First graders at Belle Alexander put on their own Macy’s Day Parade for their fellow schoolmates, complete with balloons, on Monday. The parade was inspired by a book read to them the week before by Principal Casie Douglas.
The book, “Balloons over Broadway,” written by Melissa Sweet, tells the story of puppeteer Tony Sarg who invented the large balloons that have delighted crowds at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for decades.
Taking their creativity and inspiration from Mr. Sarg, the students crafted their own balloons using construction paper and markers, and transformed them into such characters as elephants, Spider-Man and even Pikachu. They then paraded down the hallway and into the cafeteria before reentering the hallway and proceeding to the gym, where kindergarteners were gathered.
First-grade teacher Lori Yarger helped organize the event and said they used the activity as a learning experience. Students prepared planning sheets and created their own balloon characters before decorating them.
This is the first Thanksgiving Day Parade at Belle but Principal Douglas and Yarger plan to make it an annual event.
