The Parade Behind the Scenes: GCA Launches Gilbert into the Future
The Parade Behind the Scenes: GCA Launches Gilbert into the Future
Tristan Chavez
The Gilbert Days Parade is back for its annual celebration of the town’s heritage on Saturday, November 23, 2024. With the theme of “The Decades of Gilbert”, our 39 Gilbert Public Schools (GPS) will represent different time periods to showcase some of the decades of our 111-year history. However, the district float will take a different approach. Rather than celebrating the district’s past, the district float looks ahead to highlight what could be the future of GPS and the Town, the “Gilbert of the Future.” Gilbert Classical Academy (GCA) students Mackenzie Adcock, Serena Bhatnagar, Conner Daneshkhah, and Luyanda Mlunjwana are spearheading the project, ensuring the float represents GPS while creatively holding true to the theme.
“It’s an honor to represent the entire district and showcase what makes Gilbert Public Schools special with our float,” said Makenzie Adcock, a senior at GCA and member of the Superintendent's Student Senate. “Every school in the district has its own unique personality. We wanted to make sure we captured that diversity, so we’ve put a lot of thought into the design.”
With the idea of taking “old Arizona and the Wild West” into the future, the district float’s design launches Gilbert forward in time while paying homage to the town’s Arizona roots. The largest eye-catcher will be the Gilbert Water Tower transformed into a rocket ship at the back of the float. Outlining the float’s edges will be the skyline of Gilbert, featuring a few “Easter eggs” hidden inside. On the floor of the float, decorative cacti and hay bales will be illuminated by fairy lights with globes featuring all GPS school initials and mascots.
The students' experiences at GCA have been instrumental in shaping the float's design. From different clubs, a diverse culture, and various available resources, the students credit their educational journeys for bringing their ideas to life. For example, the school’s Makerspace Club, which provides a collaborative workspace to create things, offers students a hands-on learning experience that enables them to invent and explore with many different tools. Members of GCA’s STEM Club have also contributed to the district float project by creating a way for audience members to engage with the float. After creating multiple prototypes, students in the STEM Club plan to 3D print over 100 miniature rockets that will store a piece of candy to hand out during the parade.
The students also credit GCA’s diverse student population, with many different backgrounds, experiences, and skill sets as another contributing factor to their float’s design.
"GCA has a way of keeping you on your toes," added Serena Bhatnagar, a senior at GCA. "Whether it's tackling a challenging homework assignment, starting a club, or meeting new people, we're constantly learning and growing. This experience has been invaluable in helping us bring our vision for the float to life as we’re able to incorporate bits and pieces of everyone’s unique ideas."
In discussions about the district float’s design, the students at GCA also want to emphasize and thank Karen Maas, a math teacher at the school, for the important role she has played in supporting them in every step of the process. To learn more about the Gilbert Days Parade, including images of previous parades, visit GilbertSchools.net/About/News-Events.
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