November 10, 2026 | Photos by Gordon Miller In what’s become a fall tradition, students, teachers, and staff took to the neighborhood sidewalks near Brookside Primary School on a recent Friday afternoon for their annual Color Parade.
Grouped in clusters wearing similarly colored shirts and more, the procession marched down Stowe Street and looped back to the school. A small crowd of enthusiastic parents lined the street to cheer on the spectacle.
Closeup of the Ripple bulletin board. Courtesy photo
Before they headed out though, everyone gathered on the back playing field for a group photo with Waterbury Roundabout Gordon Miller flying his drone.
Co-Principal Sarah Schoolcraft explained the celebration and the colors.
The school year-round follows a program called Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS for short) to encourage positive behavior.
Schoolcraft explained that students earn “fish and gems” for following the school code: “Be safe, respectful, responsible and kind.”
“This year, our theme is ‘ripple,’ so when a classroom fills up their two-dimensional ‘fish bowl,’ they get a paper fish to color in and then it goes on our schoolwide bulletin board of ripples,” she said. “When all of the rings are filled, we earn a schoolwide celebration.”
The Color Parade is a favorite celebration that students choose. (Others have included a dance party, a cinema day, and a school spirit week.)
For the parade, students and their teachers dress in a color assigned to their grade level: red for kindergarten, orange for first grade, yellow for second grade, green for third grade and blue/purple for fourth graders.
Parents line Stowe Street to cheer on the Color Parade. Photo by Gordon Miller
Students and staff at Brookside Primary School, Oct. 30, before their Color Parade. Photo by Gordon Miller