The 3rd Annual IPAPA Fall Family Movie Night at IPA was held this past Saturday, October 13. The family-friendly event was a tremendous success! The turnout was amazing, with so many IPA families coming out to enjoy a nice Fall evening of friendship, food, and fun times. There were plenty of activities to keep everyone entertained all night – from the costume contest, to the chili cook-off, to the Haunted House, to Disney•Pixar’s Coco on the lawn.
With Halloween right around the corner, the costume contest was a big draw, with many entrants of all ages. Kids and families dressed up and paraded around in their unique costumes before a panel of judges and a cheering crowd in the MPR. There was a jellyfish and a family of Trolls as well as zombies, Wakandans, Snoopy on his dog house, a tiny Pebbles and Bam Bam, and The Incredibles. The judges had the unenviable job of having to select the winners from such a competitive field, and prizes were given out for the best costume in each category – Grade K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-12, and Family. Every participant received a goodie bag of treats.
The annual IPA Chili Cook-off is an IPA tradition going back many years. The contest is open to all IPA families, with many returning each year to compete. The chili chefs take the competition seriously, not only spending hours preparing their chili but also decorating their booths. This year’s winners were Laura Smith (Best Decorations), Timora and Lokelani Mitchel (Judges’ Favorite), and John and Pam Peacock (People’s Choice).
The much anticipated Haunted House did not disappoint. Once again, the entire Elementary building was transformed beyond recognition in to the best Haunted House on the west side. Keeping in theme with the movie Coco, the first floor of the building became a stunning and colorful Land of the Dead with characters and scenes from the movie recreated in great detail. To enter the Haunted House, visitors had to first cross over a bridge connecting the Land of the Living to the Land of Dead. Decorated with orange lights and paper tissue flowers, the bridge was just like that depicted in the movie, covered with marigold petals, which are thought to guide the dead back to the Land of the Living. Once inside, visitors were greeted by Miguel and Héctor in front of the Cinema, lit by colorful, swirling lights, and songs from the movie. An elaborate altar with family photos, flowers, candles, and favorite foods was recreated to look just like the movie. Elementary students decorated paper cutouts of white guitars, and these were displayed throughout the first floor and on a special remembrance wall, capped with the words “Remember Me.” There was even a room of fluorescent paintings and a maze to find your way through.
The upstairs of the Haunted House was reserved for those courageous visitors who dared to enter. Black plastic partitions created haunted hallways where ghouls lurked, ready to jump out and grab you. IPA students, parents, and faculty took their scaring roles seriously, dressing the part and bringing their best haunting skills.
The evening’s featured event was the screening of Coco under the stars on the Big Field. Families spread out blankets, set up chairs, and got comfortable for the movie. The evening couldn’t have been any better.
The Fall Family Movie Night is organized and run by IPAPA, the IPA Parent/Teacher Association. IPAPA relies on parent volunteers to help make the event a success. Dozens of parents, faculty, staff, and students volunteered their time to cover the many man-hours of work required to plan, design, construct, man, and tear down the haunted house. IPAPA would like to extend their gratitude to all the volunteers – parents, students, faculty, and staff – who dedicated so much time and effort to make the event a success.
Special thanks to our generous donors who contributed various resources to make this event a great success! (In alphabetical order) AiNoa Psychological Services, Aloun Farms, Charlotte Baldwin, Choice Auto Repair, Domino’s Pizza Kapolei, Flavors of Italy, Fun Factory, Geotech Solutions, Home Depot, Island Sun Realty, Jeanne Arakawa, John Mack, Maunakea Integrated Solutions, Sweet Mango, Painter’s Warehouse, Rebound Hawaii, Sukanya Lord, Tam Black, The Islander Group, Wet and Wild and A VERY GRAND thanks to Mr. Terry Fuller for creative direction in this production.
See more photos from the night on our IPA Flickr.
