Freshman Mango Creech remembers going up to every door in a whirlwind of a costume.

“Whenever I went up to a house, I would be like, ‘I’m a ghost fairy princess pirate,’” Creech said.

Sophomore Vanessa Delgado looked back to the times when she would dump the candy from her basket into her mother’s bag whenever her own basket filled up.

“It looks like I have less, and then people feel more sympathy, so they give more candy and then (I) just empty it out,” Delgado said. “Once it gets full, people start to be more stingy with the candy.”

This Halloween, English teacher Christy Gutierrez looks forward to the bartering and trading her kids do every Halloween.

“The last couple of years they have this tradition where they dump all their candy in the center and they trade,” Gutierrez said. “‘Who’s got what, oh that’s my favorite let me take that.’”

Creech, Delgado and Gutierrez enjoy trick-or-treating, and they agree it is perceived as a child’s activity.

“I think that trick-or-treating itself is timeless, but a lot of the ways it is portrayed is a little more childish,” Creech said.

Delgado also thinks that trick-or-treating is seen as childish.

“I feel like it’s the stereotype that it’s for little kids, and it’s kinda weird if you’re a high schooler trick-or-treating,” Delgado said.

Gutierrez agrees that trick-or-treating is not for high schoolers.

“I think the perception is that it is for younger people,” Gutierrez said.

According to Creech, trick-or-treating is appropriate for anyone who likes the activity.

“Everyone enjoys it, and if you think you’re too old to go trick-or-treating, then you can do whatever you want,” Creech said.

Delgado said trick-or-treating is for anyone who wants to go, regardless of their age.

“If you like trick-or-treating and you find it fun, then you should go for it,” Delgado said. “There really isn’t an age limit saying that once you get to this age, you should stop.”

Gutierrez, however, thinks Halloween is an activity for younger people because of an encounter she had when she was younger.

“I remember I was 14 and I went trick-or-treating with my friends. We dressed up and everything. There were a couple people at the time – this was the 1980s – who (told) us we were too old to go trick-or-treating,” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez also brought up the point that it would be odd to see an adult trick-or-treating.

“I think I would have paused if an adult came to my door with no children in tow and had their bag out,” Gutierrez said.

Creech disagrees and thinks trick-or-treating is for everyone who wants to do it.

“I think it would be better if it was portrayed as an activity that everyone can participate in,” Creech said. “I mean, it’s candy.”