A Haunted House Success Story by Christina

A Haunted House Success Story by Christina - December 2019 Scholarship Essay

My high school is not one of the norm; in fact, it has a local reputation of being quite the opposite in many different senses. G-Star School of the Arts is an unconventional school that caters to students’ interests in an unparalleled way. One example of this is their organization, X-Scream Halloween. X-Scream is a student run organization that hosts a haunted house in G-Star’s soundstage every year. This organization has been so significant in my life because it has given me incredible opportunities to try new experiences and to learn new skills.
I have been a member of X-Scream for all four years of my high school experience. I began my X-Scream career as an actor in our haunted house, an opportunity to learn a new form of acting to improve my overall skill level as an actor. I got to play characters like a crazed asylum patient obsessed with snakes and a fed-up archaeologist who lost her crew and just wanted to go home. Acting inside of a haunted house was something I had never done before, but my school allowed me to (and gave me community service hours for my performance). The last year of my X-Scream career was spent as the Co-head of Costume Department. This title meant being in charge of designing and constructing costumes for over fifty characters inside the haunt. As a lover of fashion and a person unsure of their future, this experience in costume design was very useful in developing yet another skill to have under my belt in my future.
Aside from allowing the development of new skills, X-Scream also allowed me to give back to my community. While the organization’s primary purpose is to create and host a haunted house during the Halloween season, it also provides help around the community. We provide volunteers to partake in emergency drills for our local fire and police departments. In fact, I had the opportunity to attend multiple drills including a plane crash drill and a college shooting drill. X-Scream also works with Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center, a local non-profit organization that provides equine therapy for disabled children and adults. Each year, we provide set pieces and props to decorate the course for their competition. Because of our cooperation with Vinceremos, I have had the opportunity to meet some of the kindest souls at these competitions and put a smile on their faces.
I am grateful that I go to such an unconventional school because if I did not, I would not have been lucky enough to be a part of X-Scream and partake in all of the events it has allowed me to. As a soon-to-be pseudo-adult, I am comforted by the fact that I have obtained many new skills and experience that will help me in my future. Graduating high school and moving out into the world is a frightening experience, but X-Scream has allowed me to develop skills that leave me more experienced and ready for whatever life has to throw at me.