The Haunting Of H & M Potter School - Year Two

The transformation of H & M Potter School has begun.

Strange items were being packed into the drop ceilings Thursday night. The body bags are ready. And Principal Jeffrey M. Zito has a disturbing, slightly demented gleam in his eyes.

"It's a lot of fun," he said, after the Berkeley Board of Education meeting last night.

Friday night kicks off the school's second annual "Zombie Apocalypse." And Zito and his staff have been prepping for it since the day after the first frightfest in October 2011.

"It was awesome," he said. "We had such an outpouring."

The zombie tryouts on Oct. 19 also went well. Zito hired everyone who applied, including some township police officers and firefighters. And the fundraiser has expanded to both stories at the school this year.

The doors open at 7:30 p.m. tonight and Saturday. If you're lucky enough to make it out, the event ends at 10 p.m. each night. Tickets are $5 for children, $10 for adults.

The script of the event is much like last year. There's a problem with the water in the school. Zito will be greeting visitors dressed in a Haz-Mat suit. They will learn the water has been contaminated.

But getting out of the building alive will not be easy. Let's just leave it at that.

The "Zombie Apocalypse" is actually a major fund-raiser for the H & M Potter School Parent Teacher Association. Zito is hoping to draw visitors from around Ocean County.

"This is really a unique thing in Berkeley," he said. "There's really no haunted houses in this area."

The school will also hold a "Fall Fest" event in two weeks for younger children who might not be able to handle the zombies, Zito said.

For more information, call the school at 732-269-5700.