Walking in the parade, the softball team toss candy to spectators. Garnering a first-place win, the team impressed audiences with their Toy Story themed float.
Waving, Homecoming Court nominees Briana Vasquez-Martinez ’24 and Kaylee Jones ’24 ride in the parade in a convertible. Court nominees trailed other student organization floats in the parade.
Cheering, Becca Hendricks ’24 participates with SunDancers in the parade. SunDancers created a Despicable Me themed float, and many dressed as characters from the movie.
Beaming from their float, students at Spicewood Elementary School participate in the parade. This year, feeder elementary and middle schools were welcomed to join as part of the parade festivities.
On Wednesday, Oct. 11, student organizations and families filled the streets at the Homecoming Parade to show off the ornate floats they designed.
By 6:00 p.m., last-minute touch-ups were brushed on as students flocked to their floats to commence the parade. This year’s theme- Movie Mania- allowed students to exercise their creative free will and collaborate within their organizations before displaying their final movie-themed floats in front of the judges: Principal Erin Campbell, Dr. Joshua Plocher, Ms. Natalie Fischbach, Mr. Drake Clapp, and Mrs. Natalie Wieland.
Along with the Westwood floats, elementary and middle schools partook in the parade tradition, such as Canyon Vista and Grisham Cheer who rode in a Taylor Swift-themed float. As the cars rolled through the neighborhood, each float tossed candy to spectators. Behind the sports teams and clubs trailed Homecoming Court nominees in convertibles, beset in their best wear: Satvik Agarwal ‘24 and Maya Granoff ‘24, Charlotte Stidvent ‘24 and Benjamin Yu ‘24, Annetta Davoli ‘24 and Brandee Benson ‘24, Simryn Jacob ‘24 and Emily Collins ‘24, Kaylee Jones ‘24 and Briana Vasquez-Martinez ‘24, and Amelia Spielman ‘24 and Alex Lee ‘24.
“Watching all of the court nominees in their sashes and convertibles was enjoyable,” Class of 2025 StuCo Vice President Shrishti Mahajan ’25 said. “It made me get excited to see who would win.”
Winners of the best float theme and execution were declared at the pep rally, following the parade. Warrior Cheer garnered third place with their Barbie themed float, Swim & Dive won second place with a Pirates of the Caribbean themed float, and Softball claimed a first-place win for the third year in a row with their Toy Story inspired float.
“It was such a rewarding experience being able to see the different organizations, [feeder schools], and clubs come together and express their creative side [with their floats],” Mahajan, who played a key role in parade planning by organizing the Homecoming Court, said.
![In their full runway outfits, (from left) Audrey Lee 25, Olivia Lucy Teets, 25, Fashion Design teacher Ms. Judy Chance, and Xueying Lili Yang pose for a photo. All three girls made it to Austin Fashion Week by getting in the top 10 in a previous runway show held by Shop LC.
[I like my students] creativity and how they can look at a fabric and make it their own, Ms. Chance said.](https://westwoodhorizon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_9686-e1714088765730-1129x1200.jpeg)
