KHS students ready themselves for annual haunted house
Kellogg High School Drama Student Brianna Clapper (left) and Emily Camacho have been working with latex and makeup over the past few days as they get ready for the KHS Haunted House on October 26.
JOSH McDONALD
KELLOGG –– Things are getting spooky at Kellogg High School as students prepare for the third annual KHS Haunted House.
The haunted house is hosted by the KHS Student Council and is the group’s largest annual fundraiser, providing money for several student activities throughout the school year.
This year promises to be bigger and scarier than its predecessors, with more than 60 actors creating a terrifying world inside the Kellogg School District Administrative Annex.
Visitors will experience the horrors of several different themed sections of the mostly empty old schoolhouse, including the Purge, a haunted hospital, and the dark forest, while also encountering cannibals, clowns, and more than a few dolls along the way. Oh, and also a blackout maze that will test your sense of direction as adrenaline courses through your veins.
According to several members of the student council, immersive Halloween events have risen in popularity in recent years, but when those attractions come at a heavy cost, it can limit some family’s ability to get out do something fun and scary together. At just $5 per person, it’s almost a steal.
“As a person who is a big fan of scary stuff, this is a more accessible way for people to enjoy and experience that type of thing,” junior Kelsie Dechand said.
“It’s a fun experience for the community,” KHS sophomore Porter Lewis said. “And the people’s reactions to being scared make it a lot of fun to be a part of.”
Each section of the haunted house is managed by a committee of student council members but features actors from KHS’s drama class and JROTC.
Student Council advisor and Fine Arts Teacher Adam Ream is excited to see what his students do this year. While the student council is handling much of the heavy lifting on the organization side, Ream’s drama students have started perfecting their stage makeup and some of them are gruesomely talented.
“It’s a fun and safe community event. The kids are here with their friends instead of being out doing something they’re not supposed to be doing,” Ream said. “We did the haunted house the first year and then the next year Kelloween became a thing, so our goal is to make Kellogg a Halloween hub.”
Kelloween is the city of Kellogg’s annual Halloween celebration that includes a full day of activities for both kids and grown-ups.
“I like the wide variety of themes we have,” KHS junior Dani Henrikson said. “It’s not just one thing, each part of the haunted house brings a different scare.”
A trip through the haunted house takes 10 – 15 minutes – depending on how long it takes a person to navigate the blackout maze at the beginning.
Due to its scary and sometimes graphic nature, the KHS Haunted House is recommended for middle school-aged kids and older.
Some of the sets that are being built could use a few additional props, including old artificial Christmas trees. If you have any materials or supplies that you would like to donate to the KHS Haunted House, contact Kellogg High School at (208) 784-1371 and ask for Adam Ream.
Ream and the KHS Student Council would like to thank Complete Dental Care for sponsoring the haunted house.
The Third Annual KHS Haunted House is October 26, at 7 p.m. at the KSD Administrative Annex (old Kellogg Middle School).