Golden Apple: Harrison Kindergartners Host Thanksgiving Feast

“We have a festival, a Thanksgiving festival,” said Harrison Elementary Principal Cathy Nault.

It’s a celebration focused on family.

“We feel like our kids are our family, so it’s like I get to sit down with my whole family,” said kindergarten teacher Lisa Roberts.

It’s a family that includes 44 kindergarten students and the people they are thankful for.

“Thanksgiving isn’t about food, Thanksgiving is about honoring family. That’s why all of our families are invited: grandparents, neighbors or whoever is important in your life,” Nault said.

In preparation for the feast, the students spent time in the classroom learning about Thanksgiving, something parents are thankful for.

“She’s getting that history and getting that appreciation, and understanding it so early on is just fantastic,” said parent Teresa Hurst.

“Things we are thankful for, not so much the material things but our families and other people in our lives. I had one little one say, ‘I’m thankful for letters Mrs. Roberts because then we can learn how to read,’” Roberts said.

The day starts off for the kindergartners by drawing on the tables and even making some hand turkeys.

“In order to really experience what Thanksgiving is, not all of our families do so we make sure that every kindergartner gets that authentic Thanksgiving experience,” Nault said.

In its tenth year, the Thanksgiving feast a Harrison tradition. “Such a great tradition to get families coming together and celebrating our school,” said Kindergarten teacher Dee Dee Vagts.

One that the school hopes will live on well into the future.

“The parents talk about it for years, the kids come back and talk about it,” Roberts said.