Cecil Elementary celebrates Thanksgiving feast
Fourth-grader Logan Stevens holds up the Donald Trump turkey he created. On the accompanying questionnaire he answered questions such as what is his turkey’s most prized possession with the response, “Lots and lots of money.”
After serving up a Thanksgiving meal, parents joined their children for lunch at Cecil Elementary School. Fourth-graders chowed down on a meal of Thanksgiving favorites and finished it off with various desserts and pumpkin pie.
Some examples of the Cecil Elementary School students’ crafted paper turkeys.
Athen Miller chomps down on some chicken while eating lunch with peer educator Lin Donovan during the Thanksgiving feast at Cecil Elementary School.
Nelson Pettigrew Jr., right, said his favorite part about the meal was the stuffing. After learning about the history of Thanksgiving, the students celebrated with a meal provided by parent volunteers.
Some examples of the Cecil Elementary School students’ crafted paper turkeys.
Some of the entries in the Turkey Trot contest at Cecil Elementary School.
Student Leah Trecki was the first-place winner of the turkey contest at Cecil Elementary School with her Darth Baster turkey. Students decorated a paper turkey as a character of their choosing and filled out a paper with answers to questions about their characters.
Ella Oumorou is served some ham by parent volunteers during the Thanksgiving lunch at Cecil Elementary School on Thursday. After learning about Thanksgiving, the students were treated to a lunch prepared by their parents with ham, turkey, mashed potatoes and other Thanksgiving dinner favorites.
CECIL – For the past 12 years, the tradition of parents hosting a Thanksgiving-style feast for fourth-graders at Cecil Elementary School has seen its share of food and crafts.
But this is the first year one of the paper turkeys decorated for the “Turkey Trot” contest was made in the likeness of billionaire and presidential candidate Donald Trump.
“I’ve won everything except this!” read the attached answer by creator Logan Stevens in response to the question of why he should win as if he was the turkey’s persona. While Logan’s Trump turkey featured a shock of straw hair and a tail of real feathers, it didn’t come out on top.
Darth Baster was crowned top turkey last Thursday, complete with a light-up turkey baster created by student Leah Trecki.
Other thematic mashups included remixing Santa and snowmen. Ray J Dalzell, 9, conceded in good spirits that he didn’t make the top 10.
“He’s got a snowman belly and a Santa hat,” Ray J said as he munched on some of his mom’s cheese potato casserole. Parents provided dozens of dishes, even if their audacious good intentions might have been a bit unrealistic – like spinach balls.
“I thought I would try to get a healthy option on the menu. If we can get spinach in these kids’ stomachs, then it’s a good day,” said parent Amy Kulus.
Most of the kids had the go-to proteins of ham and turkey on their plates; a few brave students ventured into vegetables and salads.
The scores of parents who showed were asked by founding Thanksgiving feast coordinator and fourth-grade teacher Lucy Gaydos to sign up for one of about 70 dishes on volunteerspot.com. The call to get parents involved was a practical way to provide a fun meal, and get the education community engaged with each other, she said.
“This is our culminating activity to celebrate the conclusion of the fourth-grade studies on the Plymouth colony, the Wampanoags (indigenous American) tribes; it’s developing an understanding of colonial culture and why pilgrims moved to North America,” Gaydos said.
“We also do some virtual field trips on the Mayflower and other aspects of their journey throughout the colonies,” said fellow fourth-grade teacher Jennifer Stealey.
But, let’s face it: The kids’ most vocal opinions while chowing down weren’t on aspects of history, but what was right before them – sweet and savory food.