Kapa‘a High School graduate designs winning float

Orchids, anthuriums, red and yellow bell peppers, cayenne pepper, rice and seaweed are among the media applied to the award winning float Kapa‘a High School graduate Jessica Huttger helped create.

Huttger lead a team of students from both Cal Poly universities in Pomona and San Luis Obispo to win the fantasy award for their Chinese dragon themed float at the Rose Parade last month.

“It’s for most creative,” said her mother Jeanette Huttger, a hair stylist at Bliss Salon in Kapa‘a.

The 2002 alum is a senior at Cal Poly Pomona working toward her degree in mechanical engineering. This is her third year working on an entry for the Tournament of Roses parade. The first year she and a few friends did it on a lark. The following year she was second in command, and on the third, she acted as chair — which means she worked as captain of the crew.

Her mother said her daughter applied a Hawai‘i theme the past two years.

“In 2007 they did a penguin and polar bear luau,” she said.

This year’s parade theme was “Passport to the World’s Celebrations.” The students focused on the diversity and appreciation of culture that they felt was representative of both campuses. “Guardians of Harmony” depicts a tranquil Chinese garden scene drawing on aspects from Chinese culture — including the Great Wall of China, balanced between the strength and beauty represented by a dragon and a phoenix. One shared theme among the students was that of honoring celebrations across the world.

Jessica Huttger was unavailable for an interview so her mother spoke on her behalf. Huttger’s mother said one challenge for her daughter captaining such a monumental project was delegation.

“She said it was hard having to rely on other people but was happy to have total control on the dragon. There were students who wanted her to make the dragon look more friendly and Jessica wouldn’t budge on that.”

The Cal Poly float was the only float among nearly a hundred that was built from the ground up by students.

“Some are built by a professional float company,” said Jeanette Huttger.

The work begins in early spring for the students. “They receive the theme from the Rose Parade committee in February,” she said.

Every year the student Rose Float Committees of Cal Poly Pomona and San Luis Obispo organize a “concept contest.” Entries are submitted by students, staff, alumni and the local communities from each campus. The student committees then join together to select a theme from over 100 designs. Their theme for 2008 was chosen for its excellent display of the parade theme and humor. The Pomona campus was in charge of the front half of the float and San Luis Obispo was in charge of the rear.

Ninety percent of the float must be covered with organic material.

“The firecracker mane is of orchids, red, orange and yellow bell peppers and a furry red flower,” said Jeanette Huttger. “I worked on teeth, eyes and some of the mane — there’s a lot of alumni, sisters, brothers and parents there helping.”

She described how the eyeballs are made from rice ground down to a fine powder in a blender with seaweed and leaves. The pink in the tongue is achieved through a similar method with the rice powder that is colored with cranberry. There’s anthurium on the chest and the petals from carnations are used to color the dragon’s face.

“The face alone took two days,” said Jeanette Huttger. “You have to glue the carnation petals down like shingles — and the outline for the jaw is with kidney beans.”

The phoenix floating above the dragon moves up and down, as do the koi circling in the foreground. “Even the belly of the dragon rotates,” she said.

While the reception of the “fantasy award” is an honor — it ends there. “They don’t receive a prize,” Jeanette Huttger said. “But they do have bragging rights and it’s a huge honor.”

“Most engineering students graduate without having ever built anything,” she said. “This’ll look good on Jessica’s resume.”

Jessica Huttger plans to continue her education in California where she’ll study alternative energy.