President Dennis Hanno opened up the doors of his residence for the first ever “President’s Haunted House” on Oct. 31. This event was organized by the Student Government Association (SGA) and took place from 5 to 7 p.m. for Norton residents and 7 to 8 p.m. for Wheaton students.

The president, dressed as a bag of Wheaton M&M’s and Mrs. Hanno as Wheaton’s Fairy Godmother stood on the doorstep handing out candy. Inside the spookily decorated house, members of SGA manned themed tables.

Hanno said that the event was a great way to bring the community together, as some of its members have lived in Norton for years and had never been to the President’s House. 

SGA Secretary Katie Elliott ’17 said that the president brought up the idea for the haunted house during a meeting with the executive board of the SGA. She said, “he thought it would be fun for not only the Hannos but also the campus and the community to have a haunted house. He asked us to help him out with that.”

Programming Council Chair Molly Grannell ’15, who was also involved in the planning process, added that such activities were the first step towards bridging the gap between the Norton and Wheaton communities. Elliott added, “The biggest message coming out from the Town Hall Meeting was that there needs to be a greater connection with people of the town through more shared events.”

Vice President Alicia Alvarez ’15 added that he (Hanno) wanted the opportunity to meet more people from the town and interact with the students in a fun environment.