SOUTH POINT — Third-graders at Burlington Elementary on Friday got a visit from the Headless Horseman.

As students waited outside the school in their costumes, the Headless Horseman came out of the woods and surprised them on Halloween.

“It was awesome,” Codie Layman, 8, said. “I really liked seeing the horseman on a real horse.”

The students just completed a two-week unit on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, so they were very familiar with the character.

“We decided that since it was Halloween we would culminate our activity with the Headless Horseman,” Lori Donahoe, third-grade reading teacher, said. “Literature doesn’t really start until middle school, but this was a good learning experience for them, giving them a little bit of background for when they get there.”

The kids will never forget this story or this experience, she said.

“This is what happens when you believe in legends,” Jacob Walker, 9, said. “Getting to stand by him for a picture on Halloween was really fun. Halloween is my favorite day.”

The staff at Burlington was excited for the kids to have such a good time as well.

“School is so rigid with all of the regulations that need to be met,” Harriette Ramsey, Burlington media specialist, said. “It’s good to break away and have fun. Kids need to have fun because it is the fun parts that they will remember when they get older. They’ll remember these things forever.”