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Halloween parade also says Boo to Drugs
By Bruce Walton
POLAND
While Terri Dambra was out of town, her boyfriend, John Paul Jones, waited in the stands to support her daughter, Sophia Dambra, 9, dressed as a scary doll for the Poland schools Halloween parade.
He stood waiting to see Sophia with his golden retriever, Payton, who wore her own costume of a saddled cowboy riding on her back.
“My kids right now are grown so I remember these days, but they never had something special like this,” he said.
More then 600 students, as young as kindergarten and as old as fourth grade from Dobbins and Union elementary schools, paraded on the track of the Dave Pavlansky High School Football Stadium at noon Friday. Countless Pokemons, princesses, superheroes, ghosts and ghouls waved at eager parents with cameras snapping pictures from the stands, all in the name of saying “boo” to drugs.
Dobbins Elementary Principal Michael Daley said he’s happy for the turnout and the opportunity to work with the community on a message against drug abuse.
“It’s a fantastic way to get the families out to be a part of the educational process and to be out with their kids,” Daley said.
Poland Elementary guidance counselor Lauren Mechling spearheaded the drug prevention week for the past two years and had the idea for the parade and the “Say Boo to Drugs Day.”
“I think that’s a good impact because we’ve had a lot of parents and family members here,” she said. “So for them to be able to see their children and grandchildren dress up for Halloween to also tie in that positive message I think is a great way” to help the community, she said.
The parade tops off the school’s five-day celebration of Red Ribbon Week. One of the highlights was on Give Back Day where students submitted a Family Red Ribbon Week Pledge, writing five ways each family can make healthy choices. The family pledges, written on red hand-shaped papers, were organized together in the shape of a red ribbon with the saying, ‘Hand in Hand, We Take A Stand to Be Drug Free.’
During the parade, the video scoreboard displayed videos of students, facts about drug abuse and making better life choices, and occasionally cut to children jumping out to say boo to drugs.
Afterward, students were able to leave with their parents or guardians to get an early start for the weekend before Halloween.