Health & Fitness
Homecoming Floats: A Behind-The-Scenes Look
Did you know that JHS Floats are unique? They are the only Homecoming Floats in the entire state that are created with thousands of handmade paper flowers.
How many of you JHS Alumni remember participating in Float Committee meetings when you were back in school? I actually heard some interesting stories from parents about their float meetings, way back when, at the "Over-Nighter" this year! Although I did not attend JHS as a student, as a parent of a child at Johnston High, I am now able to work towards creating the for the Class of 2014.
This is such a wonderful time-honored tradition here in Johnston! To an outsider, the floats in the Homecoming Parade look beautiful and impressive, but the finished product does not reflect the tremendous amount of time, planning, organizing, and effort that goes into creating these floats each year. This wondeful tradition has been around for generations of Johnston High School students now — and did you know that JHS Floats are unique? They are the only Homecoming Floats in the entire state that are created with thousands of handmade paper flowers.
The Class of 2014 began brainstorming ideas for this year's theme back in the Spring and finally settled on "King Of The Jungle." Once that was determined, decisions had to be made about the colors that would be used, in addition to the "figures" that would be on the float. These initial decisions were made by the officers and reps of the student council. Class advisors Mrs.Tia Forgetta and Ms. Anna Pacheco (both Math teachers) then used their math wizardry/engineering skills to calculate how much paper of each color to order and how to map out the float.
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Beginning in April, students began "folding paper" at float meetings held at various students' homes. This multi-step process involves folding squares of paper into little accordians; wrapping wire around the middle; then opening the flowers by hand, "fluffing" each of them individually. This is a very time-consuming process! The students get to chat and listen to music, but are discouraged from texting while at these meetings. Building the float together allows the kids to get to know other students, and the concerted effort it takes to pull this off is a great lesson in teamwork!
All throughout the year, Stephanie Lemoi's parents, Phil and Lori, were kind enough to host meetings in their basement or garage. Phil constructed our "throne" for this year's float. Sophomore Nick Cabral's parents, Mario and Elaine, also played a huge part by hosting meetings and constructing many of the figures, including the spectacular palm trees on this year's float. Jordan Campagnone, the Class of 2014 Student Council President, worked diligently along with her float team members to build the float's side flaps at her house.
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Chris and Julie Zanni and their son, Christopher, have hosted the annual float "Over-Nighter" for two years now. Students and their parents worked diligently all through the night to finish the float. The kids camped out up in the loft with blankets and folding chairs, while parents gathered downstairs sipping coffee and folding flowers. It's a lot of fun at the beginning of the evening, but becomes grueling by the end! Everyone was completely exhausted by the time the parade took place later that morning. We ended up taking 2nd Place again this year — for the LAST TIME. Look out next year, 'cuz the Class of 2014 is highly competitive and we are "In it to win it!"