PARIS — The Oxford Hills School District’s goal of recognizing alumni prompted officials to include former students in the annual homecoming parade Saturday, Oct. 1.

“The ultimate goal is to create an alumni association,” Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School Principal Ted Moccia said.

He and Oxford Hills Technical School Director Shawn Lambert are gearing up for the parade, which will have alumni, arranged by decade, marching with class floats, youth sports, booster organizations, Oxford Hills Middle School students, cheerleaders, the band and high school students. Children and grandchildren of alumni are encouraged to march, too. There will be face painting and other activities for children afterward.

Parade participants will line up at 10:30 a.m. at the Oxford County courthouse on Western Avenue in South Paris and step off at 11 a.m. at the Gouin Athletic Complex on Alpine Street.

The high school has created an Alumni Hall of Honor to annually recognize one of its own who has contributed to society in a meaningful way. A committee of educators and administration accept nominations and chose the honoree, who will lead the alumni section in the parade.

Alumni marchers will receive a bumper/window sticker that gets them into the homecoming football game at 1 p.m. against Massabesic High School for free. There will be an alumni hospitality tent with light hors d’oeuvres catered by the Technical School culinary arts students. The marketing and hospitality students are also working on the event.

Any alumni who were members of the high school band are invited to join in to play the school song. Those interested should contact Kyle Jordan at [email protected].

The school is looking for help to spread the word about the parade. It will utilize an e-blast, its website and Facebook page.

Although nominations for this year’s Hall of Honor inductee are closed, future nominations can come from anyone employed by the district. A nomination should include how the nominee contributed and continues to contribute to society, as well as what he or she did while in school in the district.

Nominees do not have to have been an exceptional student, Moccia and Lambert said.

As Moccia succinctly put it: “It is not about where you were but where you are now.”

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Oxford Hills School District’s strategic plan includes:

• Recognition and Publicity of Alumni: Communicate through portraits of Oxford Hills graduates the success of their lives and careers.

• Alumni Relations: Develop a clearinghouse and database of alumni resources.