princesses, oh my! Washougal elementary kids were tricked and treated at the first-ever Washougal High School Interact Club “Monster Mash” carnival last Halloween night at the Washougal High School. The Interact Club is the student version of Rotary and is committed to service to their community.
The idea for the event came from WHS senior and Interact member, Justice Rosales, who said he did not always have a safe place to trick-or-treat where he grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas. “Everyone agreed that creating a fun Halloween activity for the kids would help keep them safe and was a great way to give to our community.”
Completely student-run, the carnival took weeks of planning and work to find funds, supplies and volunteers, according to Joshua Banks, Interact Vice President and one of the Monster Mash organizers. “It was a great success. We had lots of kids running around and having a great time,” he said. “No one was looking bored!” Key volunteers, in addition to Banks and Rosales, were seniors Jayden Janzter, Mike McElroy and club president, Liz Brice. The club advisor is WHS social studies teacher, Ryan Isaacson.
“It is wonderful to see high school students involving themselves with our elementary school communities,” said Dawn Tarzian, Washougal School District Superintendent. “Many of the Interact members attended these schools and that is where they began to develop the building blocks of being a good citizen. This event was a marvelous example of how the whole community wins when our student leaders step up and give back.”
