Staff photo / J.T. Whitehouse ... Thanksgiving Day parades need a turkey float like this one, designed and handled by Western Reserve Elementary School fourth graders Connor Bailes, Emma Barnhouse and Remington Kuhns.

BERLIN CENTER — Tuesday afternoon was full of anticipation for students at Western Reserve Elementary School after more than a month of hard work went into the second annual Macy’s Little Blue Devils Thanksgiving Day Parade.

“We actually begin in October by reading the book “Balloons Over Broadway” by Melissa Sweet,” said STEAM teacher Samantha Steele. “The book is about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade history and puppeteer Tony Sarg, who designed balloons for the parade.”

Steele said students learned about how Sarg reached out to the Goodyear Blimp Co. in Akron about how to make a balloon float, but not fly away.

“After the book, we look into all the jobs it takes to put on the parade,” Steele said. “We also study geography for the parade route.”

For the balloons, Steele depended on sticks to hold up the balloons. The K-2 students made balloons representing a variety of characters they wanted to see in the parade.Students in grades 4 and 5 were responsible for floats, which were all built on office boxes. The floats each had a theme and were designed and decorated by the students.

The fifth grade spent its time building a city — New York City, to be exact. The halls were lined with skyscrapers and included buildings such as the Empire State Building, The Plaza Hotel and Macy’s Department Store. The halls were decorated to give the festive atmosphere.

Just before 2 p.m., students from the middle school lined the halls as the parade kicked off. Fifth graders Grayson Gatto and Kenton Bowell had the honor of carrying the parade banner to get things started.

Steele said the students take over for the parade. They have to plan it, plan the route and make sure the students are lined up and ready to go. She said it gives them the feel of what the Macy’s Parade goes through. On top of that, the students incorporate a variety of school subjects into the design and planning.

“We left the buildings and decorations up that evening for our parent-teacher conferences,” Steele said. “On Wednesday, we take it down.”

She said the students are now looking forward to next year when they can again take part in a fun Thanksgiving event. Each student moves up a grade and can build and display new floats and balloons.

“From the beginning, this event has helped inspire the children to be creative,” said Western Reserve Elementary Principal Debbie Farelli. “It brings us together as a school and increases school spirit. It also helps put us in the holiday mood.”