With a mini mock Macy’s Day Parade, Thanksgiving dinner served by Buckeye Community Hope Foundation members and a staff vs. students basketball game, November 21, 2024 was one of the most memorable school days ever,
describes Summit Academy – Columbus Principal Cheryl Elliott.
The day’s festivities began when staff members of Columbus THS sponsor Buckeye Hope joined the high school students to serve a holiday turkey dinner. The festive meal ended on a sweet note of cookies, no less. With satisfied tummies, the school community enjoyed the day’s pièce de resistance: the mini mock Macy’s Day Parade.
“The parade was a highlight with lots of excitement,” describes Elliott. “The high school students did a fantastic job cheering on the younger kids.”
Coordinated by teacher Jaime McElhiney, the mini mock Macy’s Day Parade included an array of student-designed helium
balloon floats in the likeness of Santa Claus, a playful cat, a cheerful monkey, waddling penguins, a colorful hippo, whimsical robots and other animated characters. About 35 kindergarten to seventh-grade students marched in the parade as parents and other family members watched on.
“The kids were so engaged and excited. We had a great turnout of parents who came to support the parade,” Elliott says.
McElhiney’s inspiration for the parade, she says, came from fond memories of her own childhood, watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with her family. “I wanted to share that joy with my students, many of whom were unfamiliar with the parade,” she says. “Creating our own version seemed like a fun and meaningful way to bring the experience to life for them.”
To help her students connect with the tradition, McElhiney read “Balloons Over Broadway” with her students before their parade.
“It’s a delightful book that explains how the parade began. It melted my heart to realize they hadn’t experienced something that was so meaningful to me growing up,” says McElhiney, who wanted to give her students a chance to experience their own floating parade.
The parade navigated throughout the school halls and into the high school. The floats entertained spectators along the way, just before the start of the staff vs. school students basketball game.
“It was an exciting match, and the students were really into it,” describes Elliott. “There were huge screams of excitement every time a basket was made. The students came out on top with a 28-22 victory. It was a truly memorable day.”