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| Parade Extols State History |
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| News - Osawatomie | |||
| Written by Travis Perry | |||
| Wednesday, 03 February 2010 09:00 | |||
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The halls of Trojan Elementary School were briefly transformed into a parade route Friday afternoon as Osawatomie third-graders proudly marched past crowds of students. Beaming with joy and exuberance, the annual Kansas Day Parade participants were greeted with their fair share of “oohs” and “ahs” in reaction to the array of expansive, homemade floats on display during their march around the school. From university mascots and large employers to frontier roots and even the cultural classic “The Wizard of Oz,” a range of Kansas icons was represented in the trek.  While third-graders are the stars of the show, first- and second-grade students line the halls, eager to get a peek at what they will be a part of in coming years. “Every grade level tries to build on it a little every year,” third-grade teacher Tanya Madden said. The students’ task is simple: Create a float with some kind of Kansas theme; parental involvement is optional. While it was clear which students likely received a helping hand in crafting their creations, all took pride in their own individual interpretations of Kansas. Madden said teachers don’t completely discourage parents from helping, because even though it’s best when a student is able to take full credit, these kinds of projects can encourage good family interaction in student work. The main goal of the project is to help students absorb some basic history about the state of Kansas in a fun, memorable and interactive way, but what is now a tradition for third-graders had been phased out not too long ago. Both Madden and Trojan Elementary Principal Jeff White credit the parade revival to the late Marilyn Winegar, a dedicated third-grade teacher at Trojan who passed away from cancer several years ago. The parade was a regular occurrence in Osawatomie elementary schools during her tenure with the district, but there was a time when, for some reason or another, it simply was phased out, Madden said. Madden noted that in many ways, Winegar’s influence still can be felt throughout the building — the Kansas Day Parade being a chief example of that. “It was her idea to have this,” Madden said. “We didn’t want to at the time. Every year, she was the one who encouraged us to do it among our groans.” The parade is a type of homage to Winegar, White noted. “She was one of those teachers that everyone requested,” he said. “(The parade) is kind of a special way to remember Marilyn every year.”
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