FALCONER – Falconer High School, Maple Grove Junior-Senior High School and Cassadaga Valley High School recently held a joint homecoming parade down East Avenue in Falconer.

The parade is a collaboration between students from all three schools.

Stephen Penhollow, Falconer superintendent, said the collaboration with other schools has long allowed for this opportunity to continue and be offered to as many students as possible. Penhallow noted that Cassadaga Valley has been part of the parade for more than a decade. Maple Grove began participating in the parade following the merging of the district’s football teams about five years ago. The mergers have allowed for small schools to continue beloved and fun traditions for students through event and activity mergers. Participants in the parade included a large number of students from each district, while parents from the communities eagerly joined, according to Penhollow.

The parade features a host of collaborative displays from the student, school, and municipalities. The parade begins with a long line of cars holding students that have been nominated for the homecoming court. The students rode in convertibles, waving and smiling at the parents lined up to see them. Individual graduating classes also made floats for the parade. Each class’s float held its own unique theme that had been created by that class. This allowed each graduating class to express their individual characteristics and interests in the parade. The parade also contained a fire truck from the Falconer Fire Department, students twirling flags, and some special performances from the school’s bands. There were even floats containing the football teams, who were all wearing their jerseys in a show of school pride.

Students all threw candy out to the many parents and members of the community that came out to celebrate this showing of student celebration. Penhallow noted that this event has become something that students across all grade levels have grown to love, but the students are not the only ones who hold a connection to the event. All three of the communities have grown to appreciate, and be a special part of this event, according to Penhallow. Even many younger children, who may not even be in school yet, gather with excitement to collect candy from the parade.