Scary stories are part of the Holloween experience and Friday every student at Picayune High School participated in a day of bone chilling tales.

English Teacher Robin Jenkins and her fellow English teachers spent the whole day treating every student to legends, poems and folk tales of an unnerving nature. Students gathered around in groups as each teacher took their turn telling a scary story.

Jenkins said the stories were incorporated into the lesson plan over the prior week. Friday, the students spent a sunny, cool day outside listening to readings from teachers dressed in witches costumes. In between some of the readings, the students formed a circle and participated in an old grade school game, Ring Around the Rosy. Jenkins said the game is actually based on an old legend.

“Of course it’s about the Black Plague,” Jenkins said. “It’s really fun. They’ve been enjoying it so far.”

The activity helps the English department work together to strengthen each student’s reading and writing skills in terms of sentence structure, transitioning and phrasing, Jenkins said. Students will take what they have learned to begin work on a paper of their own. In the paper, they will take a position on a school related topic and state why they feel the way they do. Topics might include things such as the use of school uniforms. Each student will be required to form an opinion and explain why they feel the way they do about their topic, Jenkins said.

While this is the first year the activity is being used, Jenkins said she plans to continue it each year and add more things to it as she goes. She said she would like to thank Picayune Florist for allowing her to use their mums and Kevin Hedgepeth and other parents and community members who made the activity possible with their support.