People drove by, honking, waving and cheering as students waved and cheered back. Some people threw candy out their car windows and waved blue and gold pom poms as they drove by.
Others taped signs to their cars or held signs out of their cars that said hi to specific people or had phrases like, "Go Crusaders!" written on them.
Helias Catholic High School had a "reverse" homecoming parade Thursday evening on the school's campus.
The first group on the parade route was the homecoming court, who smiled and waved, sitting on lined up convertibles.
Homecoming Queen Emily Knox said she loved being able to still represent Helias and carry on this homecoming tradition amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Even though there is a pandemic happening, we still want to show everyone that we're still here," she said.
Knox said it feels great to be able to still celebrate homecoming through events like this parade.
"I didn't think any of this was going to be able to happen, and I thought that we were going to be out of school," she said. "I'm so happy that Helias was able to do this for us, and they knew that it was really special to us. I'm really happy."
Helias sports teams sat next to the homecoming court on stationary floats, waving and holding signs with their team names on them.
Nearby, the cheer team stood in the street, waving their pom poms and singing the Helias fight song. The Helias Dance Explosion performed in the street while the football team sat between the cheer and dance teams.
Dressed as Crusaders in medieval outfits, the band and color guard performed on the football field, blue flags blowing in the wind.
Near the football field, two boys in gold bodysuits with hoods stood on black boxes, posed as Oscars with their arms crossed, which tied to this year's homecoming theme, "Saders Take HOCO: A Netflix Original."
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They stood in front of a giant soccer net and blow-up soccer ball and behind colorful balloons and a red carpet. The soccer team sat next to them, wearing tuxedo-printed T-shirts in front of a sign that read "Sader Soccer."
Next to the soccer team was a yellow and red chariot with a white, cardboard horse taped to a tractor. Members of Classics Club, Helias' Latin Club, stood by the chariot dressed in ancient Greek and Roman costumes.
One student was dressed as a knight, wearing a silver and gold face shield and a white cape, holding a sword. Another student, Bridget Hollingsworth, was dressed as the Greek goddess Artimus in a flower crown, red cape and homemade white toga with a gold embellishment.
Although students are disappointed the homecoming dance was canceled, events like this parade helped keep the spirit alive, Hollingsworth said. She said she's glad they got to safely have a homecoming parade this year, especially because some schools don't get to have any events at all.
"We still get to enjoy that spirit," she said. "I'm really glad that we get to do homecoming at all."