Books and boos: St-Leonard’s Honoré-Mercier school library transforms for Halloween
Posted October 31, 2025 4:33 pm.
Last Updated October 31, 2025 6:15 pm.
Students at Honoré-Mercier Elementary School in St-Leonard were in for a spooky surprise this Halloween as the school library was transformed into a haunted house on Friday.
The event, organized by the Home and School parent committee, gave each grade a chance to explore eerie decorations and themed setups designed to make Halloween fun and memorable.
Parents turn library into a “Haunted forest”
Felicia Spadafino, president of the Home and School committee, said the idea for this year’s haunted house came together through teamwork and creativity.
“Basically our whole team of parent committee members, we all got together, we brainstormed ideas. A few nights and we got this whole haunted forest idea,” said Spadafino. “We reused a lot of our Christmas trees since we’re on a budget and we didn’t have to use too much of that.. And that’s it — brainstorming, talking to each other and yeah, a lot of great members.”
She said seeing the students’ reactions made all the effort worth it.
“Oh, it’s so much fun. The kids are adorable, they love it, they’re so excited to be here, they’re excited to see their school transformed,” she said. “It’s just a whole different experience on a regular day.”
Spadafino, who dressed up as a werewolf for the “haunted forest,” said she had fun helping to scare the students.
“I was basically hidden behind two walls and I was crawling on my knees and I would just pop up and scare them and touch their legs and feel like little roars — just to excite them,” she said.
She added that she’s proud to be part of such a supportive school community.
“We’re proud of our school, we’re happy to be here, we’re happy to be parents involved and we’re so lucky to have such a great school.”
A tradition that’s 30 years strong
Vice-president Romina Mancini said the haunted house is a beloved annual event.
“This is our annual haunted house. It’s been a tradition at Honoré-Mercier for I think over 30 years,” said Mancini. “We put together this haunted house for the children and it’s just a scary but also fun place for them.”
To make sure every student got a chance to enjoy it, organizers created a detailed schedule.
“They each get about 15 minutes to come in the haunted house,” she explained. “They have the choice of coming in with the lights on or the lights off. The lights off is how it starts and that’s when the kids really want to be scared.”
She said the experience began with a spooky story — and a few surprises.
“During the story there were people crawling under and scaring the children,” she said. “Then the children that wanted to come in with the lights on came in after, and it was a lot less scary for them. It was just so everyone could experience it.”
For Mancini, seeing the students’ joy makes all the effort worth it.
“It means the world. I love Halloween. I love spending time with the children here,” she said. “Seeing their reaction makes everything worth it. It’s truly amazing to see them walk in and this is their library. So they walk in and it’s transformed into this whole other place.”
She said the setup took a full day of work — from early morning to late at night.
“We have a lot of members on the team. They started at 8 a.m. We went from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. in a day,” she said.
“We’re having the best time and we love Honoré-Mercier School and the children here,” Mancini added,
Students brave the scares
Grade 6 student Giuliano D’Andrea said the haunted house was impressive and full of surprises.
“It’s amazing. It takes really long to do. It did really good. People scaring us. You know, the sound effects were amazing,” he said.
He added that the darkness made it even more thrilling.
“When you were going by it was pretty dark and you could see like five feet in front of you,” he said. “So when you’re turning a corner you never know what you’d see.”
D’Andrea and his classmates also went for a group costume theme this year.
“This year all the boys in Grade 6 decided to dress up all the same as an Among Us character,” he said. “So we planned for quite a while and it ended up happening.”
As for Halloween night, “We’re all planning to go to one of my friends’ houses and we’re going to trick-or-treat and probably watch the Blue Jays game.”
Students applaud the effort
Grade 5 student Raffael Longo said the haunted house was “fun, exciting, not too scary,” and praised the parents for their hard work.
His favourite part was the story that kicked things off. “Probably the story — really exciting,” he said.
Longo dressed as Zoro from the anime One Piece and said trick-or-treating is always a highlight.
“It’s really fun, you make memories and the candy,” he said with a grin. “Happy Halloween everyone.”
Screams, dolls and ghostbusters
Grade 6 student Clelia Valela said she and her friends screamed their way through the haunted house.
“I thought it was really great. I could tell the parents put a lot of effort into everything. It’s amazing,” she said. “It was definitely scary. Me and my friends were screaming the whole time.”
Rizzi said the creepy dolls stood out most. “My favourite part of it was definitely the dilapidated dolls everywhere. It really added a nice touch,” she said.
Dressed as a Ghostbuster alongside her two friends, she planned to spend the evening watching monster movies.
As for her favourite part of Halloween? “Oh, definitely the candy. Halloween would be nothing without the candy,” she said. “Have a great Halloween! Don’t eat too much candy.”
A perfect halloween tradition
Grade 5 student Elenora Rizzi said the haunted house captured the true spirit of the season.
“It was really fun and really scary,” she said. “I think the story — it was really frightening and it really set that mood.”
She added that what makes her school special is the effort everyone puts in.
“I think just how all the people worked so hard on this and it’s just so scary and it’s perfect for Halloween,” said Rizzi.
This year, she dressed up with her two best friends as Alvin, Simon and Theodore.
“My costume is Alvin and the Chipmunks,” she said. “We decided to do Simon, Alvin and Theodore.”
Like many others, Rizzi said her favourite part of Halloween is going door to door with friends.
“My favorite part about Halloween is probably going to trick or treating so I can get lots of candy and stay with my friends while I’m going there,” she said. “Yes, that’s what I’m planning to do tonight.”
With teamwork, laughter and a little fright, Honoré-Mercier’s haunted house once again brought Halloween magic to life — reminding everyone that a little imagination (and a few Christmas trees) can go a long way.
