Schools raise their gobble-lets to Thanksgiving

Staff report

Local schools kick off the holiday season by having students create the No. 1 key to a great Thanksgiving: the tur-key.

Despite some schools losing their holiday cheer, they have not gone cold turkey on all holiday fun.

Hand-traced turkeys are still on the gravy train for elementary school and preschool students.

The trend is that younger students – such as those in Youngstown preschools – in the Mahoning Valley partake in hand-traced turkey crafts, while older students receive holiday-themed, yet still educational presentations.

In Campbell schools, for example, Thanksgiving festivities include a library visit with a Thanksgiving story reading and a kindergarten Thanksgiving play for parents.

Boardman schools have evolved their craft-turkey carving skills, now making seasonal birds from coffee filters.

“The students draw a design [which is a lesson] on the coffee filter, and then those are sprayed with water,” explained Boardman schools spokeswoman Amy Radinovic. “The coffee filter becomes the tail feathers.”

Schools that are not doing hand-traced turkeys still ensure students don’t get in fowl moods.

Youngstown schools spokeswoman Denise Dick said schools in the district celebrate in different ways for the season.

“There are programs and festivities to mark Thanksgiving, but not all classes or schools do the same things,” she explained. “Harding [Elementary], for example, has the Feast for Families, and [William Holmes] McGuffey [Elementary] has parties.”

Parent Johnna Hightower said she was happy to celebrate at Harding’s Family Feast with her two daughters A’Myra, 7, and A’Nylia, 6, Howell.

“It’s just nice seeing the kids get to celebrate with their families,” Hightower said.

Antoinette Moss, also a Youngstown parent, said she just likes that the feast brings everyone together.

No matter what form the celebration takes, Liberty Superintendent Joe Nohra said the theme stays the same – appreciation.

“[We are] trying to get our students and children to understand there is a lot to be appreciative for,” he said. “You still see your typical elementary activities where students learn about the first Thanksgiving, all the historical components, and there are the craft activities. Our middle- and high-school students do Thanksgiving lunches, and they have a turkey, mashed potatoes and all the fixings. There are still a lot of little things that are done, but it’s still built around the theme of appreciation.

“Whether it’s putting together a collage, the first Thanksgiving-type of themes, making the turkeys, and pilgrim-themed crafts, hats and so on with the Thanksgiving holiday, it’s built upon the theme of being appreciative and appreciating what we had,” Nohra said.

“Be appreciative of each other, down to the food on the table,” he said.