Parade Company, Comerica Charitable Foundation Host Neighborhood Thanksgiving Dinner for Plymouth Educational Center….
The elementary school students attending Plymouth Educational Center are likely to view many Thanksgiving parades during their lifetimes, but for roughly 250 students, the holiday tradition will never be quite the same following an exciting field trip on Nov. 4 to the Parade Company.
The students, representing grades 1-3, were the special guests of the Parade Company and the Comerica Charitable Foundation during the second annual Comerica Neighborhood Thanksgiving Dinner.
The mission of the day, beyond enjoying a hearty, holiday-style meal with all the trimmings, was to celebrate the meaning of Thanksgiving through education, community and tradition.
The activities for students included a behind-the-scenes tour of the parade studio where floats were being finalized for America’s Thanksgiving Parade; Thanksgiving arts and crafts projects; an up-close look at the world’s largest collection of antique papier maché heads and the Parade Company costume department; and a visit with the award-winning artisans who bring the parade magic to life.
“Our students had nothing but great things to say about the experience,” said Roger Simmons, dean of students at Plymouth Educational Center, a Michigan public chartered academy located in Detroit.
And while fun flowed throughout the Parade Company, located at 9500 Mt. Elliott, learning was also on the menu.
“We talk a lot about community at our school — what we want for our community, what it takes to keep a community up — and on this trip our students had an opportunity to experience this firsthand,” said Lisa Mitchell, a third-grade teacher who made the trip.
“The Parade Company is only about 10 minutes from our school, so it is a part of our community. And here in our community, we learned that most of the people who make the parade possible are volunteers. The students witnessed that people working together create everything they see during the parade. It was all very insightful and a tremendous connection to the real world for our students.”
Responses like Mitchell’s are music to the ears of Loretta Smith, Comerica Bank vice president of Public Affairs. Smith recommended that Plymouth Educational Center be the second school to experience the Comerica Neighborhood Thanksgiving Dinner experience.
“The students were treated to a delicious meal, but these students have a hunger for knowledge and new experiences that must be fed as well,” Smith said.
“Plymouth Educational Center has a very innovative program and the visit to the Parade Company was an extension of that. Among many things, the children learned about exciting careers in the arts and how creativity is applied in a real work setting.
“As special as the day was, we also were looking for building blocks that will stay with each student.”
To help ensure that the day would not soon be forgotten, the children took home customized Thanksgiving backpacks, which they decorated during the visit.
While organizers said the goal was to expose the students to as much as possible during the four-hour program, the grown-ups also benefitted in a big way.
“We are thrilled to be a partner with the Comerica Charitable Foundation for the Comerica Neighborhood Thanksgiving Dinner,” said Tony Michaels, president and CEO of the Parade Company. “This is one of the most heart warming days of the year at the Parade Studio. The students from Plymouth Educational Center were delightful and we are already looking forward to next year.”