Northside Parade honors Lafayette's final chapter

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) - Crowds gathered along the Northside Parade route Saturday morning on St. Joseph Avenue, ready for colorful entries, handfuls of candy and a shared sense of pride.

With smiles and waves, parade participants - many of them Lafayette High School alumni spanning decades - celebrated the north side of St. Joseph. They tossed candy, handed out shamrock beads and wore green with messages of pride in tribute to the Fighting Irish.

The celebration carried a note of reflection. Lafayette High School is set to close in May, with students moving to other schools in the St. Joseph School District, a reality many said was on their minds throughout the event.

Seventeen-year-old Kyre told the News-Press she was sad about the closing. Now a junior, she will finish school at Central High School.

"They said something about they might let us graduate in green," she said.

From windshields reading "We Bleed Green" to T-shirts declaring "End of an Era," and a neon green poster proclaiming "You Can Close a Building Not a Community!" attendees expressed a shared mix of pride and nostalgia while enjoying the camaraderie.

Heather Gritts, a 2000 Lafayette graduate, said after the parade that she is saddened by the school's upcoming closure.

"Lafayette was my school," she said. "... I've been a north side girl pretty much my whole life."

Gritts said she also worries about her children's transition to a larger school and what that could mean for their experience, particularly for students with disabilities.

"They have more heart at Lafayette than they do at Central," she said, noting that Central is where her children will attend.

She said she has heard Central's student council has already been selected and hopes Lafayette students will have an opportunity to merge so all students have a chance to be heard.

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