Juniors aim to claim first place in annual float competition (UPDATE)
Class meets to construct whimsical 'Alice in Wonderland' scenes

By Jenna Weimer,
Writer
October 22, 2012

As homecoming approaches, each class will compete in the float competition during half time, Oct. 26. Until then, students meet and collaborate to construct their chosen theme.

To go along with the theme, "Once Upon a Homecoming," the junior class has chosen to portray Alice in Wonderland. Check back each week to see updates on their progress as the deadline approaches.

UPDATE:
Oct. 20

This weekend at Katie King's house the juniors focused on the fine details of their Alice in Wonderland float. They finished constructing decorations like mushrooms for the Mad Hatter's tea party and sign posts to direct Alice along her way through Wonderland. Parents to drive the trailer to the FC campus and others to help finish the float's construction were also determined Oct. 20.

According to Tynin Fries, '13, the class is well on their way to finishing, even with the minor details. The only thing left to do besides the actual construction is to finish a tree for one of the scenes.

"We're pretty much done with the float," Fries said. "All we have to do now is put the whole thing together, so we're staying after school the day of homecoming to do that."

Juniors will meet Oct. 26 right after school on the FC football field to finish construction and put the finishing touches on what they hope will be this year's first place float.

Oct. 15

The 28th annual homecoming is around the corner and the classes are underway in building their floats based on the theme, "Once Upon a Homecoming." After a close second place in the 2011 float competition, the junior class is ready for another shot at first place.

At the recent class meeting the juniors voted on which fairytale story they would recreate this year, Sept. 27. They decided on Alice in Wonderland, and planning for this float began the following Monday, Oct. 1. Construction and design began Oct. 6, and the class has met every Saturday at Kaitlyn King's house from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. since then. There is a possibility of additional meetings on Sundays, if necessary.

Float construction and design is being headed up by juniors Tynin Fries, Viviana Hinojosa, Rayna Endicott, Eric Cowin, Annalise Rosik and Elora Hargis. All other juniors are encouraged to participate, since only those who help with the building and decorating will be allowed to ride on the float.

Hargis looks forward to working on this year's float and is excited to be a part of the planning and construction crew. She says that the junior class chose Alice in Wonderland because of its potential for creativity.

"We chose Alice in Wonderland because there's a wide variety and it is the quintessential idea to match the theme of fantasy," Hargis said. "I'm excited because I feel like this theme is so whimsical and creative. The floats are sure to be fabulous."

The story the students are attempting to portray will begin with Alice falling down the rabbit hole into Wonderland and encountering the caterpillar as she walks down a path. From there, she will journey on to the Mad Hatter's tea party, which will feature tables, flowers, mushrooms, and various characters from the movie. Finally, she will meet the Queen of Hearts, with a checkerboard on the floor and a game of croquet.

"Our goal is to take you through bits and pieces of Wonderland," Hargis said. "We want to give you the feel of the whole movie in one compact float."


The complexity of design and ability to carry out the ideas of construction will depend on the number of participants. The group has some plans, but they will only work if a good amount of people show up to help.

Rosik enjoys being a part of the group, not just for the construction but also for the interactions and time with the people who are helping with the float. She too is excited to see a capacity to win the competition if everything goes as the group has planned.

"We usually have a pretty diverse group show up to help which is fun," Rosik said. "Our concept is really bold and graphic this year so I'm really excited to see how our depiction of Alice in Wonderland turns out."

The King family has hosted float building in the past for their FC alumna Julianne, '12, so it is not a new experience for them. This year they will host the project construction for the second time for Kaitlyn class.

"It was a lot of fun last year, so when leadership asked if I would do it again this year I accepted the offer," Kaitlyn said. "It is always fun to see who attends and see our progress."

Kaitlyn says that there are hard things about hosting, but the payoff is greater than what she has to put in to make it happen.

"It is a bummer when you don't have a lot of people show up because it creates more work and there is always a deadline," King said. "It is worth it, though, because when people do show up, we always have a great time."

Rosik is excited about the theme choice for this year's homecoming and for the junior float. She believes that it holds great potential to be the best float out on the field come homecoming.

"The characters and story are iconic and recognizable," Rosik said. "We thought it would be fairly straightforward to convey but also allow for an artistic twist."

Kaitlyn says there are things that the junior class could have done better last year, especially in design and their use of construction materials. This year, they will do their best to correct those mistakes for the best possible chance to win.

"We are building our items out of a variety of materials this year," Kaitlyn said. "Last year, practically everything was made out of cardboard. Every year we try to push ourselves so that our float is better than the last."

For more information on homecoming, read the Oct. 11 article, Homecoming festivities scheduled, court nominated.

For more features, read the Oct. 12 article, Alumnus studies in Egypt, watches Cairo protests.



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