Students construct homecoming floats

The+junior+class+board+poses+next+to+their+completed+E.T.+homecoming+float.

Abby Stephens

The junior class board poses next to their completed E.T. homecoming float.

On Sept. 10, students built floats in the senior parking lot for the upcoming homecoming parade.  This was part of a competition between the classes for the best float. The winner will be announced at the homecoming parade, receiving $100 in prize money.

The students made their floats ’80s-themed, since that is the theme of this year’s dance. The freshmen based their float off of Pac-Man, the popular ’80s arcade game, inventing a transportable game board. Next came the sophomores, with a larger-than-life boom box with a short ’80s music playlist on the back. The final two floats drew inspiration from famous ’80s movies: the juniors recreated E.T., and the seniors built the “Delorean”, the car from Back to the Future.  

Abby Stephens
Freshmen pulled their finished Pac-Man themed float for the homecoming parade 2017.

The school supplied each class with a trailer and some materials, but the individual designs required specific materials. As a result, the students had to pay for most the supplies themselves with the school later reimbursing what they invested.

“For our float, we had to get 30 sheets of cardboard from one of the parent’s workplaces, and then Home Depot and Michaels is where we got the rest,” said Lars Lofquist, school treasurer.

This also required prior preparation, as each class planned their own float days before the actual building of it.

“I designed the float along with Lexi Sandoval. We did the pre-planning and then showed everyone else how to do it,” Lofquist said.

Everyone was invited to go and participate, but student council, the homecoming court, and executive and class board members were all required to go.

“Even though it took a while, the class board, executive board, senators, and homecoming court really got to bond today,” said Alex Choi, student body president.

This was the first day for homecoming festivities, along with the first project that the freshman class board, freshmen student council, and homecoming court got to work on together.

“It was very fun to work with kids from my class that I previously did not know. I got to meet a lot kids from not just the freshman class, but also several upperclassman,” said David Bynan, vice president of the freshman class. “Overall it’s fun to see the school come together through the week and really see the school spirit intensify.”

On Saturday, Sept. 16, there will be the homecoming parade through the streets of Hinsdale to honor the homecoming court. The floats will be a part of the parade, and the best float will be announced at the end.