The heartbeat behind the parade: Float building

Ramala Dahir, Writer

September 25, 2025

Student council preparing for OHS float building for the homecoming parade.

The Owatonna parade is a day of lavish convertibles, echoing laughter, and a spectacular showcase of creativity on heavily decorated floats. While the community cheers from the sidewalks, let’s talk about how the parade is really able to happen. The story of this begins at the float building and is powered by the collaboration of Owatonna High School’s educators and students. Their dedication in the days leading up to the parade is where the true magic happens.

Many OHS educators played a role in the making of the parade. One of them is Mr. William Bleschmidt. He is the adviser for the Owatonna High School club, Thriving Minds. This club is centered around mental health awareness. Bleschmidt believes that what makes this year’s float so special is the students’ initiative and how they got to decide on the float’s design. Bleschmidt said, “The students last year got together and decided that they would like to do a float. And I was like, ‘Sure, why not? Let’s go for it.” The students wrote empowering messages around the float on balloons, making their commitment to mental health awareness visible.

Another educator is Heather Nelson, who has been coordinating the homecoming float for the Alternative Learning Center for the past 3 years.

The significance of this year’s float for the ALC was to “turn the page and write your story.” Ms. Nelson says, “We encourage students to have a fresh start at the ALC, and that’s what we are going with.” The float featured a library theme, and she hoped to inspire others with its theme.

Lastly, Mr. Erik Eithreim, who is the school’s theater stage director, educator, and adviser for the drama club, put in his efforts to make the parade memorable. The uniqueness of this homecoming float was the celebration of the drama club’s fall show and embraced the play’s theme of Dungeons & Dragons, “She Kills Monsters.” This concept served a double role, promoting the artistry of theater while also rallying support for the Huskies, a showcase of shared school spirit.

Shout out to student council members and all the people who help put this day together. GO HUSKIES!

About the Contributors

Ramala Dahir, Writer

Ramala Dahir is a Junior at Owatonna High School and a first-year staff member of Magnet. For her future, Ramala is exploring undergraduate programs that combine her interests in healthcare and business administration. She joined Magnet to pursue her passion for journalism and to hone her writing skills. Her career aspirations are focused on a leadership role within the healthcare industry. At school, she is involved in activities such as DECA, Recognizing American Diversity, HOSA, Link Crew, and Student Council. Outside of school, she enjoys playing and watching basketball and tennis.

Morgan Hougas, Editor

Morgan Hougas is a junior at Owatonna High School. This is her first year on Magnet staff. Hougas joined Magnet this year because she likes being included academic wise. Hougas is involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters, Thriving Minds and Link Crew. Outside of school Hougas works at Scooters Coffee which she does after school. Hougas wants to learn how to write better and take cool photos while being in Magnet. After high school Hougas wants to go college somewhere close to home yet not too far away and wants to study marketing. A fun fact about Hougas is that she almost went blind in her left eye. She is excited for this year with the Magnet staff and what the year brings.