Halloween came early to Wareham Elementary School, as students gathered in the cafeteria the evening of Monday, Oct. 30 to show off their painted pumpkins. 

Prior to the event, students painted pumpkins based on books that they chose. One class had a series of pumpkins based on “101 Dalmatians,” while other students chose “Fancy Nancy,” “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and more. 

Robert Skelly and Jacoby Pellegrini both chose to theme their pumpkins after one of their favorite movies, “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” 

Older students in grades three and four got to write their own stories to go along with their painted pumpkins. 

One student chose to write her story and decorate her pumpkin around a black cat. The cat likes sour cream and onion pringles, she said, partially because "I was eating onion pringles when I made the pumpkin."

Another, Kenzie Berejik, chose to make her pumpkin an alien tentacle cat. 

Kenzie loves cats, and her dad loves octopi, so she chose to put them together into one pumpkin, she said. 

The school holds this event every year, said Principal Bethany Chandler. "It's just a great family event."