Reader unimpressed by several HHS Homecoming floats

I watched the homecoming parade and I have to say that I was very impressed with three of the floats.  The city and Spiderman, the bucking Broncho, and the sweeping plow were very nice to see and showed thought, creativity and effort.

However, I was totally dismayed at several “floats” which were nothing but a trailer with paper flowers on the sides.  Some of them only took the effort to cover two sides of their trailer with paper flowers.  This is a float fit for a parade?

I cannot help but to rationalize that the kids are too busy texting, tweeting, and Facebooking their entire lives to the world and have so little time to actually DO anything, like build a float.

I am admittedly old school.  The idea of a homecoming parade (and hence the floats) is that this event is preceded by kids forming groups and working together for a week or a few weeks in the evenings prior to the parade.  This time is spent building friendships and relationships and working toward a common goal — building a float that they can ride in the parade.  Casual competition between the groups may ensue and the results are some very creative and entertaining pieces of art to entertain the crowd in the parade.

What I see now is a bunch of kids want to ride a float.  Someone rents a trailer and a few kids spend about 45 minutes making paper flowers to decorate said trailer so they can ride in the parade?  Sad.

Also, can't these kids even keep their phones out of their ears while sitting in a float or in a convertible during the parade?  Several couldn't even last the parade without having to be connected to the world, instead of actually actively participating in this event.

Let this be a challenge to next year's homecoming parade.

By the way, I do want to congratulate the kids that made the efforts on the Spiderman, bucking Broncho, and plow floats.

And to the rest of the kids:  Take a moment to learn to experience these lifelong memory-building events and give it your all, or at least some decent effort.  Your texting, tweeting, talking, and Facebooking will still be there for you pursue after you have actually done something to text, tweet, talk, or Facebook about.

Nick Zbiciak
Holly