A cheerleader waves her pom-poms at the crowd surrounding the road. A drummer uses all the force he has to bang the drum as loud as he can. On top of floats, costumed students wave and throw candy at the spectators. These are all parts of the annual homecoming parade that people look forward to. It’s now become an highly anticipated tradition within the community. Students can put on a parade for not just high schoolers to enjoy, but all members of our community.

“The parade is a way to connect with the community in a couple of ways,” senior class advisor Tiffany McCann said. “I enjoy all the smiles I see on the faces of those in the parade as well as on those watching it!”

One can easily feel the excitement in the air as floats and trucks filled to the brim with students drive by. It mainly comes from the students who enjoy being apart of the festivities that homecoming week has to offer. Their high energy is what makes the parade a huge hit for the school and community.

“The feeling of the parade was excitement, I definitely enjoyed it,” freshman Amari Hampton, who walked in the parade with Latin dance club, said.

With all parades, one has to make sure the spectators are having as great as a time as the participants. Many clubs observed how the crowd was reacting to the parade to make sure they were also having fun. They passed out an endless supply of candy for everyone and got everyone on their feet to cheer. Overall, their efforts were a huge success.

“The parade was exciting, I seemed to enjoy seeing the happiness of others as we walked by and handed out candy,” sophomore Garrett Gallentine, who walked with cross country in the parade, said.

Parades seem to have a way of bringing everyone, no matter what background, together. It doesn’t matter if someone is a cheerleader, apart of the anime club or not apart of any clubs, they can easily find their place within the fun. It especially helps with several entertaining activities going on during homecoming week. There was even a massive pep rally right after the parade.

“The parade brings people there and afterwards everyone goes to the pep rally and together and communicating,” junior Taylor Pelland, who walked with the swim team in the parade, said.

The parade was a major accomplishment, as it is every year. Not only did students have the time of their lives, but residents were also able to make some memories. Being sure that the community has tip-top experiences with the school is fundamental, and that includes getting the chance to get involve with school events.

“We show them [the community members] our titan pride as they come out to have fun, dance, and get fat eating candy!” senior Francis Nieves, who helped with the pep rally after the parade, said.