10/17/2026
🎃🧡 WOW, VRA. WHAT. A. NIGHT. 🧡🎃
There was a line before we even officially opened.
And somehow… that was only the beginning.
Our 3rd Annual Trunk or Treat Fall Spooktacular was bigger, busier and more magical than we could have imagined.
More than 30 trunks. Business partners. Activity stations. Games. Prizes. An inflatable. Sensory stations. Face painting. Concessions. Music. Photo ops. A pumpkin patch. And hundreds of little Hawks making memories under the glow of our luminaries.
But when we look back on this night, those aren’t the things we’re going to remember most.
We’re going to remember who showed up. ❤️
Our parents showed up.
Our teachers and staff showed up.
NJHS showed up.
Our Nease High School alumni showed up.
Dance showed up.
Cheer showed up.
Football showed up — and yes, we mean THE ENTIRE TEAM. 😂🏈
And somewhere in all of that, we were reminded of one of our favorite things about being a K–8 school.
Sometimes, our little Hawks get to look up and see the big kids they want to become.
But sometimes?
Our big kids get to be little again. ❤️
And when they were given the chance Friday night… they took it.
We watched 7th graders stand in line right alongside kindergartners.
We watched middle schoolers race through the inflatable obstacle course — and then turn around and high-five the little kids coming behind them for finishing it in record time.
We watched football players toss passes with elementary students, play in the corn sensory station, laugh with the littles and stop to tell them how cool their costumes were.
And we are SO here for it.
We’re here for the 8th graders walking the Trunk or Treat trail beside elementary kiddos.
We’re here for middle schoolers who are growing up incredibly fast getting one more night to put on a costume, grab some candy, jump in an inflatable and just be kids.
We’re here for our youngest Hawks looking at those big kids and thinking, They’re so cool.
And we’re here for those big kids making sure the little ones feel pretty cool, too.
Because that is what leadership looks like.
It isn’t always a title.
Sometimes it’s tossing a football with a five-year-old.
Sometimes it’s waiting patiently in line next to a kindergartner.
Sometimes it’s a high-five at the bottom of an inflatable.
Sometimes it’s noticing a little kid’s costume and taking five seconds to tell them it’s awesome.
Those moments might feel small to a middle schooler.
But they are enormous to the child on the receiving end.
And maybe that’s some of the real magic of growing up on the Ridge:
Our little Hawks have big Hawks to look up to.
Our big Hawks still have a place where they’re allowed to be little.
And all of them are learning that showing up for each other matters.
Because THAT is who VRA is.
And THAT is who our kids are becoming.
And speaking of showing up…
This year, we invited our grade levels to join the fun with their own trunks — and WOW did they answer the call!
Special shoutout to 3rd and 4th Grade for coming in STRONG with multiple entries and turning this into some seriously friendly competition. 😂
To Ms. Hamilton, Ms. Lockwood, Ms. Cornwell, Ms. Crecco, Ms. Myers, Ms. Duffy-Bourke, Ms. Conway & Best Buddies, Ms. Terlizzese, Ms. Naves and Mr. Bill — thank you for giving our kiddos the absolute BEST surprise: seeing some of their favorite people waiting for them along the Trunk or Treat trail. ❤️
One kiddo even told us that seeing his teacher’s trunk was the best part of his entire night.
When we tell you how much your presence meant to these kids, we’re not even scratching the surface.
Even our crossing guards had a trunk.
Seriously, VRA. 🥹
And then there was the idea that started it all…
Ms. Fuller: What if we had Family Book Fair Night AND Trunk or Treat on the same night?
PTO: 😳 Ummmm… can we actually pull that off?
Also PTO: 😅 But… will families want to do both?
Parents: THIS IS SUCH A GOOD IDEA. NOW WE CAN COME TO BOTH!
Kids: BEST. NIGHT. EVER.
Turns out Ms. Fuller wasn’t trying to give us a fright after all. 😂
Boy, was she right.
Somewhere between the books, pumpkins, costumes, music and candy, something else happened that stopped us in our tracks.
As some of our trunks began running low on candy, kids started walking up and donating candy they had JUST collected from their own bags so there would be enough for the kids coming behind them.
And when we asked why?
One told us:
“I never want this night to end.”
🥹
That one got us.
Because that’s what we’re trying to build here.
Not just events.
Community.
A place where kids learn that sometimes making something special for someone else feels even better than keeping something for yourself.
And while we’re getting emotional over here… we DO have some bragging rights to hand out. 😂🏆
Our costume judges had their work cut out for them, but this year’s costume awards went to:
🥒 The Big Dill
🕷️ Black Widow
🦖 T-Rex Inflatable
And those trunks?!
VRA understood the assignment. 👏
🏆 Best Staff Trunk: Ms. Terlizzese — Music/Band 🎶
🏆 Overall Grade-Level Winner: 4TH GRADE! 🎉
Fourth Grade takes the title this year, but let us tell you — the competition was NEXT LEVEL.
We have a feeling some grade levels are already plotting for 2027. 😂
And finally…
🏆 BEST TRUNK OVERALL: To The Moon Party Designs ! 🌙✨
But this one came with a moment we haven’t stopped thinking about.
Jess Chard said:
“I love what we do so much! I hope tonight teaches someone to always dream big…”
Jess.
We see you. SO much. ❤️
Because THAT is exactly what nights like this can do.
Maybe a kid walked past your trunk and simply saw something really cool.
Or maybe they saw an adult who took an idea, dreamed ridiculously big, poured her heart into it and made something magical for other people.
Maybe they learned that creativity matters.
That enthusiasm matters.
That showing up matters.
And maybe someday they’ll remember that they’re allowed to dream big, too.
That’s the good stuff. 🥹
And we get to see what happens when those little Hawks become big ones, too.
Some of our incredible Nease volunteers — including VRA alumni and some of our volleyball players from last year — didn’t leave when the event ended.
They stayed.
Long after the last families had gone home, they were still there helping us clean everything up.
No prize.
No recognition.
No reason they had to stay.
They just did.
Once a Hawk, always a Hawk. ❤️
And if that doesn’t make us unbelievably proud of the young people growing up on the Ridge, we don’t know what will.
From the kindergartner getting a high-five from a 7th grader…
To the middle schooler taking a moment to make a little Hawk feel special…
To the high school student coming back to the place where they grew up and staying late to help clean it up…
This is why showing up matters.
A HUGE thank you to our volunteers from Nease High School, NJHS, our VRA parents, teachers and staff. An event of this size simply does not happen without an army of people willing to give their time, energy and hearts.
Thank you to Deputy Shannon, Ms. Gransaull, Ms. Fuller, Mr. Alex, Ms. Alba, Ms. Alvarado, Ms. Wing, Mr. Barnett and Ms. Hale for being on hand and helping make the night possible.
And to our incredible community partners:
⭐ Code Ninjas
⭐ Beaches Music Together
⭐ Care On Call Pediatrics
⭐ Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra
⭐ Sugarcoat Nails
⭐ Lazzara Orthodontics
⭐ Community First Credit Union of Florida
⭐ Tiger Cho's World Class Taekwondo
⭐ Tikiz of Jacksonville Beach
⭐ Jillian Tozer - Owner Tozer Travel
⭐ To The Moon Party Designs
Every single time you step onto our campus and pour into our students, our hearts swell.
Thank you for continuing to show our Hawks what community looks like.
More than 30 trunks.
Hundreds of costumes.
Countless pieces of candy.
One VERY tired PTO. 😂
But the thing we’ll remember?
A whole lot of people showed up.
They showed up for our school.
They showed up for our teachers.
They showed up for our families.
They showed up for one another.
And most importantly, they showed up for our kids.
Because showing up matters.
And Friday night, VRA showed up in a BIG way.
To every person who decorated a trunk, donated candy, volunteered a shift, ran an activity, staffed a table, sponsored our event, cleaned up, dressed up, cheered on a kid, handed out candy, tossed a football, gave a high-five — or simply brought your family and joined us:
Thank you.
You made the magic.
This is community.
This is what it means to be a Hawk.
And THIS is why we say…
Together We Soar. 💚💙
Until next year, VRA. 🎃✨
