Law Students Host Halloween Party for Kids

October 31, 2011 —

Trick-or-treating in Gewirz Student Center? While it might conjure up scary images of law students handing out torts outlines, the October 28 event was a welcome break for them and the approximately 100 D.C. schoolchildren collecting candy in the halls.

Georgetown Law’s Office of Residence Life and Office of the Dean of Students hosted the six- to 12-year-olds from recreation centers around the city to a haunted house, games, food, arts and crafts, face painting and spooky stories.

“It helps residents understand a sense of a bigger role [in the community],” said Chris Hall, director of Residence Life and Student Programs, as he hung spiders from the ceiling in the first floor lounge before the event. Meanwhile, students and Resident Fellows Ben Klein (L’13), Brendan Parent (L’12) and Anne Young (L’13) were inspecting candelabras and some weird item called an Oozing Bone Pile.

On the ninth floor, Joongwon Park (L’14) entertained students with magic tricks. (Park, whose hobby is magic, used to display this talent in restaurants and bars in Korea before coming to law school.) “Magic is what I do when I’m stressed out,” he said.

Today, Park is totally relaxed as he pulls a ball out of the ear of a student named Dominic and takes another out of the closed hand of a student named Tiara. His card tricks brought raves from even the older students.

“It’s really fun; the kids are so excited,” said Resident Fellow Naima Farrell (L’13). And though they might not admit it, the law students are too. “Being in law school, you miss out on family life, you don’t get trick-or-treaters otherwise, so this gives us a chance to bring that atmosphere of Halloween to Gewirz — and it’s a great service to the kids.”

-- Ann W. Parks