Let the countdown begin.
Only hours until what is debatably the most anticipated event of a Staples student’s high school career: the motorcade.
This timeless tradition includes a procession of the senior class, perched in pickup trucks and Jeep Wranglers, making as much noise as possible on the streets of Westport. The parade of boisterous seniors begin their excursion at Compo Beach, with a departure scheduled for 6:30 p.m., half an hour before game time.
Considering the volume at which senior girls are known to cheer, there won’t be a single Westport resident who is unaware of homecoming this Friday evening.
Based on the testimonials of past seniors, Meredith Hood ‘14 has concluded that the motorcade will be everything she has hoped for. She does however, express some concern about the rules of the motorcade. “I heard that people last year were kicked out of cars because there weren’t enough seats, and I think I would just cry if that happened,” she said.
Hood is correct. The Westport Police Department has expressed the rules of the motorcade to the senior class through the captains of the cheerleading squad. Captain Emma Mikesh announced, “I have spoken to the police department and they told me that if you are in a car you must be wearing a seatbelt, and if you are in the bed of a truck, you must be sitting on your butt at all times!” This means that the number of students in a vehicle must be proportional to the number of seatbelts, with no exceptions. Mikesh’s announcement has been posted through a Facebook group.
Although, this is a tradition that has historically gone against typical laws of traffic.
There is a common misconception that both the WPD and the Staples administration are responsible for the motorcade. Both the school administration and the police have said that they are not involved with Motorcade at all, nor have they been in the past.
Ian Barsanti ’14 was shocked to hear that there is no one in charge of the motorcade. He said, “I guess that explains why it’s been said to be pretty much a free for all.”
“It’s allowed most likely because its tradition,” Mikesh said.
