Woodhaven High School’s senior class president, Eviana Bodagh, has her hands full organizing a variety of senior events that help make everyone’s last school year special. From planning events around homecoming and prom to helping with senior spirit week and graduation, she plays a large role in ensuring that all the big parts of senior year go smoothly. This year, one of her important responsibilities was hosting float-building parties for the homecoming parade.
The float-building parties, which are held at Eviana’s house, happen three times a week. At each party usually 4-6 students attend, and spend a few hours working on the float. She says, “The people who help the most are the people on student council and some of my friends, and we usually meet for 2-3 hours.” The group of students work together on creating a float that represents the theme, planning what will be done when, and working to complete it in time for the parade.
This year, the senior class has the theme of the “70s,” meaning their float will be decorated to represent the decade. From vibrant colors and patterns to different symbols representing the time, the float will be built to encompass the years. However, designing and building the float isn’t just about creativity, it’s also about the organizational aspects. The group of students has to carefully plan what materials are needed and who is doing what, all while staying on schedule to make sure the float is completed in time.
The float-building process is a fun way for students to become closer and show their creativity, but it’s also an important part of Woodhaven’s homecoming tradition. She “likes hosting the parties and being able to help as much as possible,” said Eviana. Each high school grade at WHS participates in the parade by creating their own float, making it a competitive event that showcases their hard work.
While Eviana and everyone who helps with the building try their best to make their ideas work, the experience of coming together as a class and continuing the tradition is just as meaningful as the final product. With everything she does, Eviana helps create memories for all of her classmates to make sure that everyone’s final year of high school is one to remember.
