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At some Frederick County schools, doors will open on Friday for dozens of witches and wizards, pirates and princesses, cartoon characters and superheroes, while at others, classes will go on as usual, uninterrupted by Halloween themes and festivities.

Concerned that traditional Halloween activities may alienate different religious or ethnic groups in their communities, some schools have turned away from traditional celebrations of Halloween, with its spooky imagery and pagan undertones and embraced less creepy and potentially less controversial celebrations.

For example, Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School on Friday will celebrate "International Children's Day" instead of Halloween, and is giving students the option to come in wearing costumes that represent different countries and nations.

At Centerville Elementary, students will not dress up at all on Friday — the final school day before Halloween, said Principal Stephen Raff. If they do want to put on a costume, they could dress up as a favorite book character for a fall celebration in early November, Raff said.

"This part of Urbana has a very diverse community," Raff said. "We didn't want to pick a party that is something that divides us ..."

In Frederick County, there are no specific policies or guidelines that push schools to downplay Halloween celebrations, said Marita Loose, spokeswoman for the county school system. It is up to the individual school principals to decide whether to have a school-based Halloween celebration.

"They sort of take the temperature of the community," she said. "They have a feel for what parents would prefer to take place at their child's school and they follow that route."

In recent years, there has been a trend among schools system-wide to downplay Halloween, especially when it comes to the aspects of the celebration that could be perceived as frightening or intimidating, Loose wrote in an e-mail to The Gazette.

Even where educators are determined to carry on the traditional Halloween parades and parties, they ask parents to make sure that their little witches, wizards, pirates and soldiers, don't bring in broomsticks, wands, swords, toy guns. Toy weapons and clothes with weapon imagery are also prohibited at schools.

Sherry Collette, one of the school system's elementary instructional directors, said some schools are shying away from traditional Halloween celebrations and costumes for different reasons.

During the last decade, Frederick County has become much more culturally diverse, bringing a wide variety of groups who either do not celebrate Halloween, oppose it because of its pagan roots or find it offensive.

"Today it is up to the schools to be sensitive to the needs of their communities," she said.

In addition, there is concern that school-based celebrations take time away from the instructional day, she said. Each Frederick County public school may only have two parties or celebrations in a given year, Collette said.

Still, despite these restrictions and the change in the attitudes in some areas, costume parties remain a favorite tradition for many schools in Frederick County, especially on the elementary school level.

At New Market Elementary, for example, the annual Halloween party is one of the most beloved school traditions, said Principal Cindy Alvarado.

"It's a long-standing tradition going back 20 years," she said.

The school will continue that tradition on Friday, with a costume party, classroom parties for students, snacks and games.

Lincoln Elementary Principal Ann Reever said that her school is also holding a traditional, spooky and creepy Halloween party for students on Friday. The Halloween celebration has been in place for years and many parents even come to the school in scary costumes, Reever said.

"We get pretty spooky here," she said. "One year we even had a headless horseman." Every year, the school also holds an alternative party in the cafeteria for students who do not celebrate Halloween, Reever said. And, every year very few kids choose to attend the alternative party, she said.

"This has never really been a problem with parents," Reever said. "We don't really teach them anything about Halloween. It's just a fun time for kids to get candy and dress up."

E-mail Margarita Raycheva at mraycheva@gazette.net.