Last Friday, two area schools celebrated one of the many time honored traditions observed in high schools across the county — homecoming.

While the Dowagiac and Buchanan football teams took center stage in their victories against Sturgis and Comstock, respectively, much of the pomp and circumstance surrounding the celebration took place by students who weren’t wearing helmets and shoulder pads that evening.

Before taking to the stands that night, hundreds of residents lined the streets of their hometowns to witness their kids show off the fruits of their creativity during their homecoming parades. In Buchanan, each class field parade floats adorned with decorations based off popular movies, like “Toy Story,” “Star Wars” and “Finding Nemo.” Meanwhile, Dowagiac students showed off their superhero-themed creations, decorating floats based off popular comic characters like Spider-Man and Batman.

No doubt these projects took a lot of time, energy and cash to create, all just for bragging rights amongst classmates.

With Brandywine, Cassopolis, Niles and Edwardsburg school districts already having hosted similar parades, it is clear that school spirit is a key part of our region’s education system — and that is certainly something everyone can be proud of.

In a time where students’ time outside the classroom is more precious than ever, it’s great to see classes still find time to come together and contribute to building parade floats and organizing other homecoming events. With all the pressures on modern high school students, it’s heartening to see that they still are willing to share their school spirit with the community.

Not only that, but by participating in these activities, students who normally aren’t in the spotlight due to their lack of participation in athletics get a chance to shine. And they get to make great memories in the process, getting to know classmates they maybe don’t interact with on a regular basis.

It’s also great to see parents and others continue to support local children by attending these events.

We hope that both the Bucks and the Chieftains continue to ride these waves of positive energy into the future.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.