For nearly two decades, Eagle Ridge New Tech High School has upheld a beloved tradition in the Klamath Snowflake Festival Parade by building a student-designed float that reflects both creativity and craftsmanship.
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This year, that tradition grew even stronger as students in instructor David Parker’s CTE construction classes, and even Ponderosa Middle School eighth graders who attend daily courses at Eagle Ridge, spent the last two weeks constructing a snowy “tunnel” float entirely from scratch for tonight’s snowflake parade.
Using their own stock of wood and relying on the same tools they’ve practiced with all year, Parker’s students handled the project from start to finish.
“Each class worked on little bits of the pieces until they were all built,” Parker said. “They cut the arches with the jigsaw, cut the two-bys with the chop saw, used drills and impacts, all of it was done by hand.”
Once the sections were fully assembled, students carried them outside, sprayed them with paint, and added finishing touches. Even after the main structure came together, Ponderosa eighth graders stepped in to help detail the float.
“All of them were up there with paint brushes,” Parker said. “Getting all the little corners that got missed.”
This year’s theme, “Arctic Adventures,” inspired Parker’s classes to design a tunnel-like structure for parade participants to walk through as they sit comfortably during the parade.
“We wanted it to be a tunnel,” said Eagle Ridge instructor Jackie Lancaster, who has helped coordinate Eagle Ridge’s parade entry for over a decade. “Our construction class built the rings for it, and it is amazing our students did all the work for this. It’s one of the longest-running traditions we’ve kept since at least 2010.”
While Eagle Ridge New Tech is typically the only school in the Klamath Basin to put together a float, and traditionally the only one to include a student rock band, Lancaster said the heart of the tradition is about showcasing student programs.
“We usually have drums, guitar, bass and vocalists but we were not able to have the students do that again this year,” Lancaster said. “And we always try to represent our programs, CTE, FFA, construction and our Ponderosa students on the float.”
Beyond the parade, Parker’s CTE program continues to make an impact in the wider community. Recently, Pelican Elementary School Principal Liza Butler ordered more than 40 custom coasters from him for her staff after a sample engraving was mistakenly delivered by one of his grandsons who attends Pelican.
“She emailed me that morning and said, ‘This is wonderful. Can I have 43 more?’” Parker recalled with a laugh.
