Back in my days at Music & Art High School, aka LaGuardia School of the Arts, Halloween was serious business. We prided ourselves on costumes so good they could upstage Broadway. Side note: I was kind of intimidated back then. I wasn’t exactly the costume type. My contributions were limited to the occasional rubber zombie mask, an excuse to wear pajamas to school, or a lazy pair of bunny ears.
Fast forward to now, as an art teacher, I’ve noticed that Halloween costumes in schools seem to be frowned upon. Why? No clue. Probably some vague rule about “distractions” or “safety” or some other excuse.
Anyway, one day on my walk home from school, I spotted something oddly poetic—a discarded Yondr pouch lying helplessly on the ground. For the uninitiated, Yondr pouches are those locking bags designed to imprison phones during school hours, concerts, or comedy shows. (Basically, they’re phone jail.) And students? Oh, they hate them with the fiery passion of a thousand Wi-Fi outages.
That’s when inspiration hit me like a pumpkin spice latte to the face. What if I turned this object of teenage torment into the ultimate Halloween costume? A Yondr pouch costume? Iconic. Genius. Necessary.
I hopped online to do some reconnaissance and saw a few teacher-made versions floating around. But let’s be real—this was me. I wasn’t about to let Pinterest-level mediocrity steal the show. So, I sketched out some designs, called up a retired art teacher friend (because teamwork makes the dream work), and together, using a mix of felt, soundproofing foam, and plastic Chinese food containers, we cobbled together a masterpiece. It was peak ridiculousness, but also chef’s kiss.
I kept my plans top secret, spilling the beans only to two trusted teacher allies. Then, on the big day, I unveiled my Yondr pouch costume at the after-school Halloween celebration. And let me tell you—it was a moment.
The next day, I found out my little costume had gone viral. Students gleefully showed me a TikTok video of myself in costume, riding the subway like some bizarre, hyper-specific niche superhero. Walking down the street, kids shouted my name, stopped me for photos, and generally telling me "I won Halloween" and leaving most adults scratching their heads
Now, the pressure is on. How do I outdo myself next year? Yondr pouch 2.0? Maybe I’ll just show up dressed as a Wi-Fi hotspot. Nothing says “hero” to students like free internet access.
