Warrendale Charter Academy Student’s Parade Float Design Comes to Life
A gifted, young charter school artist from Detroit witnessed her drawing come to life this week as The Parade Company unveiled the winning float in the 21st annual Skillman Foundation float design contest. The float will be featured in this year’s America’s Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit.

Warrendale Charter Academy eighth-grader Robin Ryce was the grand-prize winning artist. Ryce, an honorable mention winner last year, saw her drawing, called “Color Art Studio,” transformed into a float. Her design features children hard at work in a vibrant art studio working on various creations. The talented student will accompany her float along the parade route on Thanksgiving morning to celebrate with the thousands of parade-goers during the 86th America’s Thanksgiving Parade.

For the first time, a runner-up was also selected – another charter school student. Seventh-grader Naomi Cook of Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies was named runner-up for her drawing, “Calling All Artists-Art Park.” Her vibrant drawing, as well as those of the five honorable mention winners, was incorporated into the design of the parade float, on the artists’ canvasses and around the skirt.

“For 21 years it has been a privilege to honor these exceptionally talented and creative Detroit students during this annual contest,” Carol Goss, Skillman Foundation President & CEO, said in a press release. “We look forward to Thanksgiving morning, when we will all gather to celebrate these students, teachers and families as a community.”

Warrendale Charter Academy is authorized by Grand Valley State University and managed by National Heritage Academies.

For more on the story, including photos of Robin and her float, click here.

Please submit any announcements, news or event information for MAPSA's "Good Things Happening in Our Schools" feature to Buddy Moorehouse at bmoorehouse@charterschools.org.