Green Elementary Celebrates Detroit with Classic Car Show & Thanksgiving Parade

school-wide spring theme celebrating Detroit – Downtown and Around Town, will hold its grand finale on June 2 at 1 p.m. with  a Classic Car and Muscle Show. The show will take place on the front lawn and a Thanksgiving Parade complete with floats made by the students on little red wagons. They will celebrate after the Parade with Vernors Floats.

Green Elementary School has embarked on a history lesson that helps to connect the suburbs to the City of Detroit. Principal Kathy Sheiko organizes themes for Green each year that recognize and celebrate diversity. Sheiko was recognized this year as a 2011 Diversity Champion by the Race Relations & Diversity Task Force. Diversity Champions lead by celebrating racial, ethnic or other diversity and also advocating for the removal of racism, bias and barriers in our communal life.

Students learned the history of Detroit and designed their school hallways with Detroit themed displays, from the zoo, to Comerica Park to the DIA, with plaques and histories behind each name. Students traveled to the Parade Company and the DIA, the Detroit Riverwalk, the Carousel and went for a ride on the Diamond Jack Riverboat. They held a Motown Revue with Green alumni Sam Kay and his band who sang “Heard it Through the Grapevine” as all the teachers danced to it. Green hosted speakers from the auto industry, entertainment and sports industries. Lunches celebrated Detroit with products including Coney Islands, Better Made Potato Chips, Sanders Hot Fudge Cream Puffs and Faygo pop! The Detroit Symphony Orchestra came to the school and performed for the entire student body.

As a community service project Green students raised money to support Blight Busters Organization to help with the Motor City Makeover Project. They presented a check for $2,100 to John George, founder of Blight Busters and to Mayor of Detroit, Dave Bing, who spoke to the students about the importance of education. This has been a great learning experience for the students.

The Classic Car and Muscle Show along with the Thanksgiving Parade will be held at Green Elementary, 4500 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, on Thursday, June 2 at 1:00 pm on the front lawn.