Oct 24, 2014 4 min read

In Spain, Halloween is observed more as a religious holiday – the beginning of All Saint’s and All Soul’s days – rather than an occasion to dress in costume and go door-to-door collecting candy.

So for the 10 students from Colegio Santa Maria de la Hispanidad who are on a three-week exchange at Upper St. Clair High School, Oct. 20 was a time to dress in costumes, dip apples in melted caramel and drink a few soft drinks thanks to the members of the school’s Multicultural Club. As the students are returning to Spain on Halloween, Oct. 31, the event was celebrated early.

Ben Edwards, a co-sponsor of the Multicultural Club along with Dan Zelensk, said the 25 or so members of the club did all of the planning for the party including providing the food, decorations and musical entertainment.

“We try to educate (the club members about) multiple cultures,” Edwards said as the students were setting up the after-school-hours party in the high school’s large rifle range.

Upper St. Clair High School senior Eliana Ondrejko is president of the Multicultural Club. She was dressed in a flapper dress depicting the 1920s and was excited about showing the Spanish students how Americans celebrate Halloween.

The purpose of the club is not just to host exchange students, Edwards said, but also to expose the students to different cultures around the world.

Madhmita Mahesh, an Upper St. Clair High School senior, serves as the Multicultural Club publicity officer. She helped to organize the party and said while the most recent exchange was with Spain, she hopes to travel to France in the future to practice her French. Mahesh and Ondrejko said they are looking forward to hosting students from Thailand later in the school year during the ongoing, multi-year exchange program.

Attendance at the Halloween party was not mandatory as the event was held after classes, Ondrejko said. Edwards said this was the first-ever Halloween party hosted by the club for exchange students.

Exchange student Andres Moro Rios, 14, has visited the United States once before and said that while Halloween was somewhat celebrated in Spain, “it is more big in the United States.” He said he was going to be careful eating the candy apple, ending his comment with a smile that showed his mouth filled with braces.

Gonzalo Lapetra, who is leading the Spanish students, enjoyed the party as he videotaped the event on his tablet computer to share with the students and their families when all return to Spain. He teaches science at the school the students attend.

“They needed a leader and I was available and I could speak English,” Lapetra said with a slight accent. The trip was his first time in the United States.

The exchange featured several events, including a tailgate party before the Oct. 17 football game, and a trip to Washington, D.C.

Meredith McDonough, 17, hosted exchange student Laura Barba, 14, and both wore pink prom dresses to the Halloween party, with McDonough’s banner reading Miss America and Barba’s stating Miss Spain. Down to their hairstyles and jewelry, the two looked almost identical in their pink gowns.

Also in somewhat similar costumes were Spanish exchange students Ana Karina Ballesteros Gomez, 14, and Ana Gil, 13. They wore Mad Hatter outfits from “Alice in Wonderland,” which Gomez said she purchased while in the U.S. She will take her costume home to Spain and had already sent a picture to her family.

“They liked it,” she said.

Upper St. Clair High School senior Madeline Kulp, 17, was dressed as Raggedy Ann, complete with a doll. She was accompanied by Paula Ayala, 14, in a Little Red Riding Hood outfit.

As the music played and costumed students intermingled, Gomez said, “This is fun.”