The holiday season got an early start last Friday morning at Webster Montessori School (WSM), when the school hosted its first-ever Mini Macy’s Parade.
The parade featured more than 50 very creative hand-crafted miniature floats, so many that it took almost 45 minutes for them all to snake through the school’s gymnasium through a parade route lined with streamers.
Very much like the actual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, it was a festive affair. Students from all of the school’s classrooms gathered in bunches to enjoy the spectacle, while parents and grandparents sat along the walls. One after another, the mini floats rolled by, pulled by 5th and 6th grade float handlers selected from the school’s Upper Elementary classrooms, each one as delightful as the one before.
The variety of float designs was impressive and very entertaining. There were a lot of nods to actual Macy’s parade floats and balloons, like Dino the Dinosaur, Mickey Mouse, the Peanuts gang and several turkeys. But plenty of others broke the mold entirely, like a school bus (with pictures of actual WSM students in the windows), the “used car sale lot,” and “Old McDonald’s Farm,” and others highlighting local businesses including Kodak, Knucklehead Brewery and Wild Wings. And of course, pop culture was well represented with floats depicting Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, Bluey, and the movies Coco and Frozen.
Appropriately, the final float carried Santa Claus, who then surprised the assembled students and adults with an in-person appearance, accompanied by Mrs. Claus.
Jennifer Thornquest, WSM’s Director of Advancement and Community Engagement, pulled together most of the parade details and acted as announcer. She organized the parade line-up by theme, and as she introduced each float, described for the audience the float’s builder, topic and pertinent details, much like in the actual Macy’s parade. AND she matched each float with an appropriate theme song (for example, the fire truck float was accompanied by Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”). It all made for a very Macy’s-parade-like experience.
The event was truly a school-wide endeavor. Thornquest wrote,
All families of our Webster Montessori community were encouraged to submit a float of any theme, size, and style. The hope was to encourage families to craft together, brainstorm ideas and promote creativity. Most of our floats were completed by the adults AND children in their households, making each float unique and a beautiful collection of joint collaborations.
Families had about a month to work on their creations. Staff members assisted with some of the in-classroom submissions, including what Thornquest called the school’s “marquis/signature float” which they plan to use every year: a hand-knit rendition of the school’s mascot, a great-horned owl, created by staff member Sarah Reynolds. For its first parade this year, the owl was perched atop a custom basket that mirrors the design of the school’s main lobby.
Three floats were chosen as top prize winners. “The Adorable UFO” by Maren K. and family came in first place; “Mermaid World” by Vivienne and Hailey F. and family took second; and there was a tie for third place between “Nemo and Friends” by Porter and Maverick T. and family, and “Cocomelon and WMS Friends School Bus Float” by Chloe M. and family. Each winner received a $30 Wegmans gift card and all four will be featured on illuminated dollies at the Webster Village Parade of Lights during Winter Wonderland on Dec. 7.
Because it’s what I do, I took a photo of almost all of the floats, which I’ve included in this Facebook gallery. You can also click here to see the story that WROC-TV broadcast about the event, and click here for WHEC-TV’s story.
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(posted 11/20/2024)
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