By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
If you drove through Medfield on Saturday, June 5, around 1:00 in the afternoon, you probably spotted a parade. Instead of floats, cars were decked out in streamers, banners, flags, and pictures. Soon-to-be graduates of Medfield High School stood out of sunroofs or poked their heads out of car windows to catch all the action. This was the Rolling Rally.
The Rolling Rally was started in 2020 following the cancellation of the annual all-night grad party. The class of 2020 had most of its senior events canceled due to COVID-19. Knowing how much the seniors were missing, the Medfield community decorated their streets and houses to show community spirit as seniors made their drive around town.
The 2021 class was able to have prom and the senior cruise, but unfortunately couldn’t safely celebrate as a class with the traditional indoor all-night graduation party. It seems fitting that this class gets to celebrate with what might be the last Rolling Rally.
The parade of cars made its way through town, passing by most of the public schools that students had attended during their educations in Medfield. At Dale Street School, for example, seniors saw an homage to their fourth and fifth-grade education. The parade’s last stop consisted of a turn on the high school campus, a quick drive around the high school roundabout, and a jaunt to Blake Middle School, where outdoor festivities awaited them.
Seniors had no problems going the extra mile for their last hurrah. One truck had two mannequins dressed as hockey players standing in the back with two flags waving beside them - one to represent Medfield and one to represent the senior’s future college. On the back of the truck was a banner reading, “Thank you Medfield.” Some cars were decorated in streamers, balloons, and taped-on portraits of the seniors they represented. Many had “Congratulations Class of 2021!” painted on their vehicles. Students sat on the backs or inside of the cars, waving as they spotted friends and family cheering for them as the parade went by.
The Rolling Rally was as much for families as it was for the seniors to celebrate. “For us, the most exciting part is to see the outpouring of love and support from the community. It was very emotional, to have people you know and people you don’t know just cheering you on and supporting you. Especially coming through the high school and seeing all the teachers that have supported the kids and gotten them to where they are now,” said one mom.
Seniors spent their afternoon on one of Blake Middle School’s fields, celebrating with their fellow classmates. Blaring music, lawn games, food trucks, and more filled in the rest of the gap left by the all-night grad party's absence.
No one can say that members of the class of 2021 had it easy - most of their upper-class years were spent at home or masked, and worrying about the ongoing pandemic. They handled it fantastically. Though their education in Medfield is done, they won't soon forget the impact that their community has had on them.
