Dressed in spirit wear and face paint, students passed out candy to eager children as the sun started to set along the new parade route on the streets in the Grey Oaks subdivision as the band played for the Homecoming parade on Wednesday, Oct. 5. The parade showcased the spirit of different clubs and organizations through floats and the traditional playing of the band. In an attempt to get the community more involved with the parade, the administration changed the time of the parade to 6:30 p.m. from the usual Friday afternoon.

“I think [the community] liked it better just because the people that worked actually got to see the parade,” sophomore Grant Reiner said.

A change in the parade start time meant students needed to decorate floats after school instead of during school. Associate principal Matt Fedde understood the unfamiliar element behind the change.

“I think there’s always a little unknown when you’re trying something new,” Fedde said.

Along with the changes in the time came concerns and conflicts.

“I liked it better when it was during school because it seemed more organized,” Reiner said. “A lot of people felt it was a waste of time because no one had time to come back to school.”

Attending the parade created scheduling issues for some which prevented them from partaking in the event. Senior Carly Doane decided not to attend due to conflicts of interest.

“I worked that night,” Doane said. “I didn’t hear fantastic reviews about [the parade]; it just didn’t sound like it was a Mill Valley Homecoming parade.”

Although the student and parent concerns about the changes created issues, the administration continued to shed positive light on the situation.

“We’ll always take criticism,” Fedde said. “We just stress that we’re trying to get the community involved. There’s always going to be little successes and failures but we think [the parade] turned out well.”

As an old tradition left and a new one began, students saw both positive and negative aspects of the change.

“It was kind of sad to see a tradition go because us seniors have been doing it for four years,” Doane said. “Students have really enjoyed and gotten used to having that day as a Homecoming day.”