Costumed Locust Street students march in downtown Columbia parade with Marching Mizzou

Costumed children bundled up against the cold on Tuesday marched through downtown Columbia, led by a contingent of Marching Mizzou.

It was the first activity for what has become a tradition at Locust Street Expressive Arts Elementary School — its annual Fall Festival.

A parent watching the parade was Alan Meyer, whose son, kindergartner Malcolm Hay-Meyer, was dressed as Pete the Cat.

"It's a popular costume," Meyer said. "I've seen five or six of them."

Because Malcolm is in kindergarten, it's the first time for both of them to participate in the school tradition.

"My son has been psyched up for it for a few weeks," Meyer said. "I like that Marching Mizzou comes out and leads."

Ethan Gray was in the drum line for Marching Mizzou for the school's parade. A senior from Springfield, he said it's his third time to play in the school's parade.

"It's always super rewarding," Gray said. "It's the best."

Band members also dressed in costumes, but Gray's costume wasn't immediately apparent.

"It's kind of DIY Riddler," Gray said. "I thought of it at 10:30 last night."

As students filed back inside after the parade, costumed teachers shouted instructions.

"Third grade, follow the wicked witch," was one such direction overheard.

This year's theme is "Art All Around," said principal Julia Coggins, dressed as Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

"It just continues to be something joyous and fun," Coggins said.

The school had many volunteers and education partners to present to the students in their classrooms throughout the day, Coggins said.

One of those sessions was Art in the Museum, with Julie Chatman, educator for the Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri. She talked with a classroom of first-graders about some of the museum's collection and directed them in activities.

"We're not open yet, but when we are, I know we're going to have a lot of field trips for students," Chatman said.

The museum moved from campus to Mizzou North and is now moving back to campus since that building was demolished.

The museum is under construction in the lower level of Ellis Library, where the State Historical Society of Missouri was once located. No firm opening date has been announced.

"We're still in construction mode, but we will be opening soon," Chatman told the first-graders.

She first told the students about Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky, who is known as the father of abstract expressionism.

The student drew colorful concentric circles with crayons, reminiscent of one of Kandinsky's pieces.

The museum has a collection of ancient Greek and Roman coins, she said.

Showing a photo on the screen of a drachma coin, Chatman said it represented the average daily wage of a worker.

Each region minted its own coins, she said.

"They used their coins for money, but they also used it to promote their new rulers," whose faces are on the coins, she said.

Using crayons and paper, the children designed coins with their faces on them.

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama was another topic for the students. Kusama is known for her use of polka dots, including painting them on pumpkins. The students again did that with crayons on paper.

Other stations around the school included designing a movie poster with Ragtag Cinema, recycled bottle lanterns with the state historical society and fall collages with Stephens College.

Roger McKinney is the Tribune's education reporter. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Costumed kids, teachers, Marching Mizzou participate in festival fun