Students at the Soboba Tribal Preschool had lots of opportunities to wear their favorite Halloween costumes this year. Many attended the annual Halloween Carnival presented by Soboba Parks & Recreation on Oct. 24 with their families. On Oct. 29 the preschool’s annual Trunk-or-Treat event was held in the Soboba Sports Complex parking lot and on Oct. 30, each class enjoyed a pizza party, and kids shared their costumes with classmates.
But the fun continued on Oct. 31 when 50-60 homes volunteered to be included on the map of Reservation homes participating in the annual trick-or-treating tradition for youngsters of all ages. Many of the preschoolers joined their siblings to make their rounds and collect even more candy while wearing their costumes once again.
Princesses of all types were popular costumes for the girls, and a few boys wore the Jack Skellington character’s outfit from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Others were dressed as superheroes, video game characters, Toy Story and Paw Patrol characters and more. Several chose not to dress up on Friday’s school day, so they had more freedom to run around at recess and did not have to worry about their costumes getting worn out before Saturday.
More than 30 participants really got into the spirit of the season with playful booths and fun costumes. While they decorated their hearts out for the benefit of the preschoolers, they also competed for great prizes.
“With so many amazing trunks this year, the staff had an incredibly difficult time choosing the winners,” Director Lenora “Ponie” Mojado said. “The creativity, attention to detail, and hard work that went into each display made this one of our best Trunk-or-Treat events yet! We are incredibly grateful for the time, effort, creativity, and enthusiasm that each of them contributed.”
The Sandlot movie was brought to life at the $ovóova Po’$wáamay (Daughter of Soboba) booth with Geneva Mojado’s Rottweiler “Bear” on hand as “The Beast” although his friendly demeanor was not scaring anyone. This garnered them a first-place win of $150 and a gift basket.
“The teachers were absolutely charmed by Bear’s role as the Beast and loved the nostalgic tribute to The Sandlot. The display was imaginative, engaging, and full of personality, combining beloved movie memories with creative storytelling. It brought smiles to everyone who stopped by and quickly became a crowd favorite among both children and adults,” Mojado said.
Soboba Parks and Recreation took on Dia de los Muertas while the combined efforts of the Soboba Foundation, Tribal Council and Tribal Administration offered Dunkin’ Truckin’ with mini donuts offered along with other sweets. Since school was out for the day, preschool staff had the opportunity to set up their own trunks of treats. Director Mojado and Administrative Assistant Maria Hernandez gave out “samples” at their recreation of the Costco Wholesale store. Pre-K teachers Ana Garcia and Amanda Juarez channeled Mickey Mouse and friends while Betsy Post and Jasmine Basquez from the kindergarten class shared candy with familiar young friends. Public Works pulled out all the stops with their salute to Beetlejuice with full costumes and decorations transporting visitors to the movie set.
The Tribal janitorial staff created a McSpooky spot with lots of characters from the McDonald’s fast-food chain. This earned them a third-place finish of $50 and a boo basket. “The McSpooky McDonald’s-themed trunk was bursting with creativity, fun, and just the right amount of spooky spirit!” Mojado said. “We loved seeing Chef Anita, Arlene, Arturo, and Perry transform into the hardworking McSpooky Fry Goblin Kids, bringing energy and excitement to the display. Meanwhile, Ms. Kris, Onieda, and Kim completed the scene by dressing up as a burger and condiments, adding a playful and imaginative touch that truly brought the theme to life. Their attention to detail, teamwork, and enthusiasm made this trunk a memorable favorite for students, families, and staff alike.”
The Elders, including Romell Mojado as SpongeBob SquarePants, donated a lot of candy to give out to the youngsters. Noli Indian School’s AVID students hosted a booth with help from Counselor Seandee Brown and teacher Sonia Modesto. The transportation department parked a Noli bus (with attached wings) next to their booth that paid homage to The Magic School Bus. Administrative Assistant Naomi Silvas was decked out as Ms. Frizzle and bus driver Gabriel Ramirez as the class pet lizard. Plastic school buses filled with all types of candy were a favorite among the children. Soboba Accounting, Soboba Fire, Sylvan Learning and a few others were among those interacting with the trick-or-treaters. Human Resources brought Soboba Coffee to the morning event with a menu that listed “Boo Brew” to drink and “Mummy Wraps” for dessert. Of course, the real treats were the goodie bags they offered the kids.
About halfway through the event, Noli Indian School students in grades 6-12 were invited to enjoy the event since they were already decked out in costumes for the day since they are on a four-day school schedule and Thursday was their last day to attend school before Halloween.
Several Tribal member families volunteered their time and creativity to set up their own fun booths. The town of Bedrock was recreated with cutouts of The Flintstones characters by the Medinas that earned them a second-place prize of $100 and a gift basket.
“What a fantastic theme choice!” Mojado said. “The Flintstones car was a crowd favorite and one of the highlights of the event. It was wonderful to watch the children climb in, “drive,” and fully immerse themselves in the Bedrock experience. Junior and Alyssa brought the beloved world of The Flintstones to life with their creativity, attention to detail, and family spirit. Their son, Kavikvish, from the kindergarten classroom, must have been proud to see his family create such a fun and memorable display for everyone to enjoy!”
The Placencia family hosted a Color Me Spooky booth with a colorful crayon theme which was right on target for preschool students. Members of the Vallez family, including four-year-old John, leaned into The Nightmare Before Christmas theme dressing as some of the main characters and the Devores made kids smile with their spooky display. Marian Chacon and her family always like to get involved with the annual event. She said they were already prepared for Halloween night where they were expecting more than 200 children to come trick-or-treating at their home.
Mojado said everyone’s dedication helped create a memorable event for preschool, kindergarten, and Noli students and their families. “Events like this would not be possible without their support and willingness to come together as a community,” she said.
The following school day had the children just as excited about the upcoming holiday. Each classroom has been highlighting fall all season long and using pumpkins and apples as part of their everyday lessons. Kindergarten students decorated paper caramel apples to adorn their classroom door and plan to make real ones in the classroom. Each was given a mini pumpkin to take home and decorate with family members before bringing them back to display in the classroom.
Pre-kindergarten kids got to listen to Halloween-themed music and watch movies such as “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” during their party. All week they worked on sensory and observation skills as well as counting bats, ghosts, pumpkin seeds and more. The teachers got inventive with the snacks that were donated by families to enjoy. Green grapes were put into plastic cups decorated with a Frankenstein face, white cheese sticks had a ghost face drawn onto the outer plastic wrapper and orange Cutie tangerines got jack-o-lantern faces drawn on them. Cheese cubes were transformed into miniature spiders with pretzel legs and edible googly eyes. Donuts were given big eyes and fake fangs the kids could use later, if they preferred.
The youngest students from the preschool classroom got to create their own version of “The Big Green Monster” during their table activity. They also explored fall themes with scarecrows and pumpkins. Jess Thompson said the children are very artistic. They were enjoying the Halloween snacks that were provided by parents. “We are super thankful and appreciative of them,” she said.
Teacher Julissa Garcia said she was cognizant of the stories she chose and the reaction of each student. As Halloween approached, they discussed feelings and emotions like being brave and scared to prepare them for this event. “I’m surprised with how well they were receptive to everything,” she said. Garcia enjoyed seeing some of the little girls dressed up like a princess, which was her favorite costume as a child.
