With Halloween approaching, students came together to present Grady’s very own haunted house. Grady’s Haunted Halls, hosted by the Future Healthcare Professionals (HOSA) and Skills USA, will be open on Wednesday, October 28, and Friday, October 30, from 6 to 9 pm. Held in the dance studio last year, this year’s revamped haunted house will be on the second floor of the Charles Allen and  E-Wings. Students will be selling tickets at the door, $3 for children and $5 for adults.

In 2014, HOSA created and brought to life the concept of a school haunted house.

“Last year was the first step and this is going to be a little bit bigger.” said Mr. Nicholson, the adviser of Skills USA.

Skills USA, a club that includes students involved in audio/video, graphic communications and law, is partnering with HOSA to expand the haunted house.

“We have some very ambitious and very determined students,” Nicholson said. “This is a great learning opportunity for them to showcase, develop and enhance their leadership qualities.”

Both HOSA and Skills USA are Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) at Grady. CTSOs are clubs that highlight leadership and teamwork, offering members the chance to prepare and participate together in competitions involving their interests. Grady’s Haunted Halls is a big fundraiser for HOSA and Skills USA to raise money for leadership conferences.

The theme of this year’s Grady’s Haunted Halls is an insane asylum, and will include students dressed as zombie patients and evil nurses. To elevate the levels of scariness and excitement, HOSA and Skills USA are incorporating new elements of fright such as a zombie run and jump scares.

“We’re going to have people jumping out of beds and people that follow you around the whole time,” said junior Rose Tehrani, the vice president of HOSA.  

In addition to the new methods of scaring, the clubs are also taking the time to focus on the finer details of the haunted house to create a more horrifying experience.

“We’re drawing shadow figures to hang up inside little alcoves to creep people out when they turn around,” said junior Eva Henke, a member of Skills USA.

In order to appeal to APS’s elementary and middle school families, a sub-committee of HOSA is also putting together a festival of activities that will be in the courtyard for younger children.

During its first year, the haunted house garnered success.

“We had zombies in scrubs, different equipment hanging from the ceiling and people hiding in lockers and resting in wheelchairs and on beds,” Tehrani said.

By using the school’s existing medical equipment and costumes and encouraging the participation of club members, HOSA, by itself, was able to pull off an elaborate and terrifying production.

 “I heard one girl peed her pants and then one person accidentally punched a scarer,” Tehrani said.

HOSA estimates that a hundred people attended the event last year. Tickets sold out within the first hour.

With positive reactions and high ticket sales, Tehrani said she expects an even greater turnout this year.

However this year, due to communication issues and conflicting ideas between the two clubs, the project experienced a slow start.

“We had both made our own set ups for the haunted house, but we didn’t actually talk about it to each other,” Tehrani said.

More recently, the clubs held a meeting to discuss the haunted house. Ultimately, HOSA and Skills USA were able to compromise with each other, agreeing on final designs and plans.

“[HOSA has] communicated more with us now after we talked to them,” Henke said.  “We’re getting more stuff combined now.”

The clubs have spent the last couple of weeks recruiting scarers and putting up decorations.

“We’re gathering anything Halloween we can, including makeup, and boxes for props,” Henke said. “I want to see it all come together.”