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Hundreds
turn-out for Detroit Public Schools’ largest back-to-school parade
Parade
units
include
the
All-City
Marching
Band,
clowns,
two new
Parade
Company
floats,
the
Urban
Cowboys
equestrian
group
and
hundreds
of
student
cheerleaders,
step and
dance
teams,
and a
citywide
JROTC
group
DETROIT, MI (Tell Us Det) - Detroit Public Schools’ third annual
Back-to-School Parade and Rally on Saturday August 27 was the district’s largest ever, with more than 1,000
marchers in 49 units high-stepped their way down
Woodward Avenue from Grand Circus Park to Hart Plaza. The
parade and rally was joined this year by the new DPS
Education and Enrollment Expo, which took place on Hart
Plaza from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The expo featured the
district’s 130 schools, as well as DPS-authorized charter
schools and a host of services to help families prepare for
the new school year.
About
the
parade:
The
parade,
presented
by Mr.
Alan’s
Shoes
and
Sportswear,
will
step off
at 11
a.m. at
Grand
Circus
Park.
Sponsors
include
Office
Depot,
Forman
Mills,
Sodexo
and
Comcast.
Gospel
artist
Vicky
Winans
will
serve as
grand
marshal,
and
float
riders
will
include
former
professional
athletes
Derrick
Coleman
and Mel
Fahr,
hip-hop
artists
Stretch
Money
and Al
Nuke,
City
Council
President
Charles
Pugh and
many
more
notables.
(Photo
by
Shayna
Fields-Clark/Tell
Us
Detroit)
The
parade
will
feature
two new
floats,
as well
as
clowns
and
hundreds
of DPS
student
and
parent
marchers.
Units
will
include
the All
City
Marching
Band in
its
first
appearance
in seven
years.
The
newly
reconstituted
band is
comprised
of 88
musicians
and
auxiliary
personnel
from
Cass
Tech,
Detroit
School
of Arts,
Martin
Luther
King and
Renaissance
high
schools.
Also
appearing
will be
Curious
George,
popular
Thanksgiving
Day
floats
from the
Parade
Company,
such as
Motown
and the
Big
Green
Bookworm,
and a
180-member
Detroit
Public
School
League
unit,
including
cheerleaders
and
football
players.
(Photo
by
Shayna
Fields-Clark/Tell
Us
Detroit)
The
Nichols
Middle
School
cheer
team,
Girl
Scout
Troop
72264,
Pasteur
Elementary’s
NASA
Crew,
the new
Dr.
Benjamin
Carson
High
School
of
Science
and
Medicine,
the
Gentlemen’s
Club of
Brenda
Scott
Academy,
a
citywide
JROTC
unit and
the
Spain
Elementary
School
Dance
Team are
among
the
student
groups.
The
parade
will
pass by
the
Spirit
of
Detroit
statue,
which is
dressed
in a
custom-designed
DPS “I’m
In,
We’re
In”
T-shirt
through
August
31.
(Photo
by
Shayna
Fields-Clark/Tell
Us
Detroit)
The
high-energy
rally,
hosted
by
Vickie
Winans
and Hot
102.7’s
Shorty
Da
Prince in
the Hart
Plaza
Amphitheater.
Live
performances
included
R&B
singer/songwriter
John
Brown,
Kenny
Watson
and the O.U.E.
and
Detroit
School
of Arts
Senior
Betty
Pride
and her
band,
who gave
their
first
live
public
performance
of the
new DPS
“I’m In”
song,
which
she
wrote
and
produced.
Mayor
Dave
Bing and
Emergency
Manager
Roy
Roberts
also
will
appear.
About
the
Expo:
The new
Education
and
Enrollment
Expo
will be
a
one-stop
location
to get
ready
for
school.
In
addition
to
offering
the
city’s
largest
school
shopping
fair,
including
both
traditional
and
DPS-authorized
charter
schools,
parents
can take
advantage
of free
immunizations,
free
parenting
workshops,
on-the-spot
enrollment
stations
and
district
representatives
who will
be on
hand to
answer
questions
about
transportation,
food and
much
more.
There
will
thousands
of
School
Readiness
giveaways
and free
items,
including:
• 2,000
school
uniforms
from Mr.
Alan’s
• 4,500
book
bags
from
Office
Depot
• Free
hot dogs
and
chips
from
Sodexo
• “I’m
In”
T-shirts
• Lawn
signs
•
Lanyards |
