CHATSWORTH : Parents Put on Party for Their Little Monsters

A coven of witches, dozens of cowboys and more than enough princesses for the Valley’s kingdom gathered on the playground of Germain Street Elementary School in Chatsworth Friday. Joining them were about 150 parents, on hand to admire and photograph their children in costume, as well as coordinate dozens of carnival games.

The parent volunteers, who are members of the school’s Parent-Teacher Assn., coordinate the parade and carnival every year, volunteering to set up and run booths with such games as a bean-bag toss and mini-golf.

Linda Pacheco, the school’s principal, said more than 200 parents volunteer at the school on a regular basis to work in the library and help in the classrooms.

While the parents raise about $20,000 for the school each year, the Halloween carnival is just for fun.

Francois Broussard, a fourth-grader who was dressed as E.T. in a costume his grandmother made, seemed to be having his share of fun as he waited in line with his class to parade around the yard.

“Everyone tries to punch me in the stomach,” said Francois, pointing to a padded satin heart stitched on his chest. “It’s really cool.”

One of the witches, Saundra Schlanger, a 28-year teacher, said she has seen costumes change over the years. “You see a lot more gory things than you used to,” Schlanger lamented as she paraded behind the older grades with her kindergartner ballerinas, Ninja turtles and Tinkerbells in tow. “The boys like to dress like they’re from “(The Texas) Chainsaw Massacre.”