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Thousands To Gather For DPS Back-To-School Parade, Rally

DETROIT (WWJ) - Detroit Public Schools' high-energy Back-to-School Parade and Rally are back for the third year in a row, on a new weekend day with a brand new Education and Enrollment Expo that will offer parents a one-stop opportunity to enroll in DPS and get their children ready for school.

Gospel artist Vickie Winans will host the rally and serve as grand marshal for the parade, which will include Curious George, the return of the All City Marching Band and classic parade floats.

The high-stepping parade will be bigger and better this year. It will begin at 11:00 a.m. at Grand Circus Park and make its way down Woodward Avenue past the iconic Spirit of Detroit statue, which is dressed for the occasion in a signature blue DPS shirt, and end up at Hart Plaza, where the rally and expo will take place.

The rally will kick off at 12:00 pm in the Hart Plaza Amphitheater and will include major school supply and backpack giveaways, free food, free immunizations, school uniform giveaways, a marching band showdown between Cass Technical High School and Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School and more.

The expo will also feature representatives from every DPS school, who will be prepared to answer parents' questions. Various district department representatives will be on hand to help parents enroll and help parents with questions on transportation, food service and other services.

The events are part of the district's comprehensive 2011 Back-to-School enrollment campaign, which has an added emphasis on attendance on the first day of teaching and learning, September 6. The overall goal of the campaign is to help the district meet or exceed its budgeted target of 65,834 students by halting exodus to other districts and competing charter schools.

The DPS Education and Enrollment Expo Day will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 27 in Downtown Detroit.

For more information, visit detroitk12.org.

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