On Homecoming Weekend, the Honors Council captures their fourth consecutive crown in the annual float contest. The float, which rode through Saturday’s parade, was an out-of-the-box approach to the decades theme, which was decided by popular vote.
“We wanted to think of something outside of a somewhat confined box, and thus the idea of doing the future was born,” Honors Council President Darci Ott said. “We joked about the Jonas Brothers song ‘The Year 3000,’ but those jokes then turned out to be good ideas for our float.”
The council’s gamble on a futuristic float turned out to be a success. No other group took the approach, and the uniqueness was not lost on the judges. The float-riders played “The Year 3000” on the road during the parade, and Ott said that the song never lost its special touch. It seemed to be more than just an inspiration. The float itself wowed the audience from every single angle.
“One of my favorite parts of working on the float is the back of it,” Ott said. “We always try to have a fun scene as a little surprise, and I really enjoyed this year’s image.”
The surprise scene, which was a floating Etown with a robotic Conrad, may have given the council the advantage in the parade. Ott shouted out one special Honors Council member for the scene.
“Everyone on the Honors Council deserves a shout out, but in particular, Hayden Mitchell needs due credit for the many wonderful drawings he created,” Ott said.
One of the most memorable of Mitchell’s drawings this year was the city line and the hand-drawn floating Etown scene. Ott noted that while his drawings stood out, every member that worked on the float had a hand in the prize. With out-of-this-world work from all members, the Honors Council was confident in their ability to win the parade but had added pressure that other groups in the parade didn’t have.
“We always hope that we’ll win but just never expect it,” Ott said. “With each year’s win, I find that there is an increased pressure to continue our trend of winning, so being able to step back and just create something we were all proud of really was the goal.”
Ott wasn’t at the announcement of the winning float, but when her phone started buzzing, she knew that the victory was secure and the celebration could start.
“It was like New Year’s Day in [the Honor’s Council groupchat],” she said. “Everyone was celebrating the win and all the hard work we put into the float.”
“Again, I couldn’t be more proud of those who helped make it,” she continued.
The Honors Council is advised by Dr. Oya Dursun-Özkanca, who reiterated Ott’s proud sentiments.
“I am so proud of our Honors Council members for coming up with such a creative theme and showing extreme dedication and completing such a well-thought out and well-executed project,” she said. “The Honors Council’s success is a great testament to the Honors Program’s motto: Learn, Serve and Lead!”
The parade float is about more than continuing a winning tradition. While it’s fun to create the float and get the gold, there are memories and bonding experiences involved.
“One of the biggest benefits of bringing home the win is that it boosts group morale,” Ott noted. “Each member of our team brings something different to the table, and all have unique strengths that, when combined, create something wonderful.”
Make sure to keep an eye out at next year’s Homecoming Parade, when the Honors Council will look to create a half-decade streak of winning.
