Thanks to the creativity of Christine Bloom, a kindergarten teacher at Northeast Elementary School, this educational center located in Amityville, Long Island, held its first “Thanksgiving Day Parade.”
In preparation for the unique event held on November 27, young students delved into the history of this famous tradition by reading “Balloons Over Broadway” by Melissa Sweet and watching a video of the “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.”
Thus inspired by what they learned, each class made their own Thanksgiving-themed balloons and creations for the big march.
The parade filled the school with joy as students walked proudly with their colorful projects, and the excitement increased even more with the arrival of a very special guest, Santa Claus, to kick off the Christmas season.
Furthermore, on November 26, students at Northwest Elementary School in Amityville also celebrated “Thanksgiving” in a creative way combining learning, art and cultural traditions.
After reading “Balloons Over Broadway” by Melissa Sweet, which tells the true story of Tony Sarg, the self-taught immigrant artist responsible for the original Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade floats and costumes, students were inspired to design and build their own balloons for the parade.
Sarg’s innovative creations, which laid the foundation for the iconic helium balloons on display at today’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, helped students explore both the contributions of immigrants and cherished American Christmas traditions.
With this inspiration, the classrooms at Northwest Elementary School burst with imagination as students transformed their ideas into colorful balloon characters.
Thus the hallways of this Long Island school were filled with excitement, laughter and pride as students showed off their artistic talent in the Thanksgiving Day Parade, amidst cheers from classmates and staff.
Northwest thanks Ms. Karniewich, Haber, Carrero, and English as a Foreign Language (ENL) teachers, Soto and Meisser, for their leadership in organizing the event.
Northwest thanks Ms. Karniewich, Ms. Haber, and Carrero, and English as a Foreign Language (ENL) teachers, Soto and Meisser, for their leadership in organizing the event and for helping to bring Tony Sarg’s story to life for the students.
