Merriwether, SC – The sights, sounds and smells on Wacky Science Night at Merriwether Elementary School on Thursday evening, October 24, 2023, dazzled the eyes and ears with lights and costumes, while also pleasing the nose and taste buds with food and sweets. The cool Halloween-themed experiments stimulated the brain with interesting facts, games and puzzles.

Principal Sara-Beth Brown and her staff were dressed for the evening either as characters from the Disney favorite, 101 Dalmatians, or as spooky Halloween ghouls, goblins and witches, with some bright-colored Skittles and Harry Potter characters as well.

“We have lots of fun experiments and a little trick or treating,” stated Brown, in character as Cruella DeVille. “This is a community event with lots of parents, lots of kids, and lots of amazing Halloween costumes.”

Options on Wacky Science Night included trick-or-treating along the Kindergarten and third grade hallways, fun experiment stations throughout the school, character pumpkins in the library and food trucks outside. Experiment stations included cool titles such as “Dissolving Rainbows”, “Tower of Terror” and “Wicked Weather”, where students learned to create color patterns, construct sturdy buildings, and better understand how the weather impacts our world.

Parent Brooke Powell said she has been impressed by how much work the staff at MES puts into Wacky Science Night for families. She first attended the event six years ago when her daughter, seventh-grader Brynleigh Powell, was in the first grade.

“The very first time we thought it was crazy, but now we’re kind of used to all the chaos,” joked Brooke. “It’s a lot of fun for the kids. The staff does a great job here.”

Brynleigh said her favorite part of this year’s event was the decorations, but specifically, she really enjoyed the character pumpkins in the library.

“I really liked the pumpkins a lot,” Brynleigh said.

Students and parents, including the Hadley family, certainly appreciated all the extra effort that goes into making the event a night to remember.

“It was good and exciting,” said fourth-grader, Barrett Hadley.

Donald and Heather Hadley were blown away by the decorations.

“That was the best part,” stated Donald. “I wasn’t expecting that at all.”

“The decorations in the hallways were awesome,” added Heather. “I was very impressed. They did a great job.”

It was “Mission Accomplished” for the entire faculty and staff at Merriwether Elementary.

“They worked on all of this for days,” commented Merriwether Elementary School Assistant Principal, Colby Strickland, who was attending her first Wacky Science Night. “Mrs. Becca Hamilton headed it all up and everything looked really good. It’s been neat to see all the hard work that goes into something like this. They want it to be a special experience for the kids.”