It’s not every day that a teacher issues a gentle reminder to a student walking closely behind a classmate: “Don’t step on his tail.’’

But then again not every day is Halloween, when costumed characters, including a long-tailed dragon, parade through the halls and outside the building at Quinn Elementary School.

“This is my favorite day,’’ said assistant principal Audra Thomas.

The Halloween tradition gives students the chance to showcase their costumes to their classmates  _ and to family members in attendance.

The range of costume was a treat to experience, with characters including Larry Bird, Wednesday Addams, complete with Thing clinging to her hair, a front porch covered in Amazon packages; Spongebob Squarepants; cowboys and the year’s most popular movie star, Barbie, among many other personas.

Blow-up costumes, Thomas said, have blown up in popularity. Among the inflatables on display were aliens, dragons, and Pikachu. 

They travel through the school, greeting each other and admiring costumes, before heading outside.

This part is special, Thomas said, because families of all class levels are invited. During other activities, because of the school’s population size of about 720 students, families sometimes have to attend events at staggered times.

But on Halloween, everyone is welcome to attend, which to Thomas is a real treat.